procrastinating perfectionism

From The Knot to The Nest!

2007-03-28T15:00:00.000-04:00

While I'd like to claim that my long absence from PP was caused by alien abduction, or because I was performing some task both top-secret and essential to the protection of humanity as we know it, the truth is I was an noncreative loaf for the entire duration of time that has passed since the week before my wedding (Oct. 14, 2006) until this very moment! That might sound harsh, but it's a fair representation of how I've felt. At least towards the blogging activity. In all fairness I've produced quite a lot. I've edited tons of photos taken on our honeymoon, a great slideshow of which you can view on my myspace page: www.myspace.com/auttiesmalls , photos from various other locales and events, and kept up with the new music scene in the Indie/College markets. Yes, the fun of discovering a new band that helps you run faster and longer. It's just sad that there's been no record of it all on here. I'm not going to go on into another one of my "woe is me I'm so bad at this" posts. I'll just reiterate my continual disdain for my lack of fortitude in the blog department and move on. Next!

So to catch up.

We got married, went on a great honeymoon to Ireland, enjoyed the Holidays, lost lots of weight, celebrated the birth of numerous babies and have been to the weddings of two close friends as well as one Christening. AND we bought a house! On the other hand we have also lost two members of the extended family, had shake-ups at work where good people have lost their jobs or been given a difficult plate of responsibility, and there's always that pesky War on Terr-ah to ruin the collective buzz. But seriously, what a trip! Each one of these events deserves a post to itself, but as I haven't the time right now to do that I will instead focus on the overarching theme: Life is Beautiful.

Now before you glass-half-empty people hit the back button back to American Idol coverage, you should know... I HEAR YA! I see the same news as you, have the same feelings of uncertainty about the world around me as anyone else in the know, but I still have to say, LIFE is Beautiful.

CASE STUDY #1: I was reading just this morning about chlorine trucks blowing up in a market in Baghdad, and thinking about it in the cafeteria line and about how depressing that is, and what if Tara was in that market... and then in the other line I see this little girl, maybe 4 or 5 yrs. old, holding her mom's thumb with one hand and clutching a Hello Kitty plush toy that was maybe 1/3 her own height with the other. What really sealed the deal was the pair of opposing blonde pig-tails shooting out from either side of her head. Classic, heart-melting cuteness. That's Beautiful. What was I talking about? Explosions? No, wait, I remember...

CASE STUDY #2: Regardless of the painful negotiation, cuts, compromise, and worry associated with wedding planning, being surrounded by all your closest family and friends who seem genuinely happy for you and to be having a good time (due to previously-mentioned excellent event planning skills) is a Beautiful feeling not to be missed. Besides actually acquiring a fantastic wife/life partner, it's the best part of the experience. The music could have been better (see last post...) but thankfully no one seemed to notice or care, and the pictures came out great too. I'm telling you... Life is Beautiful! It's been months and I'm STILL riding that happy wave.

CASE STUDY #3: NEW Life is Beautiful! I've lost count of how many of our friends have had children in the past year (all boys, too!) and regardless of the events of the world (obviously I think a lot about them...) everything seems to stop for a baby. And realizing that this is UNIVERSAL everywhere in the world, every culture in every country, throughout the majority of human existence, is Beautiful. Sure, every dictator in history was once a coozy newborn, but no one thinks that when they visit a little one for the first time, they think of the future, maybe of Progress or Success... maybe they gush, or wax poetic on Hope or some other warm-and-fuzzy feeling. Maybe I'll find out someday when I have my very own 2.0, now that's a Beautiful thought!

CASE STUDY #4: Generous, loving, supportive parents are DEFINITELY a Beautiful thing to have in your life. Where/what/how would we be without them? Thank you FAMILY!

CASE STUDY #5: As much as I scream at the TV, screen, or paper about the goings-on in the world, especially here in the good ol'' U.S. of A., I still maintain that there is a Beautiful quality in the American Dream. Maybe not so much in American Policy, Politics, or Bullets, but definitely in its Dream. I feel very much a player in that dream right now, more so than I ever thought or ever deserved to be. And if you're not the type to care a hoot about anything other than who's leaving Dancing with the Stars this week, becoming a homeowner will make you more cognizant of the community surrounding you quicker than anything! Community awareness is Beautiful, especially if it comes with an aesthetically-pleasing view!

Regardless of my efforts to short-change myself, I find myself in a pretty Beautiful place right now. Moreover, I truly think that IF and WHEN one finds oneself in such an advantageous position, that, despite the government, despite (and in view of) the past and the pain and the loss that preceded one's present state of manic Euphoria, that one has to pause and enjoy the catharsis and try, if only for a brief time, to be content, to sigh a breath of relief that you made it this far, and cross every appendage in the hope that it lasts as long as it might... We worked hard, we stayed positive, and we earned this cozy-sunset-on-our-face moment, damn it!

Here's to Beautiful Living, and to a return to Procrastinating Perfectionism. It's been too long!

Wedding Singer Flashbacks...

2006-10-05T16:35:00.000-04:00

How many things can a brain think about at once?

You know how scientists say we only use like 0.0003% of our brains or something? (I know that's not accurate, just how it seems in traffic) Well I think I've been using 110% of the 0.0003% since the new month rolled over. Tara and I will be getting married (yes, the whole engagement period was lovely, thank you) in a little over a week and there are so many loose ends to tie up. I'm not surprised by the state of things in the least, as I am hopelessly afflicted by procrastination, but at least it's not anything Big-Ticket, such as reception hall or photographer or similar. It's the little pet-projects of mine, such as the photo-montage DVD for the cocktail hour, and my inability to trust the DJ to just PLAY stuff. My list of "Do-not-play" is longer than the list I'm comfortable hearing at my own wedding. I've never given a thought to the music I've heard at anyone else's wedding, and I can't remember outright hating what was played, either...

"Good chicken, eh?"
"Mnff, yuh an dish wine is fantashtick."
"Yeah but this DJ, I dunno. Kinda blows. Kinda sixth grade graduation dance blows, you know?"
"Totally."

Then I wake in a cold sweat. The hard part is trying to just let go and let the DJ do what we're paying her to do, but two things matter more to me than almost anything else: the music and the photography. I'm completely confident in the photographer we chose (www.norman-photography.com) but nothing is going to make me feel better about the music short of submitting the complete playlist. My marriage may be short-lived if Kool & The Gang's Celebration gets requested as I will probably die in mid-mamba. (Dan if it gets played now I'll totally know it was you!)

Yes yes yes this is all quite normal to be feeling at this time, I know, and it's funny when people at work keep asking me "what's the temperature?" as in hot or cold feet? but this music thing is a case in point. So important has this aspect been to me all along that I've refused to even think about it, happily delving head-first into any other wedding-planning emergency that has arisen. Because it's hard. And I know once it's done it's going to be great, I'll be totally happy with it like everything else we've planned. But getting STARTED is harder than getting a security council resolution and I've been down this road five trillion times. I've made calls, made appointments, made decisions left and right, had TWO bachelor parties, but the music thing has been there, just behind whatever distracting screen I've thrown up to put it off just a little longer.

Well, now the DJ needs the list, and for the most part, its done, at least in my mind. First dance has been set since 2000, Bride-Dad and Groom-Mom song is set, and so is the cake cutting TRANSITION and actual CUTTING song. I never thought about a walking to the cake to cut it song, never saw that coming... Also included are songs I wouldn't choose personally but as I won't be the only one there considerations must be made. But WHAT will the old folks like? What will get our college friends on the floor, and should our parents be subjected to the music we dance to and vice versa? And how bad, exactly, am I going to look on the dreaded video when MY SONG come on? And why do so many of the songs I like have absolutely no business being played at a wedding reception? Chances are I'll devise blocks of music for every population, a little something for everyone... Maybe tomorrow I'll put it all together...

Then we'll finish scanning baby pictures, removing dust and scratches and red-eye and put that DVD together...

Then I'll get 0.0001% capacity back to maybe possibly perhaps get some actual WORK done.

2006-09-22T14:46:00.000-04:00

I Believe this Truth to be Self-Evident

...this was my last post on July 19th, 2005, for no other reason than that I'm a big loaf. I got interested in other things, in the Fall we went to London and I asked Tara to marry me, and then I got into a studio drawing class and started working on my Masters in Regulatory Affairs, so yeah, there was time, but I did other stuff. Anyway, we'll give it another shot. This blog was in response to a friend of mine who was pondering whether they should continue to blog at all because they didn't think anyone cared about what they were writing...

THAT no two blogs are created equal...

That some of us seethe and ooze creativity on a daily basis, and some of us squeeze out creation only so often, and then only under very high temperatures, like the sequoia seed cone. Although I have not been updating my blog, I HAVE been reading them. Blogs of my friends, my girlfriend, politi-blogs (of which I have decided the Gawker Media family of blogs and DailyKos are my favorite) and fan-blogs of various interest from comics and movies to football to American Idol. Everybody seems to have a blog, because everyone has something to say. And that's a good thing. Bloggers have broke news stories to the general public that the big media companies have passed on or haven't cared about. People have been fired because of the things they have said about their companies on their private blogs. Friends have been made, shy people have found their voice, and in the process The People have retaken control of popular thought. I see CNN and MSNBC trying to keep up with the bloggers on the latest news story, they sweat to keep pace with what the "blogosphere" has to say. They even have segments devoted to reading blogs on air. How asinine!

But after everything is considered, what is the value to all this typing and expressing and google image searching? I think it's valuable, meaningful, and historical self-expression. And I think we ought to do it (unless it's our job) purely for our own purposes, for our own enjoyment, and to sort out exactly how we feel about what goes on in our lives, our families, our country. Number of hits or backtracks or amount of comments is no indicator of the importance of what one individual has to say. I have such strong feelings about so many things, it's a shame I can't look back over the last months and see an organized list of thoughts and ideas that got me to where I am this morning. I know I yelled at the TV a lot, I bored Tara with long diatribes about this and that, I had some great times, ate some good food, saw some great movies, but you'd never know it. Reading my blog you'd think the last thing I experienced was a melancholy parallel between Luke and Darth and Dad and me.

So in the end, if I or anyone else isn't writing for themselves, they really aren't contributing anything different or more meaningful than what I can get off the AP wire, or out of Entertainment Weekly. So keep blogging, even if you take two months off, even if no one comments, even if you think it will be less than perfect or you think no one cares, if you care enough to put fingers to keys, its worth saving. And you never know who will find their way to your way of thinking in the process. In the meantime, I will try to practice what I preach. See you around.

2006-09-22T14:29:00.000-04:00

The Morning After Sith Pill.

From May 20th, 2005. My favorite post. It really looked great with the pictures on my original Friendster blog: http://auttie1000.blogs.friendster.com/autties_blog/2005/05/the_morning_aft.html
After this one I felt like what else was there to blog about? We'll see I guess... - Auttie.

Well here we are, the morning after the most anticipated (for me at least) movie event of the season. And I feel very strange... a mixture of relief, sadness, fulfillment, loss, triumph and tragedy. These Star Wars movies have always existed in a competing world of hype and controversy: hype from media, toy peddlers, box office statisticians, actors, The Influenced of the Industry, and fans; controversy from "Haters," film and theater classicists, critics, and other sundry characters who just don't "get it." My aim is not to convince the latter group of the significance of these movies on popular culture, society, or film-making in general. I don't have to, the evidence is everywhere. But again, I guess that's my opinion. What I do think might be valuable to others that don't know me or my habits that well is a brief description of why these movies are so important to ME.

I was born in late September of 1977, about two months into the beginning of the Star Wars Craze that gripped the nation following the release of Episode IV: A New Hope, the first of the Star Wars movies, and for many, the most complete and memorable of all. However, I was there for it, even though I was In Utero. My Dad and my big pregnant Mom did go see this film, and I was right there with them. Later in 1980 I did see The Empire Strikes Back with my family in its original release time-frame, though I have no memory of going. Luckily for me, we did have HBO (that had to be the early years of cable and of HBO, but I don't know much about that), and it seemed to me like those first two movies were the bread and butter of the fledgling network, because they were ALWAYS ON. I have lost count of how many times I have seen the movies of the original trilogy, including Return of the Jedi, which I attended in full 6-year old Padawan Jedi garb in 1983.

So needless to say, the classic-saga movies and the experience of watching them with my Dad, playing with the toys, and wearing the screen-printed T-shirts to school comprise the majority of my earliest and most cherished of childhood memories. It is impossible to separate this story from mine, even though it happened long ago in a galaxy far, far away... regardless of technical merit or box office gross, the themes in these movies are important to all young people everywhere: wanting to know where you come from, while simultaneously wanting to leave it behind, desiring something more for yourself than what you currently have but doubting your success before you've even tried, wanting to help friends even though they might hold you back... I can go on and on...

But for me, in 2005, this story is totally and completely wrapped up with my relationship with my father. In some ways he made bad choices, just like good ol' Darth, he was terrible with his money, did not communicate well with my mother, ate a very unhealthy diet, and smoked all but 15 of his 52 years. But I think in our deep and meaningful conversations we had together, staying up late watching cheesy (and good) Sci-Fi movies, especially during his fight with lung cancer, as well as the effort he ALWAYS made to be part of my life through Scouts, volunteering to drive and be a chaperone, and always being the most enthusiastic supporter of whatever it was that I was into, he redeems himself in my memory, even though he slowly killed himself through the bad health choices he made, ultimately denying me the privilege of such an ally for what will be the majority of my life. It's a tough pill to swallow, and its hard not to be angry with him sometimes. But its easy to love and miss him terribly when you see something that would have made him as excited as a 6-year old Padawan-wannabe. You would have loved it, Dad, and I'm truly sorry you missed it...

So what does Star Wars mean to me? It means cherish the time you have with your parents, help them to learn from your experience just as you have learned from theirs, and try to represent the greatest thing they've ever created in all that you do. Accept their criticism and their praise, and try to have as much patience as you can. Look for their best in their actions, and always always always be the most enthusiastic and vocal supporter of the good choices your own Padawans make, and any forays into the Dark Side will be forgotten in hindsight by the young Jedi you leave behind.

The Force will be with us, Always.

2006-09-22T14:00:00.000-04:00

MISSING: Right Side of Brain!

From May 16, 2005. Kind of a catch all post, stream of conciousness stuff. I really ought to do this stuff more often. Of course no one enjoys re-reading it but me! I've since re-run the race AND triathlon noted below, and DESTROYED my P.R.'s for both. Boo-yah. - Auttie.

OKAY OKAY OKAY I know the world has been lost since my blog hiatus, but bring the threat level back down to yellow because I am back. I don't know whats going to happen, where my fingers will take me, but dammit I WILL complete a blog entry today. I think my failure to document my life stems from the thought that what I have to say is just not interesting enough for someone to want to read. I'm probably right in most respects, but I guess if two or three people can be counted on to read it in passing once in awhile thats better than the zero people who are currently reading it because there's been NOTHING to read since my groundbreaking Star Wars post and personal quiz.

I mean, that stuff's seriously hard to follow up. Like going on after Hendrix at Woodstock.

Let's see... I most recently completed the 5K Run the River race in our own backyard, a scholarship benefit and practically the same route I've run in my 'hood since high school. Would I successfully defend my home turf? Actually no, I wouldn't... but it was a respectable 9:48min/mile pace, and a good base from which to improve :) Tara and I did it together, and came in 81 and 82nd overall, yet due to the AMAZING nature of statistics, both of us were 6th in placing in our 20-29 age category! SWEET! Basically, we got SMOKED by a bunch of 40 to 49'ers running crazy sub 6:00 min/mile times. If I can do that at 49, I'll be whistlin' dixie.

Today starts day one of my August 11th Triathalon Training Extravaganza. Day one training includes 15 min. swim and 30 min. bike. I still haven't nailed down a swimming facility that I can use that isn't sub-zero/manhood shrinking in water temp... though East Lyme High is lookin pretty good, with some decent times for free swim. It will probably be as crowded as the I-95 corridor between Conn. and Thames River on Labor Day, but who knows, at least there's no jellyfish...

I'm pretty excited about this Triathalon. The usual reaction I get from people after telling them that I plan to do this Sprint-Length Tri (.6 mi. swim, 10.5 mi. bike, and 3 mi. run) is this: they pause, look me up and down, give me the disbelieving look, and then the caustic, acerbic "good luck." This triathalon is like only HALF of the actual full-length Tri, and only one-third of the Ironman. In my mind I keep re-living the glory days of my 7:00 min. mile, varsity soccer, and 10 mile UConn "Fun-Runs," as they called them.

I figure if I could do it once, I can do it again, bejeezus! The side effect, at the least, is I get back in those 33- and 34-inch waist pants that are currently moth-balled in the basement... This ought to work out well for that and then some, as the Rubenesque period has been out of fashion for quite some time now. I feel like a midwestern-fashion model (No offense, Iowa!), five or six years behind the the current trend, but I'll get there ;) So wish me luck.

Also come back and check in again more regularly, I am going to write in this thing more often, maybe not to Tara's rapidity, but better than once every two months :) - haha, oops! - Aut.

Star Wars Episode III opens this week, so you know we'll go there...

Survivor and Amazing Race are over, and American Idol soon to be as well, dare I take the blog in that direction? It seems like thats what every other person on the third planet of the Sol System is blogging about, so why not me... who knows? There is plenty to blog about, its the spirt that is lacking. Comments help... suggestions especially. I'm actuallly quite witty, and win often at Trivial Pursuit, so its not for a lack of enthusiasm as much as a perceived lack of audience, and I know, I know, that's partly my own fault. So with that, happy Monday, happy Spring, and happy Reading.

2006-09-22T13:51:00.000-04:00

This really was a bail-out post! I was getting heat from Tara to blog again but couldn't think of anything to write about. It's hard not to edit this now, because I would put different bands especially, but in the interests of preserving vital history, I'll leave them unaltered... - Auttie.

Okay so lately I've been lazy and uncreative but TODAY I have found something that is at least mildly amusing, at least to me, anyway. I love these things, and getting them from people, and Tara is the QUEEN of the personality quiz. I stole this from her blog if you want to read hers. It's fascinating, I guarantee or I'll refund your 3 minutes:

A-AGE: 27
B-BAND LISTENING TO MOST RECENTLY: Marc Broussard (Rock)
C-CELEBRITY CRUSH: Kirsten Dunst, apparently…
D-DAD'S NAME: Earnest (Everyone called him Lynn)
E-EASIEST PERSON(S) TO TALK TO: Tara
F-FAVORITE BAND/SINGER: Carbon Leaf/Coldplay
G-GUMMY BEARS OR WORMS: Gummy Bears, bite the heads first
H-HOMETOWN: New London
I-INSTRUMENT: Voice-Tenor
K-KIDS: Paternal test negative.
L-LONGEST CAR RIDE: 12,000 miles in 20 days, full contiguous state circle. DO IT!
M-MOM'S NAME: Linda
N-NUMBER OF FINGERS: 12
O-ONE WISH: To live a memorable life, and to regain the hair I've lost :(
P-PHOBIA(S): STATIC CLING! ARGH I hate it.
Q-FAVORITE QUOTE: Currently… “An error does not become a mistake until you refuse to correct it. Without debate, without criticism, no administration and no country can succeed -- and no republic can survive.” - John F. Kennedy
R-REASON TO SMILE: being appreciated, eating better and liking it, self-confidence, little cousins, taking good pictures, Friday nights, a cute girlfriend and warm weather.
S-SONG YOU LAST SANG: “The Luckiest” by Ben Folds.
T-TIME YOU WAKE UP: M-F when Tara’s hair dryer goes off, 6:30 to 7:00 or so. Weekends when the sun coming in the 5 bedroom windows is too bright to allow further slumber.
U-UNKNOWN FACT ABOUT ME: Um I don’t know, that I clean my shower while I’m using it. Doesn’t really make sense now that I think of it.
V-VEGETABLE YOU HATE: the list is shrinking… I guess eating a whole pepper, like taking a big bite, gross… and squash and eggplant, yuck!
W-WORST HABITS(S): PROCRASTINATING.
X-X-RAYS YOU'VE HAD: three of my head in one year, I almost had to wear a crash helmet in 1996, if you get more than three concussions in one year apparently that’s really bad.
Y-YUMMY FOOD: anything made with the 5 Mexican food ingredients: Beef (or chicken), cheese, beans, tortillas, salsa. Also fries, but the best are the hand cut and fried in peanut oil ones. NOW I’m hungry.
Z-ZODIAC SIGN: Classic, stereotypical, textbook LIBRA. Always a crowd favorite.

Well that was fun. And it let me off the hook for a while. Will re-affix thinking cap for future, more frequent posts. Now back to work, I guess…

2006-09-22T13:43:00.000-04:00

I still like this post a lot, more for the memories and feelings Star Wars creates in me than for the merits or shortcomings of the films themselves... I have to say I enjoyed Episode III, it would have to be 3rd in line of favorites after A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back. But whatever, read on... - Auttie.

After going back and re-reading my previous two posts, I've decided that my blog has taken a disturbingly negative tone, which isn't really me at all. I mean, yes the world is going to Hell in a Handbasket, waistlines are expanding faster than the budget deficit, and Britney is in no danger of cultural irrelevance as of yet, but that's nothing new. I usually focus on the brighter side of life as a general rule, so I think that's what I'm going to represent here for awhile...

First of all, I am very excited about the upcoming end of my generation's co-existence with Star Wars. We will finally find out why Darth breathes through a 1976 Oldsmobile A/C controller, why Obi-Wan bought that permanent time-share on Tattoine, and exactly how fashion trends on the planet of Alderaan developed into what you might classify as late-disco, heavy on the synthetics and utility pockets.

You see, almost everything I see or experience in any way throughout my day usually reminds me of a scene or dialogue from some movie I have seen. Most of the time I smother the reference into the backlog of my mind before it escapes my mouth, but occasionally I will mildly amuse or at the least get the requisite eye-roll.

My childhood affinity for these characters has dimished little despite the freight-train-juggernaut of a marketing franchise that it is. Which is usually a turn-off for me (shameless and unending self-promotion, that is), but in the case of Star Wars I have been such a life-long sucker for anything Han, Luke, or Leia for as long as I can remember. I think my dad got HBO in the late 80's specifically to see the weekly re-runs of A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back (we both agreed, Jedi should have been a straight-to-video release).

So yes, my entire crew was in line on Premiere Night for A Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, and even though Episode I was a frightful disaster, I still held out hope for Episode II. AOTC got it more right than the first, (especially Yoda's Flying Muppet Fury fighting-style!) but still lacked the innocence and great character development of the first trilogy. Here's to hoping that Episode III finally brings us back to the days of our earlier youth, where all the good people come back transparent-neon-blue to hang at Ewok parties and Intergalactic Republicanism still glimmers in the hearts of humanoid-shaped aliens everywhere. If not, at least we get to see a wookie battle, the thoughts of which make me positively shake with anticipation! "Muuuuuuaaaaaarggh!"

There are few creations of popular culture that have inspired and entertained as long or as well as the Star Wars universe. I certainly hope Episode III will put an exclammation point on the end of what has been a great experience. We can of course still expect the expanded universe novels and PC and console game releases to infinity either way. May the force be with us all!

2006-09-22T11:39:00.000-04:00

HAHA I love this one, so violent was my reaction to Supersize Me that I still haven't eaten a burger at McDonalds, but I HAVE eaten their fries a few times, and have still eaten a burger or two at Wendy's, and say what you will of the quality of Taco Bell, but the Texan Blood running through my veins still needs it's fix once in awhile. Old habits die hard, but at least I'm not eating fast food anywhere near the amount I used to. Sorry Ronald, the thrill is gone... - Auttie.

I am so grossed out I don't even think throwing up will cleanse me of the 25 or so years worth of processed puke that I've been ingesting at the local McDonalds/BK/KFC. I knew watching Supersize Me was going to be gross, but I didn't think it would have such an impact on my future dietary choices. I never thought I would say it, but I think me and "Ron" and all his ilk are done. For good. Will I relapse at sometime in my life? Perhaps. But if even half of what is in this movie is true then it's enough for even the most dedicated friend of the Happy Meal to move on.

I think watching this dude ingest a double quarter pounder meal with Super-Size fries and a huge "colon cooler" soda (what we used to call Dad's huge soda's he get from the convenience store on the way home, you know, the one's that contain like a whole two-liter of coke) only to puke it up five minutes later (obviously a McAmateur) is what really sealed the deal for me, and that was in like the first 10 minutes. Then we are taken on a joy ride of blood tests, interviews with obese children and school lunch nutritionists, grocery lobbyists, activists, and McDonalds employees who only serve to solidify my new life edict.

The scope of this entertaining documentary includes not only the dangers of what one eats at a fast-food joint, but also in what is offered to children in school cafeterias, how these products are marketed, and the short- and long-term dangers in a diet largely comprised of high-fat, high-sugar foods. And no, switching it up and hitting BK or even Wendy's does not count as "balancing" your diet. The film also discusses the cutbacks in physical education, time for recess, and development of sports programs to help make time for more standardized testing, admittedly a jab at "No Child Left Behind," but still an interesting angle.

I'd like to say that I'd not allow my future children to eat there or any huge, corporate fast food joint, but I know that's going to be a real tough rule to maintain. The industry is just too good at sucking the kids into thinking that this is the greatest food ever created, and I don't have a 200 million dollar ad budget to counteract their message. Maybe that's why some people I know with kids don't have cable TV...

I know fast-food is bad for you, everyone knows that, but I never saw such demonstrative proof of how the obscene combinations of sugars, fats, and combinations of sweet and salt and cheese can trigger the kind of physiological responses akin to that of a drug addict. Or how, with the help of enablers, you can become addicted to this stuff and it can help to kill you in over 20 different ways! Now with special south-western sauce!

The worst obesity statistics of all:
"One in every three children born in the year 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime."

"Left unabated, obesity will surpass smoking as the leading cause of preventable death in America."

"Obesity has been linked to: Hypertension, Coronary Heart Disease, Adult Onset Diabetes, Stroke, Gall Bladder Disease, Osteoarthritis, Sleep Apnea, Respiratory Problems, Endometrial, Breast, Prostate and Colon Cancers, Dyslipidemia, steatohepatitis, insulin resistance, breathlessness, Asthma, Hyperuricaemia, reproductive hormone abnormalities, polycystic ovarian syndrome, impaired fertility and lower back pain."

For more insight on this issue, the filmmaker recommends Fast Food Nation as a good source of information into the practices of the big corporate fast food chains... I'm putting it on my reading list to try and murder the last bit of childhood nostalgia which might remain towards the "Golden Arches" forever!

SO yeah, I think I'm done with Big Burger. That doesn't mean I won't make a burger and fries for myself from fresh-ground, free-range beef, or whole, fresh potatoes I cut by hand. But I don't think I will be buying a burger patty that just may contain bits of up to ONE THOUSAND COWS! I don't care if they PAY ME to eat it, I heard that and my stomach did a flip... Why support that? Why help perpetuate that kind of macabre efficiency? I don't know, all stacked up it's just not the great deal I once thought it to be... every day a little more of childhood dies, and another grown-up anxiety fills its place! Next thing you know they'll be telling us that living under power lines causes tumors, or that Spongebob is gay, forsooth!

2006-09-22T11:29:00.000-04:00

Boy was this Mean-Spirited... wish I could remember what Britney did that irked me so. Post number 2 from March 8th, 2005.

Who am I to tell anyone what to do, or to assume that I have any clout whatsoever in getting anyone to adhere to my point of view or opinion. But I think it's truly time that Britney Spears went away. Past time, really, considering all the amazing, yet-to-be-heard vocalists and bands out there struggling to get air-time or to find an audience or a record label willing to take a chance on real talent over fitting a lucrative demographic.

I've long stopped looking to commericial radio for anything of value, and perhaps that's the problem. Perhaps we've all given up too easilly. When I was a teenager, (crotchedy old man alert!) pop/rock bands like Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots and R.E.M. were pounding out hit after hit. Critical praise was for once mostly universal, though of course if it wasn't your thing it wasn't your thing. But even hardcore/gansta rap, R&B, and soul had amazing talent compared to today's top 40 selections.

For instance, many R&B hits of today can't stack up to En Vogue, T.L.C., or even Mariah Carey in terms of vocal range or arrangement. Do they have to? Is it a requirement to build upon the contributions of artists past? Apparently not. Someone is making a huge amount of money and probably doesn't even like or listen to the garbage they are pushing. Sure there are great new artists out there, some you can see on my profile, and while yes they are not everyone's bag, they are definitely talented. But let's see who makes the lead story on Entertainment Tonight, or Extra! If artistic integrity isn't your thing, fine, just don't shove your no-talent self down our throats at every turn. It's not enough to stink up the airwaves, you have to make a movie, pretend to write a book, mold your plastic body into a plastic toy, and name a cereal after yourself. (Britney Flakes, fitting.)

This whole diatribe is really to "set the scene" for the link I'm about to share. It is a website to a dedicated group of pop culture watchdogs. Are they elitist? Opinionated? You bet, and why shouldn't they be? We all have opinions, they are just doing something about it! Have an Ashlee Simpson album you wish you didn't buy in a drunken embarrasment of a moment? It's not too late, even if you actually broke the plastic on that piece of excrement.

Wonder why most Hollywood movies are garbage and why/how they got made?

Maddened by every doofus whose life embarrasment propells them to paparazzi fame and is encouraged to write a book about it?

Well then, CLICK HERE!

Most importantly, remember that YOU have a voice and you can shout loudly if you want too.
http://www.hopeinamerica.com/

Check it out and let me know what you think.
-Auttie

2006-09-22T11:21:00.000-04:00

Okay, so this was my first blog post from my Friendster Blog 0n March 6th, 2005. Enjoy! - Auttie.

Okay Tara is seriously kicking my ass in the creativity category. My girlfriend has an online journal, 5 million IM buddies, 12 million friendsters, and now a weblog. She is a literary juggernaut, soon to surpass Steven King in type-written prose to be sure. I am intensely proud of her for this, don't get me wrong. When we first got together she could casually be described as shy, but quickly came out of her shell, propelling herself into my circle of friends and family and easily becoming the first topic of conversation with practically everyone I know. "Hey Jeff haven't seen you in like four years! How's Tara doing?" :) But honestly, I am feeling the pressure. I want in on this fanatic craze of individual online thought, this sweeping movement of the Everyman and His Idea being stacked up against the figureheads of political and socio-economic thought. I kinda like the idea of Chris Matthews or Scarborough having to match wits with some winter shut-in in East Podunk, Michigan or wherever East Podunk is.

I actually wanted to be a writer for a nanosecond in high school, then realized it involved being interesting, witty, and somewhat relevant practically on demand, and decided that it was not for me. I CAN actually draw (pencil illustration), take artsy-fartsy photographs, and mold clay into what it should look like, etc. I got my dad's creative hands, and I even used to write poetry, but after the accolades of Sophmore year of high school ceased ringing in my ears, I regrettably assumed that I had reached the apex of personal literary greatness. Nevertheless I've buried myself in the interesting lives of others through the excuse of being a history major, looking for inspiration and what writers might refer to as "material." This is a good plan if you actually succeed in deriving inspiration from their full-time greatness, but if you are a procrastinating-perfectionist like me, it just makes you feel even less competent, even more dull and peon-like in importance.

Which, honestly, is in direct conflict with all that is truth about me ;) IRONY!

I suffer from a common delusion that everything I think or have to say is important. I think that might be a prevalent condition among only children. We get so much nurturing, so much attention, everyone stops to hear what the only grandchild in the entire extended Italian family had to say. So it's only logical that that attention should extend into adult life when, say, favorite muppet character or flavor of kool-aid is supplanted by more contemporary and noteworthy items of interest like which Amazing Race team is the most annoying, or why so-and-so on Survivor is shooting themselves in the foot because they are trying to be the big boss way too early and as everyone knows that gets you voted off way sooner than the fat old gay guy that does all the challenges sans-speedo. HA HA thats funny! (another little factoid about me, and perhaps another characteristic of only children, NOBODY laughs at my jokes and little witticisms more than ME... I just find myself intensely amusing...)

So what I will endeavor to do henceforward is to attach items of note, interest, and concern. Sometimes we will laugh, sometimes we will cry, sometimes we will shake our fists with rage and often we will be amazed by what people actually have time to attach to this gargantuan temporary-concern world of the Internet. I see I can attach pictures here and there within the text. BONUS. and links also. GET READY. I hope you won't want your 5 minutes back upon completion of my blog. I hope you will comment voraciously, filling me with confidence to continue my first attempt at creative writing since before my hair started falling out. Ha ha maybe I'll even post some of my teenage-angst poetry if you're extra nice. Either way enjoy and tell me what you think. More to come...

2006-09-19T15:48:00.000-04:00

It's the greatest thing on the Internets.

More to come, I have to transfer over from Friendster.

Welcome to your new homepage.

Auttie.