For those of you who know me in the real world, you are probably well aware of my tendency to throw reading material across the room from time to time when what I've read pisses me off. It's rare, but it has been known to happen. After reading this online here at work a few minutes ago, I really, really wanted to throw the entire PC across the room. I don't even have the words. Just read it.
Just reminding NC folks to get out there and vote. If you don't vote, the Alliance wins, and we can't have that.
During my workout this morning, I decided to see if there was anything new on MTV or VH1 that might catch my ear. Being old and crotchety, I'm not exactly up-to-date on the latest musical trends, so every now and again I'd like to see if something new pops up that doesn't totally suck. Imagine my surprise when I saw Jared Leto in a very fashionable scarf singing his lovely lungs out on a sheet of ice that I later discover is somewhere near the Arctic circle. Well, he's the lead singer to 30 Seconds to Mars, so that in itself wasn't surprising on MTV, but what did surprise me was that it was a video to "A Beautiful Lie," which even crotchety old me knows came out two years ago. Don't get me wrong, I'm not here to dog the band. I love the band. I've been singing their praises for awhile now. And let's face it, Jared's kind of easy on the eyes, even if he is a little on the pretty side for me. What surprised me is why they would be releasing a video to ABL now, after two years. Then I got my answer. Apparently, the song is being released to promote their new environmental cause, and you can read all about it here. You can even watch the video here, because, as I said, I'm a fan of the band and Jared Leto's golden voice. Just make yourself comfy, because (like all their videos it seems, especially the ones directed by Jared himself), it's pretty long. Although I have to say, it is very pretty to watch. The man does know how to direct.
What was my first impression? That Jared Leto, or his manager, or whoever came up with this idea is briiiiiiiiillllllliiant at marketing. I mean think about it! The environment and climate change and all that green hippie stuff is the latest fashionable hot topic. What better way to extend the shelf life of your album (that came out two years ago!!), promote your tour, and get your name out there for people to remember than tying it into THE cause of 2008? I have to admit, I was in awe at the simple genius of it. And the bonus? Hello? It's for a good cause! Win-win. Understand, I'm not being cynical here. It really is brilliant. I'm not even concerned with whether or not anyone in the band gives a flying fig about the environment. I'm sure they do. Everyone does nowadays. But even if they don't, the fact that in one great big swoop, Jared Leto can promote his band, show off his directing skills, get his name on heavy rotation on MTV, and still leave his name out there to be buzzed around for the movie he'll be releasing next year is a model of efficiency. I'm in awe. I can only hope that if I ever get a comic book off the ground, I could channel even a quarter of that kind of efficiency to promote it. Abso-fucking-lutely brilliant, and I mean that most sincerely, with no disrespect whatsoever. That's like, PR-ninja shit.
On the other hand, you may think I'm being a brat about this whole environment thing. Maybe, just a little, but I have my reasons. For those who knew me back in the day, I was that obnoxious teenager who lectured people about he dangers of hairspray, would walk to the corner store instead of asking for a ride because it would save gas (this was back when I was in shape, of course), and generally made myself an eco-nuisance. You know when this was? The last time America went through it's eco-fad. You know, back in the 90's when Captain Planet was on the air (I know, I know) and books like 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth were on every high school library's shelves.
Then it became fashionable to rag on people who actually cared about the environment. "Oh look at me, I'm so sophisticated. The news tells me that the environment is just fine, so I'll just continue buying Hummers to show off how small my penis is, even though I'll never need one of these monstrosities in A GAZILLION FUCKING YEARS! You, little hippie, go hug a tree or something while I throw my non-biodegradable garbage out the window at you." I got a lot of shit from people around me, telling me how misguided I was for wanting to take another, oh I don't know, two steps to the recycling bin so that I can throw my can of coke away. I got tons of lectures as to why global warming is just a bunch of hoo-hah by reactionaries, so really, it's just cute that I'm a member of the Green Club on campus. *pat pat pat* So me, being the ornery and admittedly cutting-off-your-nose-to-spite-your-face type of girl that I am (I admit that I have my flaws. Pretty big flaws. No one's perfect.), gave everyone around me the middle finger and said "serves all of us right if we all die in a drought. I'll continue to recycle when I can, and do small things when I can, and you do what you do and leave me alone." My reasoning was, and to a certain extent, still is, that when the world is at the brink of the next Black Death-like event, then we'll either figure out a way to fix it (humans are pretty good at rallying under pressure), or there will be so many dead that the world will fix itself anyway. How's that for reactionary? Nyah! Grim? Maybe. But that seems to be our MO as a species. Either way, I feel comfortable saying I told you so, and really, isn't that what matters?
Does this mean I'm not encouraging everyone to be a little more green? No, don't be silly. I love the fact that people are turning on to living a little more harmoniously with their surroundings. I love the fact that we're trying to come up with clever solutions to dirty little (or horrendously big) problems. I'll even grudgingly admit to being tickled it's become something of a fashion to "go green." And yes, kudos to Jared Leto and his boys for getting the word out there and doing their little part to save the planet and the wolves and all that. They seem sincere in their efforts and good for them. But I'm sure in about a year or two, the fad will fizzle out and everyone will be throwing their Styrofoam coffee cups out their car windows the way they always have. I hope not, but I'm not exactly holding my breath. It won't stop me from trying to improve my greenness in any way I can, but I'll be grumbling about it the entire way--and you can't stop me.
The kooky folks at YABS once again put a smile on my face by pointing this bit of news out to me. Being an animal lover and a big ol' sucker for a feelgood story, I decided to share. Being a smartass, I couldn't help but giggle at what I imagine the dolphin actually said to the whales. (Hey, it's Friday. I'm feeling silly.)
Moko the Dolphin: "You're none too bright, are ya?"
Two Dumb Pygmy Whales: "What? We're all stuck and stuff. It totally sucks."
Moko: "Yeah. Again. You know that big, blue area behind you? That's called water. The scratchy stuff you're laying on? That's sand. Sand bad. Water good."
Whales: "But, like, we were trying to exfoliate. You know. Spring break and all. We're getting brazillians after. It's sooo hot."
Moko [rolling eyes]: "Look, just turn around already. Follow me and I'll buy you a beer. Sheesh."
Whales: "Wow, like, thanks. OMG, we totally got tans!" [Flashes whale boobs] WOOOO! Daytona here we come!
Moko: "You're in New Zeal--you know what? Nevermind. Just come here."
You know, every species has them. ;)
I know I should have said something about this forever ago, but I just didn't know what to say about it that every other geek has already said. Anyway, the world of geek took a huge blow on the 4th when Gary Gygax died. Say what you want about D&D, but it gave me hours of fun when I was a lil'un, and its influence on gaming, fantasy, and storytelling in general is undeniable. It gave me a chance to bond with my big brothers during my childhood, and that, for nothing else, is reason enough to want to thank the man and his brilliant mind. RIP, Dungeon Master.
Not much to say today, but I decided to share with you some of the random weirdness that I read about this week, in case you needed some entertainment.
Australians are Mutating into Superheroes - No, really. Someone call Professor X.
Dance Dance Revolution: The Library Edition - I thought this was a cute idea. She's very brave. (What? I can like warm & fuzzy news stories if I want to!)
Another One of These - Oi.
Warren Ellis Gardens - For those who don't know, you can subscribe to Warren Ellis' "Bad Signal," which is basically Ellis sending out a mass email of his thoughts whenever he wants to. I got this in my inbox the other day, right after his rant about the Heath Ledger incident. The man is so delightfully random. Anyway, this was too surreal and too funny for me to pass up. Is it weird that I wish he'd start a column on this?
Cat Stowaway Survives Trip - What? I can like warm & fuzzy if I want to, damn it!
10 Bad Things That are Good For You - I knew most of these, but the LSD thing surprised me. I also didn't know about marijuana and Alzheimer's. You learn something new every day.
Life has a cruel sort of humor about it sometimes. On the first day of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a family member of ours was diagnosed with breast cancer. It seems impolite to discuss people I know on a blog without their permission, so I'm just going to call her Aunt B. If you know her, you already know the news and who I'm talking about anyway.
Before we got the news last week, I never paid much attention to the pink ribbons. All of a sudden it seems a crisis of monumental importance. Funny how a symbol can change it's meaning when something makes it personal. Aunt B is more than our aunt, she's one of our best friends. She's a tough lady, and a good woman. When we saw her this past weekend, she had a table full of broccoli casserole in the works. She said that she was worried that she'd be too sick to make it for Thanksgiving this year, so she wanted to get a jump on it and stick it in the freezer. She had already made the potato casserole for Christmas. That's just the kind of person she is, always thinking of other people. She's an amazing woman who is nothing short of wonderful. She doesn't deserve this. Who does, right?
So all of you out there reading this, please please please don't forget to get checked. Ladies, check yourself every month, and don't be a dodo (like me) and miss your yearly exam. (Don't worry, I've de-dodoized myself and made an appointment.) Guys, remind your mothers, sisters, wives, daughters, extended family members, and friends to get checked. Let's save the ta-tas people.
Banned Books Week isn't over yet. Here's just some quickie info for all of you out there, in no particular order:
Amnesty International and Banned Books Week
Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Celebrates BBW
Amazon.com's Forbidden Library
Dixie State College List of Banned Books
Article from International Herald Tribune, November 14, 2006
I get so frustrated every time I'm reminded that this still goes on.
Voices Rise in Egypt to Shield Girls From an Old Tradition from The New York Times, September 20, 2007
Change is good
