Saturday, June 9, 2007

Read My Mind

when i was in middle school i dreamed of being a poet. the next ee cummings or ts eliot of my generation. then i got into the beatniks and i was planning on being the next jack-E kerouac. i'm not a huge killers fan. there first album is good, but sam's town is them trying to hard to be springsteen or something. but i heart this song Read My Mind, because it's good poetry. lyrics below. and i do feel like i have this odd connection with brandon flowers because we share similar birthdays. but he's married, mormon and soon to be daddy and well, i'm just a girl in mn

on the corner of main street
just tryin' to keep it in line
you say you wanna move on and
you say I'm falling behind

can you read my mind?
can you read my mind?make me her cheer up when-ever

I never really gave up on
breakin' out of this two-star town
I got the green light
I got a little fight
I'm gonna turn this thing around

can you read my mind?
can you read my mind?

The good old days
the honest man
the restless heart
the promised land
a subtle kiss
that no one sees
a broken wrist
and big trapeze

so oh I don't mind
if you don't mind
'cause I don't shine
if you don't shine
before you go
can you read my mind?

Its funny how you just break down
waitin' on some sign
I pull up to the front of your driveway
with magic soakin' my spine

can you read my mind?
can you read my mind?

The teenage queen
the loaded gun
the drop dead dream
the chosen one
a southern drawl
a world unseen
a city wall
and a trampoline

So oh I don't mind
if you don't mind
'cause I don't shine
if you don't shine
before you jump
tell me what you find
when you read my mind

Slippin in my faith
until I fall
he never returned that call
woman, open the door
don't let it sting
I wanna breathe that fire again

She said
I don't mind
if you don't mind
'cause I don't shine
if you don't shine
put your back on me
put your back on me
put your back on me

(ooooooohhhh)

The stars are blazing
like rebel diamonds
cut out of the sun
when you read my mind

Time After Time (Deuce)

so if anyone has been paying attention you've read my Time After Time minus Cyndi Lauper. i'm a big believer in a few things in life --- karma, timing, self and social change. yep those are the four bases that i cover. i know i've been taking to writing more about observations, pop culture, sports, etc and less personal but this is going to be personal. i could have life altering changes to make or i could become a big LOSER, which i couldn't handle and maybe would send my self to BIG FAT LOSER camp -- although not the reality TV show. Puh-leeze. really i think the show is a great idea. but more overweight americans sitting on their butts for an hour watching other obese people lose weight. i think all people watching should have to work out while the are watching the show. makes sense to me, but that's prolly unamerican -- a healthy idea and logic, two things this country is seriously lacking. continuing with the personal.

i am a finalist for two jobs. both in areas that would be different. one a nonprofit, one a for profit. both interesting in their own ways. and at this point i do need a change of scenery and to be doing different things. so i'm feeling good about both positions. kinda of more excited towards one than the other, but would be happy with both. and THEN I GET THE EMAIL.

about a year and a half ago a former co-worker and i were planning to leave our place of employment. i was a finalist for a job, she was a finalist for another. things were looking good for both of us. she got hers and i got a phone call saying how great i was and that they would keep me in mind for future opportunities at the U.

sniffle, sniffle. the poor me didn't last long. but i was pretty confident that i got it. and then when i got the phone call it was a DAMN. almost in the angst that sophie b. hawkins sings DAMN I WISH I WAS YOUR LOVER. and then i lost to my boss and to report to her old boss, who i was not so much a fan of. i did amazing things and had amazing experiences the last six months at that job and it shaped a lot of who i am today professionally and how i would do things. but it also made me a tad bitter. and the fallout hurt. because when an employer can't give you an honest reason why they want to keep you or they hide behind excuses (no $$ in the budget) it's a bunch of shit. you know it, they know it and yet the bullshit continues.

on the positive side. so here it is a year-and-a-half later after the letdown from the U of M. i am a finalist for two other jobs and then i get an email from the person i interviewed at the U saying they have a position open in their media department and if interested i should give her a call. Are you FREAKIN' KIDDING ME? i could go to grad school for free and i love the vibe at the U.

while this is a good thing, it's also a weird thing. it's like getting up to bat with the bases loaded everytime. you could either get some RBI's or could get out. i like all of the jobs, just like a batter likes all of the RBI opportunities. but if i don't get an offer from any of the three it will be like striking out and i don't know if my psyche could take it.

Friday, June 8, 2007

F Friendships

usually i don't get mad. i don't get angry. i get frusterated. frustration is usually my M.O. but at the moment i am seething. the dissolvement of a friendship has occurred and i don't even know why.

about a year or so ago a good college friend blocked me out. and i don't know why. i called her to see how she was doing because her father passed away and she never called back. i sent emails. i sent cards. i even this past spring send her a gift ( a SWAG one that i had received but knew she would like) and a birthday card. i got the gift mailed back to me with a flashcard note that said
"can't accept this" and her initials.

i don't know what happened. it's the strangest thing. and i'm torn between sending her something to let her know that WTF!! and that i will never be contacting her again of just to let it go. in general it is hard for me to let things go -- work, projects, family stuff and especially friendships.

so WTF? i'm not sad about it anymore i'm freakin mad. Awww Fuck.

I'm a Nervous Nelly

so here's the thing. In approx. two hours i have a writing test for a new job. i'm really excited about the position because it is with a small group and i would be doing some new marketing things. there are only males working there @ the moment, besides the lone female accountant. i seem to do better in male dominated environments, because the more uteri or uterusus, whichever way you prefer, the more uncomfortable i become. i don't know. i think i've just had bad female leadership role models. but i want this job. badly. and that makes me nervous. normally, i'm not a nervous person. but every so often a feel the butterflies and get a little twitch in my left eye. (nod to left eye lisa lopez for a moment of the death of TLC.) luckily the butterflies are there but not twitch. good. only like 90 more minutes of this sh*t. and BTW this sh*t is not bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

you know what else doesn't make me feel good. losing. i'm not an ultra-competitive person. but i play softball on thurs nights. pretty good (damn keillor and his pretty good) team. we like to have fun, not take ourselves too seriously, etc. but last night we played no D @ all. and then when we rallied 8 runs in the last inning we went to sudden death and the other team just walked runs in. didn't even swing the bat. this is ok for the 1st couple of runs -- insurance runs ---i get it, but for 8. are you FREAKIN KIDDING Me?!?!? and then Red (Ump) made some horrible safe calls against us. whatever. but here is the worst part the team that beat us they are just OK. we held their best player to singles. our outfield which i am a part of was horrible. i'm so not a gracious loser. not even the two LAX (La Crosse) lagers post game could relief my spirits. so losing before an interview does not put me at my smily self, it puts me into bitter self, which really isn't good for anyone. how do you get rid of a sour taste in your mouth, besides just brushing your teeth?

Thursday, June 7, 2007

Top 25 Minnesotans

So since I went to public schools my entire life I'm not sure what the fancy word is for 150 years. It's some sort of centennial. And in celebration of Minnesota's 150 years (which confuses me a bit because the U of M, Hamline and other schools have existed for over 150 years but not the stated. Huh? Guess I missed that in my Minnesota history classes) so in celebration of 150 years of Minnesota I've created a top 25 Minnesota list. Please note that not all people were born in Minnesota, but that they all grew up in Minnesota. Maybe someday I'll make a list of top 10,000 Minnesotans. A girl can dream, right?

Starting the list:

25. Josh Harnett: Actually he barely makes it, but I heart him in Virgin Suicides and the debut of Sofie Coppola

24. Nick Mancini: And not just because he passed away recently. The man created 7th Street in St. Paul. The food is fantabulous. And Mancini's is a great intro to St. Paul. I hope the Republicans don't take it over during the upcoming convention, that would be a damn shame.

23. Dave Pirner and Dan Murphy: The dynamic duo of Soul Asylum. Still loved by those of us loyal to 1st Ave. And c'mon they met at the Uptowns Lunds parking lot to create a band. It's prolly one of the better things to have occurred in that parking lot.

22. Jesse Ventura: The outspoken politician made a name for himself in 1998. I'm glad I couldn't vote yet. But he is only on the list because of Jon Woodle and Bill Hillman two people that helped shape the body into a governor.

21. Peter Kruase: Who doesn't love Nate Fisher from Six Feet Under. Plus his other gem includes the shortly lived Sports Night. Although Krause loses a few points for attending Gustavus. No points from this lady for being part of the MIAC. Damn Minnesota and it's plethora of private schools. What do you think we are? The East Coast. Moving on to #20.

20. Matt Birk: He went to Harvard. And will be the first of several Cretin Durham-Hall alums. Sadly his younger brother Ben got into the worst thing I've ever heard in my life. As a pitcher for the U, Ben took a ball in the face off of an aluminum bat at the Dome. Instantly down with instant blood everywhere. Wooden bats, people. Wooden bats, ONLY!

19. Winona Ryder: She channeled early Audrey Hepburn and is in great flicks like Reality Bites, Beetlejuice and the cult hit Heathers. But then she broke up with both Johnny Depp and Matt Damon, starred in an awful Adam Sandler film and started shoplifting. But keeps her cred for having the "Save Winona" t-shirts created by the masses. But loses points for being named after Winona, Minn. Not her fault. I guess she remains a par at #19

18. Paul Molitor: Only person to enter the 3,000 hits club with a triple. But the guy is just so not likable outside of baseball. Wish he could be higher on the list, but his personality only gets him to #18.

17. Joe Mauer: He has tremendous upside potential. But that's what Kevin McHale thought of Ndubu. Which is why Kevin McHale will not make this list and Joe prolly has the potential to move up in the next decade or so. All @ good guy. Great ballplayer and gets extra points for turning down to play football for FSU. However he resides in Florida, which I don't get. Maybe it's because I've never golfed in my life. I would prefer to drink and drive the cart. A solid selection at #17.

16. Judy Garland: A native of the Northland, so I'm biased. Wizard of Oz is a right of passage for any child. But Judy loses points for giving birth to Liza Mannelli. Liza is a freakin' mess.

15. Craig Kilbourn and Lizz Weinstead: First Lizz, people don't recall her co-creating The Daily Show, one of the few reasons to watch TV these days. Craig gets the nod for a variety of reasons. He appeared on Sportscenter, was the inspiration for the Peter Krause character Casey McCall in Sports Night and gets the nod for creating the "Daily Top 5 Questions." Also is surprisingly funny in his a-hole role in Old School.

14. Don Lucia: Another native of Grand Rapids, like Judy. Unfortunately played hockey for the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. But brought back the Minnesota mullet to Mariucci arena and led the Gophs to back-to-back titles (and riots) as well as during the Golden Gophers into the Yankees of college hockey. Sidenote: STOKED that Okposo is returning to play. E. Johnson, a bit overrated and not that good of a D. But Okposo he joins Brent Burns as my other hockey crush. I feel so coo-coo-ka-chu Mrs. Robinson about both of them. If only I could seduce them Bancroft style. Kidding ........kinda.

13. Ann Bancroft: First female to cross the North Pole. She gets to be in the middle of the back for a cool feat like that.

12. Justice Warren E. Burger: Not sure if I agree with his dissenting opinions, but he beats the other alternative who has Minnesota ties from the Supreme Court. That would be Rehnquist. So Burger -- cheers to the robe!

11. Terry Gilliam: Co-creator of the Monty Python. The only American associated with the group. Proofing that Minnesota humor is transcontinental, even if you don't like the rabbit.

Now drum roll for the top ten:

10. F. Scott Fitzgerald: Better writer than that guy for Sauk Center (Sinclaire Lewis). Created the phrase "jazz age" and had a wife named Zelda. All of those things solidify him as a top ten. Plus he wrote The Great Gatsby, a better book than movie, like most books.

9. Hubert H. Humphrey: Because of all the things named after him in Minnesota - ha! He and Fritz Mondale were big players back in the day. Although Humphrey lost to Nixon and his son would go on to lose to Ventura, HHH is responsible for a lot of DFL triumphs in the state.

8. Herb Brooks: "Do you believe in Miracles?" Ok, so the Miracle on Ice will always be solidified with Brooks, but my fave Herbie memory is the following. After all the achievements and accolades his greatest accomplishment outside of his family was playing in the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament. Now that's a true Minnesotan.

7. Charles M. Schulz: Not to be confused with the Charles Schultz in politics or the dreaded David Schultz from Hamline, Charles M. created the Peanuts which ran for 50 years of something absurd like that. And while millions of people have fallen in life with Charlie, Lucy, Snoopy and the gang, Schulz loses points for having St. Paul put freaking Peanut characters everywhere in the darn city. However, Rob Codrroy did a Daily Show sketch about the Peanut characters in the middle of winter and how freakin cold it was in St. Paul. So that's all right.

6. Paris Bennett. JUST KIDDING - Garrison Keillor: He has made Prairie Home Companion a staple in Minnesota and even got a great cast to partake in the film. However if you don't listen to the show, you prolly won't understand the film. And Keillor is a fan of the "pretty good" such as Jim's Pretty Good grocery store, he's a "pretty good" ballplayer. Yep, here in Minn-E we believe that all things are "pretty good."

Now here is where it gets tricky. How do you pick the top five Minnesotans? You flip multiple coins. Make them draw straws or arm wrestle for it.

5. Paul Wellstone: Although not born in the state, he became a key figure for the DFL party. And if you remotely follow Minnesota politics, you know where you were the day Wellstone died. Sadly his death became a tipping point for the GOP party. Here's hoping the long awaited Wellstone Medical Act will pass in US Congress -- who knows though?

4. Coen Brothers: Raising Arizona, classic. Fargo - a classic. Their dark, dry humor is perfect for those of us having grown up in Minn-A-sooo-duh. While they have also created some duds, who doesn't. I am excited for their summer film and they totally deserve to be #4.

I struggled with who should be #2 and #3. So I flipped a coin and Fritz lost.

3. Walter Mondale: The losingest presidential candidate comes in at #3. Did so many great things for Minnesota politics and as ambassador to Japan, although I suspect if he never ate sushi again he would be ok. He and his wife created one of the first royal Minnesotan families. Good old guy. Gets extra points for stepping up to the plate after Wellstone's death, even if in a losing effort. It takes a big leader to do that.

2. Prince: The bite size 5'4, stiletto wearing male has earned himself a place in Rock N Roll History even if he has not anointed his place yet. Just wait, he's a first ballot write in. From Purple Rain to the amazing Super Bowl half-time show this year, the little Prince Charles Nelson from South Minneapolis sure has made a name for himself and Minnesota, even if it's been a bizarre and strange ride.

So after all of this who could be #1?
1. Robert Zimmerman aka Bob Dylan that's who.
The man created folk-rock and one of the best Rock songs of all time "Like a Rolling Stone."
His insights into the world, traveling with The Beatniks and later with the Traveling Willburies along with creating the masterpiece Blonde on Blonde Dylan is a Minnesota staple. Many of his songs include Minnesota landmarks "All Along the Watchtower" about the Watchtower near the U of M's SE bank, Highway 61 revisited, about Hwy 61. His imprint on pop culture, social justice and music is beyond phenomenal. He made Rolling Stone a magazine. He helped created awareness about Rueben Carter and the countless number of hits. Our own Bobby Zimmerman is king of my Minnesota. Who is the royalty of yours?

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

Poopmobile or Popemobile and a Knock Up that's a Knock Out

since i work in the world of integrated marketing with a focus on PR i'm always scanning for headlines of the day etc. etc. so to my great amazement today i found this snazzy headline on yahoo.com "Man Launches for Popemobile"

first to my chagrine (sp check?) popemobile = funny phrase. but then on a different site that had a typo and it was poopmobile. and now folks this was not The Onion or such. it was i can't recall the site, but it was (sadly) immediately fixed. so i think the window of opportunity to catch "man run towards poopmobile" was small. but by gosh goly i saw it and it was fantastic.

so i usually just write. being a writer, at least a self-described writer i think to throw my quirks and comments into the world and don't really give a damn where they end up or who reads them. but today i still can't get over judd apatow's new flick "Knocked Up." i am slightly biased. i adored his Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared and appreciated his 40-year-old Virgin 'fo sho.

but "Knocked Up" is a knock out for any 25 - 50 year old hipster. the best part is apatow's knack for conversation and going beyond just the surface layer of comedy. somewhat of a true story perhaps (google photos of his wife who stars in the movie to either agree or disagree with me) "Knocked Up" is his most grown up film/video to date. and it's fantastic.

the only down side, much with the 40 year old version is that Paul Rudd (i heart him) and Seth Rogen have such great banter back and forth that no doubt most frat boys will be quoting it. but "Knocked Up" is such a knock out of the ballpark, that i won't be surprised if it is up for something during oscar time.

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Why I love June .... cause sometimes I forget

i forget the joys of the month of june. it wasn't until this weekend that it all reoccurred to me why june is a good month. playoff hockey beards in full force. twins usually pick it up along with johan. although maybe that hasn't occurred yet this year. the weather in minneapolis is usually fantastic before the hot, humid hellish stuff rolls into town. i'm a baby and can't stand the heat.

what else about june? graduations = usually good snack food and humorous or dreadful graduation speeches. summer concert tours kick off. june rhymes with moon --- kidding!

i think most of it is the weather. tipping your toes in the freezing cold lakes of minnesota, unless you are referring to the pollutant puddles of harriet and calhoun. have you ever looked at them from an airplane? they are green like HiC Ecto-cooler. "hello nasty" beastie boys style. as i was saying .....

and it really took me a weekend up north for the happy june memories to be flooded into the psyche. and oddly enough i have dated a lot of boys born in june -- must have a thing for the geminis, since one personality is not enough for ms. minneapolis.

however the damn sens are making my june disappointing. stupid, penalty thrashing ducks are prolly going to win much to my dismay. but seriously is JS Giggie really made of velcro. no rebounds -- it's absurd. i suppose its better for the wild if the ducks win, but i can't stand their coach carlyle and i can't stand how freaking good 22-year-old Ryan Gatzlof is. he could be my new boy crush over brent burns. oh wait, i will forever be mrs. burns in my mind. but that has a lot to do with june .......til the next time when i have something more profound or at least, entertaining.