I Want To Be A Millionaire.

I was watching something on the news earlier today (cable news, not real news), about the game show The Moment of Truth.   I guess the premise is that they hook the contestant up to a lie detector and are asked a series of personal, “deep dark” secret kind of questions and if they make it all the way to the end, they win half a million dollars - or they can choose to walk away. 

A couple of examples:
Would you cheat on your spouse if you knew you wouldn’t get caught?

Have you ever lied to get a job?

And so on, so the questions aren’t easy.  When I was watching the news show that was talking about this contestant who basically ruined her life for the half a million dollars, I was thinking to myself; This is the LAST game show I would EVER want to be on.  Not that I’m a dishonest person – not by any means, in fact I’m brutally honest with everyone, ALL the time.  And I don’t even have any deep dark secrets.  It’s kind of boring, yes – but life is much easier this way.  But even with these things considered, I would never, ever, ever go on that show. 

It all reminded me of a conversation I had with some friends about what game show I would want to be on.  Personally, if I could choose to be on any game show ever, I’d go with Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.    It’s actually the only game show I watch on TV, and I’m really good at it.  Even when I don’t know the answer, I’m good at figuring out what the answer shouldbe.  I think I like that I can reason it out even if I’m not 100% sure.  I’d be really uncomfortable if I were a contestant on a high-stakes game show that left alot up to chance, speed, or other people.  Because then I can always think, “If only I had…” or “If I had buzzed in a little faster…” etc. But if it’s something that I have time to really think about, and I’m relying on myself alone, then I’d not only be more comfortable with my decisions, but I couldn’t really have any regrets – because I’d do the best that I could and that’s all there is to it.

And I really like Meredith Vierra for some reason. I feel like she’s someone my mother would be friends with.  Or my neighbor who I’d sometimes run in to: Want to come over for a cup of coffee? Oh, you’re on your way to work? Raincheck though?  Great, See ya, Meredith.

If you could be on any game show, what would it be and why? 

Mine is C) Who Wants To Be a Millionaire. 

Final answer.

Oh, Word?

Today, my English professor dedicated the entire lecture to words. 

Word choice.  Finding the perfect word. 

After a few exercises and other nerdy wordy fun, she asked us to make a list of our favorite words.  After a few people put their lists on the board, we discussed them – why we like them, and how it says something about our personality (which was really going off on a tangent, but we stuck it out.) 

Personally, I LOVE words.  My professor and I got a little worked up over the word “egg.”  I hate it, she loves it.  It was weird and nerdy but hilarious.  Anyway, I really do have big feelings about words – the right words.  I visit dictionary.com at least twice a day.  I also go through phases with them too.  I’ll hear something and have it be a part of my vernacular until something else catches my attention.  A somewhat recent one is “catastrophe.”  Jenn and I were getting buttons, she needed eight, they only had six, and there was no secret back room of buttons – I asked. 

 ”Well, this is a catastrophe!”

  

Anyway, here is my list*:

• Aplomb – I love how precise this word is, and it’s a great quality for someone to have.  I wish I could use it more often.
• Assuage – I like this word because of it’s application; which, although rarely used, is more often than not a better choice than ‘pacify’ or ‘alleviate’.  I also like the way it sounds.  Asswaaaggeee.
• (On) Principle – I use this word /phrase alot.  I think that too few people are motivated by the principle of things.  People tend to be more concerned with doing something for external reasons, rather than a general right-or-wrong regardless of the repercussions mindset. 
• Lithe – This word sounds like what it means, and it is so fun to say.  I wish I could use it to describe everything.  “This desk is so lithe.”  Well, maybe not everything.
• Salubrious- A recent addition to my vocabulary, it means ‘conducive to health or well-being’.  It’s not an every day term, and I’ll admit it’s a little pretentious, but I love it.
• Abominable- The BEST, most powerful way to describe a snow-man, or other unfavorable things, humans, situations etc.
• Lovely – Some people might think this is kind of an empty word like nice…”Oh, he’s so nice.” (What does that even mean?) But I think quite the opposite.  It’s such a feminine word, and it’s generally seen as being meek- but when used sparring and appropriately, it can have a lot of meaning. 
• Lunatic – I just use this word alot.  I don’t like to call people stupid, so I more often accuse them of lunacy rather than idiocy.

What are your favorite words, and why?  Because of it’s meaning?  It’s sound?  Is there a weird, personal reason behind it?  A little from column A, and a little column B? 

*This list is subject to change at any given time.

What I Miss about Michael Jackson, and Reading.

On the new Paste Magazine (which I haven’t gotten yet), the cover article is, “What I Miss About Michael Jackson.”   Now, most people who know me personally know that I really do enjoy Michael Jackson’s music.  ‘Rock With You’ is one of my favorite songs.  It seems strange that I would, given my taste in music in general, but I honestly do.  Despite his behavior with the Beatles catalog, which really, really grinds my gears. steams my broccoli.  sinks my battleship…I appreciate his music.

Anyway, I’ve been thinking about Michael alot lately, and I’ve come to sad conclusions:

• The man was a genius.  Say what you will about him and his behavior, he was a  musical genius.  It’s really sad to me that I highly doubt he’ll be remembered that way, on account of his tainted public image.
• I feel that we’ll never see a musical artist of that…spectacle ever again.  I remember when I was younger, we stayed up at my Nana’s house to watch the one hour premiere of “Remember The Time.”  When I think of things after that, MTV video premieres etc; yes, some people did stay up or stay home to watch them but they were usually bubble-gum-pop-little-girls or just had too much time on their hands.  Everyone cared when Michael did something new.  Now, music is too… compartmentalized I guess, to have so many people care so much about one, single artist, ever again.

On a completely unrelated note, which should probably be a seperate post – I sent out an S.O.S to the Internet a few weeks ago asking for reading suggestions.  “Something that changed your life” were the only parameters, and I got alot of responses.  I went with The Best American Short Stories 2007, which is exactly what it sounds like.  I’ve only been reading them for a few days now, but I think I made a good choice.  Unfortunately, I’m sporadically very busy, then I’ll suddenly have a much lighter work load.  So, I felt like I couldn’t dedicate myself fully to a novel per-se.  I’m not the type of reader who can just pick up a book and read a chapter every few days or so.  I really have to pour myself into it – this, combined with the fact that I can’t imagine notreading recreationally makes finding time to read “properly” difficult.  Short stories are the answer.  What are you reading, and how do you read?  Can you do the “read a chapter whenever I get the chance” sort of thing, or do you need to plow through it like I do?  And if you feel like suggesting a “Something that changed your life,” feel free.  I might not have time to read your life changer right now, but i’ll at least look into it, and keep it in mind for when I do have time. 

She and Me. Volume One.

For me, the best thing about keeping up to date with music / movie news, is hearing the bits and pieces of something being put together, until it culminates into the final product.  Movie, album, TV show…whatever.

The album She and Him, Volume One is something I’ve been following – and as the release date gets closer and closer, I’m finding more reasons to get excited about it:

Zooey Deschanel has been a favorite actress of mine for a while.  So, when I heard she was making an album I was intrigued.  I knew that unlike other “actress turned singer” albums, this one would be more legitimate, because Zooey actually isa really talented singer (unlike other actresses who have delusions of grandeur) and has some indie credibility.  So ,unlike Lindsay Lohan’s debut album, ‘Speak’ – this is something I’d actually be interested in hearing.

A few months later I heard that the album is actually a collaboration with M. Ward, another musician who I like.  He produced ‘Rabbit Fur Coat’ by Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins.  Which, fun fact, is one of my favorite albums.  A go-to album even.  M. Ward is pretty highly regarded in the industry so I was definitely reassured this wouldn’t be some pop-crap-masterpiece. 

Recently, I saw Zooey and Matt on the cover of Under The Radar, one of my favorite magazines.  This album is getting some indie cred already.  I read the article and I see that they’ve covered a Beatles song: I Should Have Known Better, and that the album is heavily influenced by the Beatles. 

Basically, Zooey Deschanel is a mind reader and found out what I would like to hear out of this album, then made it happen.

Now, in my most recent discovery, I see that Jenny Lewis is featuring Zooey as a guest singer on her upcoming album as well – The “bits and pieces” of which I’ll be following closely. 

Very closely. 

Zooey Deschanel, let me buy you a drink sometime.  Seriously. 

Read this post from Stereogum.com for a little more about the album, a tracklist and download.   The album comes out March 18th, 2008, and can be pre-ordered through amazon.  I heard a rumor there will be small tour happening this spring.  It’d be unnatural if NYC wasn’t a part of that tour, so expect another post on this some time in the spring.

Also, unrelated: did you know that an Arrested Development movieis in the works? FTW!

but it was just a paper-cut.

At work on Friday afternoon, I was doing my usual shuffling through some papers while being picked on by the boys…and the unimaginable happened,

I got a paper-cut. 

Now, I hate paper-cuts just as much as the next person, and I hadn’t had one for quite some time, so this particular one got me wondering, what the heck makes a paper-cut hurt so bad? 

Because I’m weird like this, I did a little research…

A paper cut is similar to a cut with a razor blade, with one major difference. A razor blade makes a smooth, clean incision in the skin, leaving behind few if any foreign particles that might cause the wound to become infected. Although it might hurt initially, the pain brought on by a small razor cut usually fades after a few minutes.

Like a superficial cut by a razor blade, a paper cut smoothly parts the skin. But while a clean razor leaves little behind to irritate the wound, a paper cut deposits material that really stings. Paper is made of pressed wood mulch and a variety of chemicals. When paper cuts into the skin, chemical-coated fibers as well as bacteria and tiny particles remain in the wound and stimulate pain receptors in the skin.

Because the cut is usually small and shallow, the skin on either side of the wound closes quickly, trapping the fibers and other particles inside. The result is a good deal of pain, and since the closed wound doesn’t allow for much bleeding, the pain seems entirely out of proportion to a cut that you can barely detect. (From A Moment of Science)

So there you go.  Knowing that there are fibers and particles trapped inside my thumb isn’t exactly a soothing thought, but it’s interesting to know that’s why it hurt so bad.  Next time I hit my funny bone I’ll probably post something too, because I don’t know how that works either.