Random Tuesday Thoughts: First Edition

Here's a bandwagon. Climb aboard.
I've finally jumped on the Random Tuesday Thoughts bandwagon. Keely, who runs RTT every Tuesday (who would have guessed) has a rather nifty looking and fun blog layout. I liked it. Speaking of layouts, I've changed mine, again. I like this one, so maybe it will stick more than a couple of weeks.

Rice Milk Ice Cream = Heaven
Not all that long ago, I discovered that I was lactose intolerant. This was depressing. Peanut butter and jelly tastes SO much better with a glass of milk (and while there are alternatives, they are not the same.) And ice cream? I was lost.

A friend introduced me to soy ice cream, and it was alright. It was a get-by alternative. But then, on a whim, I decided to try Good Karma Organic Rice Divine Mudd Pie ice cream. And all I have to say now is that it is THE MOST DELICIOUS THING EVER. Forget Ben & Jerry's. (Or at least, until Ben & Jerry's starts using rice milk... pretty please, B&J? I'll love you FOREVER!) Good Karma Mudd Pie is where it's at.

I think it is like tasting heaven, actually. Heaven in a pint.

It's also vegan. Who would have guessed?

Southern Politics at Their Finest
It's early voting time for the latest set of Tennessee primaries, and that means that if you live in my state, you can vote now and avoid long lines. (Early voting wraps up Saturday. The actual primary day is August 5th. VOTE!)

We have some interesting candidates for governor, and I'd like to draw your attention to two in particular. First, there's Basil Marceaux, who bless his heart, (I sound Southern there, don't I?) says what he means, even if he's not quite sure what he means. Check out his video from his time on Channel 4 News as well as his website.

Next is a man who could very well become the Republican nominee, Zach Wamp who says what he means and then takes it back. That's unfortunate. Secession always makes things exciting.

Speaking of politics... and sports... and ellipsis abuse...
I have some ideas stewing around in this crazy, bizarre brain of mine to keep me blogging on a more regular basis. Because that was a goal, wasn't it? Blog more regularly.

And on the topic of blogging more regularly...
Maureen Johnson, the author and not the character from RENT, did Blog Every Day April last year. This year she said she was going to do Blog Every Day August, but apparently that's not going to happen because she needs to like, write books, or something equally ridiculous. Authors who actually write, who would have thought? Well, in between tweeting that is.

Writing and NaNoWriMo
I'm writing. Far more than usual, actually. And I've started working on plotting out an idea for National Novel Writing Month this November. I've won twice now. Since the third time's the charm, maybe the third win won't be a complete and total shit novel. That would be nice.

Trivia!
I've been co-hosting trivia every week on Tuesday nights at a local bar. It's fun, even if I get to this point of the day when I realize that I should probably start thinking up ideas for trivia rounds. But regardless, I still enjoy it. Though I'm completely at a loss this week when it comes to ideas. Trivia gives me a reason to keep up my procrastinating ways even if I've finished college. That's all I can ask for, isn't it?

Facebook
Randomly, you can now "like" me on Facebook. This is rather special. And I like myself. It used to be that you could become a fan, and that would have been much cooler, but now you can still boost my self-esteem by liking me. Really.


And... that's it. I have no more Random Tuesday Thoughts for you. I'm sure I will as the day goes on, but for the sake of everyone, I will end this here.

INCEPTION (or finally a movie worth seeing)

It took Christopher Nolan ten years to write Inception. That could be part of the reason it will far outshine any other "summer blockbuster" for quite some time. This wasn't a movie that was thrown together in the aftermath of the writer's strike. This was carefully crafted genius.

There's so many shitty movies out there these days. 99% of them aren't worth seeing. They're either unnecessary sequels, movies that were made to jump on the 3D bandwagon, or unnecessary sequels that were made to jump on the 3D bandwagon.

To be fair, when it comes to sequels, I heard that Toy Story 3 is a beautiful, touching film. But am I really going to pay ten dollars so that Buzz Lightyear can make me cry? No. No I am not.

But before I get to Inception, I have a confession to make. Part of the reason I needed to see that movie is because on Friday, I went to see Eclipse. (I did not pay for my ticket though, so cut me some slack.)

Eclipse was so shitty that it was hilarious. When Edward sparkled in the sunlight, I busted out laughing. Anyone who was in that theater to see part three of the timeless love story of Bella and Edward probably had the experience ruined by me. I do not apologize. Edward is a very controlling boyfriend and his relationship with Bella is not at all healthy. The Twilight series is not one of romance, but the idea of a woman giving up her identity for the sake of a man, and only in doing that can she be made complete.

In other words, it's complete and total bullshit, but that's another blog post.

So let's just say that I went to see Eclipse and the next movie I will probably see in theaters will be part one of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and that won't be until November, so I couldn't very well have the last movie I saw in theaters until then be Eclipse.

But the main reason I went to see Inception was that it was made by Christopher Nolan. Most people know him from the last two movies in the Batman franchise. I know him from Memento. He is a genius.

I'm not going to talk about Inception though. The less you know about it going in, the better. I will tell you that it's about dreams. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. You can watch trailers online. But you should definitely go and see it. For three reasons:

1. It's a brilliant movie.
2. Some of the special effects will just look so much better on the big screen.
3. Because Hollywood needs to know that moviegoers WANT to see original, creative movies that provoke thought and discussion.

Otherwise we're screwed. I think Step Up 3D proves that quite well.

I Used to be an Only Child

For the first two years, three months, one day, and a few hours of my life, I was an only child. Fortunately for me, July 19, 1982 saved me from that fate.

Not that there's anything wrong with being an only child. But it would have been for me. Because on this day, 28 years ago, my little sister was born.

I only sort of recall that day. I was only two, after all. But I remember my mom leaving the day before and being watched by my grandparents. And then I slowly became aware that there was now a fourth person living in our house.

I remember Christmas, and delivering a present to my sister. I remember moving a couple years later, and getting used to a new neighborhood. Riding bikes up and down the street. A trip to McDonald's that resulted in her crying because the Hamburglar is a very scary individual.

And then we moved again, and I remember looking out for her at school, even if we weren't the friends that we would become later. Because sibling relationships are tricky. You'll always love your family, but you don't always have to like them.

We had some epic fights, her and I. Yelling, screaming, beating each other up. It's what sisters do.

We grew up, and as we did we became genuinely friends. Not just because we had to be due to the fact that we lived in the same house, saw each other all the damn time, and all that. Because we wanted to be.

We moved in and out of our parents' house. For the first twenty-two years we lived no more than a couple hours from each other, at max. And then I moved. Like really moved. Twelve hours away moved. And three years later, having moved again, I'm not really all that much closer.

So since that first real move, I see my sister at best twice a year. Thank goodness for the internet, right? Because I literally would be lost without her. She knows far too much about me, and yet still loves me. And I think that's not just because she has to.

So, Andrea. For your birthday, I want you to know that you're amazing. That I miss you. That someone needs to discover how to apparate and teach me because you're too damn far away. And I hope you have a fantastic birthday and an even better year.

Love you, Sisser!

Two Players. Two Teams. Two Different Stories.

When I was eleven, I had a sixth grade teacher who was a hockey fanatic. I was a tomboy back then, and into collecting baseball cards. Mr. L., however, introduced me to the game of hockey, and I've been hooked ever since.

There was only one team to follow, of course. The Detroit Red Wings. Now, I need to note that this was 1991. Detroit hadn't won a Stanley Cup since 1955. I wasn't jumping on a bandwagon. I was cheering for my home team. The team my entire family on my mom's side has cheered for since well before I was born. So I was in good company, to say the least.

Whenever you follow a team, you need a favorite player. Mine was Steve Yzerman. Captain of the Red Wings. Active in the community. A lot of kids in my class favored Sergei Fedorov, who had just finished a promising rookie season the year before, and was attracting a lot of attention. But I liked Yzerman, and so he became my favorite.

That year, the Red Wings made the playoffs, (it was the second year of their current 19 year post-season appearance streak, the longest in American professional sports,) and faced off against the Minnesota North Stars in the first round. There was a player for the North Stars who had caught my attention because we shared the same hometown. Mike Modano.

This was before I'd ever heard of the internet. I noticed these things after spending hours reading the backs of hockey cards, studying facts and statistics. But I liked Modano because he was from Livonia. I didn't like him because it would take the Wings seven games to beat the North Stars in the playoffs.

Just like Yzerman though, Modano would become the face of his team. (His appearance in The Mighty Ducks certainly helped cement that in my mind.) The Minnesota North Stars became the Dallas Stars, and Mike Modano gave fans a reason to come see a hockey game in a state where there should be no hockey. Texas?! Really?!

When Steve Yzerman decided to retire, he did so on his own terms. He hung up his skates, traded them for a position within the Wings' front office. When he announced this past year that he was moving to Tampa Bay to become the general manager of the Lightning, (again, a state that shouldn't have a hockey franchise,) he again did it on his own terms, and the Red Wings bid him a fond farewell.

Contrast that with Mike Modano. Of American players, he's the all-time leading goal-scorer. He led the Stars to the franchise's first and only Stanley Cup in 1999. Now he's forty years old, and Dallas has decided not to resign Modano as a player, but instead offered him a position in their front office.

Modano isn't sure if he wants to retire yet. But now his choice is between retiring, and having played his entire career with one team, which is a noble thing and still rather rare. Or go and play for another team. The Wings, Minnesota's new(ish) franchise - the Wild, and the San Jose Sharks have all shown interest.

So does he retire, play in his hometown, or go back to Minnesota? (I'm ignoring the Sharks. They're pure evil. Don't go there, Mike!) As a Detroit fan, who's watched the franchise get the most out of the last few seasons of established veterans' careers, I'd welcome him to Detroit. I'm sure the Wild fans would love to see him play in Minnesota again. And again, the Sharks are evil.

But really, the choice should have been retire, or play another year for Dallas. Maybe I'm just an idealist, but when you help build a franchise, they should work with you until you're ready to retire.

Regardless, best of luck in the decision, Mr. Modano. Just stay away from San Jose.

Such a beautiful game. Or should I say match?

Just got done watching the United States play Algeria in what was a very anxious game. 90 minutes went by without a goal (or at least one that was counted properly.) Stoppage time began. Donovan got a rebound  and GOOOOOOOOAL!

It was beautiful.

The United States played with heart the entire game long. Time after time they were denied. (Including one goal that was disallowed, that shouldn't have been.) It was starting to look like they were going to be exiting early from the World Cup and it was becoming painful to even consider. But they never gave up. Just kept kicking the ball toward the net until they finally scored.

Absolutely beautiful.

This is what I don't get about American football, as opposed to soccer (or the real football.) That game was played straight on, no breaks until halftime. Then kept going until the end. American football can draw two minutes left in a game into half an hour. (Maybe a slight exaggeration. Maybe.) The action is nowhere near as intense. And yet soccer has yet to really catch on in the States.

Today though, I think that there is no reason not to cheer for the USA, who showed up on that field to win and fought until the end to make it happen. Beautiful match, boys. Absolutely beautiful.