Moxie gets made into an honest woman, or, I'M ENGAGED!!

As I write this I'm very aware of an additional piece of hardware on my left ring finger, and I'm so deliciously thrilled it's hard to wrap my head around it. When Gonzo moved away from Austin my heart broke more than a little, and when Flaming Lips sang at ACL 6 months later and we stood together and breathed it in, the little spark that had never quite extinguished started getting stronger. Two years passed and I tried to keep busy with grad school and not miss him, tried to shake off the longing and the loneliness of a long distance relationship. When I moved from Austin to Lubbock for Mr. W post-graduation, things were obviously starting to get serious. When we spent hours stripping wallpaper, scrapping paint, slapping primer, slinging paint, and wanting to kill everyone in proximity, I knew I was in it for the long haul. When Marky and I drove from Texas to Illinois in one day and he spent time with my entire family, that was another whole level of love.

A few days ago, I called him as I drove home from work, knowing we had stuff to do before leaving for Austin this weekend. He told me he had a list of things and wanted me to look it over, and kept asking me what street I was on, which was kind of strange as it only takes me 10 minuutes from work to home. When I got there, he handed me the list: "pack, change oil, blah blah, ask Jen to marry me..." I half-giggled, half-shrieked, "What's this here?!" and he got down on one knee and asked me. I said yes, or might have just frantically nodded. The dogs began barking happily, and we got a little choked up as they had just had cookies and were clearly approving of this transaction, that we would now be a family for real.

I want to have Golden Years by David Bowie for our first dance. We're thinking Vegas? Maybe?

Mawwage:

horrible bad no-good tv

I feel disappointed in myself that writing didn't return my call after we got back together and went out on a few dates. I wondered if I did something wrong. Then I realize writing isn't a guy I'm trying to get to fall for me, and it's not something that's only possible when the mood and the moon is right (maybe). I didn't fart in bed. I didn't insult his mother. Writing, it's a thing I do when I'm not too lazy or busy and have some things on my mind. Sometimes they're important things, sometimes not. Today, not.

Today I want to vent about the utter stupidity of television. I will attempt to balance the brainless and transparent campaigns to take my money, self-esteem, or patience with the shows that actually make us think or teach something. I will try not to get distracted by the neighbor kid whose eyes are way too far apart trying to ride his bike while holding his dog (which looks like the Grinch's dog, sadly) as his fatter-than-believably-possible toddler brother totters about on his fat little feet.

My most loathed commercials are those that incorporate an unnecessary amount of sexuality.
Exhibit A (this commercial makes me uncomfortable)


What is the message here, that if you drink this shit you can bang your slutty secretary all the way through your lunch break as your wife's picture falls off your desk? I don't mean to sound sanctimonious, I'm just insulted. This is way worse than the Arby's commercial where the wife dresses up like the Arby's girl and serves her hubby in bed as the phallic Arby's hat pops up over his head. That's giggle-worthy, but the 6 Hr one is just in poor taste.

This is way better:


Kenyans.

If you start feeling sucked in my media subterfuge, may I suggest visiting listverse.com. Read about inventors killed by their inventions, coolest transformers, evil children, and the like.

Live and let die

can you see the frog and the horsie?

An actual conversation I had the other night with someone who will remain anonymous:
"what? *long pause* what?!"
"I said what I wanted to say, why are you saying what?!"
"Because I didn't hear you! That's what people say when they didn't hear you!!"
"Shut up!!!!"

Idiocracy is on, I don't know if you've seen it. It's to me almost on the sci-fi edge of comedy, meaning it features scenarios that may be possible in the future--20,000 Leagues under the Sea was considered crazy sci-fi when it first came out in 1954, yet monstrous squid are now ubiquitous. There are more such movies here , as compiled by Popular Mechanics. But what I'm saying is, 10 minutes into Idiocracy when the rapidly-growing and twisted family tree of losers is explained, I wasn't laughing even though it was funny.

The future of health care:


I don't think it's that far outside the realm of possibility that a Bush-driven country could soon be putting Gatorade on crops and letting garbage mountains assemble. And I'm not going to expound on the politics of the situation--living in Lubbock has taught me it's a breath-wasting, migraine-gathering endeavor to argue Democracy in West Texas. The Republican vibe seems to have tinged the TV tonight--the roast of Larry the Cable Guy with big ol' Toby Keith is on next week. And again, I'm not trying to ruffle conservative feathers--you're allowed to think whatever you want. I'm just sayin, your head dog Rush Limbaugh doesn't know the difference between the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence--literally.

It's interesting as a person with a specific background and knowledge set replete with beliefs, attitudes, and whathaveyou watching the world try to reconcile differences and make plans for the greater good while remaining civil. One is bound to overtly or covertly impose their own attitudes as to right and wrong, sensible and idiotic. It seems like those most uninformed are most comfortable in crucifying those those don't share their views. In a loosely related example--I was in the 7th circle of hell (walmart) and saw an Obama shirt with a picture of him being sworn in with the quote "So Help Me God." It made me look at it carefully, my head cocked like the RCA dog. If I'm reading this right, this is a hater shirt saying he's in such deep shit that God better help him, heh heh. Nice attitude, people. For the rest of you haters who can't really make it clear to the rest of us why you think the end of an era of errors and downright criminality is a bad thing, I direct you to this site, which will allow you to pick a reason to not support Obama.

Anyway.
Some things too many people don't know enough about:
- NPR
- The Bronte's
- cobble-stone downtown roads
- Principato Rosato
- Eastbound and Down
- kickball
- Zero 7
- my carrot cake

hiatus hiatus

Hello? Oh, hey!! Uh...how are you? This is my 125th post, but not really because the last one was a repost.

Steven Johnson wrote this book about media culture called Everything Bad is Good for You, and it was pretty okay, and now he has out The Invention of Air--the study of what's all around us and makes us and how it used to be considered empty space until some chemists and scientist started drinking coffee all day and figuring out that plants poop air and we evolved from non-oxygen breathing forms become us, breathing deeply. Man. It'd be nice to have a job where you could wax psuedo-psycho-philosophological all day and get paid.

There's a Chinese lady who lives near the school who is constantly walking her three all goofy-looking dogs. She has horrible posture, probably in her late 50s, rail thin with a kind of curvature that comes with dragging her feet incecessantly for most of her life. The dogs' leashes are always dangled up. It's like driving past the trailing end of a weird circus or state fair.


Ain't it funky now?


Coming back to writing is not quite like seeing a friend you kinda forgot about for a while but assumed was doing fine, nor is it like calling an ex-lover whom you always wanted to impress. Something in the middle. You have to pace yourself. There will be awkward silences. I'm taking a hiatus from my hiatus.

Jen's Patronage of a Local Business for March: Freedom Fitness on 19th steet. No contract, $5 enrollment with current special, $20 a month with free guest passes, massage chairs, tanning, and half price co'oler drinks. And they have a room that blacklit with crazy 90's neon "graffiti. And most importantly, TVs. They're so low key they don't even have a website, unlike this place , which is $199 enrollment and $85 month "investment" for a couple. Although, they do have ridiculously large lions and a fountain and a big elephant and those bikes that are like video games of the Tour de France.

Conversely, I must give a big thumbs down to Big Happy Hair. You must click. I'll wait. Yep, it's like padding your bra but it's your hair. Checkitout. BHH isn't technically a local business, but it may as well be considering I live in West Texas.

Ok, so...yeah. Um. I'll see you around? Yeah, I'll tell you about my aversion to overtly and unnecessarily sexual commercials to sell energy drinks, fast food, and body wash. They make me feel uncomfortable.