Not dressed up and no one to kiss...

The year of 2005 is ending in 3 1/2 hours and I have no plans so instead, I had some random thoughts to share.

Mother Nature is kicking our ASS. Some say it's Global Warming, some say that drastic weather issues happen like this every 75 years or so and others say it's the big guy upstairs showing us how he feels about how we're treating our planet and eachother. Whatever the reason, it's pretty scary. The Tsunami, Katrina, the earthquakes, now the fires in the southwest because of the dryness and tonight I see the floods out in northern california. I can't keep up with it all. I feel bad because I can't afford to donate more money but it also makes you think about being grateful for what you DO have and when those little stupid things happen that you want to complain about....you think twice and remember how so many others are so much worse off than you are. (granted,...I'll be complaining about something trivial any second now)
When will the obsession with celebrity-crap please STOP?!?! If I never hear the names Paris Hilton, TomKat, Brangelina and Bennifer again I will be SO happy. Let's change focus to talented people or people who have something to say that actually makes sense. Not because they have money or are famous for whatever reason.
Figure skater Ekaterina Gordeeva still makes me cry. Her first husband/pairs partner died over 10 years ago yet seeing her skate on TV today still tugged on my heart strings. And to make it even MORE touching, her daughter Daria came out and skated with her. She has her mothers grace and body and her fathers face. Not to mention, she is already an amazing skater. So keep your eyes out for Daria Grinkova folks.
I caught The Clash on VH1 Classic the other day and realized that the lead singer of Green Day is totally ripping them off!!
Those E-Harmony commercials are getting on my last nerve. Does the word overkill mean anything to that company?
People who mistreat animals should be subjected to the same abuse they put that animal through. Ever seen the movie Powder? The scene with the deer? That's what I'm talking about. Fines aren't enough. Same with people who abuse children. I say we bring back torture...people are just getting off WAY too freakin easily.
I really don't need to be seeing commercials when I go to the movies. Aren't the 20 minutes of previews bad enough?
I thought aging gracefully was cool until I saw this psychologist on Biography last night, she looked like Mark Martin.
My New Years Resolution...get to my goal weight. Considering I'm starting two new jobs this week....I think I'll have less time to eat anyway.
Cheers everybody!

Top 10 Favorite Christmas Songs

I think I would disappoint my family and friends if I didn't do this list.

I included links to the more obscure songs from a wonderful website I found called SantaSearch where you can e-mail Santa, read his journal and also find song clips and lyrics. (which is important to all the carolers out there!)


So here they are and I have to admit that it's extrEMELY difficult to rank them:

#10- White Christmas- The Drifters
http://www.santasearch.org/music.asp?PID=2&AudioID=3386
There's something about a doo-wop group doing a funky version of this song that just makes you smile. The movie Home Alone put it on the map.

#9- Mary Had a Baby- Bruce Cockburn
http://www.santasearch.org/music.asp?PID=2&AudioID=2276
I heard this ditty one day on the local radio station that plays Christmas music 24/7 from Thanksgiving to Christmas and fell in love with it immediately

#8- Dominick the Donkey- Lou Monte
http://www.santasearch.org/music.asp?PID=2&AudioID=1370
A Christmas staple in most Italian homes. Cute and catchy enough to get your kids addicted to it as well.

#7- Still, Still, Still- Mannheim Steamroller
http://www.santasearch.org/music.asp?PID=2&AudioID=3093
I'm not one for this new-age stuff but when I first heard this track off their 1990 release it stopped me in my tracks. The vocals are so haunting.

#6- Holly Jolly Christmas- Burl Ives
Makes you think of growing up with Rudolph

#5- All I Want for Christmas Is You- Mariah Carey
Seems to harken back to the early 60's girl-group sound. Mariah at her best

#4- Charlie Brown Christmas- Vince Giraldi
I can't pick just one song off it because the whole CD is amazing.

#3- Where are you Christmas?- Faith Hill
From the How The Grinch Stole Christmas soundtrack. Anyone who's been through a time where Christmas seemed to lose it's meaning can relate to this one. I can't listen to it without crying.

#2- Merry Christmas Darling- The Carpenters
Combine an amazing song with Karen Carpenters beautiful voice and you have this timeless classic. Everytime it comes on the radio I have to sing-a-long

#1- Home for the Holidays- Perry Como
Mr. Como means Christmas to me

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!

Madonna

Yes, I'm a proud Madonna fan. Not a fanatic (although that's what the word "fan" is short for) but I do like her music, her originality, the fact that she's pushed peoples buttons for 20+ years and has still managed to keep them intrigued. She's also been called every name in the book and has survived to be one of the most famous people in the world.
The Kabbalah thing doesn't interest me, or her childrens books. I like her as an artist and respect the fact that she's a very smart business woman.
I remember the first time I saw her videos for Borderline and Lucky Star. I thought she was a bit full of herself but you still couldn't keep your eyes off her. She had "something" and the tunes were catchy and most importantly to me, you could dance to them. (I was a club girl in the 80's.)
I was watching the MTV awards the night she was rolling all over the floor in her wedding dress, I remember when Pepsi dumped their sponsorship of her tour after her video for Like a Prayer came out and I borrowed my friends copy of her SEX book when it came out. That whole SEX and Erotica era of hers confused me, I thought she had SERIOUSLY lost her mind. The pressure of being her had finally made her crack. But much to everyone's suprise, she came back from it stronger than ever.
I remember going on a date to see the movie Desperately Seeking Susan and I thought she was hilarious in the movie A League of Their Own. Do you think the character was that much of a stretch though?
Was watching when she swapped a quick tongue-kiss with Britney and thought to myself "That's Madonna for ya, she knows how to get her name on the frontpage." Did they really expect those two to behave themselves on stage? Come on!
I still love the songs Papa Don't Preach (especially the string intro), Secret, Beautiful Stranger (from the Austin Powers soundtrack), Ray of Light, Power of Goodbye and Don't tell Me.
Remember you heard it here first; I predict that when she releases the song Jump as a single off her new album, it will be a HUGE hit. You can listen to it here if you scroll through the songs next to the Navigation Bar at the top of the site:
http://www.madonna.com/

"Music, makes the people...come together, yeah"

You go girls!!

Okay, I'll admit...I still watch some reality TV shows. America's Next Top Model, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and lately my favorite was Making the Band 3.
Sean Combs,..what is he going by now; Diddy? Puffy? Pudding Pop? He was trying to create a hot new girl group of young ladies who could sing AND dance. Went through 8 weeks the first time and found 3 girls worth keeping but not 5. So he had ANOTHER round of tryouts.
I was hooked on this show from the 2nd episode. Personally, I hate watching auditions. I'm not the kind of person who enjoys hearing people sing badly. Why, because I sing. And to see people like William Hung and all those other fools get there 2-15 mintues of fame for butchering good or even BAD music is disgusting to me.
So as soon as they get the "finalists" set...I'm on board!
Last night, he picked the band. Blonde Shannon; who you wouldn't notice unless you were REALLY paying attention, Dawn; an ex cheerleader who's family lost everything in Katrina and...oh shoot. Who was the other girl? That's how much of an impression she made on me I guess. Wanita, I think her name was. AND he picked my two favorites who were finalists in part 1. Aubrey O'Day and Aundrea Fimbress.
Aubrey was a shoe-in. (pictured left) Hot lookin, great body, the best dancer there and can sing, WOW can she sing. During Part 1 of the auditions Diddy took the girls to an Open Mic Night at some club and had them go up and sing live. All I remember from that show was Diddy leaning over to his chereographer Lorianne and saying "Aubrey is officially black. Michael Jackson is white, and Aubrey is black as a MF'er" He was right, she was amazing.
Aundrea (pictured below) seemed like a given after Part 1 but in Part 2 she struggled. She had issues with learning the dances and then even had some weak vocal moments during the very last auditions right before he announced the final 5. And to make matters worse, he announced her name last. She was dying, so was Aubrey and I was DYING too. Alot of people say she looks like JoJo but how could you not put someone that adorable and with that many skills in your band? Like Johnny said after final auditions for Part 1 "People are gunna fall in love with her"

So I'll be keeping my eyes on Bad Boy Online to see what their name is gunna be and can only hope they don't turn into another Eden's Crush!

Ho, ho, ho MF'ers

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Bah, Humbug

Why is it when we have the least amount of money, that's when we feel the most festive at holiday time? I guess it's Bob Crachit syndrome. When you're broke you take joy in other things and when you have money you turn into Ebanezer Scrooge.
Personally, I've never felt very Scrooge-like. It's a hard time of year for most people. For me it's all about bitter sweet memories of being a kid and our family being together. I guess I thought when my parents got divorced that I was old enough to handle it...I wasn't. And for a while afterwards Christmas never felt quite right.
But it's back for me. Could be because I have young nieces and nephews to enjoy it with. Could be because I've finally given into the fact that it not being the same is okay. I'm not sure.
I'm a VERY nostalgic person. I like going on ebay and finding toys from when I was young. Probably because they were thrown out or given away without my permission so getting them back seems to be a strange power trip.
Last year I FINALLY found a Christmas album we played over and over and over again when I was growing up. We had it in 8-track tape form; I knew all the songs, even had little dance routines or skits made up to them. (those I don't remember so please don't ask for an encore performance)
So after aquiring the album in LP version I went to a local studio that converts old LP's to CD's and had them make copies for myself, my sister and my Mother.
I knew I was the most nostalgic one when they didn't recognize the cover art right away. I knew it the moment I saw the picture of it on ebay. The color, the fireplace, the little kid in the PJ's looking up the flew for Santa.
Just listening to it again made me warm all over.
So you can bring your past to your future....and move on.
As Jim Carrey as the Grinch said "It's joyful and triumphant"