Does liking this book make me a Klostermaniac?

If I were the kind of person who likes to make up slang expressions, which I'm totally not, I would put the phrase "chucked up" in my rotation ASAP. "Chucked up" would be used as a shorthand allusion to Chuck Klosterman's hilarious, irreverent, and sometimes insightful book of essays, Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto, which I've just finished reading.

The semi-positive phrase would mean something along the lines of "culturally self-aware, self-deprecating, and smart." Things that are chucked up would make you laugh at today's popular culture the way you laugh at yourself when you've done something embarrassing in front of a bunch of people you know. Funny, but it makes you blush.

Think of all the ways you could use it!

"Man, that is so chucked up."
"Let's all get chucked up tonight!"
"You really chucked it up just then."

It would be awesome. Or, mindbendingly lame, I just can't decide which. Suffice to say, I really enjoyed the book. If I am a Klostermaniac, at least I'm not a kloset Klostermaniac. Who uses a Kolostomy bag.

Kill me now. ;)

Music to my ears

Consider, for a moment, if Veronica Mars weren't such a bitchin' show. (Hard to imagine, right? But bear with me.) Even if the show didn't have such stellar acting, such wonderfully twisty storylines, and such quick, enchanting wit, the music on the show would still rock.

Case in point: Last week's episode, which featured two songs by Old 97's, a band which I, in my uncultured musical void, had never heard of. Both songs - Adelaide and Four Leaf Clover are great and perfectly fitting to the action in the scenes in which they're playing. Minor digging reveals Old 97's have previously been featured on the show, with another song I thought was absolutely pitch-perfect, in the scene where Troy drives off at the end of You Think You Know Somebody. Man, that rocked so hard.

Another song I've really loved from the show has been featured twice: Edge of the Ocean by Ivy. Ivy has another song on the VM soundtrack, but that's not the one I'm digging. Edge of the Ocean is more mellow and elegiac, and it works well for both of the scenes in which it's used; though on the surface the scenes are quite different, they're really both about wanting back some perfection that you used to have, that you can never get back. So good.

One of my favorite songs from the soundtrack hasn't yet been used: Sway, by The Perishers. The song is hopeful and haunting, and I absolutely love it. I sincerely hope they use it somewhere meaningful, because it carries a lot of weight.

(Here endeth my shameless VM plug for the week.)

A post by any other name...

I admit it - I really like coming up with creative titles for blog posts. I'm not sure why, but it has something to do with the challenge of balancing relevance, brevity and wit to create something pithy and bloggy. It's fun.

[Insert your own joke about Joobie being a lame writer here.]

Lucky for me, I get to create post titles not only for my personal blog, but for my work blog as well. Double the fun! Double true!

Here are a few I've enjoyed dreaming up:

• Blogtimize!
  
• The search for a better search box
  
• Out of the box and in your inbox
  
• Money talks
  
• Bye, bye, beta
  
• Getting your RDA of Inside AdSense
  

I'm particularly proud of the "Money Talks" post - it's one I had fun writing and thought was spot-on in terms of tone. Sometimes I doubt myself as a writer*, but when I read something like that, I'm happy with my work.

Hmm...reading over the titles now, none of them really seems that awesome. Maybe they're better in the context of what each post is about...or maybe I'm just getting overly egotistical about the supposed cleverness of my ideas. Can I downgrade my previous statement to "marginally happy with my work"?

Blog content aside, nothing compares to the Thanksgiving turkey. That's gold, baby!

* Sometimes? Ha! Try all the time.

Uncertainty gives way to hesitant glee

The glee is based on this comment from a public conference call with Les Moonves, head of CBS:

"The idea of putting Gilmore Girls with Veronica Mars is a dream come true for Dawn [Ostroff, head of programming]. She finally has a lead-in that works for that show."

Just a rumor at this point, but a pretty awesome idea. My Tuesdays last year were good times with GG followed by VM. A full night of rich, smarmy Logans--who could ask for anything more?

(You know, when I was a wee lass, I'd never have guessed that the news of two TV networks consolidating would be such a hot, fascinating topic for me.)

Eeek...TV uncertainty!

In a very interesting turn of events, television-wise, it's just been announced that the WB and UPN are consolidating into one network beginning this fall. Crazy! There aren't too many details at this point, but we know the new "CW" network will be jointly owned by both Warner Brothers and CBS, and will draw on programming from both the WB and UPN.

Of course, that definitely makes me wonder about the fate of some of my favorite shows. Gilmore Girls? Probably staying, if this show keeps going after this season. Everwood? Who knew if that would be renewed anyway...we'll have to find out later. Veronica Mars? Damn well better be renewed or Dawn Ostroff and Les Moonves are going to feel some serious fangirl wrath. America's Next Top Model? You better bet they're gonna keep milking that sucker.

Both networks continue broadcasting independently until September, when the new network will launch. I imagine we'll know more about their schedule before that happens, as the launch will likely be accompanied by much trumpeting and fanfare.

Happily, Warner and CBS said that the prime time programming will target the 18-34 age group. That's me! I feel so loved and appreciated. I'm lucky I'm profitable.

Is "lazy" a personal style?

Your Personality Is

Idealist (NF) You are a passionate, caring, and unique person. You are good at expressing yourself and sharing your ideals. You are the most compassionate of all types and connect with others easily. Your heart tends to rule you. You can't make decisions without considering feelings. You seek out other empathetic people to befriend. Truth and authenticity matters in your friendships. In love, you give everything you have to relationships. You fall in love easily. At work, you crave personal expression and meaning in your career. With others, you communicate well. You can spend all night talking with someone. As far as your looks go, you've likely taken the time to develop your own personal style. On weekends, you like to be with others. Charity work is also a favorite pastime of yours.

The Three Question Personality Test

Books do a mind good

I can't remember a time when I didn't love reading. Throughout my life, books have been a constant - always rewarding, always satisfying, always a pleasure. Even when the writing isn't good, maybe the story will give me a perspective I hadn't thought of. Or if a plot moves too slowly, there might be something in the author's turn of phrase or tone that's still captivating. I like books of all sorts, from murder mysteries to science fiction to trashy romance to dense novels.

The book I finished just a couple days ago was David James Duncan's The Brothers K, which I absolutely loved. The story sprawls across a couple decades in the life of the Chance family of Washington state. Even though it focused heavily on baseball and religion, two things I've never been particularly interested in, I still found it fascinating. Told mainly from the point of view of the youngest son, Kincaid, Brothers had such affection for the characters and such perfect character voices, I felt like a friend of the family who had known them for years, through all their struggles and successes, wins and losses. The writing was beautiful, intelligent, and thoughtful. If one could ever describe a dissection as kind or loving, that is what reading the book felt like - it felt as if the lives and hearts of the family members were laid bare before me for scrutiny and appreciation. Lovely book.

Now I'm moving on to My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Picoult. I've read reviews of her stuff for a couple years, but hadn't gotten around to reading anything by her until a friend of mine lent me this book. This one's another told from the perspective of several different characters, and that seems like a useful device for this book in particular, since it confronts some interesting and emotional issues with medicine and family. I get the sense that it's going to be a heartbreaker (it's like I can see the plane flying over, Mom!), but Picoult has hooked me so I'm in it till the end.

What are you reading?

What happens in Austin, stays in Austin

Oh, who am I kidding? I want to tell you ALL about it!


I arrived in Austin on Saturday afternoon around 1. From the airport I grabbed the cheap shuttle into downtown, where I wandered around a bit waiting for Sar to arrive (we'd taken separate flights). It was a nice day, clear skies, so I schlepped up Congress Street to see the Capitol. Not too much to see there, but a nice building and grounds. Schlepped down the street to check out the public library (I've got a thing for public libraries - it must be genetic), where I saw a man doing an energetic puppet performance for a bunch of rapt children. Walked around quite a bit trying to locate the tourist center (I think my map was lying to me...I needed Google Maps!). Finally, relented and crossed the river down to our lovely temporary home at the Austin Motel. The Austin Motel has the quirky, '50's appeal of a place you'd pause at for a rest on a long drive headed somewhere else. We were in Room 133, where Sar had stayed before.

Once I connected up with Sar, we walked around the Southern Congress area (AKA SoCo). There are lots of funky shops lining the street, selling clothes and trinkets. We managed to pick up a few souvenirs for those folks not quite lucky enough to make the trip. Later on that night, we made our way further north in Austin to have dinner at El Patio restaurant, where we dined on chips, salsa, tacos, and something that may or may not have been a chalupa. Man, is Texan food filling! I was full all the way through our stroll around the UT campus on the way to the Student Union, where we played pool and did some glow bowling. Good times!

Ah...Sunday. At last. Woke up late and trekked downtown for breakfast at an "Austin institution," Las Manitas Avenue Cafe. It was very tasty and very busy. Sar and I had hibiscus tea and migas especiales con hongos, which is eggs scrambled with garlic, mushrooms, onions and tortillas strips, topped with cheese. The crowd was diverse and not at all touristy. After gorging ourselves, we walked west to BookPeople, Texas' largest independent bookstore. If there's one thing I love as much as I love libraries, it's bookstores. We trolled around looking for a belt for Josh, but found him an elk belt buckle instead. Too bad the boots were about $500 - some of them were pretty darn cute.

Sar and I stopped by another Austin institution, Stubb's, for a quick bite before we headed to the Veronica Marsathon. Mmm...barbeque...:) The place is famous for its live music, but we were there in the off hours, so it was quiet and pretty empty. The BBQ was delicious though, and fast enough that we made it over to the Alamo Drafthouse in time.


The Drafthouse is awesome. Let me say that to begin. It's on EW's list of best theaters in America, and is Austin's only independent theater. They serve food and drinks in the theater, during the movie, and waiters travel between rows of seats to put the food on the counters. Perfect.

Once we got into the theater, we nabbed some good, central seats, and waited for the band to take the stage. The Daylight Titans had some music on the show once, so they made some relevant jokes and anecdotes. They were surprisingly good once they started - I should've bought their CD, but was kinda out of cash at that point. Blast! From behind me, I could hear Rob Thomas, the creator of Veronica Mars, heckling the band, his friends. Cool.

Then, the panel. Rob, Kristen (Veronica), and Jason (Logan) took the stage to highly enthusiastic cheers. No surprise, in person they look just like they do on TV. Rob is a friendly looking guy, dudded up in a suit, very open and intelligent. He showed a bunch of clips of the show and told anecdotes about each one. Kristen and Jason sat off to the side and didn't comment much about the clips, but they did make a bit of fun of Rob and whisper to each other throughout Rob's commentary.

The Q & A was mostly directed at Rob - people had questions about the future of the show and the relationships and past scripts and whatnot. There were lots of jokes, lots of good-natured ribbing from all the cast. Kristen and Jason didn't have too much to say, but seemed very appreciative of the fans overall. Jason said some interesting stuff about his character and how he thought that Logan could only get out of the bad path he's on with some help from Veronica. He said it in a real sweet way, seems like a real romantic. Kristin seems more professional and detached (not in a bad way; I think she just likes more privacy), but Jason is really energetic and focused. Jason likes to cuss, and say 'rad' and 'man' a lot, if this interview is any indication. (Abbey, don't read any of the other recaps on that site! No spoilers for you!), but none of that came out in the panel, to my dismay. One interesting thing Rob said was that from reading forums, he noticed the repeated comment that Veronica is more passive this season, so they're taking steps to have her be more actively involved in future investigations, etc. Nice to know our feedback makes a difference. :)

Then, the episode. Oh, man. What to say? It completely blew me away. Maybe it built up a bit slow, but it completely came through in the end. I don't want to say too much about it, because Mom, Grandma, and Abbey haven't seen it yet (along with most of the world), but suffice to say it challenged some things I thought were true and set up some things that will be interesting to watch later on. I can dish more after it airs on January 25th. I am psyched for everyone to see it!

Overall, it was amazing, and absolutely worth it. Impulsive, frivolous, and completely fun. It feels good to try something spontaneous and have it turn out well.

Succumbing to siren call of a meme

Abbey made me do it.

Four jobs you've had: Tutor, front desk clerk, legal/personal assistant, editor.

Four movies you could watch over and over: A Room With A View, Joe vs. The Volcano, The Princess Bride, Amelie (and oh so many more).

Four TV shows you LOVE to watch: Veronica Mars, Gilmore Girls, How I Met Your Mother, The Office (and oh so many more). I believe I've been clear on this.

Four places you've been on vacation: France, Kauai, Atlanta (sort of), Italy.

Four websites you visit every day: personalized Google homepage, TVGuide.com, Go Fug Yourself, Television Without Pity.

Four of your favorite foods: Zachary's spinach and mushroom pizza, Chicken Cilicia (from La Mediterranee), Dublin Mudslide ice cream, broccoli.

Four places you'd rather be: at an outdoor park in Rome, in a hammock in Kauai, in bed, on the streets of Paris.

Four albums you can't live without: Totally varies depending on my mood, but...When the Pawn... (Fiona Apple), The Piano Soundtrack (Michael Nyman), Kerosene (Miranda Lambert), Rock Steady (No Doubt). Man, that's hard. I was really close to putting the Veronica Mars soundtrack on there, it's that good.

See, Abbey, I read your blog! And I think it rocks too. :)

A study in contrasts

Please allow me to submit, for your consideration, two pictures.

Exhibit A: Innocence.

Meet Alberta. Alberta is a sock doll created and given to me for Christmas by my mom. Sara was given her fraternal twin, Mamie (not pictured). Alberta is huggable, angelic, and, I've decided, Canadian. To me she represents all that is good and pure in the universe. Alberta remains untouched by greed and superficiality, a winsome smile on her face, her scarf jauntily tossed to the side as if blown by some carefree breeze on a spring day.

And, for those of you who care, she is joined by her nearly flattened elderly British ursine companion, Cummerbund.



Exhibit B: Indulgence

This year, I had a New Year's Eve full of revelry and alcohol. Like a real adult! Josh and I went to his friends' apartment in the Presidio and partied down. We even stayed past midnight - a feat to be truly proud of. His friend Andy sported a moustache and dressed up like 1) Magnum, PI and 2) Ron Burgundy. We watched Commando, listened to a wide variety of music from the Backstreet Boys to Spoon, and drank champagne. Fun was had, by all.

Including, it seems, Josh and his amorous if belligerent friend Matt.



Side note: Commando is awesome. Where else do you get exchanges like this?

Matrix: Remember, Sully, when I promised to kill you last?
Sully: That's right, Matrix. You did.
Matrix: I lied. (Drops Sully off cliff.)

Classic.

A Hotlanta Holiday: Part II

Post-Christmas, my visit was all about the mellow. Watching Veronica Mars. Eating. Playing games. Creating bizarre hairstyles for each other. Raking leaves. Going to buy shoes. Watching more Veronica Mars. Eating more. Reading The Brothers K. Singing Lazy Sunday to myself. Chillin' like a villain.



Funny thing is, I like that sort of stuff. My mom has a veritable forest in her backyard, and it was nice to get some physical activity goin' on. See how excited I was to rake! (Kindly refrain from any comments about hoeing.)

We also (shock!) left the house to watch The Family Stone, which I absolutely loved. It was funny without being cheap and touching without being melodramatic. True, you could see some twists coming a mile away, but the point wasn't the plot, it was the interactions of the characters. Plus, sign language! Lovely.

The trip was even capped off nicely - on the plane ride home there were two movies (Cinderella Man and Sky High). True, I only watched one of them (you guess which), but that's because I was seated next to an adorable two and a half year old girl named Ella who was completely fascinated by me and talked to me nonstop until she fell asleep 3/4 of the way into the flight. She was such a cutie, at the fun age Drew's at now, that the flight passed quickly and pleasantly (much to her father's relief).

Then I was back home with Snugglebear, and ready to enjoy a closet cleaning with Nilofer and New Year's Eve with Josh and his homies. Good times! Of course, I'm right back to missing Mom. How could you not miss this woman? She is ten kinds of awesome.



If you look closely, you can see that her champagne glass says "#1 Mom." Word.

A Hotlanta Holiday: Part I

Last Christmas? Sucked. HARD.

This Christmas? Rocked. HARD.

I had a great time in Atlanta (well, Lilburn, really, but who the heck knows where that is). The trip kicked off with a "Hey, it's that guy!" moment prompted by one Wayne Knight, aka Newman from Seinfeld, or havoc-wreaking nerd Nedry from Jurassic Park. Mr. Knight was 1) gracious enough to sign autographs for some other people 2) probably waiting to pick someone up, since he's from GA and 3) looking thinner than in his Seinfeld days.

After being whisked off to chez Beckmann-Gerow-Szabo, Sar and I enjoyed some quality slothing and some quality eats: Chicken Cheese Casserole, cooked by Mom. (Initiate drool sequence...now!) I was abysmally tired, but perked up around 9pm when we started watching a little show called Veronica Mars. Have I mentioned it? I can't quite recall. However, I hasten to mention that during my nearly-one-week stay at casa B-G-S, we watched the entire first season. Mom and Grandma are hooked and I was forced to leave the new season 2 episodes with them to help them get fully caught up. Looks like obsession runs in the family. Hee.

Christmas morning was slow to get going, given the time difference and the fact that none of us are 7 years old anymore and we ain't exactly brimming with the hope of glimpsing some reindeer. After the typical cinnamon roll breakfast (in case anyone was counting, I most certainly did not eat four), we got down to the business of the day: presents.

What, you thought Christmas was about something else? ;) It's fairly out of focus, but you can see how Santa went a little crazy.



I didn't really feel like I hit any "home runs" in terms of gifts this year, but Nilofer was pretty darn psyched about her Oprah DVD, and I actually made Grandma cry when she opened up her framed picture of Sar and me. As usual, Mom had a couple home run gifts that she didn't anticipate being so well received: a freakin' adorable sock doll (will post picture later - extremely huggable) and a pirate coloring book which she defaced with tackily-colored outfits and embellished with irreverent quotes. I heart Mom. Plus, Josh surprised me by sending a few presents to Atlanta (the knave!) so I could open them on Christmas Day. That good surprise, and the card he wrote me, were completely thoughtful and sweet and made me feel like such a lucky lady. He's a keeper!. Hee.

Christmas night, we had a whole crew for dinner: Phil and his two sons, Matthew and Andrew; Grandma; Mom; Sar and I. Okay, that's not that large a crew, but it felt like a lot of people, even though only one of them is pictured below. Please note that the snowflakes, while incredibly realistic, were created by Mom, rather than Mother Nature - we didn't actually get a white Christmas. We did, however, get a lovely wintry atmosphere in which to gorge ourselves.



Stuffed and happy, we retired to the kitchen for group games and Christmas-themed Mad Libs -- hilarious. If you haven't heard Mom's rendition of "Frosty the Chevrolet Man", you haven't lived. It goes a little something like this:

"Frosty, the Chevrolet Man
was a brown undulating soul,
with a corncob pipe and a button eyeball
and two eyes made out of prime rib.

...

Oh, there must have been some magic in
that old pair of chaps they found
for when they placed them on his appendix
he began to cut around."

There were tears in all our eyes. More tomorrow.

Addendum: Austin is less than two weeks away. Turns out Kristen Bell, Enrico Colantoni, Jason Dohring and Michael Muhney will all be in attendance. Plus I'll get to see Episode 11 before it airs. I'm psyched, people. This show rocks.

A Hotlanta Holiday: Preview

I plan to post a series of entries about my recent trip to Atlanta, but thought that I would start with this teaser:



Seussian, isn't it?