For the past few years, I've been toying with the idea of getting a tattoo. I know, I know .. it's kind of very permanent, painful, blah blah. And my one problem was that I didn't know what I wanted to get the tattoo of, and instead knew where I wanted to get it (inner wrist, very unique, I know).
Anyway, with the new year approaching and the idea of turning 24 in a few months becoming more real to me, I figured it's time. I found a design that I like enough to contemplate it for the past few months, envisioning how it would look and why I would want such a design.
Now, with today being the end of 2008, I am still questioning whether or not it's worth getting. Inner wrist tattoo can mean trouble, especially if I ever do decide to go work at some major corporation (for those who don't know me and my current job, a good portion of my coworkers have tattoos - and I'm talking sleeves and such), so I'm wondering if getting a tattoo at such a location will leave me with regrets.
We'll see what happens in 2009.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
At A Crossroad: To Get Inked or Not To Get Inked?
News of the Year by Month
2008 provided us with a lot of news. Historical presidential election, economic crisis, the highs and lows of gas prices... It was a dream year for the folks at CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC for sure. Here are the most interesting headliners of each month.
January- "Stunner in NH: Clinton Defeats Obama"
After a convincing win in Iowa, Barack Obama was the favorite to win the primary in New Hampshire by a 3 percent margin. This race also proved that John Edwards was not going to be a serious contender.
February- "Hollywood Writers Strike Ends"
After 100 days of striking, 90 percent of the members of the Writers Guild of America voted to go back to work. The strike lead to a three year contract that guaranteed writers a portion of the revenues generated through the Internet. No more Re-Runs!
March- "A More Perfect Union"
Obama delivers this speech after questions mount of his relationship with Jeremiah Wright.
April- "Running Out of Plane to Exploit"
New York Time Op-Ed columnist, Paul Krugman, outlines the ever decreasing resources of planet Earth and their effects.
May- "California Supreme Court Overturns Gay Marriage Ban"
A close 4-3 decision extended the right to marriage to all, regardless of sexual orientation. In November, proposition 8 which allowed marriage only between and a woman was passed into law.
June- "Clinton Endorses Obama, Calls for Party Unity"
Hillary Clinton officially ended her bid for the presidency as she lent her support to fellow Democrat Barack Obama.
July- "CDC: Salmonella Illness Spreads to 16 States"
Salmonella had us picking out tomatoes from our favorite sandwiches. I took my chances.
August- "McCain Names Alaska Gov. Palin as Running Mate"
A lot happened in August. Russia invades Georgia, the Olympics in China, Michael Phelps wins a record 8 gold medals. Yet, nothing as exciting as McCain's pick of Sarah Palin as his VP choice. Conservatives and comics rejoice.
September- "For Stocks, Worst Single-Day Drop In Two Decades"
The Dow Jones fell 778 points, nearly 7 percent, after an initial bailout plan was rejected.
October- "Senate Passes Bailout"
After rejecting a similar plan just two days before, the senate passed a 700 billion dollar bailout plan to help major financial institutions.
November- "Barack Obama Elected 44th President"
On November 4, Barack Obama won the general election in a 365-173 electoral vote drubbing of John McCain.
December- "Bernard Madoff Arrested Over Alleged $50 Billion Fraud"
Former Chairman of the Nasdaq Stock Market, Bernard Madoff, was accused of running a Ponzi scheme in which early investors were paid with money that came from later investors. Some victims include Elie Wiesel's Foundation for Humanity, HSBC, and most recently Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick.
[Mixtape] Best of 2008
My favorite gift to give at the end of the year is to burn my friends a mix cd of what I deem to be the best songs of that year. I really like music, so this list takes time to compile and figure out, since there's only so much room on an audio cd. So to mark the end of 2008, here is my mixtape of the best of '08!
Best of 08
1) The Ting Tings - Great DJ (Just a really fun song, their whole album is fun.)
2) MGMT - Time To Pretend (I love their sound. Electric Feel is another favorite of mine.)
3) Santogold - L.E.S. Artistes (No song on her debut album sounds the same, and I love that.)
4) Joshua Radin - I'd Rather Be With You (Mellow little song, he was invited to sing at Ellen DeGeneres's wedding earlier this year)
5) Vampire Weekend - Oxford Comma (One of my favorite bands of 2008, I love how conversational this song is. The whole Vampire Weekend album is GREAT.)
6) Sia - Soon We'll Be Found (Her Breathe Me is my favorite song ever, and her latest album didn't disappoint. The music video for this song is SO AMAZING- it's a little piece of art.)
7) Britney Spears - Circus (Her current single, I also love the video for this song, especially from the 2:03 mark. Hot.)
8) Death Cab for Cutie - Cath.. (I went to go see them live this year, they put on an amazing show. Cath.. is one of my favorite songs off the album, I also like Pity & Fear.)
9) Pink - Sober (What a great song. She performed Sober at the American Music Awards, and I remember being thoroughly impressed.)
10) Duffy - Warwick Avenue (Not a huge fan of her- she kinda sounds like Minnie Mouse live, but I LOVE this song and the video.)
11) Estelle ft. Kanye West - American Boy (This song was everywhere this year.)
12) Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love (This song was also everywhere, I think she is so lovely.)
13) Adele - Chasing Pavements (Her debut album 19 has a really old-school flavor to it, and she has some really great set of pipes. The video for the song is extremely well choreographed.)
14) Kings of Leon - Use Somebody (My new favorite band. Apparently it's the only modern band my crush Robert Pattinson likes, which makes me like him and the band even more.)
15) Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue (Former child actress and Rilo Kiley lead singer released a solo album this year. The song is simple, it's kinda twangy, I love it.)
16) Coldplay - Viva La Vida (Their biggest hit ever, and with good reason. The swelling string section is the best.)
17) Lenka - The Show (Reminds me of Regina Spektor and Kate Nash- a poppy, fun, catchy tune.)
18) Rihanna - Disturbia (How do you not love this song? So catchy and dance-able.)
19) Britney Spears - Unusual You (I know Britney is on ths list twice, but this is the best song on Circus. I really really hope this is her next single.)
20) Jason Mraz - I'm Yours (Technically this song is a couple of years old, but was released officially in 2008. One of my favorites ever.)
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
2008 Entertainers of the Year: 1) Tina Fey
Well, kiddies, we made it to #1 on my countdown for Entertainer of the Year. Comedian/leading actress/writer Tina Fey beat out Twilight, the Beijing Olympics, Britney Spears, and Robert Downey Jr. for the title. The Associated Press actually stole my thunder last week when they announced her as their pick for Entertainer of the Year. And with good reason! In 2008 alone, Tina won an Emmy, continued producing/writing/acting on 30 Rock, was a leading voice in the Writer's Strike, proved she had star power to open a Hollywood movie, and, who can forget, turned in one of the most memorable impressions EVER as Alaskan governor Sarah Palin.
Let's see just how awesome 2008 was to Tina. In April her first starring role in a film was released, and Baby Mama went on to gross over $60 million at the box office. At the Emmy Awards in September, she won her first acting Emmy for 30 Rock, effectively squashing talk that she's just not that great of an actress. 30 Rock, a show she executive produces and writes for as well, went on to win for Best Writing and Best Comedy Series. And to prove that she has star power- earlier this year, she talked about wanting Oprah to guest star on 30 Rock, and well, it totally happened. In addition, she became $5 million richer, with a sweet little book deal.
But really, even without all of the stuff I listed, she would've taken home the Entertainer of the Year title for one of the greatest political impressions of all time- her take on Sarah "You Betcha!" Palin. Her cameos on Saturday Night Live (where she was the first female head writer until she left in 2006) gave the show some of its best ratings in a LONG time, as well as helping 30 Rock's ratings in return. In a year that could be defined by the exciting presidential race, Fey's Palin impression made political sketches and impressions as relevant as the real-life candidates themselves. It's hard to be simultaneously entertaining while giving people something to really think about, and that is what Tina Fey's Sarah Palin was. I love her because she is more than just a pretty face. She is smart, she is a writer, she is a nerd, she is Entertainer of the Year.
Song of the Day: Thunder by Boys Like Girls
This song has been stuck in my head for the past few days. Granted, the beginning of the song kind of reminds me of a country song intro, but the lyrics are pretty sweet (not to mention that it is one of my "Twilight" songs - you know, a song that reminds me of Twilight :x).
The video seems kind of cliche, with the emo kids and their lip piercings, but deep down inside, when it comes to that little warm feeling you get when you are totally crushing on someone,
And though I hate to admit it, I kind of like Boys Like Girls :x
Monday, December 29, 2008
2008 Entertainers of the Year: 2) The Twilight Phenomenon
Much has already been discussed on this blog about the Twilight series, both the books and the film. For restoring interest in reading again, the Entertainer of the Year title goes to the 4 books that make up the Twilight series: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. For the author who created the most talked about fictional characters we've seen in awhile, the Entertainer of the Year title goes to Stephenie Meyer. For the actors who made those characters come to life on the big screen and made tween girls squeal with delight, the Entertainer of the Year title goes to Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and the rest of the Twilight cast. And for the millions of teen girls, not-so-teen-anymore girls, and everyone else who took part in the phenomenon, the Entertainer of the Year title also goes to you. You can see where I'm going with this? Collectively, everyone and everything involved with Twilight mania is my pick for 2008 Entertainer of the Year #2 spot.
The Twilight phenomenon is actually nothing new, but it reached its peak in 2008. The first book was published back in 2005 to a lot of fanfare, leading to 3 sequels, the last of which was released this past August to a frenzy. Books don't usually drive people in droves to to their nearest bookstore, so the fact that the last book in the series, Breaking Dawn, sold 1.3 million copies in the first day of its release is super impressive. And of course, we had the film version of Twilight, which also broke all kinds of crazy records when it was released in November. By mid-December, Twilight has grossed over $175 million. It has also made superstars out of the young cast, especially Robert Pattinson, who made girls all over the country swoon and faint with his every move, and who now regularly graces the pages of US Weekly and other tabloids.
It doesn't look like the Twilight mania will die down anytime soon in 2009. Production/filming of the second movie, New Moon, is set to begin in March, with a goal of a November release. With director/cast shakeups already, the film is going to be much talked about throughout the year even before it is released. So, Twilight fans, congratulations on being a part of a huge pop culture phenomenon, and see you back here next year!
Friday, December 26, 2008
It's Official: Lifetime Wins How I Met Your Mother
Great news or bad news?
Lifetime has syndication rights to How I Met Your Mother.
Awesomeness? I mean, it's definitely a great win for Lifetime, and it'll definitely help me remember why I love HIMYM (I seriously am not impressed with the current season).
Catch HIMYM on Lifetime, starting January 5th on weekday nights. They will be airing back-to-back episodes from 7PM - 8PM.
I wouldn't mind seeing old episodes about the slapbet:
Slap Bet a.k.a Robin Sparkles
