It's that time again.

That joyful season full of snuggling, cookies (and all other sweet baked goods), the most awesome cartoons ever made, Dean Martin, Eartha Kitt, Nat King Cole, Bruce Springsteen, and other classics, snow, winter clothes, pretty lights, awesome childhood movies, sweet Macys window displays, bells, and probably the only good thing religion has ever given us.

(Ahem, you gotta play this to get my point.)




Yes, due to my atheism and general disdain for religion, I prefer to call it "x-mas", BUT IT IS TOTALLY MY FAVORITE TIME OF THE YEAR, EVERRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!

I just love the fuck out of this season. Yes, I know it's still November, but I start early okay? X-mas reminds me of sitting at home as a child watching "25 days of Christmas" on ABC, sneaking around the house trying to find my hidden presents, decorating, and just being oh so "jolly" in general. I can't even really form into words how excited this shit makes me.

What sucks, is being in a tropical beach town with a current temperature of 60 degrees, where it never snows, and there are no Macys displays to look at. Next year, self, I promise.

So, due to my obvious depression from lack of x-mas surroundings, I'm cutting this post short tonight. I'm going to go bake brownies and watch the Weather Channel, and hope for something joyful.

<33

PS. A ten year old just added me on Facebook. I accepted it, simply because it would be mean not to. She has a boyfriend, and they're both in the fifth grade, just so you know.

OMFG!!!!!111!! Team Edward, lyke, fo real.

Um, seriously. How can someone not feel like they're 13 years old when getting into the "Twilight saga" shit?

I'll admit it though, I read every book. I liked them too. Maybe a little too much. Meyer's good, what of it!? I read her "adult" novel too if that counts for anything! It was good too! So don't judge me for liking vampire love stories like 89% of the rest of the female population!!!!

Maybe I'm defending myself too harshly. I feel no shame for loving the unholy-fuck out of the Harry Potter shit and all that is related to the Harry Potter shit. You know why I feel ashamed about Twilight? I watched the movies. Yes, plural, movieS. Even though the first movie is like, old, I feel I must "review" it in order to "review" the second one.

Ahem.

TWILIGHT SAGA MOVIE REVIEW EXTRAVAGANZA PRE-TEEN STYLEEEEZZZZEEZ!!



Twilight:
Can someone say HOLY AWKWARD! I loved the books, I like Kristen Stewart, but this movie was physically painful to watch due to the intense awkward moments! The special effects were also pretty abysmal. I tried hard to like this movie. Very hard. I even lied and said I loved it. I bought it. I lied to myself. It sucked. I think the characters were cast quite well, with the mighty huge exception of Edward. I mean, you are tasked with the job of finding a crazy hot guy to play the hottest vampire love story character of the half decade, and you choose the guy who played Cedric Diggory on Harry Potter? Really? Robert Pattinson is "hawt" but in no way hot enough to be Edward Cullen. Major fail. The only enjoyment I got out of this movie was reliving the enjoyment I got out of the book.

I give it two out of five.



New Moon:
This movie was a whole different story. New director, more money to work with, more to the story, and the most important factor of all: Werewolves. Let me repeat that. WEREWOLVES. I don't know if I've made this clear yet or not, BUT I FUCKING LOVE THE GOD DAMN SHIT OUT OF SOME WEREWOLVES. I'm in no way kidding when I say they are in my top five of my most favorite things ever. It just so happens that I prefer giant wolves on four feet to man-like hairy upright-standing creatures. So I loved this movie. There were also less of the awkward moments. I love the character of Alice and the rest of the Cullen family, and there was more of that action. There was less of Edward. Good for me, not so good for the mass amount of crying pre-teens who didn't get their fill of the British 23 year old. There was also the Volturi. Wiki it bitch. Also, no, Jacob wasn't hot enough either, and wow New Moon movie, way to be obvious about showing off the guys shirtless.

I give it four out of five. That's definitely the werewolves speaking.

Regardless, I am and will always be, Team Edward (in case you were wondering).

You know what I honestly think was the hottest part of both movies? Justin Chon:



Sexay..

<33

Music Discovery part ONE (plus the "rules").

I've been wanting to "suggest music via blogging" for a long time now, but for some reason I never got around to it. Well that ends today! First, some handy notes.

- I made a Facebook fan page! I know what you're thinking, but I was bored and I'm trying to expand this blog to the outside world (beyond my friends and the occasional guest). So please, become a fan of this blog on FB, if you'll be so kind.

- Yes, I capitalized the word "one". Why? I don't know, but I will continue to do so for these music discovery posts.

- Uh huh, I plan on doing a LOT of them. I now have 3,202 songs on my laptop that has been steadily growing by 100-200 more songs, daily.

- I'm not the first to do this. My good friend who writes CzarSheehan has done this as well (thought not as much as he should), and as he is one of my music gurus, I suggest you click on over to his blog too.

- It's fucking cold. I love the cold, but when you have no internet, and you suffer for a blog (that isn't even very popular yet) the cold can be a bitch. These are times when one could really use a Snuggie.

- Arguing with people over "PC vs Mac" and "Android vs iPhone" via Facebook, Twitter, this blog, on the cellular, in person, and even at parties where I'm supposed to be having fun, is getting tiresome and annoying. I just had to get that off my chest. *Deep breath*

Alright time to get started. Ahem...

The Music Discovery posts rules & disclaimers:

1. I like everything. Except maybe country music. This means that you will hate some of this stuff. I know this, so there will be no need to tell me the shit sucks. It may suck to you but not to me.

2. The way I will do this is by putting all of my music on shuffle (greatest feature ever). I want to keep it random. I'll be doing five artists per post. If shuffle lands on any one hit wonders or really shitty bands I forgot to delete from years ago, don't worry, I'll skip to something better. I will also skip over big name bands, for the most part.

3. I will label the artists genre of music, link to their websites, give a brief description of their music, and tell you my two favorite songs by said artist.

4. In future posts like this, I will link back to all of the previous ones, and you can also click the "music discovery" category in the side columns.

That's it. So let it begin.

Pendulum
Genre: Drum & Bass / Rock / Electronica
Pendulum is rather new to me. My friend (who writes at TheCauseAndEffect) suggested this band to me when I asked for some good techno suggestions. It was one of the best music suggestions ever, as they have quickly become one of my favorites. They are not your normal techno sound, and there is a lot of bass in their music (which is always a huge plus for me). Pendulum never fails to get me really pumped up (that sounds gay, but it's true).
Favorite songs: "Granite" & "Propane Nightmares"

Jedi Mind Tricks
Genre: Hip-Hop
Lil' Wayne is not good hip-hop, this is good hip-hop. They're not quite mainstream, but they are extremely popular. I can honestly say, I love the shit out of JMT. Do I agree with all of the lyrics? No. Some of it is extremely violent, but I recognize the talent it takes to rap, and I do agree with some of it. When I'm at a loss of what to listen to and I'm tired of shuffle, JMT is one of my favorite fallbacks. Chances are, if you like one of their songs, you'll like all of their songs.
Favorite songs: "Trail of Lies" & "Heavy Metal Kings"

Klaxons
Genre: Psychedelic / Progressive / Pop
Zune suggested the Klaxons to me, and I'm glad it did, because they're pretty neat. Their music is pretty different, and sounds like what would happen if indie, pop, techno, and rock clashed. I've never heard of them before (probably because they're from London) and I almost feel like Zune discovered a little jewel for me. They are definitely worth checking out.
Favorite songs: "Gravity's Rainbow" & "Atlantis to Interzone"

Mindless Self Indulgence
Genre: Alternative / Electro / Punk
I can say with certainty, nothing sounds like MSI. They are completely unique and one of my favorites. They are weird as shit though. The lead singer Jimmy Urine has been known to piss on people during shows. If I ever saw MSI I would probably stand pretty far in the back. Regardless, their difference in sound can't be beat, and I highly recommend them.
Favorite songs: "Bring The Pain" & "Golden I"

The Faceless
Genre: Metal / Progressive / Death Metal
There are a lot of good metal bands out there (I'll probably go over many of them), and the Faceless is one of them. They're very technical and very talented. This is a band you see live to simply sit and stare at (as opposed to dancing), in awe of how fast they are (and awesome). At least that's what I'd do.
Favorite songs: "An Autopsy" & "Akeldama"

Alright, first installment of Music Discovery is a go, hopefully people enjoy this. Laterz!

<33

Hooray for no internet and stealing library wifi!

So needless to say, this will be short.

I will have you know that this just happened:



Yeah that's what my phone looks like. Android > iPhone. I can change themes whenever I want as well. Thank not-god for apps.

I'll also have you know that this happened:



In case you can't read that (because you're dumb and forgot how to clink images) it says:
"Aye Wass Good, I'd Preciate If U'd Stop By My Page, N' SHow Some Love N' I'd Get Bacc At Ya, Make Sure U Listen 2 THa Music Ya Kno! ~Kidd Songz~"

I don't even really know how to respond, but you better believe I hit the deny button.

- My co-worker swears that the employees at our Books-A-Million "quack" over the intercom at customers to "persuade" them to stop reading and actually buy shit. Whether he's right or they're just fucking with people (my opinion), I think that's amazing.

- Renting a beach house for a New Years Eve party is a big possibility, and if so, it's going dooooowwwwwnnnnn.

- I used to like a certain name so much I had decided to name my future son by that name. Now that two (count em, TWO) guys with said name have become obsessed with me, I kind of hate the name. This is sad.

- Remember that baby story I was going on and on about a while back? Well when I was a baby my Mom took me to a gay pride festival in DC (and you know those gay boys loved little Caitlin!) and someone suggested I take a picture with Barney. Why Barney was there I don't know. Anyways, I sat down with Barney, started to immediately look perturbed, and then I slapped Barney in the face. Hard. I hated Barney throughout the rest of my childhood.

- Yeah that was it. I don't know why I made such a big deal out of it. *Shrug*

- Nothing funny left to say, so peace!

<33

Time for some other highlights.

I never really had time to write more about the DC trip until now. I'm going to make this short.

It was awesome, Alabama sucks.

That's all I got. No, really, Fotoweek was amazing. The Metro didn't take too long to get me anywhere while I rode it, so no complaints there. The energy prior to the Capitols game in Chinatown was awesome and for the first time in my life I wanted to go to a hockey game. I actually think once I move up to DC I may just get into sports. I can't believe I just said that, but yeah. I think it's gonna happen.



Tono Sushi: Good as always. They have some amazing sushi. They have expanded their menu since the last time I ate there and my Mom got Thai (as always) and that was good too. When I live in DC I will definitely be getting food delivered from them if I live close enough. The spicy tuna rolls are making me hungry just thinking about them.

As mentioned already, Fotoweek along with the permanent museums all over DC definitely gave me my fix in art. I think browsing art is one of the most important activities one can partake in, unless of course you just don't appreciate art, and if you're one of those people you're a douchebag and I don't want to ever talk to you again. Seriously. Art is one of the few things I think the human race got right.





Those are spaces in which one can go through a huge range of emotion.

Georgetown, thanks again for reminding me that I am broke as shit. If I ever win the lottery I will definitely spend a huge amount of it on clothing in that neighborhood.

All in all, the trip was a success, and I had a great time with mi madre.



The trip back was the suck. We got caught in the remnants of "hurricane" Ida and it took a whopping 19 hours to get home (usually takes 14-15). I kept having to pull over because of the storm, the truckers decided it was a perfect time to drive like complete jackasses, the rain turned into tiny little ice crystals, and it was fucking freeeeeezing. Mostly due to the high winds (that blew my tiny Celica all over the interstate).

There was one thing we experienced on the way home that made the long drive worth it. Maybe you had to have been there, but it was the funniest thing I've seen in a while, and somehow, I got a picture of it with the cellular.



We actually had to hop over it multiple times, and well of course we didn't tell him it was there! I don't think it would have been so funny, if not for the immense length of the toilet paper. Poor guy. Hahahahaha.

That's it for now. I'm off to wallow in my depression stemming from being back in Alabama. I will also be stuck here for longer than previously planned, due to the fact that my army friend (a best friend) is coming back for New Years, and I don't feel right about not taking the opportunity to see him. So I will wait. All I can say is, 2010, don't let me down.

<33

Explosions, tortue, the end of the world, and Gerald Butler.

Movie review time! Two for one style!



Law Abiding Citizen:
I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It's one of those movies where you're not exactly sure who to feel sorry for, and I for one think that's hard for a film to do. Gerald Butler is a sexy man, Jamie Foxx is a sexy man, and there's tons of explosions and shit, so you shouldn't be let down with this one. There is however some torture and if you're one of those people who like happy-smiley-time movies and can't deal with a lot of death in your films, I would pass. I think the moral of this film for me was "Don't fuck with parents".

I give it four out of five.



2012:
Okay, this is either a movie you love or hate. That's what I'm gathering from others reactions anyways. I loved it. This coming from someone who thinks the 2012 end of the world theory is complete bullshit. I liked it because I love seeing shit destroyed. Yeah, I said it. My friend that saw this movie with me brought me a Pabst to drink (and when they drank Pabst in the movie we almost screamed) and the entire time we were anxiously complaining until shit got destroyed. Then we were wriggling with glee with sparkles in our eyes. The main characters go through some ridiculous scenes trying to escape the destruction, and well, there is no way in hell those fuckers would have made it out alive if this was real, but that's why it's a movie. The special effects were pretty good, only a couple of times did I say to myself "Wow, how fake." The story line was decent. While being based off of complete bullshit, it didn't dwell too hard on the religious crap and I liked the ending of the movie (don't worry I won't spoil it for you). There were some funny parts too. What brought it all together for me was John Cusack:



Two pictures weren't enough, I had to bring out the young sexy one. Anyways, I'm not sure why, but I LOOOOOOOOOVE John Cusack. I just do. Even if he is 43 now.

So, since I love John Cusack and seeing shit get destroyed...

I give it four out of five.

For the rest of the population that's not weird like myself, I give it three out of five.

You make the decision.

<33

George Clooney & Kevin Spacey.

The Men Who Stare At Goats:
I mean, with those two actors, what more can I say? I definitely enjoyed this movie. I heard mixed reviews before seeing it, but I was quite happy with it. The dark humor appealed to me (as usual), and I was lolz-ing all over the place. Completely unrealistic (yet apparently based on truth?), but as most of you know from my other movie reviews, that doesn't usually matter to me if it's funny. Kevin Spacey was a genius as always, and George Clooney was great too (and sexy I might add). I also enjoyed Ewan McGregor and Jeff Bridges' roles too. Good actors, funny stuff, go see this movie if you want to laugh. That is, if you enjoy dark humor.

I give it four out of five.

Oh and as for my travels in DC today, I need to go to sleep, so details will come later. Suffice it to say, that the photography of Fotoweek 2009 almost brought on tears, my knees hurt from walking, and I am even more saddened at the prospect of returning to Alabama tomorrow (after spending another full day doing fun shit).

So, look forward to that recap!

<33

So far, DC hasn't failed, as always.

Wednesday night will suck. It will suck hard. HARD. I do not want to go back to Alabama. Alabama with all of it's nothingness. Ew. Ew, ew, ew.

Real quick like, before we go into more of me loving DC, watch this and be merry. Thanks to Cat of Young Old Crone for bringing this to my attention via Twitter.



So far we really haven't done all that much in the city. The majority of our time has been comprised of sitting around talking, smelling the fall smells (something Alabama lacks also), and people watching. It's been nice to just be, for once. We have however briefly visited the mall, just because it's good to glimpse that when you haven't seen it in months (or years in my mother's case). We've also done some healthy walking in Chinatown, Dupont Circle, Adams Morgan, Woodley Park, and Takoma (hotel location). We've eaten some excellent food as well. If you follow me on Twitter (which, by "god", you better be doing by now) you will know all about these great eats, but alas, recap time:

7-Eleven: I'm sorry, but I won't ever stop eating their hotdogs. It may not be anything more than cheap gas station food, but it's damn good cheap gas station food, and it's something I hate not having access to in Alabama, because I would eat the fuck out of it all the time, as I do here.
Asian Spice: We tried the Thai food here (Basil chicken) and it was delicious. Not only that, but we also sat outside, watched some fine ass people walk by, and enjoyed the perfect weather. The restaurant was incredibly nice on the inside too. I'll be visiting this place again for sure.
The Diner: 24 hour diner in Adams Morgan. I have decided that when I move here, this will be one of the first places I apply for a job at. The staff was awesome, and omfg, the food. Ridiculously good. Cheap too. The toast with the spinach and artichoke dip was what we started with (wonderful). Mom got a sandwich, but I got the grilled stuffed Portobellos, and it was soooooo good. I'm in love with this place.

Tono Sushi will be on the menu tomorrow. We tried tonight but got there right before they closed (we often lose track of time). I am glad though that we missed Tono because then we would not have eaten at the Diner.

Tomorrow we have a long day. Realizing that we have wasted two days doing nothing but walking and eating has made us decide to get up super early and get shit done tomorrow. One thing includes enjoying some of the activities of Fotoweek 2009! We are lucky to have randomly visited the city at this time, there is stuff going on for Fotoweek everywhere. I am taking pictures as well, but they are not so amazing thanks to my crappy half broken camera and I am tired and need to sleep soon so those will come later.

Speaking of sleep, I'm off to try and get some of that. Long day tomorrow, looking forward to some of this:



Also, I am too lazy to look up what this is, but we discovered it in the middle of a very residential neighborhood in front of a normal looking house with no other signs:



I'm assuming a family business and something to do with martial arts or calligraphy, but I'm lazy and want to present a challenge, so the first person to explain in depth wins a cookie! Okay, not really, but you will win an e-cookie (it's so much better, trust me).

Peace out.

<33

Hey there, Washington, DC...

I'm excited to be seeing you again. *Raises eyebrows*

Seriously though, I have some questions. Well one. All that traffic today, on a Sunday? The FUCK? If that HOV lane had not been opened, I might have committed suicide. I usually don't mind DC traffic (Read: Tolerate it, but still dislike it), but this afternoon when we arrived I was running on two hours of sleep. Two hours of sleep I got about 30 hours ago. Two hours of sleep I got about 30 hours ago, on top of 9 hours of work before driving 15 hours to DC. You bitches.

Regardless, I love this city. If you know me, you know that. I was born in Fairfax, VA, and the DC area is my home base. I was raised in Alabama for the most part, but I've always hated Alabama, and I've always found myself drawn back to DC. Hence why this is my seventh time here in the last few years, and why I plan on moving back here and going to college.

This city could beat me like an abusive husband and I would come crawling back to it, saying I could love no other. It's that real. Yeah.

If you follow me on Twitter (which you better), then you already know I've been tweeting about the trip like crazy. If you'd like a ongoing description of everything, I'm here for you.

The reason this trip is so important, compared to the others, is that this trip is the last trip. Next time I come up here (1-3 months) I will not leave. Yeah, I'd be excited if I was you too.

Anyways, I'm off to run around spending money. I'm so excited to sit down on the Metro and let it take me everywhere as opposed to driving. Even though Metro hasn't been doing so great from what I've heard, but it's better than driving in my current condition.

If any of you know of anything super fun going on in DC during the next three days, let me know!

<33

Holy hell...

Hah, two things I do not believe in whatsoever!

First off, to make up for not writing, I give you this:



I found it pretty entertaining, to say the least.

Secondly, wow, someone forgot how much shit you have to do when moving! My Mom is moving to DC this weekend (I am taking her up there) and this week has been insanely chaotic, what with helping her and working and recovering from Halloween.

Yes kids, Halloween was a bit ridiculous. If you go back in my Twitter history some ways, you will see some things I don't even remember writing. Apparently at one point I did not even know where I was. The night was crazy, fun, and actually very safe in case you're worried (I know you aren't, assholes).

Anyways, so this week has been crazy, once I arrive in DC this weekend (Sunday to be specific) I may have time to write about something. It will probably be something regarding how much the Metro sucks. I hope the video made up for my absence.

See you guys in the city!

<33

PS. I may be moving up there as well sooner than I thought. We shall see!