Friday, October 31, 2008

Halloween Meme

Tagged by Hugo Fuchs.

Top 10 Holloween Movie
List your top 10 selections and reasons for the selections.

I'm going with movies that actually scared/haunted me. I love and respect the shamanistic job of horror to reveal and expunge our deepest fears, so I'm not going to order them.

ENDURING LOVE
The single best male portrayal of autoerotomania. If this one doesn't push your buttons, check for a pulse.

I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU NOT
The single best female portrayal of autoerotomania. That it is Audrey Tatou obsessed and out of her mind makes it all the more chilling.

SCREAM
Really scary. Really funny. Really genius.

POLTERGEIST
Remember when you thought your parents could save you from anything and the trees outside your bedroom window made funny noises at night when you were alone? Yeah. So does Steven Spielberg, who legendarily took the directing helm away from Tobe Hooper. For an added scare, rent the TWILIGHT ZONE episode that inspired it: "Little Girl Lost"

CARRIE
Jesus. Jesus Jesus Jesus. Who hasn't been the mean kid/been teased by the mean kid at school?

THE WICKER MAN
Gleefully pushes your buttons, with the most intelligent breaking-of-rules to provoke a response in its audience this side of PULP FICTION.

HALLOWEEN
It's been copied to death, but the original low-budget slasher is pure genius.

DON'T LOOK NOW
Just look. Now. Oh, and the thirty-year-old sex scene still won #1 of all time in last year's poll. Which all just adds to the horror when Donald Sutherland...oh, but that would be telling.

BLAIR WITCH
A masterpiece. Was scared the whole way coming home, and for weeks after. I will never look at sticks or handprints the same way.

SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
The ultimate subversion: The single most purposefully feminist film ever made, and deservingly one of only three films to ever sweep the Oscars. 100% from a woman's point of view. Watch the behind the scenes with Jodie Foster, Jonathan Demme and Ted Tally at the many movie tricks they used to root the audience in a female protagonist's shoes without once ever inspiring the dirty words "chick flick". They refused to participate in the horrible sequels because of their pure love and understanding of Clarice Starling.


Need more rental inspirations for this holiday weekend? Try any of these masterworks:

BUG
GINGER SNAPS/GINGER SNAPS BACK
THE DESCENT
FRAILTY
JACOB'S LADDER
THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW
THE SHINING
ROSEMARY'S BABY
ANGEL HEART
THE WATCHER IN THE WOODS
THE HUNGER
PSYCHO
MANHUNTER
THE HOWLING
HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER
THE GAME
REPULSION
SINGLE WHITE FEMALE
MIRACLE MILE
APT PUPIL


Want fun scares for a party or a good MST3K? Try:

THE HOST
SLEEPY HOLLOW
TREMORS
THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM
BLUE VELVET
SHAUN OF THE DEAD
WES CRAVEN'S NEW NIGHTMARE
ARACHNOPHOBIA
SLITHER
THE PROPHECY/2
THE LOST BOYS
THE BEGUILED
THE FRIGHTENERS
POPCORN
SISTERS
MAGIC
THE SEVENTH SIGN
THE HAPPENING
MANIAC COP
NIGHT OF THE COMET

Recent decent releases?

THE ORPHANAGE
THE SIGNAL
SWEENEY TODD
RISE: THE BLOOD HUNTER
P2
BAGHEAD
AWAKE
CATACOMBS
JOSHUA
THE MIST
CACHE
RETURN TO HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL
CURSED

If you're just looking for unenjoyable brainscars my list is:

COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE, HER LOVER
DEAD RINGERS
THE FLY
NANKING
TRAINSPOTTING
SCHINDLER'S LIST
TRAINSPOTTING
KIDS
HAPPINESS
HOSTEL

Monday, October 27, 2008

Three photographers in Prague

Different perspectives of the same subject. Interesting.





How am I getting home?

No really, how am I getting home?

WAMU has put fraud alert on my credit card for the third time, and Ive spent three hours now trying to call them to tell them AGAIN that I am still in Europe. Jackholes.

I have a flight in London to LAX Thursday morning and no way to get there. Oh, and all the cheap hopper flights have now triple to quadrupled in price, so by the time WAMU releases the hold there may not be enough money in my account to cover the plane ticket price.

Unfreakingbelievable.



Venice was great; two days were perfect. The other hostel customers were absolutely amazing women (oh, we figured out how THAT happens...the cute males who run the place conveniently book female dorms, then take whoever will go out drinking at night...there were only 2-3 male hostelers at a time, versus 20 women!). The second Venice day was spent with Sini (traveling from Finland), Monica and Lexi (NYU Tischers in Dublin this semester) . Fantastic conversations and strolling and espressos(which is terrible because I didnàt have caffeine the whole month of September, and now look at me!). I had met a man named Andi when I was alone the day before, and they met him and approved him for a date with me last night.

Andi and I had a nice time, and it was interesting to hear about his experiences as an Albanian expat living in Italy for fifteen years now. Andi speaks six languages and says the only thing he loves more than languages is women, so I think that officially makes him an Italian man. But a shy earnest one who wants to get married and start a family. Too bad I dont want to have kids.

Today I traveled by train back to Florence with amazing Pia and Caitlyn (and left my brand new, absolutely perfect pair of jeans in the hostel back in Venice. Dammittttt!!!!!!).

Freaking love Florence. I could live here. Which is nice, because I have the phone number of two local hunks who wanted to see me again for dates, so if Im stranded here perhaps I shall have time to be saved by one of their heroics.

Im in a coed room again tonight and am a little nervous after my experience last night. I was the only woman in the only coed room (Please. I would have slept in the same room as my crew guys on the shoot if I could have, you know I love mens company). So the creepy guy who came in the middle of the night started moaning in his sleep and coming...freaked the hell out of me and the two sweet guys whose beds I was sleeping in between (Cant remember their real names, but we ladies called the drunker one Batman because he looks just like Christian Bale).

It was just the four of us in the eight person room, and we'd already been freaking each other out earlier making hostel horror story jokes because the night had just felt off with the owner. Then this strange little guy is on the other side of the room having loud wet dreams throughout the night...It was okay though, my guys took care of me of course. Batman started making jokes about at least someone was having fun, and the sweet guy from Mexico reached across our little cots to grab my hand and tell me it was okay. Then we all just got the quiet giggles and fell back to sleep until the second time it happened. Sooooo creepy. Oh, and who complained to the hostel owner the next morning about the room being insufficient? Yup. Wet dream guy.


No really, how am I getting home?

Saturday, October 25, 2008

What fresh new hell is this?

Sooooooo...

I haven't been able to blog all the lovely posts and pix I've wanted to, because at this point I've had incredibly limited internet access and have spent $50 TODAY ALONE for the privilege of plugging into the Matrix. Sigh.

I'm in Venezia. Got some nice pix. Which is great, because I've discovered that all my other photos from the month have been deleted off my camera. I was trying to upload some to the blog and facebook on my friend's Mac, which has an automatic import/delete function so....yeah. Big tears. I feel veeeeery upset. Sick to my stomach.

There is a tiny chance they are still in the trash can on the computer, but I barely dare hope because I really don't want to mourn it again...Can't tell you how lousy I feel about it. Not having photos of Will's wedding, and everything I've lavished attention on...to a Director, it's just death. Yeah. Okay. Don't want to cry again so I'm going to stop talking about it, and post a few things from the last days of Prague. SIgh.

Oh, and for those of you who are jealous of my journey, just remember: they play bad 80s music here. ALL. THE. TIME.

"Final Countdown", anyone? No? How about with your Malaysian internet clerk singing it loudly and wrongly? Or singing "Kiss Me" to you? Yeah. Like you wish you were me.







Jen chased by the Ghosts of Communism statues


Sebastian: Man With the Plan


Our well-worn Euro shoes: male/female

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Ahoj from Praha

Jen has been an amazing host. Her daughter and she have established a wonderful adventure here. Coral is fifteen, and has an amazing amount of freedom to match her fiesty ass-kicking personality. Through a matter of complicated misfortunes, the only school she could go to was a fundamentalist christian private school that teaches both microbiology and evolution, so she gamely wears her Obama t-shirt every other day among the Palin-lovers.

Sebastian arrived from Italy by train yesterday, and has been a perfecto adventurer/fun provider. And the only man I can recall holding my hand while he sleeps. Plus, now I'm not the only one speaking Italian to the Praguers. Major bonus, since Jen still laughs hysterically at the time I said "Dorby Den!" instead of "Dobry Den!" Urgh. It's really hard to switch from Italian and French to Czech. Brain is sloooow. Oh, but there was a big anti-American demonstration yesterday in front of Jen's school (the Czechs are NOT happy about the radar system the US is installing to watch Russia), so when we got off the Tram, THEN Sebastian and I loudly spoke Italian to each other. Hahahah.

They count the average amount of sunny days a month here in Bohemia, and apparently I just used them all up. Sebastian and I woke up today under the big cozy blue blanket he affectionately calls "The Cookie Monster Blanket" and hit snooze on his phone for an hour and a half. Finally, I bounced up (soooo unlike me), looked at the grey bleak sky and said "Let's go Mister, a whole dreary town to explore!"

He just finished reading "Eat Pray Love" and had reminded me the word for Rome was "sex", which is 100% true. We agreed Los Angeles is "Stab-you-in-the-back" but Prague...He settled on "stern", while I'm quite sure it's more in the "scarcity/fear/rude" vicinity.

Whatever it is, I'm quite happy Jen is importing her friends and meeting connectors on the Expat website, or I'd be worried about her. The second night I was in town, we met up with Dominick, a gregarious English guy STARVED for civility and conversastion. We can see how he got that way...We've had a fun adventure together, but it was absolutely of our own making; of our own extroverted personalities and ability to laugh under the cold, judging stares of the natives. The witch marionette dolls in the window have nothing on the actual citizens' evil eyes. The older people actually flinch if you make eye contact with them. Jen and I have had hours of absolutely fascinating conversations about the cultural differences, history, and how she has been treated living here the last month.

My luggage arrives today. Dominick is quite certain by now every Italian airline worker has worn my underwear on his head, so the first thing I'm going to do is wash everything. But I'm so relieved it's not all gone. Especially since I didn't have a suitcase lock. Silly me.

Today Jen took a big midterm on Hegel, Marx, Kant, Kierkegaard, while Sebastian and I ran around beautiful gardens and poured Baileys in our espressos. He has a wonderful architectural assignment he can do while here: take photos of landscapes, and do a drawing and poem about them. Can't wait to see what he comes up with, since he's also a painter. Tonight we're all eating homemade chicken soup, doing facials, and having absinthe. It will be cozy.

Still have all Thursday and Friday to explore the city with Sebastian, and then he'll be taking a sleeper train back to Italy. I have to figure out how much money I have, because if I'm running out I may just go with him to Venice for a few days, then get a train back to Rome and a big plane back to California. I don't know. I'm playing it by ear. Jen finally has a day off Saturday, so that would mean I would miss seeing her more and maybe going to the bone church, which sounds pretty fun.

That is all for now. Nah Sklah...

Sunday, October 19, 2008

First Impressions

Me = Labrador puppy

Italians = Golden Retrievers


Praguers = Siamese cats

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Superpowers

It appears I might still have them in Prague.

It's harder to tell because the influence of Communism kinda makes Praguers rude inhospitable aholes who won't make eye contact. But I am hearing reports from my gfriend about what happens AFTER I walk by the men.

Though if they're not interested in providing happiness and helpfulness to me in social situations, can't imagine why I'd want to be in a romantic situation with one also not taking care of me.

I shall investigate further and report back.



Or give up and move to Italy.


You really do need to hear a man cry out Si! Si! Si! at the same time as you (Yes, I speak Italian in bed.).

Jesus Godalmighty.

All you have to do is tell a handsome sweet Italian man you're sad, and watch him grab his heart in true pain, and then do everything he can think of to make you happy.

Pretty freaking fantastic. Yum.

Is it possible to have Post Tramautic Sex? I keep having these unexpected flashbacks to tangled limbs in ecstasy...the happy look on his face as he watched me above him and grabbed my hips harder...

I don't want to start moaning on a Czech tram and freak out the grim grey citizens with bad haircuts mere inches away from me, earnestly ignoring my existence...

Do you double dog dare me to yell out "Si! Si! Si! Slap my ass again, grab my hair Mario! Oooohhhhh...?" Or to pole dance on the Metro? I will...


By the way, if the Bratislavians who run Sky Europe have anything to do with it, I'll end up having to go back to Rome to get my damn luggage anyway.

Fishies!

I've had four Fishies from Mom on this European adventure. She is absolutely present and accounted for!!

The one today was a beautiful stained glass window in the Prague church that said Barbara in the top panel and Elisabeth in the bottom panel.

:)

Gogosha!

I'm their Face of the Day! Yea! Go there, you will get AMAZING sunglasses, and obviously if you are a prescription-wearer like me, the specs can't be beat. We love Gogosha!

Oh, and I'm in Prague. With no luggage.

Booooo.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Dear Penthouse,

You know what's better than making your flight to Prague?

Making the sex in Roma.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Best of both worlds

Sitting here in my tiny little hotel listening to a gorgeous Italian man speak fluent French.


Sigh.

J'adore.


He propositioned me for sex ten minutes ago, but like most men in Rome he didnt mean it. I looked him right in the eye and said "I have a rooftop terrace and 40 minutes before my cab. Can't think of anything that would make Roma better."

He walked away.

The men in Rome are big teases. I'm finding they all have a shtick for tourists (like the man who insisted on taking my photo in front of the ruins because "You are a more beautiful stone.") But when you call them on it and say let's go big boy, they have girlfriends or cold feet or morals or whatever. My only real propositions were from three different men in their 50s, and that gave me the eebiejeebies.

I tried, guys. Your living vicariously through me will, alas, not include lovemaking in Roma.

I am quite ready to leave. It is a wonderful city, but too touristy. I tire of the game. Camucia and Cartona were authentic, and filled with locals who were actually interesting and interested in me. Wonderful conversations there. Roma itself is easy to navigate and interesting, but the tourist game is so false and ugly.

Oh, and I skipped Vatican City. I'm sure the art would have been stunning, but as an ex-Catholic whose childhood friends were molested by priests, I couldn't stomach adding seventy-five dollars to the Pope's coffers. Sad enough to see all the stolen obelisks from Egypt. Booty makes me sad. But so did the Colloseum, with the happy tourists playing Marco Polo in the ruins. I wonder if in two thousand years there will be tourists playing freeze tag in Auschwitz-Birkenau?

No, I contented myself with wandering and eating and touching the ancients stones. Dreamt of Ciaran Hinds and Agrippa and Titus and the wonderful ROME commentary by genius Carl Franklin.

The Fies stands alone

Started strong with twenty travelling companions. Like an onion, they began peeling off, merrily going their separate ways...

Single, I wait in Roma for my taxi to the Leonardo airport. Onward to the cold majesty of Prague.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Urgh

DONT get travellers checks. Worthless.

Ohhhhh great.

From my gfriend waiting for me in Prague:

And that boy I am inexplicably crushing on, you'll probably see him on Thursday and wonder - what the hell is she thinking??? Czech men don't fit the European man ideal - bad hair cuts, aggressive manner of speech, sexist with beer bellies, and not at all friendly... but some of them are working on it, like my english students - after the first few lessons they're finally starting to warm up to me and it's great!



Oi. Now I remember her blog post about all the mullets.

Dammit.


EFf that, Im staying in Italy!!!!

Sigh. Alright fine. Ill go see prague, czech it off my list and come back to italy for the ravishing sex and food.

I feel like a flower that was always in the shade and didnt know it...

hahahah

Email from a male straight friend in a committed relationship regarding me in Rome: Its like having superpowers, isnt it?


Yes.

This must be what it feels like to be a supermodel.

Interesting

Fascinating conversation with the gorgeous hotel concierge today about Catholicism. He was raised Catholic. Doesnt practice anymore because of the hypocrisy of seeing priests driven in limos, living in the richest areas of roma, and doing little boys. He thinks it is very sick and that everyone has sex, they should be allowed to marry.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Im so happy

Just back from dinner at the Piazza Navoria. One of them best meals of my life. On the square in the open air, chatting the whole 2 1/2 hours with the American couple next to us from Arizona. Turns out theyre on their way to the Book Expo in Germany...shes the President of Rich Dad. Fascinating conversation! Thought the Italians around us were going to join in . They were having a hard time biting their tongues.

In the space of ten minutes coming home, I was told I was beautiful twice, hit on three times and had another gorgeous honry Italian tell me what time he gets off work.

Im considering it.

When in Rome, do a Roman?

Jesus Was a Democrat - free download

Free Download from EVERCLEAR

Jesus Christ didn't have blue eyes or blond hair
He looked just like all those people that you want to kill
Spin your hell into a heaven you can sell
Make it look like California with a bible belt
Jesus didn't look like the boy next door
Unless you live in Palestine
I wonder what you mean by the golden rule
I think it is a scary play on words
I wonder what they taught you back in Sunday school

I bet you think of him
As a nice clean long haired Republican, nah
He would be all locked up in Guantanamo Bay
If he were alive today
He would have been a revolutionary
Wanted by the CIA

I picture him in all the wrong places
Finding diamonds in the dirt
A star of David tattoo
And a Che t-shirt
Jesus Christ was a left wing radical Jew
Murdered by people like you

If Jesus was a Democrat like the bible says he was
I don't think he's going to want to take the blame
For all the awful things you say and do in his name

If Jesus was alive he would be sad to see
That it is no different than it used to be
Someday he's going to call you out
I am pretty god damned sure ......
He is going to be angry
He is going to be angry

You want to know what I think?.......

I think Jesus would have been a card carrying liberal
If he was a young man born in the USA

He would not be "fiscally conservative"
And he wouldn't vote for John McCain
All those so called Christians that you see on TV
Maybe they scare Jesus like they scare me
Kick you the hell out of my temple too
Too many elephants in the room

If Jesus was a Democrat like the bible says he was
I don't think he's going to want to take the blame
For all the awful things you people do and say in his name

If Jesus was alive today he would be sad to see
That it is no different than it used to be
Someday he's going to call you out
I am pretty god damned sure......
He is going to be....mad
He is going to be angry
He is going to be....mad
He is going to be....mad

You say Jesus loves the little children
And I say I know that's true
I say he loves all the Muslims and the Jews
All the addicts and the porn stars too
You say Jesus died to save us all from a fiery hell
I say Jesus died to save us
Save us from ourselves
Will you save me from myself?

If Jesus was a liberal like the red letters say he was
I know he would have big love for all the killers and the racists
And the bullies in this world

If Jesus was alive today
And you had a chance to meet him face to face
I'm pretty God-damned sure that you and your friends
Would find some way to kill him all over again
You would kill him all over again
Again and again and again
Just like you always do
You do just what you always do

Monday, October 13, 2008

Firenze

Is it wrong that I keep walking around this magical city with a running commentary of SILENCE OF THE LAMBS in my brain:

Clarice: (She changes the subject after noticing his works of art.) Did you do all these drawings, Doctor?
Lecter: Ah! That is the Duomo, seen from the Belvedere. Do you know Florence?
Clarice: All that detail just from memory, sir?
Lecter: Memory, Agent Starling, is what I have instead of a view.


Im the weird tourist grinning and taking photos of the serial killer museum. Ah well, we cant all be normal.

Frank and I decided at some point to have a scavenger hunt contest and started taking pictures of all the beautiful men. Very fun game! Except hes used me too many times in the photos; a little to the left, okay stand right there! Then I come back and its my elbow and a gorgeous Firenze man. Haaahhha.

Oi, Im tired but happy. Bullet train today down to Rome. Am going to try to buy my ticket to Prague and hit a perfume shop and a place with purple tennis shoes before we leave. I dont ever want to eat anything again. I feel like a Thanksgiving turkey: stuffed.


Yes, I filled out an absentee ballot before I escaped. Thanks for asking! By the way, the Italians would like to know if it matters to you at all that theyd like to have Obama. No?

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Shooting fish in a barrel

Wow.

I am reporting in from a small villa outside of Carmucia and Cartona, Italy.

I had been in Italy for a total of three hours before I was asked out on a date by one of the most gorgeous accomplished men I have ever seen. (and the only reason his two lookyloo friends didnt get to me first is they didnàt speak English). He lived in San Fran for four years working in real estate. Told me his whole life story & resume to get me to go out with him (that is the single most endearing thing a man can do to me...launch into claiming me & closing me by telling me his resume and what life he is offering me). His name is Simone. He will take me out Monday night if I am still here in the Carmucia area.

But most likely I will be in Tuscany on a second date with gorgeous Mustefah. Grin. Doesnt speak a lick of English but he was very sweet when he kissed me.

They are everywhere! I met a third movie-star gorgeous Italian man who told me I have a beautiful smile just running into a countryside deli to buy a bottled water. Beautiful man!!!

This experience is the craziest of my life. Charlie and Anita, remember how I had some weird rockstar vibe in Spain that we couldnt figure out and men were following me around hanging on me? Its happening in Italy too, only the guys are appropriate and sweet and so wanting to please me and asking me out on dates.

I may have died and gone to heaven. LITERALLY around every corner, theres a better looking, interested man. We drive down the streets and they are every where. Ive never seen anything like it. I will never be able to buy into a scarcity model again. Or that I have to settle for someone who isnt attractive. Am I in the Twilight Zone?

Oh geez, and the wedding was amazing. The brides family is Finnish, and I met a lovely gfriend who invited me to come to her home after I go to Prague. Said I should come permanently to Helsinki and teach film, no problem she could get me a job.

So scarcity with men, love, sex, jobs, exists only in Los Angeles, and the second I hit Europe I am valued as a beautiful, smart woman people want around them???!

My god. I AM in heaven. Please dont let me wake up. I am sooooo happy here...

Monday, October 06, 2008

YOU READERS RULE. That is all.

You guys picked my eyeglasses for me. I never would have ended up with them...they were my fourth choice! But look how splendiferous they are!

Here I am pickin them up today from my Jose at GOGOSHA.

No joke...Doing chores after, I saw four cute guys do double-takes and smiley-smiles. So I grinned back. Wheeeee! I feel pretty :)

I feel so good, I may just have to sell a screenplay so I can get another pair before the end of the year. Or maybe a job that actually has eyewear insurance? Must support spec-wearing.

But I'll check first with you eagle eyes to gauge how well I'm choosing. Here's a preview of where we might go next:


Pussycat

Hellcat

Charles Yoakum is an amazing artist!

But you all know that. From his Bay Area show:

Very cool to hear his stories about being reinspired as an artist during his travels in France with wife Alaina. Nothing better than a culture that actually values art and interweaves it into its fabric.

I wonder how much writing I'll get done...?

Sunday, October 05, 2008

My actual phone messages

A drunk female friend calling with encouragement from Casa Vega's bathroom:

I just heard two cute guys talking and one said "She was such a bitch." The other goes "Yeah, I never wanted to fuck her, she had such a tiny ass. Tiny!" Hahaha! Talk to you later, thinking of you!


A hungry male friend:

I was checking to see if you wante to grab dinner, but you're not answering your phone because maybe you're doing something exciting! or maybe your phone is lost in your purse and your purse is lost under a pile of clothes and you're sitting there watching some feminist sci-fi and thinking about how much you love ice cream. Anyway, I'm thinking about how much I love ice cream. I need to jump in the shower, but after that I'm going to have to forage. So give me a call soonish.


A worried male friend:

...Just wanted to make sure you were cognizant and accepting that you are a smart, intelligent, talented, hot woman. Just the kind of weird heterosexual guy that I am that I actually worry about your feelings and all that stuff...Let me know if there's anything I can do to help you in my very limited capacity. (My wife) and I care about you and love you.

See, I may never answer my phone or call you guys back, but I DO listen to the messages :)

Congrats to the Lubockis!


Welcome Sienna! Time to introduce you to Mack!

And everyone thinks I'm Miss Dashwood...maybe I'm really Emma!

Lago 'cuz he makes me happy


We had the most diabolical plan to go travel Europe together...someday, Dave.

Saturday, October 04, 2008

Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story

Scary stuff. The director will be there tonight in LA; come on out to rage against the machine.

Sarah Palin Babyname Generator

I'm Halter Grasshopper Palin! Wheee! I'm King of the World!!

Conventioneers

Nice little thing happening here for our awesome indy film, if you haven't seen it yet or feel a hankering to again! Perfect timing to watch a thought-provoking, controversial Romeo and Juliet tale set at the 2004 Republican Convention!

Your Own Style = Happiness

Perfect match:

These were designed for Audrey Hepburn to wear in 1961. Apparently I have similar dimensions to my face. (Though really, I'm a poor man's Jennifer Love Hewitt.) Oh flatterer, thy name is optometrist!

Are these too Liberace?

No eyemakeup required, just like I love! Eye nudity. And red lipstick. So easy!

I don't know. They kinda make my inner drag queen happy. You know. The part of me that looooved this outfit when I was three:

Shiny!

Yup. That's me alright.

Hey, you know what would match a red cape and pink tights and pajama top with yellow border?

These:

Bet in Denmark I could run around just like that with no trouble...Freeballin' in my cape and specs. Why not?

Yes, I have insomnia and you don't. See how much more I'm getting done than you? Slackers.

I'm working on the bail out next. Don't you worry none.

By the way


This pic was taken right after that disastrous second lunch date back in July. I put it up on Myspace amongst a bunch of new photos, and apparently people like this one.

God I love this dress.

So yeah, that's pretty much me. I'm packing that, and a half dozen other dresses for Umbria/Tuscany/Rome/Florence/possibly Venice, Prague, and perhaps a dozen other places I'm headed towards early crack o' pain Tuesday.

And some long coats and hats and longjohns and tennies. I don't know, I'm pretty much at a loss now as to what to wear if it isn't a beautiful chic dress. Sigh.

Anxiety alert

Is everyone else the nervous wreck that I am? I'm trying to ignore the election hubabaloo, after foolishly believing my fellow citizens couldn't possibly elect Arnold and Bush...Fool me four times, I'm a liberal?

Must. Flee. Country. Go eat Italian sausage and drink cocoa in Prague. I swear, I'm starting to get weird rash itching. I feel too jingle jangle jingly.

Lordy I'm tired of hoping. Hoping things will get better. Believing in people. My guy friend the other night said I was someone who always believed the best in people. But sometimes believing in people makes no difference.

I guess I'm just tired. Maybe this time if I feel we're going to lose, or I don't care, the outcome will be different? Look at me, feeling I make a difference with magical thinking.

I just feel like I need everyone I know to have a real shot at happiness and a good life. Is that so bad?

Friday, October 03, 2008

Ohhhhh Eric Balfour alert!

Turn on the pilot episode for THE EX LIST, on right now on CBS.

Yeah. I've got to write something for this guy.


UPDATE: Incredibly funny. Great writing on this show. He's a guest star on the pilot, not a regular. Oh, and damn I'm good...put him on that kissing post for LIE WITH ME, but he just outdid himself on this episode. One of the best kisses I've ever seen. Freaking molten.

Third anniversary

Mom died October 1, 2005. Many of you readers remember and sent me beautiful messages back then. Your memory of her is the biggest gift to me, and continues to comfort. You know you meant the world to her.

We got a Fishie. I really do report them all to you, as promised. The last one was in May, a few days after Mother's Day.

Here's the latest message from beyond. Came in October 1, about 10 pm. Brenda belongs to a wine club that somehow got our addresses mixed up. So I received a package for her at my place, and when I was moving out remembered to give it to Bren. But she kept forgetting to open it. She never receives anything from them because she gets back to Sonoma County enough to pick up her wine in person, so she wasn't expecting anything and couldn't imagine what it might be.

For some reason that night, I found the package and MADE her open it. I was adament. And sure enough...it was a bottle of Rose with an effing CARTOON COW on the label.

Have you ever seen a cow on a wine label? I grew up in wine country, and I haven't.

Mom collected cow chacka's. Had to eventually tell people to STOP buying her cows.

Oh, but that's not all. Her next two favorite things were butterflies and roses. Guess what was hand painted all over the cow's face? Well, obviously.


Oh, and the rose?

My Mom's beloved brother Cal died one month after her, which surprised no one because they were very close. He was her protecter. And whenever his family would come to visit, we had to go to the grocery store because the only thing he would drink was Rose.

There you go. More proof of the afterlife, Fies-style.

Wheeeee!

Congrats to roomie Kate Martin, who just booked CRIMINAL MINDS! Champagne time! Here she is with new nephew Mack, whose dramatic entrance I blogged about a few posts ago.

God I love THE THING

Carpenter's, naturally.

I was just watching it again tonight, particularly grooving to Carpenter's score.

Then I realized something as Windows was dying, flailing and burning in the snow...we'll never see another stuntman in a pyro suit lit on fire.


I mean, that was a de riguer stunt in the 80s. Now it's so passe they don't even CGI a man on fire.

Huh.

I kinda miss it.

Not as much as I miss the level of creativity that used to go into genre films like THE THING. But still.

UPDATE: Ohhhh my Director-as-control-freak syndrome reared its alien head...that is Morricone's delicous score, and I implied otherwise. Sorry. But obviously, it still belongs to Carpenter and he had a huuuuge influence on the maestro.

Also, there's an intriguing discussion going down at the IMDb board about this movie and the plethora of others that have an all-male cast. Apropos, given the stink made over THE WOMEN this summer, when of course it's quite commonplace for the reverse to occur. Love that sexism.

Thursday, October 02, 2008

That's just peachy

I've got most my stuff in storage, the rest in my sister's garage, and I can't find ANYTHING.

Thought I did a really good job of packing. But lo and behold, can't find my hair dye today and...my magic wand and attachments are missing. Just spent the last hour rummaging and I am one uuuuuunhappy bitch.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Things that harsh my mellow

I used to be very forgiving about people's difficulties with my names. Fies is incredibly hard for people to spell, and even people who are close to me and would be embarrassed by their mistake mispronounce it as Fize instead of Fees. No problemo: like water off a duck's back.

And a scary large part of the population can't spell "Elizabeth" correctly, though it's been in use for 3,000 years.

So Liz never really bothered me. It seemed like an easy concession to make. After all, I didn't choose the names.

But then I noticed my friends getting outraged for me. They'd stick up for my names, while I laughed. And after a while I thought: "Why DON'T I care? It IS my identity we're talking about."

So I changed my email signature to "Lis" and even made it my email name. Should be pretty easy for anyone who gives it a half second's thought...you know, just look at how I signed it...

But no...people still write Liz.

Is it hard to remember to spell my name with an "s"?

Or is this mistake truly the casual insult it appears to be? The thousand little pricks that bleed you dry...

Yummy

Little tip for you men: sign off your emails with "adoringy". Got a big grin from this lady!

Got another marriage proposal yesterday, from a great guy. British. Big muscles and grin. Thought I might want a green card. Wouldn't it be loverly. :)

My famous cartoonist brother

By the way, I don't mention that side of the family much because they're all shy introverts who hate it when I talk about them. But Brian has had some nice, helpful posts about the mechanical side of drawing and publishing that several of you I can think of will enjoy immensely. Check his August and September files. Apparently Comics Reporter has been mentioning them. That's always fun. Oh, and here is the cover of his new book that will be out spring 2009. Imagine it in silver ink!