Anti-Everything

WWJD: Gossip Grrrl?

2009-07-28T08:57:00.012-05:00

Hey everyone, Jem here! Welcome back to What Would Jem Do?! It's good to be back and giving much needed advice to the public again. Unfortunately, last time I was on here my time was short and Starlight House burned down AGAIN. That makes it... 4 times now? Fortunately, none of the girl orphans I help were injured but I'm so close to banning curling irons and flat irons, its not even funny. Pink fluffy hair be damned, my dad only left me so much money and the Holograms are between contracts now. We're working on some songs though and we'll be back in the studio in no time. I think the world is ready again for some uplifting music! So, let's get to the letters, shall we?

Dear Jem

Okay I have a problem that I hate to admit. I have been reading Perez Hilton's blog for like several years. I'm talking since before he sold out... before he even met Paris Hilton... when his little vulgar scribbles were new and still funny. This was like when he was begging fans to send in their celeb pics cuz he didn't have enough content of his own. :} My fingers just automatically go to his website, and I hate myself for continuing to read his gossip. I just luv reading celeb gossip! What are better and more respectable celeb gossip site alternatives? I have avoided his site for about 2 weeks so I feel like I'm doing really well and on the road to recovery. Although I did tell my friend who still reads his site to text me if she reads anything major that I need to know. :} Is that considered cheating?

Gossip grrrl - I'm going to assume you stopped reading Perez Hilton because of his recent strings of scandals, most notably his altercation with Will.i.am? I'm not going to mince any words for this one as I'm a girl without a hair dryer at the moment and in NO MOOD. Perez is OVER. He's a blight to both the blogopshere and the gay movement. What is most painful is that I remember when his site was called PageSixSixSix (so cute) and he had so much potential. Unfortunately, Perez's massive head got even bigger and could no longer be supported by his frame and he started catering to the lowest common denominator. No amount of vulgar doodling can compare to a clever turn of a phrase. So Perez is dead to me and I will no longer provide him with cash flow generated by my online traffic. But I digress... you want a new site to get your celebrity gossip fix. Well, there's always TMZ but, quite frankly, it has no real style. If you're looking for cute and biting commentary along with your gossip then look no further than D-Listed. Its cute, clever, and funny. You can also read OMGblog and WorldofWonder which throw in some celebrity gossip along with other cute articles. Not to mention, WorldofWonder has my very dear friend, James St James. In short, you have lots of alternatives to choose from for celebrity gossip so why choose tired old Perez?

We have time for one more quick question for this week...

Dear Jem, I'm always leaving my comments in the wrong post. Am I really that stupid? How can I be more smarter??Love, MM.(the M. stand for Moron)

Dearest MM - You are not a moron, you just need to better organize your life. I suggest purchasing a blackberry to put in all your contacts and schedules in so you can let your brain focus on what's really important... the world of blogs. Also, if you get a blackberry, you can say you're BBMing and not texting. It just sounds more important! Of course, I don't need any of these things because I have Synergy. Not only does she provide me with an updated wardrobe and alter ego, she also organizes my day and comes with a 50 megapixel camera.

Glitter, fashion and fame!

Cover This

2009-07-22T15:50:00.009-05:00

So, inspired by a post over at the cute HotelTuesday, I've decided to list 5 song covers that I feel rival, if not surpass, the original song. So many bands cover songs but for a cover to be truly GREAT, they either need to twist the song into their own style or they need to redo it in the original style flawlessly. Here are some of the contenders in my book. What are yours?

Dangerous Type - cover by Letters to Cleo, original by The Cars
I must admit that I heard the cover before the original so thats probably why I'm biased. I do love The Cars and the fact that Rick landed Paulina still amazes me but I'm going to give this one to LTC.

I Know Its Going To Happen Someday - cover by David Bowie, original by Morrissey
How often does a music legend cover another, slightly less known, music legend? Almost NEVER. As much as it pains me to say this since I'm such a Moz/Smiths fan but I like Bowie's version better.

She's Lost Control - cover by Girls Against Boys, original by Joy Division
I don't know how to compare these two because their versions are different but still similar. Joy Division has such a great minimal sound and they have, let's face it, Ian Curtis with all his mythology behind him and his music. GvsB does not have a minimal sound but its a near perfect rendition of the original. I'm going to say they are about equal to me. I'm sorry Ian! Please do yourself a favor and checkout any books/movies/docs about Ian Curtis and Joy Division.

White Lines - cover by Duran Duran, original by Grandmaster Flash
I just love Duran Duran and Simon's voice. I still want to be Nick Rhodes and play that electrical stick he puts on top of his keyboards.

Landslide - cover by Smashing Pumpkins, original by Fleetwood Mac

I know lots of people will hate me for this but I actually like the SP version better. Stevie Nicks has a phenomenal voice but I can't say that I'm a big fan of Fleetwood Mac. The Smashing Pumpkins, however, I am a fan of of although I did stop buying them after Pisces Iscariot. Billy Corgan stayed faithful to the song for his version and ~~belted~~ hoarsely whispered his way through it.

anti: William Shatner covers

Wild Thing

2009-07-20T14:39:00.003-05:00

Not since Anne Murray has any thing so great come out of Canada. Peaches is CRAZY and RAUNCHY but I love her for it. She is one of the few artists who can do nasty and raunchy and not make me think its in poor taste. Mind you, I would not listen to her with my little cousins but I wouldn't care if my mom was in the car while I had her on. My mom is just glad I'm over punk although I'm only truly over looking punk. Anyhoo, Peaches combines my love of masculine women and electroglam.

In the first video, Boys Wanna Be Her, you can see JD Sampson, of Le Tigre, playing keytar.

Okay, I'm pretty sure this is not an "official" Peaches video but the Fuck The Pain Away video is not bad and its a song you just have appreciate. No, that is not Peaches. Peaches is much zexier.

Last, is a short clip of Peaches on the L Word singing I U She. I love this because its a great song but also because it makes me laugh because I have never ever seen lesbians dance at a lesbian bar. Only on Showtime, I guess!

anti: Bare Naked Ladies

Glitter, Fashion, and Fanmail

2009-07-15T14:28:00.006-05:00

What a lucky treat for all us! Jem is taking a break from her busy life of running the Starlight House, her ophanage for cute teen girl runaways, since no one is buying domestic orphans nowadays. Their loss is our gain! Jem wants to revive her old advice column, WWJD: What Would Jem Do? but she needs your mails and problems. No problem too small or too great. Just email her, care of me, at velocityboy14@gmail.com

anti: dear abby

Destroy Everything You Touch

2009-07-14T09:52:00.002-05:00

I've listened to Ladytron forever... when their sound was minimal and a bunch of *beeps* and *boops*. Oh how you've grown, Ladytron. I would describe them as synth/electro pop with just a hint of electroclash. I mean, they have an asian! What self-respecting electro band doesn't have an asian in the mix. They're also fronted by two women. How subversive!

Listen to "Runaway" off Velocifero

and some classic Ladytron, "Seventeen"

anti: horizonal stripes

I'm on a roll... sorta

2009-07-08T08:43:00.003-05:00

Only two days apart in postings... I feel like Ariana Huffington!

So I watched The Great American Road Trip last night and I can't say that its very good. They choose 6 or 7 families and have them travel across American by RV and hilarity should ensue. Well they're obviously trying to be PC and having a different ethnic/race family for each RV. You have the black family, the hispanic family, the southern family, the jewish family, the loud italian family, etc. There was one family which I'm not even sure what they were but I'll just call them the poor family. So they keep emphasizing its not a race, which would actually make it exciting, but they do have competitions where they eliminate families. I mean, its not great, but I'll probably keep watching just to see the italian family eliminated. That dad is so annoying with his dry damaged hair!

NYC Prep - As much as I love this show, I can definately see why people hate it. The kids are spoiled and privileged and, as an only child, I've never had a problem with that. But some of the things they say are just ignorant and mean. I love PC (Peter Carrey) but he did annoy me last night. I'm all for money and self-entitlement but I can't stand when someone takes themselves to seriously like PC did in Mexico. I think he insulted mexicans, texans, and new jersians all in one night. Of course I'm going to keep watching because I think its funny to see the girls with their lazy eyes and weird hair.

anti: jaeger bombs

3 months later...

2009-07-06T16:10:00.000-05:00

Back to blogging with an emphasis on music and videos.

I've been obsessing over Hunx and his Punx for awhile now. Hunx is just so cute and what boy can resist a fur fez and a batwing hoodie? I'm not certain if any other bands have explored the miniscule genre of queercore shangri-la/ronnettes girl (but not) groups but I'm going to go out on a limb and say Hunx and his Punx do it best.

anti: pop divas

Return to Blogging (or how to beat the high cost of boredom)

2009-04-03T16:06:00.001-05:00

Dear blogosphere... my how you've grown.

So after a 5 year absence, I've decided to return to blogging. I have so many emotions and opinions to share that I feel I need to reach a larger audience and broadcast it to the world. My current audience being 1 (3 if you count my dog and cat) and wanting to increase that number times 10!

I stopped blogging mainly because it became such a chore to keep up with and I felt I wasnt doing anything interesting enough to warrant a blog. Well that still holds true but damnit if no one else has anything interesting to say either and still continue to blog. My ultimate goal with blogging would be to steer topics whichever way I choose and not be confined to commenting on others' blogs about their uninteresting topics.

I've also outright stole the title and feel from my best friend Nomi and told her I would give recognition in exchange.

anti: Everything. A good place to start but I hope to narrow it down in subsequent posts.

A blog at the end of the world

2004-08-23T08:27:00.000-05:00

Friday night, Nomi and I went to see Garden State at the AMC on Technology. Neither of us felt like mixing with the hipper indie crowd at Magnolia to see this movie. There was barely anyone in the theatre as most of the crowd who goes to AMC are there to see big summer blockbusters... not quirky low-budget romantic comedies. This was most evident in that the sound, once again, was horrible. Last time we saw an indie movie here, Saved!, the sound kept going in and out or was on a frequency only audible to dogs. Great movie but I was hoping for a different ending. After the movie, we went to complain and we got our money back for the tickets so that wasnt so bad.

Saturday, we went to the gym at 7 in the morning. Once again, trying to avoid the crowds and succeeding. I dont think I've sweat for over 6 months since Saturday. I'm terribly out of shape and its embarrassing. I did about 20 minutes of cardio and then tried some strength training. The weight stuff wasnt as bad as the cardio but I'm sure I had everything on girl settings. I've been paying for it the last two days though... I've been walking like I rode a horse on some trail ride.

Saturday night, I went out with a police officer. It was interesting... all handcuff and nightstick jokes aside. He's a really nice guy but I dont think we could be more than friends. He broke a few of my cardinal rules first night. It was bad enough that he wore SHORTS and SANDALS at NIGHT but on a first DATE. I was mortified by that but that wasn't all... he had on one of those coral choker necklaces. It could have been worse, it could have been one of those pooka shell necklaces. Second mistake, on his part, he didnt reach for the bill at the restaurant. I stared at it twice on the table before I finally picked it up and looked at the total. He said he would pay or if we wanted to go "dutch" (my most hated word) and I said I would take care of it. He said he would get the movie or drinks later. I suggested we go see Ju-On which is a japanese horror pic showing at the Angelika. He wasnt too thrilled with having to read subtitles so we abandoned that idea. We went to Snookies instead for more drinks. We alternated between talking, watching the Olympics on the telly, and staring at a birthday party at the table next to us. It wasnt a boring night but I dont think we're suited for each other. I wouldn't mind being friends with him though... if only because it would be beneficial to have a cop as friend at some point.

Policy of Hate

2004-08-19T15:53:00.000-05:00

My intention is to disabuse the general public that hate is a negative or ill-served emotion. It's very existance in our emotional vocabulary should lend to its validity and place in human communication. Having said that, here is my list of things I hate in no particular order:

1) overtexturized hair - is it me or has every boy decided to put in tons of producty goop in their hair and spike it out in one form or another? Toni & Guy must be making a killing off this fad, and believe me, it is a fad.

2) sleeveless shirts at night - c'mon now... its not so hot that you can bite your thumb at the fashion gods. Your intent is to show skin to illicit some visceral response in others. Job well done, you've gotten me to feel revulsion and disdain.

3) sandals AT NIGHT - let me clarify this by saying men's sandals, particular thongs, flip-flops, and jesus sandals. call me an elitist if you will, but no one should intentionally wear sandals after 6pm unless going to the beach. Save your sandals for the daylight and if you get caught after sunset still wearing your sandals then get yourself home as soon as humanly possible.

4) the recently political - how I hate to hear people drone on as to why I need to vote and the "hot issues". I am consistent in my apathy, thank you very much. I did register to vote and will be casting come November but I feel no need to promote my political agenda in my idle chit chat.

5) radio - 10 minutes of bad music interlaced with 15 minutes of commercials. Don't even get me started about morning radio shows.

6) the "easy" - remember when sexual discernment was classy? Lets forget that most people are a walking petri dish... what happened to taste? Sexual innuendo is rampant in the media and you can't walk 5 steps without running into a dick, puss, or boob reference. Have a little respect for yourself and those around you. Keep it in your pants for more than a day.

7) people who use the word "hot" to describe anything other than the temperature - Surely we can find better adjectives. I also disapprove of the term "hottie".

8) jennifer aniston/brad pitt - sexist couple, my ass. Totally trite, but so is this whole entry.

9) Von Dutch - I use it to polish my toilet bowl now. I think I saw those foreign girls who worked at Mythik wearing all the clothes they couldnt sell before going out of business.

10) humanity (in general) - this includes my pontificating and self-righteous self. We'd be better off as lizard people who spit actual poison, instead of methaphorical, at each other when agitated.

What blogs may come...

2004-07-07T10:39:00.000-05:00

What has brought me back to the world of blogs, you ask yourself. What has caused me to transcend the mundane routine of work and sleep? The premier of Big Brother 5 and The Amazing Race, of course.

BB5 - Okay, I'm so tired of the twists on reality shows now. People, I have a reality addiction problem... you dont need to throw fancy lightshows or complex twists to make me tune in... you've got me. That being said, I LOVE the new twist. I hate the idea of Project DNA (Do Not Assume... how cheezy) but I FELT for the cowboy when he figured out he may have a half-sister in the house. I totally knew it had to be two of the people originally from Texas. Of course, the two ugliest people in the house are the related ones... they have to bear the same genes. I hope he saves Jennifer, AKA Nicodemus, because it looks like the little alliance of boys wants to pick off the ugly girls first (typical). On the other hand, when Jennifer asked to be called Nicodemus (okay, thats not what she asked to be called but I cant remember what she said other than it means Daughter of the Moon and is probably her name for Dungeons & Dragons, you know it is), she totally signaled herself as FREAK. The tattoos and piercings dont help either. OH, and now i'm certain the contestants don't get final approval of their glamour shots they hang on the wall because I dont think Nicodemus would choose to look like Blossom. And what's with them picking the ONLY white girl in San Antonio? Early favorites are The Cowboy, Will, Lori, Drew, and Holly. I'd like to see Nicodemus advance further but I really think she has too many things against her to let her go very far. I do want to see her know the truth about her half-bro, the cowboy. I don't know what Will is thinking that he's going to fly under people's radar and not say he's gay until its too his advantage. First off, Will, you are TOTALLY gay. If your voice didnt totally give you away, your mannerisms did. I totally saw him swish. Second, when has being gay ever given you an "advantage" other than scoring you Cher tickets and a headstart on an eating disorder. Drew, okay I just want him to win because he's cute. Lori, she's a pretty girl and she doesnt seem totally insane. She made a big mistake by taking the $10,000 but i think she can recover from it. Holly, the girl is ditzy and I dont think she's playing it like she says she is. Holly is just like I like my girls, funny and dumb. Right now I'm really HATING Jase and Scott... especially Jase. of course, Jase won HoH and i just KNOW he's putting up Nicodemus because she's ugly. His hair is way overtexturized and he needs to tone it down. He's probably comes out of Toni & Guy and likes the way they overprocessed his hair and keeps it that way, whereas I am the person who comes out and looks for a mirror to tone down the texturizing immediately so i dont look like a freak Pia Zadora hair.

The Amazing Race - What, no gay teams?? No gay cheerleaders? No gay best friend?! I feel very slighted by this season! Where's my demographic?! Of course, I'll be tuning in just to see the midget. I mean "little person". I feel terribly bad for her because she can't RUN. I'm sorry, her legs are way too short and she's going to hurt herself eventually. On the other hand, she can carry her partner's fat ass on her shoulders. That none of the geriatric teams got eliminated totally shocked me because they are usually first out. There's a couple from Corpus Christi, wow. Okay, I'm not terribly excited about this season's cast but I do know that I don't want Allison and her dumb as a post boyfriend Donny to win. Its still early, I might really get into the season later. I'll still watch, I cant help it.

A Tale of Two Biddies

2004-06-03T15:51:00.000-05:00

Okay, the time between posts just gets longer and long. Sorry about that to the, hmm, THREE people who probably read this blog.

My original intent was to write a post concerning this man I had to interview for a part-time position in my department. My original post would have eviscerated the guy's looks and demeanor BUT I have since decided to turn over a new leaf and makeover my INSIDE as well as my OUTSIDE. Thank you, Oprah.

So, I returned from the Memorial Day weekend with a new haircut. I went to the lady who used to do my grandmother's hair and would do my hair occassionally. She gave my mom and me free cuts because my grandmother was such a good customer and she misses her. It made me sad. So, I asked her to pretty much shave my head with a 3" guard but to leave the front/bangs long. I call it my Tony Hawk hairstyle circa 1985. If my bangs were longer, it would totally look skater-ish. I, personally, like my new cut and have gotten compliments at work but you never know if they're just being nice. Nomi won't say she likes it, she just says "I need to get used to it." which means "I hate it but I'm too nice to say that." \/\/! She hates modernity... even if its retro-modernity.

So I'm most likely going to see the new Harry Potter movie this weekend. I had promised Matt that I would wait and see it with him but I figure what's a little white lie between two people who barely know each other? So I'll be seeing it with Nomi on Friday night. Saturday, I'm going to get my brows waxed... again, the whole Bresnev thing. We're also going to check out some knitting classes. I know it sounds like an old maid thing to do, but knitting just seems so peaceful and relaxing and at the end of it all, you get a sweater or some socks. I can make sweaters for christmas and give them away as gifts!

One last thing, Nomi and I started our diets on Tuesday. Originally, we were going to have another competition between her, me, and Vero. I won the last competition but it was easy because they both ended up gaining instead of losing so i didnt have to lose that much to win. This time around we made the rules slightly more complex in an attempt to be fair because odds would favor me in just weight loss. So we made different categories to judge such as weight loss, lifestyle change, etc. Well, I think we made it too complex for Vero and she has already given up on the bet. It wasnt COMPLEX and I dont know what she's complaining about but oh well. Nomi and I are still going to go thru with it and arent going to look for reasons to fail. We've done both well so far and my pants already feel looser. Wish my luck!

Something for the Weekend

2004-05-24T10:47:00.000-05:00

Let's recap, shall we?

Friday night, I went to have dinner with Nomi and Ivan at Bread Winners. It was a decent meal but the restaurant was totally DEAD on a friday night. This totally confirms what I was telling Nomi that its a breakfast place. It's like going to IHOP for dinner... it can be done but its not adviseable. There were TONS of people at a bar & grill two restaurants down from us. I think it was Primo's... or possibly Republic. Anyway, we still had a good time and talked about nothing in particular. Next turn it will be Ivan's choice of resturant so I expect good things. I came back home afterwards and worked on 2 CDs for the next night's activities which I will explain forthwith.

Saturday, Nomi and I woke up early to workout. We DDR'd because its just easier. We can do it in the apartment, plus its just more fun than anything else. I think we're both getting a lot better at it. Next time I go out dancing, I can practice my moves. They play practically the same songs on the game as they do in da club. Nomi and I went to see "Super Size Me!" at noon at the Magnolia. It was a decent movie... very interesting and it made me think twice about fast food. It was, of course, very extreme in Michael Moore kind of way but not half as annoying. I'm not saying it changed my life, but on Sunday I was hungry and wanted to get something from Wendy's but thought twice about it and settled on just going to the grocery store and getting something else instead. Later that night I went on a "date" or "outing" or what have you. I don't know what to call it because it conjures expectations and just makes me feel stupid. Met up with Matt at GameWorks at Grapevine Mills Mall. I was supposed to give him a run for his money by thoroughly kicking his arse in Marvel vs Capcom 2. Well, I havent played the game in years and he obviously has. He totally beat up on me and I was lucky to take down one of his characters occassionally. Most of the time, I just watched him play. It was VERY surreal because normally I have people watch me play. Time moves MUCH slower when you're just watching and not playing. I still had a good time but I felt like one of those skatergirls who just sits on the curb and watches their boyfriend skate instead of just skating themselves. I guess i'm would be a "betty". Anyway, yeah... we didnt even play DDR! I would have if he would have done it too but I wasnt about to sweat on a first "outing". I think he's too cool to try it plus he just looks like he lacks rhythm so I didnt push the issue. After he beat everyone there was to beat a couple of times, we went to grab something to eat. We went in his car and I let him choose where he wanted to go. He wanted to go to IHOP (oi vey) so off we went. He thought he knew where one was but we drove around lost for about 15 minutes and accidentally went into DFW airport. It was amusing and kind of fun. Eventually we gave up on IHOP and found Denny's which he had never been to (shock!). Totally dead Denny's and our waitperson was a large black man with a womanly voice. I thought it WAS a woman when he/she came up to our table and asked what we wanted because i hadnt looked up and when I did, I totally did a doubletake. So he ordered "Moons Over My Hammy" and was embarrassed to call them that and said "Moons over..." and waited for the waiter to finish the order. I think he wanted something egg-y and you know I wont do egg except maybe in an omlette and only if it has lots of cheese. I had the chicken strips because it looked the most benign thing on the menu. So we talked while we waited for the meal. I felt like we were in Reality Bites. I felt very 20something and in college. His humor is VERY dry, more so than mine which was odd for me. He also mumbles which I find endearing because I have a tendency to mumble too. He listens to the same kind of music as I do but not the same bands. We talked briefly about religion which I tend to steer clear of on first conversations. It can be such a touchy subject. He's totally atheist and I'm non-practicing catholic. My view on God is weird. I don't want to totally deny Him but I also believe in science and the secular. I think the fear of hell was drilled into me as a child and I want to cover all my bets... which is why i still capitalize the "g" in God and the "h" in Him. I did tell him about my mormon chic that I tried to cultivate about a year ago. He found that amusing. He's totally anti-fashion and brands which can be a potential problem with me. Okay, so almost everyone I know is not into fashion but they arent ANTI it. Uh uh, you can tell me you dont care about brands but don't dis Karl Lagerfeld to my face! He thought my Paul Smith wallet was a pride/rainbow wallet and I was aghast. I quickly explained about Paul Smith and his stripes and even threw in stuff about Paul Frank. Anyway, I still had a good time and I think he did too although he probably thinks I'm totally dorky but he's a comic book/card dork so he hasnt have too much room to talk. We drove back to my car and I gave him the CDs I had made him for which he was really appreciative. It was a good night, I guess. I gave him a handshake which is what I always do because I'm dorky and not forward. We emailed the next day and he said he had a good time and blah blah. We'll if we end up setting something up again.

Banned From the End of the World

2004-05-21T10:15:00.000-05:00

Jem is so insightful...

So not too much has been going on with me since I last posted. I'm going out to eat at Bread Winners with some friends. I've never been but Nomi has her heart set on it for some reason. I've always considered it more of a breakfast place that just happens to serve lunch and dinner but oh well.

I think we're going to go see "Super Size Me!" tomorrow during the day. I've been wanting to see it but I don't think it will be exciting as I think. I think I just enjoy the notion of someone "living the dream". I can't imagine eating McDonalds every day but alas, I dont see that ever happening. The experiment is inherently flawed because the average person does not eat fast food exclusively and, yes, its fattening and high calorie but I'm doubtful that McDonalds markets it an eating regime. The documentor's time would have been better spent showing how Americans can lose the weight rather than how they put it on. That wouldn't have made for as interesting movie, I guess. They could Brad Pitt in it and it might have had a big opening weekend.

WWJD? What Would Jem Do?

2004-05-19T09:16:00.000-05:00

ok--well, from your posts, youre obviously gay. my question concerns homosexuality, sorta.

ive lived in the city for 2 yrs now. but really dont know a single gay i could call a great friend. i know very few gay people and im slowly developing some friendships. maybe its just a matter of time, not being here that long. but im starting to think gay people dont like me. and maybe a possibility that i dont like gay people. altho im gay. i want
gay friends, but sometimes feel i dont have a lot in common with other gays. altho i consider myself a pretty average gay man.

whats your take on this? and do you think the beastie boys new cd will be worth ch-ch-checking out? and finally, lollapalooza or curioso?

thanks,
sleepless in gayville

-- Firstly, I'd like to thank all those who have written in with their words of encouragement and with their problems. Although I cannot print all the submissions I receive, I will endeavor to answer all the questions privately if I cannot get to them on here.

SIG, we all long for the feeling to connect especially to those we feel we have something in common with, gay or straight. When we don't do so immediately, we automatically think there must be something wrong with us. Before I met the rest of the Holograms, I was just that "weird girl with pink fluffy hair". Luckily, I met the girls thru Starlight House (the orphanage I help run) and our penchant for big coloured hair and outrageous fashion brought us together.

But I digress, your dislike of other gay people might be symptomatic of some self-loathing in yourself. Don't change your personality, but rather examine those differences you feel would generate dislike by others. If you want to make gay friends, don't look at the differences and try not to judge so harshly. It sounds like you might already be on the road to making new friends and that is something that does take time... at least if you are looking for a longtime friend. Be patient and treasure the friends you have now. Be open to others as you would have them be open to what you can bring to the table as well. I hope this helps.

Lastly, I wasn't even aware that the Beastie Boys were coming out with a new CD. "Hello Nasty" was mediocre at best and I cannot honestly say I enjoy their "matured" sound. Give me "Paul's Boutique" anyday. As for Curioso or Lollapolooza, I would have to say Lolla just because of Morrissey. How often does he tour?! Almost never, and less so in Texas. The Holograms and I were asked to play at Curioso but we felt the crowd wouldn't be into our naturally cheery sound. I'll most likely be going to both shows even though I'm dreading being out in the summer sun. See you there!

Fashion, Glitter, and Fame
Jem

Very melodramatic, very long, and very Greek

2004-05-17T15:28:00.000-05:00

So its been awhile since I've had a chance to update this blog. But let me run down some things that have gone on since then...

Friday night, I saw Troy. What a piece of crap movie. Okay, Eric Bana was decent as Hector but every other character was WAY overacted. Also, the movie just seem like a vehicle to show off Brad Pitt's body. Don't get me wrong, Mr. Pitt does have a nice body but it can't carry a 2 1/2 hour movie... well, at least not the parts they chose to show. Orlando Bloom was truly annoying was Paris and I just wanted him to grow his hair out and recreate Legolas again. Don't go see this movie, that is my advice for the masses this week! Go see "Supersize me!" instead.

Saturday, was a day of beauty. Nomi and I went to get our eyebrows waxed (the curse of the hispanic gene) and then off to get manicured and pedicured. The woman doing my manicure cut my cuticle too close and made me bleed. It hurt but I think her trying to cover her ass hurt me more. They made such a production when all I really needed was a band-aid. I don't know if she was more scared that I would sue or if I wouldn't give a tip. We went shopping afterwards because I wanted to pick up something to wear later that night. Nomi convinced me to get this cute belt at Club Monaco. So I had this cute belt that went with nothing I owned, so now we're going store to store trying to plan an outfit around the belt. Oi vey. In the belt's defense, it was REALLY cute and so worth the effort. We also took Enid to get groomed too! She was also in dire need of it. When we picked her up they told us she behaved much better and did we practice with her because it was really making a difference. I told them yes, we practiced with her which was a TOTAL lie. In a perfect world, I would have time to brush Enid on top of a washing machine to get her used to the vibrations but this is not that world. Enid is who she is, spoiled and proud, proud, proud. Besides which, the reason I take her to a groomer is so they will do the dirty work... I would do it myself if it was easy.

Later that night, Trent, I, AND the belt went over to Ben's house for casual drinks with friends and then out to the neighborhood. It was fun and there was no apparent "drama". I hung out with Trent, Scotty, and Jeremy for most of the evening because Ben was trying to put the moves on Jeff, who he said he had no interest in. Trent spent the night at my place again because he lives all the way in Euless. Now, I dont mind that he spends the night but he totally hogs my covers and sprawls himself out over the entire bed and I find myself pinned up against the wall because I'm such a gracious host. Oh well...

p.s. everyone noticed the belt, AW YEAH.

This is what we call a lunchtime poll...

2004-05-11T12:13:00.000-05:00

So I got an email from my friend Heather today and I was excited to know she is still alive and hasnt fully trashed my email address. Mind you, she sent me one of those little survey games that you are supposed to answer and send it to other friends... but I actually enjoy filling those out so I didn't mind.

I'm wearing this blue button-down shirt to work and the collar has totally flared out and looks like a peter pan collar now. Its annoying me to no end.

Was anyone shocked at the finale of Survivor? I certainly wasn't. I expected either Rob or Amber to win but was pulling for Amber more. Not sure why no one voted those two off sooner because their supposed "power" was illusionary and people could have scrambled and gotten the numbers at certain points. People obviously knew they had to watch out for Rob because they talked about it often enough but no one ever did anything. Then again, I might not have voted Rob either because I liked hearing his Bostonian accent. At the reunion special, they said they were giving another million away to another Survivor... whoever America chose. Well, I voted for Shi Ann just because I've always liked her and she's smart. I don't know why people don't like her. The asian is getting a bad rap. I hated seeing Lex get on his moral high horse. Uh, you did the same exact thing to Jerri! Shi Ann called him on that later. Alicia kept ROLLING HER EYES. I don't think anyone could have said anything and she wouldn't have rolled her eyes. Bunnies are cute, Alicia!! I dare you to roll your eyes!

What a little difference a day makes

2004-05-10T08:11:00.000-05:00

Let's recap the weekend...

Friday night, I went to see Mean Girls with Nomi. A really cute and clever movie that I would definately go see again. Not as clever or witty as Clueless but definaltey a must-see. The annoying part was having to sit thru previews of other movies targeted at the Olsen Twins/Lizzy Macguire demographic. Yes, we were surrounded by mainly pre-adolescent girls who used the word "like" far too often but it was worth it.

Saturday, I went shopping at Northpark for something to wear to a graduation party I had to go to that evening. My original intent was just to buy a shirt to wear with some jeans. Well, I made my usual round to my favorite stores to see what I liked best and I was going to pick what I thought the cutest of everything I found. I found this cute blue stripey shirt at Club Monaco that I had to have but that I really didnt have anything to layer it with. It's all about the layers for me. I hate just wearing a shirt with nothing else underneath because often times it just looks sloppy... well, for me at least. Its fine for going to the grocery store or to make a quick stop somewhere but for the most part, you won't see me with at least two shirts on. So anyway, I needed something to wear either over or under this stripey button-down. So I headed over to Lacoste and ended up buying a powder blue polo shirt. Very cute, IMHO. Now, I decided I need a darker denim to go with what I intended to wear. I knew I had already spent more than I had wanted but I figure I can't leave the mall without some dark denim jeans. The outfit just wouldn't work without them. So I compromised and went to the Gap. The Gap actually has decent durable denim at reasonable prices (yes, normally the word "reasonable" is not in my vocab). So I found a pair I liked, although they were one of the more expensive ones, and left the mall filled with buyer's remorse. I went home and took a nap. Of course, later when I was getting ready... i didnt like the way the jeans fit and ended up wearing my 7's which I forgot were a darker denim and infinately much cooler than Gap.

Ben came and picked up in his new car. It's some kind of Accura which I kept telling him not to get. Just because when I think of Accura, I think of street racing asian boys. Well, Ben is half-asian so I didnt want him to live the stereotype... although I did tell him he would have to paint asian characters on the side. It turned out to be a very nice car and not as racey as I thought. On the way to FW though, we pulled up to Ford Focus with a hispanic guy in it who i think wanted to RACE. Like, he was darting in and out lanes trying to pass everyone and Ben is just an overly aggressive driver so I think the guy took offense that Ben wouldn't just let him pretend he was driving something other than a Focus. So the guy pulled up next to us, on my side, and looked in our car and sneered. So he took off and Ben kind of followed suit. So yes, we actually were in a street race sort of except we werent racing for pinkies. It was funny because this was happening on the highway.

So the graduation party was in Fort Worth (yes, people still live there). These areBen's friends and I always feel like the outsider at their parties and mixers. I really have no conversation to make with these people. The party was for James, a friend of Ben's from high school, because he had just gotten his MPA. His boyfriend, Mike, was throwing the party. So they own the cutest vintage house in the nicest neighborhood. The kind of neighborhood where the older residents have to die off before you can get a house in the area. They've decorated and remodeled the whole house because they're those handy kind of gays. I'm more the kind of gay who makes lemonade for the handy gays. I can hammer a nail, if need be, but I honestly can't tell you where that nail fits in the grand scheme of things. The party was in the backyard where they have tiki torches lit, very Survivor you know. The had a stereo system pumping music to the outside which was nice except it was pumping bad music for the most part. They did play quite a few songs of Air (apparently Jim is also a fan) and Rufus Wainwright but for the most part, crap. They played the obligatory Erasure, New Order, and Pet Shop Boys. It's like the holy trilogy of gay music. They just needed to throw in some Madonna and they would have been all set to host the circuit party. Anyway, yes... they have they perfect life to go with their perfect house and their perfect friends. They even have the perfect dogs! They have huge Great Danes, which I've always wanted, that probably have learned to use the toilet and to flush because they're so perfect. I envy how simple their lives are and how content they seem. I sometimes wish I could have it so together and not be neurotic and judgemental.

After the party, Ben and I went back to Dallas and hit the gayborhood. It was actually kind of dead for a Saturday but we stuck around and had a few drinks which made us not notice that it was so dead. Ben, of course, gets over the top drunk and wants to find himself a man for the night. After Ben tries to get some lesbians to make a love connection, we head over to the Village to dance. Most of my tipsiness is gone by now and I'm not really up for dancing but I go anyway. We get on the dance floor and Ben tries to get in trains with strangers and tries to touch guy's chest and arses. Its embarrassing, but I guess if you are going sleeveless or barechested at night... then expect to get groped by other drunken men. I tried to stay away from the sweaty barechested ones because I was wearing my cute shirts and its bad enough having your own sweat on them much less anyone else's. Eventually, I got too bored and tired to do the robot in mockery of everyone doing their grinding thing. So I got my stuff out of Ben's car and walked home. Not a long walk but still, one less walk outdoors that I really don't want to take. The alternative to having someone else's sweat on my shirt was having my own I guess.

I'll write more later.

How to beat the high cost of living...

2004-05-07T08:20:00.000-05:00

On my drive in to work this morning, I noticed that gas is now over $2/gallon! Thats totally insane. Of course, we pay about a buck fifty for 8oz of "pure" water and don't flinch at that price.

I might go see Mean Girls tonight with Nomi. I've been wanting to see it in the hopes it might be another Clueless for me. Another movie that is so trite and superficial on the outside but rather meaningful on the inside. Van Helsing comes out this weekend too. I want to see it even though I KNOW its going to be bad... and not because of Hugh Jackman whom most of my friends seem to lust over. Kate Beckinsale has the worst accent in the trailers. Wasn't she in Underworld too or was that Naomi Watts? I get those two confused. Kate will never do better than Cold Comfort Farm so I guess she might as well do movies like Van Helsing.

So I've decided to introduce a new segment into my journal called "WWJD?: What Would Jem Do". Obviously inspired by my new Jem & the Holograms mania. Basically, I'm going to take questions from my readers (at this time probably numbering all of 4) and giving safe advice (in theory) as I think Jem would bestow upon the group of orphans she cares and feeds at the Starlight House. Feel free to email me at velocityboy13@hotmail.com with your questions. Right now this will be a weekly segment... mainly because I don't think I'll have too many questions.

Me and my friends are Jem girls...

2004-05-06T08:25:00.000-05:00

Okay, so my complete first and second seasons of Jem & The Holograms DVD came in yesterday and I was totally stoked. Its been AGES since I've seen the cartoon show but parts of it have never left my memory. I remember watching this show before I would go to school in jr. high and high school. I had my little morning routine before school. I would wake up and eat my cereal while watching Jem and the Holograms. By the time Jem was over, I was already starting to doze back to sleep but I would half-watch the Bozo show. When they got to the Grand Prize Game on Bozo, I would go get ready for school and then off to school I went. My grandmother would watch all my cartoon shows with me in the morning. What I really wish I could get my hands on was another cartoon that sometimes replaced Jem. It was called M.A.S.K. Definately more boyish.

Last night, Nomi & I had a bakefest and make cupcakes and cookies to send to our moms for Mother's Day. My original intention was just to send her a cookie bouquet or cheesecake but after talking with a matronly coworker, she convinced me that baking something myself would mean more to a mother. So I asked Nomi what she thought and she got excited and wanted to do it to. So right after work we went to Target to look for cookie tins to put all the wonder baked goods we were going to make. Well, either someone else had our idea or there are just no tins to be found in this city. We went to Target, Big Lots, Eckerd's and finally Kroger but not a tin in sight. So we decided to just buy two big Rubbermaid storage things and decorate them. We made white cupcakes with chocolate frosting, chocolate chip cookies, and decorated sugar cookies. I'm sure are mothers will enjoy them even if our cookies aren't perfect circles and don't taste GOURMET.

2004-05-05T08:38:00.000-05:00

Here I sit at work procrastinating on getting started. I figure I can get another good 15 minute delay from writing a post.

So I was thinking on my way in this morning that I hate working. I mean really LOATHE it. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful that I have a job but I dont like the working aspect of it. Does that make me less ambitious? Morrissey hates work too but I don't think it made him any less ambitious.

Speaking of the moz, Nomi pre-ordered all his new releases this month. There does not speak a true fan. Part of true manic fandom is going to the music store the day the album gets "dropped" and securing your own little slice of audio heaven. You don't wait for your pre-order to be shipped days after the official release. I'm afraid the only way Nomi can reclaim her true fandom is by stalking Morrissey... or maybe putting together a glue stick collage of him complete with glitter and markalots.

2004-05-04T21:09:00.000-05:00

Test post.