My Favorite TV Show Ever

Freaks and Geeks was written about me. I am convinced. I was Lindsay, the smart girl who couldn't play nice and found life a little more interesting in the smoking lot. My church group friends were always trying to rescue me, but I was too busy trying to figure out who I was. No other show has rung so true for me. I almost cried when they cancelled it. I actually was one of those people who wrote to the network begging them to bring it back. To this day I am sad that we only have a handful of episodes of what I believe to be TV genius.

This particular clip is one of my all time favorites. Nick is one of my favorite characters. He tries to be a tough guy, but he's painfully sentimental. I've known this guy. There were a lot of them in the smoking lot. Nothing makes better TV than cringing awkwardness. Freaks and Geeks rocked. At least I have the series on DVD. Whenever I forget what my teenage years were really like, I can watch them. I would say the only difference between Lindsay and I is that in the end, she goes off to follow the Grateful Dead. I hate The Dead. I ran off to follow punk bands. Other than that, watch the series and you'll see my family and my life. Really.

C'mon Little Buddies, Work!!!!

These are brain cells. Mine are very tired and confused. Statistics makes them hurt. I am pretending that they are on the cross country team and just finished their big long distance run of the week. They like to jog, but not too far. Now they want to go to bed. I hope they'll wake up in the morning. I'll be needing them again.

What Does 42 Look Like?

Somehow, I thought it would be different. I guess I thought that how I feel inside is how I would look outside. I'm not even sure I look like I should at 42.

You watch your parents age and I remember my parents going through their forties. They seemed so grown up to me. Of course, I was a kid, so anyone over the age of 18 was ancient, but they looked more mature than I think I do. I wonder if I seem the same way to my kids.

I wonder when I will have to give up some of the things that I love because I will simply be too old. Will I have to give them up? Will I stop wanting to do things at some point? Will I change? I haven't felt a strong change yet. I always wonder if it is lurking around the corner.

Aging is very strange. I'm not actively fighting against it, but I'm not letting it be an excuse to give up or to let go. It's hard to reconcile how you can feel so young inside, but your body ages. My father told me this week that his friends say the same thing. They're all in their seventies.

Here's to another year of being 18 on the inside.

The Boys in the Bands Vol. III

Michael Hutchence was the ultimate frontman. Beautiful, fabulous voice and moves that created a tension so palpable, you could rip it apart with your teeth. A writer, a singer, an Aussie and tragically missing now from our lives. Oh, Michael, you were my favorite lead singer.

INXS is probably one of the poppiest bands that I will willingly cop to loving. They had a great groove and churned out hit after hit in the 80's and into the early 90's. I had the good fortune of seeing them live on two occasions. Michael was a master of working the stage and the crowd and his voice sounded just as great live as it did recorded. Not everyone can claim that feat. Add the fact that he was beautiful and a bundle of sensual energy and you have the recipe for whipping people everywhere into a hot and bothered frenzy. I typically don't cross lines into that category either, preferring to stay a little more detached, but oh my, oh my.

Sadly, we lost Michael back in 1997. Celebrity deaths usually feel to me more like a fact than anything important. Michael Hutchence's death felt like something more. I actually miss him. Nope. Didn't know the guy at all, but I can feel the hole that he left in the world, at least in my world. Maybe it's because I don't usually let myself turn into a squealing twelve year old at the meer thought of someone unobtainable. Maybe he was my rock and roll ideal. Whatever the case, I miss him. I refuse to go see them with J.D. whoever taking his place. It would feel awkward and would make me miss him all the more. Do I feel like a teenage fan girl even as I write this? Yes, I do.

So, here's an homage to teenage lust and the teenage lust that lives inside of every one of us, I hope. Or should I say, the devil inside.

There Comes a Time

There comes a time in the middle of the night when you have a choice of staying up or attempting to sleep. I finished my assignment a little while ago after being held prisoner by school all day. I want a few minutes of my own and know they won't come in the morning tomorrow. So I've been sitting here reading and looking out the window at the snow, enjoying the cold, dark quiet. I suppose I'll go to bed for a little while, but I want a few more minutes of nothing first.

And Now For A Brief Message From Your Sponsor

Today's Shuffle:
1. Matthew Sweet-Sick of Myself
2. Mission of Burma-Nancy Reagan's Head
3. Iggy Pop-Lust for Life
4. Horrorpops-Dotted With Hearts
5. No Doubt-Simple Life
6. Voodoo Glow Skulls-Thrift Shop Junkie
7. The Vines-Ride
8. Dumptruck-Walk Through Mirrors
9. Waterboys-Whole of the Moon
10. Fugazi-Long Distance Runner

Looking forward to seeing some of you on Saturday night! I'm off to cram my homework assignments in before the inebriation commences. Peace out!

The Boys in the Bands Vol. II

How could an adolescent girl in the late 70's and early 80's not love these boys? It was the tag team of Robin Zander and Rick Nielsen that sucker punched me into hysteria as a young teen. Robin was white hot and Rick was possibly the coolest guitar player I had ever seen. Sure, he played up the geek factor, but he rocked the checkered look hard. Couple their look with riffs sent from heaven and a band name that made my parents gasp and they had an unwaivering fan.

I didn't get to see them live until the mid-80's when they were the opener for INXS. Now I love INXS and I guarantee that Michael Hutchins will be the subject of another story in this series, but on that night, Cheap Trick ruled. They were loud, energetic and Rick Nielsen is a machine. This is a band that has taken the idea of pop, tossed it into the blender with rock and sprinkled it with a little New Wave. Slurp it up, kids. It doesn't get much sweeter.

Farewell......sort of.......not really

School starts again on Monday. I'm dreading it and hyperventilating and having apocalyptic nightmares. This quarter, I am hoping, will be the worst one. Not that I want it to be, but it gives me hope that the rest will be tolerable. Basically, I suck at math and I have to take graduate statistics, not having had a math class since 1985. It's a little intimidating. What I think is even worse, is that the class I thought would be easier looks like it is going to be really yucky. The professor sent us all an opening letter with an enormous diatribe about what he doesn't like (and not worded in a very friendly manner).

So, I have sworn that I am going to severely limit my blogging. I am thinking I will limit myself to two visits per week. If it turns out that I am freaking out for no reason, I'll see you all more often. If it turns out I am rightfully hyperventilating, then you'll know why I'm not around. Hopefully I will see some of you when I come up for air on the 20th. Oh, and by the way, for those of you who care, Naked Raygun is officially back together and will be playing House of Blues on April 27th. Tickets go on sale on January 10th. And fortunately, it will be after this nasty quarter.

The Boys in the Bands Vol. I

It's no secret that I am an avid music lover. It most likely is no secret that I have harbored some pretty serious bandboy crushes over the years as well. They are innocent love fests that usually involve me swooning over either looks or voice or lyric writing aptitude or fabulous virtuosity on whatever instrument they play. Most often the killer combo for me was nice cheekbones and a British accent. Put those two together and I was a goner. So, here is installation numero uno of the boys I have *loved* through the years.

Richard Butler. Ah, Richard. With the voice that sounded like velvet and cigarettes. He crooned his way into my heart somewhere around 1983. President Gas, We Love You, Heaven.......he was snarky, sarcastic and seductive and I loved it. This was one of the first shows ever that I had really good seats. I went to see them in about 1984 with my brother and we were in the second row. I don't think either one of us anticipated the earshattering volume the Psychedelic Furs managed to produce that night. I firmly believe that this was the show that began my progressive loss of hearing. Forget that my ears rang for days. Richard sang to me. Right to me on many songs. At 18, I looked into his eyes and lost myself in the music and dreamed of being swept away to England to live a fabulous and totally hip life.

And so, I give you bandboy crush number one, Richard Butler..........



PSYCHEDELIC FURS-Sister Europe