Sinuses: Nature's joke
11/20/2009 10:39:00 AM
Why do we have sinuses?
Don't answer me, anatomy junkies. It's a rhetorical question. But keeping up the rhetoric, why do we need all these holes in our head, waiting to be filled with some substance that not only kills our party mood, but also makes us snore like our grandpas, sleep all the time and have no desire to work out?
I started coming down with what I thought was a mild cold last Thursday after a solid week of five days straight at the gym. I was feeling good, feeling my metabolism increase, feeling my clothes clinging less.
I went to bed early Thursday night, hoping to stave off any plague that might be entering my body.
It mattered little. I awoke Friday hovering above death. But I knew I had to work because Friday is one of the busiest days in the newsroom. I knew if I called in, the guilt would be worse than the illness.
But I was a big whiny baby most of the day and ended up going home early. I laid around all weekend, thinking I was getting better. I went to a child's birthday party on Saturday (keeping a far distance from all the squirmy 3-year-olds in case I had the Swine Fever) and was exhausted an hour in.
The cold/death rattle accelerated Sunday. At church, I hacked and coughed throughout the singing. I went home and collapsed, clinging to the hope that I'd feel better for work Monday. I gave that hope up around 8 p.m., called the bosses and surrendered, and went to bed for about 15 hours.
Monday, it relented late in the evening. I went to work Tuesday feeling great, but still tired. Wednesday, my ears closed up and exhaustion returned. That is still going on Friday morning, though it seems to have receded a bit. I realize now it's a sinus issue, because it comes and goes, gives me hope of health and then drops me on my face when I'm feeling bold.
So, long and boring story short, I see no need for sinuses. I hate them. Just another hole in our head, and you know we don't need anymore of those.
And if I have to have them, maybe we should invent flip-top heads so we can take ourselves to the car wash and give our sinuses a good cleaning once a year. I think that could be a multi-million dollar industry.
Just an idea.
Embarrassing saga: My love of 'Twilight' proves I'm immature
11/11/2009 2:42:00 PM
SWOON! Robert Pattinson from the "Twilight" saga. ASSOCIATED PRESS |
Approaching the weekend before the biggest movie of the year for squealing teenage girls, I feel as though I must confess something.
I'm 35 and I love the "Twilight" series. I love Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen. I am in the camp of Edward, not the lair of Jacob. The inner teenager in me swoons when Pattinson is on TV.
And I hate it. I guess I'm at that age when I know I should be more mature, shouldn't swoon at movie stars and made-up characters, but the whole Twilight phenomenon is easier to catch than H1N1.
I know plenty of women who've gotten sucked into this romantic teen fiction. Men have hence been ruined for them, because no real man can live up to Stephanie Myer's Edward. I didn't expect to be among that camp. But now, Pattinson IS Edward, and my mind is having a hard time untangling the two. It's like I'm 13 again.
I borrowed the first book on a whim, looking for something to read. I consumed it in 12 hours. During the next two months, I devoured the other three books, staying up past my bedtime for nights on end to enter the World of the Cullens.
But me? How did this happen to ME?
See, I thought I was way too tough for this. I thought I was grizzled and wizened. I thought working in the newspaper industry, as well as being a product of the grungy 90s and being an all-around sarcastic, surly girl, killed all my girly fantasies of being swept off my feet and into the arms of a One True Love.
Suffice it to say it hasn't happened yet -- that whole swept off my feet thing -- but dang it if these books didn't defrost my Romance Sensors.
Plus, I was an English major! I minored in Shakespeare! I shouldn't be reading this, much less enjoying it as much as I did!
But sometimes, you have to suspend your intellect and go with what feels right.
The "Twilight" books are over-the-top, Gothic, read-in-one-night romances featuring the bad guy who's really a prince. Perfect! That's what all us girls want. The bad guy who's crazy about us and only us, the guy that only we can understand, the one who does something unforgivable but can only truly be forgiven by us.
I'll be the first to admit that women don't make sense.
And I'll also admit, as my friend and co-worker Jennifer Chancellor just pointed out, that Edward and Bella's relationship is possibly unhealthier than Romeo and Juliet's. We shouldn't try to emulate those two.
But it's fun to live in this land of make-believe for a moment or two, even if I know it means I'm not a grown-up. I'm actually quite happy about that.
I won't be going to see "Twilight: New Moon" the week it comes out. I may be immature, but I'm too old to tolerate tittering girls for nearly two hours. I'll go during a matinee, when the movie is about three weeks old. And I'll probably enjoy every minute of it.
More on Christmas, or How I Don't Hate the Holidays
11/10/2009 1:30:00 PM
In the Monday newspaper, I wrote a guest column concerning a few radio stations playing Christmas music before November was even here.
I got quite a few comments from readers, mostly supportive. These are people who love Christmas, but don't want to celebrate it, as one reader said, "for 1/6th of the year."
Some readers have questioned my love of Christmas and if I truly understand what traditional Christmas is all about.
Due to space constraints on Monday, I wasn't able to get into a lot of what I wanted to in that column. So if you will, allow me room to expound.
I lost my mother in 2003 in a house fire. She was also the main organizer of Christmas activities in my life. I'm from a divorced family, so she and my dad always worked out what state I'd spend the holidays in. My mom led the decorating charge (which always began AFTER Thanksgiving, Thank You Very Much) and she always allowed my hand-made ornaments to go in the front, even if they were as ugly as homemade soap.
Mom always bought at least a 15-foot tree and covered it with ornate ornaments and bows. She rehung everything I hung on the tree. She assembled ceramic villages of Mr. and Mrs. Santas, Frostys and Elves. She frosted the windows. She was a master electrician (and plumber, but that's a separate blog) and once she rewired our living room with tiny twinkling lights.
My mother was a woman of impeccable class and taste, but she always hung this awful Santa on our front gate made from what appeared to be recycled tires covered with spray paint. He had a beautiful smile.
I loved that Santa. "Christmas is a time to let the tacky out," she'd say. I guess that's the only tacky thing she had. Or, if you're a snob, you may consider it tacky that she always used multi-colored lights rather than those bland white ones. I thought it looked perfect, and I still use them.
Since Mom died, Christmas is definitely different. For one reason, the past six years or so, I've worked nights and holidays for the paper you're reading. I didn't mind working on Christmas, mostly. It was a way to NOT have to face the holidays without my mom. But this year, I'm on a daytime schedule again, and I get holidays off. Plus, my younger brother is now living with me, and I want to regenerate the Christmas Spirit in our household that our mother embodied in her quirky, fun, anal-retentive way.
So I'm going to have to channel my mom and become that person. But I need to ease into it. The tree will go up after Thanksgiving (still my favorite holiday). It will be decorated with my mom's spirit in mind, but probably without her deft, adept touch. But I'm going to do my best.
The tree probably won't have many or ANY gifts under it. The last few years haven't been easy, and I'm not about to ask my family to spend money on me when I don't have it to spend on them!
A few years ago, since I was working nights and Mom was gone, my sisters and I decided to hold a "Kids Christmas" on the 27th or 28th of December. For the record, I have four sisters and a brother, and getting them all together isn't possible. But we do what we can, and it's become a second Christmas, with cousins, step-cousins, twice-removed cousins and step-step-step siblings. I say, if you can claim 'em, make 'em your family.
The Kids Christmas became a huge success, and we did gifts for a while, but now it's just an excuse to make a really big dinner, eat, drink and pick on each other. It's a lot of fun.
I guess it's nontraditional; I couldn't tell you. Nothing in my life has ever been traditional. What I've come to expect year in and year out is change wrapped with a knowledge that the idea of a "traditional" Christmas is completely random. Who can say that your version is better or worse than mine? It's all in the eye of the beholder, I guess.
So to sum up what has become a lengthy blog, yes, I like Christmas. I even like Christmas music a whole lot. My favorite song is "O, Holy Night," which moves me to tears every time. So yeah, I must have Christmas spirit, if the spirit of what it's really about chokes me up.
Happy Holidays! Take it slowly. Relish each moment. Enjoy your personal traditions. And hug your mothers.
All that U2 left behind
10/21/2009 12:44:00 PM
Bono sings with U2at Gaylord Family at Memorial Stadium in Norman. SARAH PHIPPS/The Oklahoman |
The question of the week around the newsroom has been, "Where did you sit?"
A lot of us went to the U2 show at OU's Memorial Stadium in Norman. And we all were blown away.
Most of us waited in never-ending traffic both ways to see Bono and Co. I've heard stories of people waiting an hour just to get to their seats once inside Memorial Stadium.
I walked from Memorial to Lloyd Noble Center after the show, (nearly 2 miles) hoping to avoid traffic and burn some calories. I may have worked off my Pei Wei from earlier, but avoid traffic I did not.
And yet, that's not what I remember from the show. I remember elation at "Elevation," dizziness at "Vertigo," and satisfaction at "Sunday Bloody Sunday." There were times throughout the show that I looked at my friends and said, "That's freakin' U2 up there!"
Bono complimented the weather in Oklahoma -- it was a nearly perfect evening, with a breeze to keep the 60,000-plus people in attendance just on The Edge of chilled.
The band paid attention to the crowd. They asked if anyone was from Ardmore, Tulsa or Norman. (Why Ardmore? We think Bono saw it on a street sign and liked the way it sounded). U2 doesn't mind that people sing along to their songs -- as a matter of fact, when Bono wanted the crowd to sing along, he took out his earpiece and listened. How cool is that?
I haven't stopped listening to U2 since I got back from Norman at 4 a.m. Sunday, and from their complete anthology. All of a sudden, the album "Pop," panned by many, sounds fantastic. I've always been a fan of their older stuff, but the new stuff has a distinct, uplifting vibe that has been of use lately.
Because I think I'm in a post-U2 funk. Days have been blue since I got back Sunday night. At least I have powerful memories of the show, and everyone's stories, as well.
It's a great chapter to add for my 2009 Legends Tours concert calendar -- I've see Leon Russell, Bruce Springsteen, Fleetwood Mac, Chris Isaak, Paul McCartney and now U2. Not to mention the lineup at Dfest.
But wow, U2 was great. So great, it's hard to function in the real world afterward.
Lessons learned: I'm proud of TU football and its fans
10/15/2009 2:26:00 PM
The Blue Crew storms the Chapman Stadium field before Tulsa took on Boise State on Wednesday. STEPHEN HOLMAN/Tulsa World |
Last night, I learned that drizzle is more annoying than rain.
During TU's near-win over Boise State (I prefer to call it a near-win rather than a loss. It feels nicer) I sat in great seats and watched a really fun game. I had pride in my city. I had pride in TU. I had a little bit of leftover Fiesta Bowl hatred for the Broncos. And I learned of my hatred for drizzle.
Drizzle collects on the top of your poncho, then slowly falls in your face. It’s like rain that doesn't quite know what to do with itself. It gets in your eyes. It just sorta mists everywhere, not really making a statement, not really doing anything at all except saturating everything slowly.
But more importantly, I learned that Tulsa can support its teams. Fans, you did it right last night. I went to the Conference USA championship game last season, and couldn't believe how people walked out after the half, didn't cheer, and you could hear calls being made on the field. It was quiet! Unheard of!
Last night, the crowd knew what to do: Cheer when your defense is working, when George Clinkscale and Co. wave their arms in the air, demanding us to make some noise. Throw the offense off. Do your part as the crowd to complicate the Broncos' night.
The crowd roared. My ears hurt. It was fantastic.
I'm proud of TU's football team, and its fans. On the sidelines before the game, a couple of young men stood on the rail just off the field, hollering and waving their Hurricane flags at the practicing Boise State players. I saw one of the Bronco players make a slashing sign across his throat, and the sideline guys kept it up. Boise players were jawing with these guys. Our fans got under Boise State skin. In your face, Statue of Liberty play!
I also learned that TU fans have a great sense of humor. My favorite signs of the evening: One fan holding a sign that says "Boise Isn't a State" and the person next to the fan has another sign that says "We Looked It Up." Hilarious!
One more thing I learned, then I'll stop babbling: TU has a great football team. And TU's basketball season is going to be great. I can't wait. And I hope you all go out and support them like you did last night. They deserve it.
More on soundtracks: Bad movie, good tunes
10/9/2009 4:31:06 PM
At lunch today, some friends and I were discussing my soundtracks story in Friday's paper, and one of our web designers, Jason Powers, had several more to add to the list (he's way cooler than me), as well as another angle I should've considered: The crappy movie saved only by the soundtrack.
A few come to mind, besides "Purple Rain," which made my original cut.
See my story from Friday's World  here.
SFW: 1994, starring Stephen Dorff and an unknown girl named Reese Witherspoon. This movie is not good. I remember kinda liking it in college, but there's a time and a place for everything, and it's called college.
The soundtrack is quite good, however. It contains Chris Cornell's acoustic version of the "Like Suicide" by Soundgarden, as well as a rather obscure gem "Can I Stay" by Pretty Mary Sunshine, which I adore. My overall favorite is "Negasonic Teenage Warhead" by Monster Magnet.
Hackers: 1995, starring Jonny Lee Miller and his then-bride, Angelina Jolie, as well as that staple of all 1990s movies, Matthew Lillard (Shaggy of the Scooby-Doo movies). The movie is so dated, it makes "American Graffiti" look modern. In part, a new computer is raved about "It's got a 28.8 bps modem!"
The plot is silly, but the music is a fantastic blend of house, electronic and edgy ambient. It spawned three volumes, the first being music directly from the movie, the next two being songs inspired by the film.
My favorites: "Halcyon and On," Orbital; "Voodoo People," The Prodigy; "Cowgirl," Underworld." It's a good set of CDs.
Cool World: 1992. The movie combined live action and animation with Kim Basinger, Gabriel Byrne and Brad Pitt. Strange. The soundtrack was interesting. "Sex on Wheelz" by My Life With Thrill Kill Cult; "Papau New Guinea," Future Sound of London; "Disappointed" by Electronic (a strange band mash-up, but that's another blog).
Mortal Kombat: 1995. I never saw the movie completely, but I know it's not great. Looks a little campy. But the soundtrack was decent. "Juke Joint Jezebel," KMFDM and the 90s staple "Halcyon And On" make the cut, as does Utah Saints' take on the Mortal Kombat movie theme music.
Lost Highway: 1997. David Lynch's film didn't make sense. No surprise. But the soundtrack featured some pretty awesome tracks major bands of the time. Picks: "I Put a Spell on You," Marilyn Manson; "This Magic Moment" by Lou Reed's remake of the Ben E. King and the Drifters' classic; and "The Perfect Drug," a revved-up Nine Inch Nails classic.
Empire Records: 1995. I actually didn't hate this movie, but realize why everyone else did. It's got some Jim Dandies on the soundtrack that totally fit the time. For example: "Sugar High," Coyote Shivers; "Ballad of El Goodo," Evan Dando's Big Star cover; "Girl Like You" Edwyrd Collins.
Got a movie soundtrack you adore? Let me know in the comments.
Missing the Red Hot Chili Peppers when they were good
10/8/2009 12:12:00 PM
I woke up today wanting to stay in bed, like the rest of you Oklahomans probably did. The rain was so pleasant, the breeze divine, and the bed so very comfortable.
But I had to get up. And over my first cup of coffee, I listened to selections from Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Uplift Mofo Party Plan," which put me squarely back in Muskogee High School, circa 1990.
I gave up on RHCP in 1993, after being only lukewarm to what many consider their breakthrough album, "Blood Sugar Sex Magik." I was at Anthony Kiedis saturation before he really made it big. If I saw "Under the Bridge" one more time, I was taking hostages.
RHCP is still really popular, I get that. They've had some major album sales over the last 15 years. Just not from me. I got into them in the late 80s, when "Mother's Milk" was a new album. That prompted buying everything in their catalog and falling in love with this ridiculous, funny band. My favorite album by them is still "Freaky Styley," produced by Mr. Funk himself, George Clinton.
It was a dark, dismal time for the band, despite the fact that they made some of my favorite CDs. A band member, Hillel Slovak, died as part of this addiction to heroin. Kiedis was also addicted, and most of the band was strung out in one way or another. "Blood Sugar" came out during this time and broke them wide open. They were on Warner Bros. records now, had Rick Rubin as a producer, and for me, that's when they lost their funk.
They finally got clean. I'm glad for that. But I don't understand what happened to that sound. It's like a switch was flipped; it's so profoundly different.
This is not a popular opinion of mine. Usually I just have to say, "Sorry, I just don't like the new stuff." People love their modern RHCP. I'm just not one of them. I think they lost some playful edge, some silliness that I really enjoyed. They became Hit Machines, churning out the ever-popular "Californication" and "By The Way," as well as "Stadium Arcadium." All of these albums sound alike to me, and it's not something I enjoy.
But I still listen to the old stuff: "Red Hot Chili Peppers," "Freaky Styley," "Uplift Mofo Party Plan" and "Mother's Milk" are milestone albums that will always own a place in my heart, and iTunes rotation. The rest of it? You can keep it.
Tulsa: A Soggy Bottom kind of town
10/7/2009 1:26:13 PM
If the Soggy Bottom Boys of "O Brother, Where Art Thou" fame came through our fair city in the next few days, they'd have soggier bottoms and even more constant sorrow.
We're in for a downpour, y'all. One estimate I heard was seven inches over the next three days. And you know it's going to be a big'n when you hear every major weather outlet in the state telling us to batten down the hatches a full day in advance.
We're used to spur-of-the-moment storms in Oklahoma. We're used to foundation-trembling thunder at 3 a.m. That rain doesn't usually last too long, though. It's just *bam*, thunder, lightening, storm, over. Next storm a few hours away.
Here it is Wednesday afternoon, and at 9 a.m. Wednesday morning, Northeastern Oklahoma was already under a flood watch through Friday afternoon. And it's sunny out as if 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.
I know it's cheap and easy to blog about the weather, but this could get interesting.
OU's loss, Brett Favre, tofu and a long weekend
10/6/2009 3:40:45 PM
Ma po tofu. This isn't mine. Next time I'll take my own pic.'Til then,
here's a Photobucket image of what the basic dish looks like. |
It was a long weekend for fans of regional sports.
1. OU loses to Miami at the same place where they lost to Florida in January. Bah. I hate to see any of our teams lose, but this season has been especially painful for OU. But since I went to Northeastern State, I'm not suicidal or anything.
2. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo throws the same pass over and over again to Sam Hurd, and Romo says he didn't realize it was fourth down. I am so almost over you, Romo.
3. My beloved Colorado Rockies didn't clinch the National League West, despite being given a chance. They were one game back after defeating the eventual clincher, the L.A. Dodgers, on Friday. Then, back-to-back losses. Yes, they made the playoffs, but in not quite as magical a way as they did in 2007. Still pretty dang good though.
There were some good points to my weekend, however.
1. It was a three-day weekend. I took Monday off because I was originally going to go to Atlanta, Ga., this weekend to visit family. Had to shirk that vacation, but still made it a long weekend, and for a fall-weather loving person such as myself, it was perfect.
2. TU defeated Rice. I hope they can keep up momentum long enough to at least give Boise State a game. I don't know if I can handle another Oklahoma team losing to the Smurf Turfers.
3. On my fantasy football team, both my quarterbacks had bye weeks: Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons and Donovan McNabb (who was also injured) of the Philadelphia Eagles. So I ditched Donovan and picked up this guy you might've heard of: Brett Favre of the Minnesota Vikings. Let's just say I'm on the Favre/Minnesota bandwagon.
4. I mastered my favorite Asian dish, ma pa tofu, at home. I've found a few versions around Tulsa that are serviceable, but not quite spicy enough for me. Ma po tofu (which means "The Pockmarked-Face Lady's Tofu" is pork and tofu in a hot, spicy brown sauce that nearly melts your face – if you want it to. I bought those little, tiny, extremely dangerous red chilies to make it even more dangerous. It was fantastic. If you are afraid of tofu, trust me, it tastes just like brown sauce and spice in this recipe. It's an acquired texture, but oh-so-good.
Here's how I made mine:
3 pork tenderloins strips, tenderized like chicken fried steak (you can use ground beef or pork, but Harp's had these on special so I got them)
6-8 dangerous red peppers
2 tbsp. hoisin sauce
2 tbsp. garlic chili paste (that red stuff they have at all the Chinese joints. SO good)
2 tbsp. minced garlic
2 tbsp. minced ginger
2 tbsp. corn starch in 4 tbsp. water (a slurry)
2 tsp. dry corn starch
2 tbsp. oyster sauce
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
Soy sauce (dark is good, from the Asian market), to taste, plus a teaspoon or so for marinade
½ cup chicken broth
Green onions, 4-5 sliced thinly
Napa cabbage, 4-5 leaves, slicked very finely
2 packages firm tofu, cut into smallish cubes
2 tbsp. sesame oil
Cut the tenderloin into small strips, marinate in soy, dry corn starch, a teaspoon or so of rice vinegar, dash or so sesame oil. Let marinate for 30 minutes or so.
In a wok over screaming-high heat, add peanut oil. Throw in the pork for a few minutes. Take it out. Remove most of the oil. Add a little more clean peanut oil. Throw in the dangerous chilies and cook for 10 seconds. Add the garlic, ginger, chili paste, hoisin and oyster sauce. Cook less than a minute. Add chicken broth. Add tofu. Add corn starch slurry. Cook about two minutes until it's a gravy-like brown sauce. Taste it to make sure it won't blow your head off, and to ensure you don't need more soy or anything.
Add back the pork, then the green onions and Napa cabbage. Serve over rice.
I can has web empire?
10/1/2009 12:32:47 PM
What started with a seemingly smiling Russian blue cat with alarmingly poor grammatical skills has turned into a blog network web empire, a whole new lexicon and something I still enjoy day in and day out.
The web site icanhascheezburger.com is a web phenomenon that shows no signs of going away.
For those NOT in the know, icanhascheezburger, or lolcats, shows various user-submitted cats in funny predicaments with a variety of ill-spelled, editor-infuriating captions. The original shows HappyCat, the inspiration for the whole shebang, smiling and saying "I Can Has Cheesburger?" Here, I'll just show you:
see more Lolcats and funny pictures
It's offbeat and takes some time to understand. The site is designed to show cats as the evil jerks that they can be, but still be adorable. It's got its own language. Food is known as "noms." Cats are called "kittehs." It's all in how you say it.
To say it has taken off would be an understatement of epic fail proportion.
And speaking of... The phrase "Epic Fail" has certainly caught on. This Monday's episode of "House" on Fox was called "Epic Fail." We have failblog.org, the splinter of cheezburger, to thank for that. The site lured a whole new set of fiends. It's a little more sarcastic, and doesn't include submissions from Crazy Cat Ladies from all over the world who add baby-talk captions on their pics. (GROSS!) Failblog.org features ordinary people, pets ships, trains, buses, etc., in laughable or compromising positions.
For instance:
see more Fail Blog
The parent site to all the madness, icanhascheezburger, launched in 2007. Usually, viral videos and hilarious sites don't have much a shelf life (just ask that Chocolate Rain guy... wherever he is...), but this hasn't gone away. In fact, it's spawned several more sites, such as ihasahotdog.com, graphjam.com and emailsfromcrazypeople.com, just to name a few.
Today on the cheezburger network of blogs, Ben Huh, CEO of the Cheezburger Network, tacked on a personal note that is both heartfelt and snarky. A sample:
"Thanks to you, our users, we’ve grown to more than 20 sites and now reach more than 11 million people around the globe every month.
Today also marks another milestone for us. When we began, we didn’t know what we wanted to be when we grew up. We didn’t even know who we were. We’re far from grown up, but we know more about who we are and why we’re here. We want to enable you to share your sense of humor, share what you find funny with each other and the rest of the world. We want to make you happy for a few minutes each day. This is now the mission of the Cheezburger Network."
He also addresses that the company was launched in the infancy stages of the recession, but has still flourished.
I have a theory on that. I, like the rest of normal Americans, have felt the recession first-hand. It ain't easy being a single woman/homeowner/student loan debtor. My social life has been severely minimized, and my friends and I do lots of cheap stuff together. We've had several nights of going through the Cheezburger network sites and cracking up. (That being said, yes, we pay for the Internet. We're human, after all, and web addicts).
It's a pleasant diversion from our daily grind of keeping the lights on, the house inhabited and the cars in the driveway. So thanks, cheezburger guys.
If you haven't checked out the Cheezburger Network on the web, I demand you do so. If you have, keep checking, because I don't think it's ever going away.
Top Chef complicates camping, food, show's enjoyability
9/17/2009 4:16:24 PM
I won't discuss who got voted off this week on "Top Chef," because at least two people in my department aren't caught up on episodes and might slash my tires if I reveal it. That Fitness Guinea Pig is one tough lady.
I will, however, discuss the fact that:
A) It's totally uncool to not tell people who they are cooking for. You must know your audience. You don't take a knife to a gunfight, or ceviche to a barbecue. Just sayin'.
B) It's totally uncool to not give Top Chef contestants a way to keep food cold. A cooler in the desert isn't going to keep food fresh. When was the last time YOU went camping and prepared a gourmet meal? And if you have, didn't you have some sort of cooling device? And if you did, are you crazy? Who wants to eat gourmet on a camping trip? It's the time for potato salad and beans, hot dogs and ribs. Again, just sayin'.
C) I love Top Chef. I just don't like it when they throw so many obstacles at the chefs that the food suffers. I want them to make beautiful masterpieces of food, rich rolling desserts that froth with fresh-whipped cream... not cook over an open fire. I don't mind a little hustle and bustle, but COME ON! A campsite with pits and teeny staging areas? Pul-eeze. No thanks.
Get back to basics, Top Chef, and quit putting the judges in situations that will surely merit crappy food. I want to watch Top Chef, not Top Campers.
What band did you miss out on seeing live?
9/16/2009 11:35:58 AM
Dave Navarro (left) and Perry Farrell at the 2003 Lollapallooza.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE |
In a miraculous turn of events, I came across several concert bootlegs from one of my all-time favorite bands, Jane's Addiction, as well as rare songs from their side projects, Psi Com, Polar Bear and Porno for Pyros.
It's been heaven hearing it all again in a new way. I've been a fan of Jane's Addiction since 1988, when I stumbled upon "Nothing's Shocking" in a music store. The – er – eye-catching cover pulled me in and it has never lost luster.
Sadly, Jane's Addiction is the one band I've desired to see live the most, and the one I've never seen. It's looking like I never will. After several different lineups and rebirths, the original band has reformed, but I doubt I'll be traveling to Brazil or Perth, Australia, anytime soon, so it's not looking good for me to see them live.
I'm not complaining about my concert history. I've seen some of the greats: Rolling Stones, Pearl Jam, The Ramones, The Pixies, Paul McCartney, Robert Plant (many times)… but there's always that sad reminder that I haven't seen the band that I've listened to just about as long as any. At the Austin City Limits music festival in 2004, Perry Farrell, lead singer of Jane's Addiction, introduced Modest Mouse. That's as close as I've gotten.
What's the one show you wished you could have seen, but never did? Is there any chance you could see that band live, or would it take an act of God to make that happen?
It would take an act of Money to get me to Brazil for a Jane's Addiction show. So maybe a genie's lamp will show up between now and then…
My Top 5 "ready for some football" songs
9/2/2009 2:25:23 PM
Freddie Mercury's "We Will Rock You" even
has its own statue.
But it doesn't make my list. |
L-E-T-S G-O LET'S GO! LET'S GO!!!
Be Aggressive. B-E Aggressive. B-E A-G-G-R-E-S-S-I-V-E!!!
Let's Get Fired Up (clap-clap-clap-clap clap-clap…)
No, I'm not reliving my cheerleader years. I was far too gothy (though I would never admit to being goth then) to even consider GOING to games, let alone cheer at them.
Not so now. My gothy exterior chipped lo these many years. I still wear plenty of black and listen to avant-garde music, but I now look forward to football season like it's some sort of Christmas in September -- really, almost better than Christmas.
Plus, I've added many more branches to my music genre tree. I embrace country music (the older the better. I accept the fact that the best music happened from February 1964 to finally dying in 1999.) (It lapsed into a coma in February 1994, after Kurt Cobain died, but survived on life support until it just couldn't take it anymore.) I understand now better than I did in high school that The Cure is not my generation's Beatles.
But I digress. I'm here to talk about football. More importantly, football music.
I don't mean "We Will Rock You" played just under 15 times during a game. I'm not talking "Celebration" by Kool and the Gang at the end. I'm not talking "Cowboys 4Ever" EVER. Too easy.
I mean the songs that get you going, get you ready for a steady, five-month diet of pigskin, cheese dip, sausage and chips. I'm talking Rock N' Roll that Rattles the Helmets.
Here's my Top 5 Fantastic Football Songs.
5. "Stone Cold Crazy," Queen: Just gets your blood pumping. Metallica's version will do in a pinch, but Queen's is stone cold awesome. TAKE NOTE: "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions" have a place. It's just too dang common nowadays. So is "Another One Bites the Dust."
4. Firestarter, The Prodigy: I love The Prodigy. This song screams "ready for action," and is one of many on the "Fat of the Land" album that has regular rotation on my iPod gym playlist. It can inspire fans to whoop and/or holler.
3. "Rock This Town," Stray Cats: Perfect for rivalry games. Fun, everyone knows it, and it's not overplayed. Plus, you wouldn't really mind if it was. It's that good.
2. "Start Me Up," Rolling Stones: When the chips are down and the audience needs a boost, ALWAYS count on Mick, Keith and Co. This song makes people get out of their seats, forget the score, and just might make your team loosen up a bit -- just enough to take the lead again.
1. "Thunderstruck," AC/DC: Boy Howdy, this song is EXCELLENT for sports. Its bone-crunching guitar, drums and snarly, biting lyrics just hit that special spot that screams football. It was used in the movie "Varsity Blues" after the home team drank all night and then had to play a big game. It didn't go well. But it also works when your team is winning.
Now, don't get me wrong. "We Are The Champions," "Celebration," et al can be great if the timing is right. But they aren't special anymore.
Tell me which Stadium Gems you think are special. Leave a comment.
Song in My Head: Bobby Brown, "Every Little Step"
8/26/2009 1:52:46 PM
Singer Bobby Brown and his attorney Vincent
Dimmock leave Norfolk Probate and
Family Court in 2004. AP FILE |
I woke up this morning with Frank Black's "Los Angeles" in my head. That was great.
But it's been replaced by Bobby Brown's "Every Little Step," conjuring memories of junior high, fade haircuts and bouncing boys. At first I said to myself, "What the? Bobby Brown? Yuck!"
The I watched the video on YouTube and was surprised by how great a performer Brown was. Before there was Whitney and Bobby and all that scandal there was New Edition, with such great songs as "Mr. Telephone Man" and "Cool It Now," ("… Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky and Mike – If I love the girl, who cares who you like?") both of which I still know by heart. Then Bobby had his solo project, with songs like "My Prerogative" (which for those young'ns reading, Britney Spears DID NOT write…), "Every Little Step," "Don't Be Cruel" and "Roni." Then there was "Humpin' Around," "Good Enough" and the Ghostbusters II song "On Our Own."
I went to see Ghostbusters II in Irving, Texas, during my Texas summers. People got up and danced in the aisles when the song came on. I am not exaggerating.
Bobby Brown was big-time in my generation.
I was born in 1974, so New Edition and early Bobby Brown were big during my adolescent years, along with its splintered group, Bel Biv Devoe. It's amazing the mark that early, more-innocent hip-hop made on me. I grew up in Muskogee, and I remember everyone at Alice Robertson Junior High and Muskogee High School attempting to rap like the former New Edition crooner. It was the birth of hip-hop in a radio-ready format. Bobby made it big during an exciting time in music – a time that hasn't been duplicated, despite the auto-tuners and sampling of the 2000s.
And then Bobby fell. Hard. But that doesn't take away his early efforts. Obviously, they have staying power. Because this one won't leave my psyche.
Here's the video, plus a mini-interview with Bobby:
The girl who was serenaded by Chris Isaak: With photos!!!
8/13/2009 4:17:41 PM
Chris Isaak serenades Angela Short during
Wednesday's show at the Brady
BRIAN BARBER/Tulsa World |
OK, so those who went to the Chris Isaak show know that he was very sociable throughout the evening.
One lucky lady was serenaded by the Second Coming of Roy Orbison + Good Looks. Not only did Isaak sing to her, he sang "Love Me Tender." Her name is Angela Short, and I am so jealous of her!
And I told her so when she emailed me today. She was very curious if anyone had pictures of the serenading. Lo and behold, our very own Brian Barber took her picture and posted it on Facebook. I was talking with him about the show, and I told him about Angela seeking photos of her moments with Chris.
"I've got a photo her, I think!" he said. He did. And the caption on his photo on Facebook? "Some lady no longer cares her husband left to get a beer." Jealous!!!
So yeah, we've got one of the lovely Angela and the dashing Chris.
Too bad he wasn't wearing his mirrored suit. If anyone has any of these photos, send them to me at sarah.hart@tulsaworld.com. And send me your stories, too, if you have any.
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