Farewell to 04

In 2004, the highs were high, the lows were low and the boobs were abundant, starting with the Super Bowl half-time show featuring Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake. A war raged in Iraq and most of the world was against it, but a narrow majority of US citizens decided it was a good idea to let a different kind of boob run the country for four more years anyway. The rest of us spent Wednesday, November 3rd weeping and gnashing our teeth in frustration. The Passion of the Christ and Fahrenheit 9/11 stirred up all kinds of controversy, while The Daily Show with Jon Stewart kept us laughing about it all. Ashlee Simpson, Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan and Tara Reid were all overly exposed. You know why. Martha Stewart went to jail and the Pistons and the Pacers got so upset about it they started a brawl in the stands to protest. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason turned out to be a ridiculously bad movie, but Helen Fielding's latest book, Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination turned out to be ridiculously fun. Ron Perlman made an excellent Hellboy and the props department made him an excellent gun, a copy of which mAc later received for his 30th birthday. On April 1, 2004, we got engaged at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Pasadena. This year, we literally attended four weddings and, sadly, a funeral. We also attended the college graduation of mAc's mom, Val, and couldn't be prouder. This year we said goodbye to Angel, the last of our Joss Whedon TV show addictions, but said hello to JJ Abrams' amazing Lost. And then, we met Joss as well as most of our favorite cast members from Buffy, Angel and Firefly and they were awesome. We both worked hard and traveled so much that between the two of us we were in at least 11 different airports over the course of the year. 2004 movies were filled with zombies a-go-go, including Dawn of the Dead, Resident Evil 2 and the hilarious Shaun of the Dead. mAc auditioned to be the Independent Film Channel's Ultimate Film Fanatic, but it turns out he was very popular in Seattle, and so was disqualified for knowing two of the contestants. New babies Paul Muntersbjorn, Hayden Lee, Conner & Phoebe McLean and Spencer McLean all graced us with their arrival, while Marlon Brando, Christopher Reeve and Johnny Ramone all bid us farewell. Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill Volume 2 and the Coachella Music Festival in Indio, CA rocked our socks off. In 2004 we made even more good friends here in the City of Angels, with whom we stood gobsmacked, pensive and bewildered at the world gone crazy around us… and then we shook it off and went for margaritas. And throughout all of these events, this is what we were listening to.


Somebody Told Me/The Killers – Because it’s one of our favorites of 2004.
Triple Trouble/The Beastie Boys – Because it’s the Boys at their political-yet-danceable best.
On Top Of Your World/ Sahara Hotnights – Because they’re chicks, they’re Swedish and they rock.
Talk to Me, Dance with Me/Hot Hot Heat – Because you can’t not shake your ass to that cowbell.
Still in Love Song/The Stills – Because if you went back in time, this would be perfect for the Valley Girl soundtrack.
Ghost in the Radio/Pretty Girls Make Graves – Because it sounds so very good so very loud.
Dark of the Matinee/Franz Ferdinand – Because despite being yet another 80’s pop rock throw-back, they’re actually excellent.
Glass Danse/The Faint – Because if New Order sounded a little more industrial, they’d sound like this.
Such Great Heights/The Postal Service – Because it sounds rad bouncing around on a good pair of speakers.
Mirando De Lado/Kinky – Because it’s Latin techno dance funk. Yes, all four.
All Night (Don’t Stop)/ Janet Jackson – Because she does more things well than flash her goodies.
Hollaback Girl/Gwen Stefani – Because she made the marching band’s drum corps cool.
Are We The Waiting Unknown/Green Day – Because it’s the best power rock ballad the 80’s hair bands never made.
Beautiful Child/Rufus Wainright – Because it’s so over-produced, it’s awesome.
Fall To Pieces/Velvet Revolver – Because it’s so different from Patsy Cline’s song by the same name. And also, beautiful.
She Wants to Move/N.E.R.D. – Because the primal beat makes you want to dance around like the sexy bitch in the song.
Shut Up/Black Eyed Peas – Because the nod to Peggy Lee at the end is only the cherry on top.
Maps/Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Because even punk bands can sing sweet, yearning love songs.
So Says I/The Shins – Because it’s upbeat and happy and yet totally not annoying.
Do You Realize??/The Flaming Lips – Because it has all the anthem-like, wall-of-sound qualities required for a big finish.

Go. Do. Now.

The devastating tsunami that hit Indonesia on Sunday has rocketed the death toll up to 116,000 people. Homes and businesses have been wiped out, many survivors have been left with little to keep them company besides grief and disease. YOU CAN HELP. $50, $25, even $5. You know you've spent more than that on beer or entertainment, probably just this week. Go. Do. Now.

Why I'm marrying him

Me: "I printed out theknot.com's to do list. According to them, we're really behind. I'm going to go throw up now."

Him: "The Knot is full of horseshit. If we wanted to have an anal by-the-book wedding, then fine, maybe we are behind, but I call bullshit. It’s a fun event and doesn’t need FIVE MONTHS of psychotic-ness in order to happen. We’ll be totally fine."

Love.

Happy Birthday Xjan!

Also, my friend Robot posted the short he did for Portland's Season's Bleedings film festival to his blog finally, so y'all should go check that out.

Word.

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming 'WOO HOO what a ride!'"
~Anonymous-as-far-as-I-know

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Whether you love or hate Christmas and the songs that go with it, you have to read this essay/rant by Sarah Bunting (aka Sars from TwoP) on Tomato Nation. A sample:
"And speaking of things in Christmas songs that I don't understand, what is going on in "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"? First of all, in my house, you stayed in bed Christmas Eve or you got a spanking in your stocking. Second of all, either Mommy is cheating on Daddy with Santa, or Daddy is dressed up as Santa and it's some kind of May-December roly-poly kinky thing that the kid doesn't need to see, which leads me my third point, namely that the child is kind of a voyeur, and when Mommy gets done playing tonsil hockey with St. Nick, she might want to look into a child psychologist before neighborhood pets start disappearing."

Now go.

It's not voyeurism, it's Art

Last Sunday night I went to an event for Found Magazine, a publication that collects found notes, photos and other random items and publishes them. It was a cool event and between mAc, Amanda and me we walked out with the coffee table book, a CD from the founder's brother's band and a t-shirt that says, "The Booty Don't Stop." (Long story.) I could wax philosophical about why looking at found notes and letters meant for someone else is so compelling, but the truth is it's just one notch up from watching reality television, really. And, as Amanda whispered to me during one of the readings, "We like voyeurism because it makes us feel better about our lives." So simple, so true.

In other news, I saw Closer this week. Good movie, very interesting. And Clive Owen? Totally rocked that part. Earned himself a big fat Oscar nod he did, mark my puffy words.

I'd rather have a Bud Light

Dude. I would SO be the one to choke on that damn diamond.