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

Perspective

This year I will ring in the New Year by attending a funeral. I got word this morning that the director from the preschool I used to teach at was killed in a car accident on Friday evening. While Cynthia and I were not what I would call close friends, I am forever indebted to her for her kindness and generosity. In a time that I would call the darkest for my family, one filled with the stress of my husband's unemployment for seven months and the grief of watching my mom decline in health as she struggled with cancer, Cynthia was not just my boss. She went out of her way to support our family. She approached the board of the preschool to have Bink's tuition completely waived while my husband was unemployed. She gave me preference for picking up extra hours, as she knew we needed it. Most importantly, she was always there with a word of encouragement, a hug and a smile. She was a very warm hearted person. Cynthia leaves behind three beautiful girls in their late teens and early twenties and her husband.

So, as a new year begins, I am reminded yet again of the things that are truly important. We hear over and over again to not take life for granted and to enjoy each moment of our lives and those we love. We all go through moments when life can be less than enjoyable, when the world seems like it has been turned on its ear. Existence is frequently harsh and filled with pain. It is, however, in these moments that we learn what we are made of. There were times when I thought I would crumble into a million pieces and be blown away by the breeze, when I could barely stand under all of it, but this is when I learned that I was much stronger than I thought I could ever be. This is when I learned to lean on those who loved me, that it's OK to ask when you need help. This is when I learned that the most important aspect of life is the friends and family you travel with through life. Not that I took them for granted before, but it gave me a whole new appreciation for them. Cynthia was one of those people. May she rest in peace and may her family find comfort from loved ones as they go through this difficult time.

Digging Deep

In an effort to bring you more variety in the new year (well, almost new year), I dug into the depths of my record collection to find this gem. I actually had forgotten about its existence. Who couldn't love a French 80's group? OK, don't answer that. Rita Mitsuoko were doing the new wave thing French-style. So, for your visual and auditory pleasure, or not............

Bye-Bye PC.....Hello Mac Book......Thank You, Santa!

Apparently Santa heard me threatening to throw my PC out of the window. He brought me a shiny new Mac Book. It was a total surprise, and a great one at that. With school being the main reason I use a computer, my frustrations with my PC were increasing by the day. I cursed it often and not so secretly wished for a hammer to smash it into little bits. So, ding dong, my PC's dead. Thank you, Santa!

Happy Festivus one and all. Hope Santa was good to each and every one of you. Hope to see some of you GEWS this Friday!

Progressive Rock Hangover

Long ago and not so far away, progressive rock ruled the radio waves. Overblown and full of itself, it eventually became extinct like the dinosaurs. As I was driving the kids to school this morning, however, a howl from the past came through my speakers and reminded me that sometimes there were some redeemable moments from that era.

One of my good friends and my then boyfriend were in a band in high school that wished they were Emerson, Lake and Palmer. One of the songs that she loved the most was "I Believe in Father Christmas." Maybe it's the memory of that time in my life, or maybe it's actually the song, but this song is part of my mortal fabric. I felt some sort of old sense of Christmas swell inside of me, much like a bombastic ELP song, as I listened to it this morning. So, hallelujah, noel, be it heaven or hell, the Christmas we get we deserve. Have an existential Christmas.

Bing 'n Bowie

There aren't many more unlikely combinations of characters, but they did a lovely job with Lulu's favorite Christmas song. For a Bowie nutjob like me, it doesn't get much better than this.

I've finally finished the Christmas tree and will polish off the rest of the shopping tomorrow in a frantic flurry of economy stimulating spending. Bink is counting down the days to wrapping paper ripping euphoria. I am counting down the days to a blissful week off of work. We have no exotic plans and I am happy about that.

I was reminded this week by two tragic events that life is precious. Not that I had forgotten, but it made me hug my kids a little tighter. For them, this is still a magic season. I wish for them and for all of us, peace and happiness.

Addicted

TV ON THE RADIO-Wolf Like Me

Can't get enough of these guys right now. Now that I've come up for air, I have time to catch up on some of what I've been missing lately. TV on the Radio definitely fills my requirement for good buzz. One week of school vacation down and three to go. Oh, and I got another A. Pass the Christmas Ale.

Friends Call Me Heatmiser...

Echo, I am in 100% agreement with the Year Without a Santa Claus pick. Of all those old Rankin/Bass puppet clay movie things, that one is a standout. I dig that Big Bad Voodoo Daddy did such a nice job covering this. Personally, I have felt like the Heatmiser the last couple of days as I have "taken ill" with the flu. At least I made it to El Vez. Anyone can ask Lulu, I could not stop laughing when the big blow up Santa and Snowman came out. It was like some sort of freakish silly mosh pit. I really want to make people mosh with Santa and Frosty before they enter my house. Now that would be fun.

We finally have our tree, although it was a somewhat pathetic trip as Sweetness had a fever and I had to run out of the store to get fresh air before I hurled. Not very ho-ho-hoey. The tree made it home and we managed to get it in the stand and then I collapsed into bed. I'm feeling much better today, so I think Christmas is officially underway again. This is one weird Christmas so far.

Yes, Lulu, there is a Santa Claus

Finally! Actual El Vez footage! I am so very excited. I am one annotated bibliography and homework assignment away from Christmas break. I actually got to press the "print" button for the paper yesterday evening.

As we get older, the holidays aren't always what we wish they would be. Life is messy and busy. The best we can do is find the moments of joy when we can. Merry Mex-mas, everybody!

Sucked Dry, But Hopeful

Yeah, school is sucking me dry. Kicking my ass around the block several times until I beg for mercy and then it bodyslams me and walks away laughing. But......it's over for a month on December 8. I'd forgotten what the feeling of semester break anticipation felt like. It's a big fat oaf of a party buddy, goading you on to put down your books and come to a kegger. I'm trying really hard right now to not listen to him and to just finish my work when I really want to run like hell and drink from the keg tap.

Even better than school being over, and the ultimate and perfect school's out/Christmas celebration is that El Vez is doing his Merry Mexmas show the day after I finish. I am giddy with excitement because El Vez's shows are always the most fun, positive experiences you could ever dream of having. What's better than an Elvis impersonator? El Vez! So, I just have to hang in there for two more weeks and then my Christmas can begin.

Revelations

Grant Miller, you really put the gun to my head. All this time I've been lurking in the shadows with no clue as to my real identity. Well, here I am in all my furry glory. I'm a rockin' kitty with attitude and a totally awesome band. Check us out.

WTF, Lulu! (Super Secret Song From the Confessional)

So, I'm outting Lulu. Educator by day, freak by night. How do you find the time?