March, 2008

  1. Special!

    March 12, 2008 by admin

    So, I am currently in the middle of having some kind of incredibly profound experience with Judith Butler. So ridiculously pretentious, I know. I’m doing some work right now on music and war and violence so I’m reading Precarious Life, which is Judy not talking gender and performance, but rather, talking about mourning and violence post-9/11. And I don’t know what it is, but I am just kind of in love with this book right now and I think it’s really wonderful.

    Actually, probably what it is is that this is the first time I’ve read Butler and actually understood her and it makes me feel like I’m special.

    Um, in completely unrelated news, I clearly need some action or something because I keep getting it in my head that it would be a good idea to call up someone that I obviously shouldn’t call up for, you know, some action. Last night I went so far as to draft an email and then passive-aggressively posted it over in ye olde Missed Connections just to get it out of my system. Because that’s ALWAYS constructive. This evening I have decided to go with the tactic of telling you, my internet family about it, and now I am going to go watch a Mae West movie.

    Oh, but before I go! We went out for Italian tonight and there was this totally out of place cocktail menu that had a drink on it called a Han Solo and had no description of its contents other than something to the effect of “cool, refreshing and delicious” and now I have looked it up and every recipe I have found for a Han Solo cocktail seems to call for gin, vodka, rum, triple sec, sour mix and two kinds of bourbon. Which does not sound cool, refreshing or delicious, and is tragic, because a cocktail with that name held so much promise.

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  2. A rhetorical question because clearly all of the answers are true.

    March 10, 2008 by admin

    I have a sunburn in my cleavage! Does this mean that I am:

    a) A woman of distinction?
    b) A woman of loose morals?
    c) Currently residing in Southern California?
    d) Fire in the disco?

    or

    e) charming?

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  3. It is week ten.

    March 10, 2008 by admin

    ie: The last week of the quarter. I should be doing any number of things. Things like writing papers, mostly. Instead, tonight, I spent an hour and a half polishing my shoes. I do not see this as frivolous. I see this as working to ensure the future of my investment. And also…now they’re, like, super shiny. And, also, awesome.


    And…here is some sample dialogue from my life. From back when Tanya was visiting, and I had just bought my Christmas present shoes.

    Alexandra: I would like to line up all of my Fluevogs in a circle. And sit in the middle. And just…admire them.

    Tanya: Um…are you obsessive compulsive?

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  4. Love!

    March 9, 2008 by admin

    If you come visit me in Los Angeles, I will probably drag you to the Hollywood History Museum.

    I will probably casually say something along the lines of, “Oh, hey, let’s check out the Hollywood History Museum. It’s fun. You’d like it.”

    This is code for “We really need to go to the Hollywood History Museum because it is my favourite thing in the entire city because I am strangely fixated on the Hollywood of yore and all of it’s glitz and glamour, and you, visitor, are my excuse to go to the museum again because I really can’t rationalize just going there on my own, all the time, because it is so not hip to hang out, alone, at tourist attractions, and they have Joan Crawford’s make up kit! Truly, it is the greatest place on earth.”

    My reasons for loving this place are many. Here is a brief sample:

    1. Joan Crawford’s make up kit.

    2. It was the original Max Factor building. And is thus a glorious pink art deco confection from the 1930s.

    3. They have Indiana Jones’ hat! And also a deck of cards from Club Obi Wan! And also the grail diary from The Last Crusade! And and and! Omg, Indiana Jones!

    4. They have all of these AMAZING dresses and costumes by people like Edith Head that were worn by people like Lana Turner and Jane Russell and Greta Garbo and Bette Davis and there’s a Frederick’s bustier that Marilyn wore and costumes from Moulin Rouge, and the ruby slippers and so many other Important Cultural Artifacts that have greatly influenced my development into the Stylish Young Lady that I am today.

    5. Elvis Presley’s bathrobe is in a glass case labeled “Elvis’ Personal Stained Bathrobe.” That’s some really good signage.

    6. Ok, there is this old lady who runs the front desk who is clearly crazy but in a wonderful way, and who I like to believe used to be some kind of actress of some sort back in the golden age, because she sort of looks like she’s had some work done and she always looks really well put together and she tells me really funny things, like the other day she was like “You remember Lana Turner? There’s a dress on display upstairs that was Lana Turner’s and people used to complain to me that it was on display inside out. But it’s not! That’s just what it looks like! It’s just so detailed and well made that it looks inside out!” Like, what was she even talking about? I don’t even care. I love that old lady. I think I need to maybe find out if she’ll be my friend and tell me about her shady past as a chorus girl at Grauman’s, back when they used to have chorus girls there. I will take her for cocktails at Musso and Frank’s.

    Also, the security guard told me that the basement used to be a speakeasy, which is new news. And could possibly be not true. But I don’t even care. It really just adds to the whole glorious mystique of the place and increases its standing in my heart. Go ahead. Fill my head with beautiful lies about that building. Tell me anything. Tell me there is a unicorn in the attic. Because, honestly, that place makes my dreams come true.

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  5. But anyhow.

    March 5, 2008 by admin

    I was going to write a post about how I am fed up with these manchildren type of boys who are in their twenties and thirties and work in video games, comic books or other industries that allow them to have jobs where they just play video games or sit around and draw Wolverine all day and subsequently just stay really immature and treat people really selfishly, and how I am so fed up with this trend and would really like to go out on a date with someone who just has their shit together*, but then I remembered that for breakfast today I had Froot Loops and a cupcake and realized that I should probably shut my face about maturity.

    *Barbarella date last night was super fun, though, and possibly that guy has his shit together? I don’t really know yet? So this has nothing to do with that – it’s just about some realizations that I’ve been having. Like the realization that since 99% of humanity just annoys the crap out of me, I probably shouldn’t even bother trying for a relationship ever again, because, seriously.

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  6. Awesome b/w suck

    March 3, 2008 by admin

    Things that are awesome!

    1. Barbarella date tomorrow night!

    2. I have tickets to see the Gossip in April!

    3. I am going to San Francisco for spring break!

    4. My mom and my sister are coming to visit on Thursday!

    5. I am eating a particularly delicious orange!

    Things that suck!

    1. I have France class in two hours!

    2. The library emailed me saying that I have an overdue book, when clearly I returned the book in question on Friday. Honestly, who would hold on to Spivak for longer than you have to?

    3. I have a stye because I forgot to wash of my mascara before going to bed the other night (BAD IDEA) so my lower eyelid is all puffed up and looks really charming and also I can’t wear mascara until it goes away which is sad because I love that shit. And the swelling better go down before Barbarella date. That’s all I’m saying.

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  7. Dessert deathmatch

    March 2, 2008 by admin

    Tanya made tarts! She is going to be the Food Network’s next superstar chef!

    I made lemon and white chocolate cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting.


    And also when I brought some with me to meet this potential roommate person for coffee, the potential roommate person ate three of them. That’s how delicious they are. And also, that icing, which was invented mainly through trial and error, is officially the most important contribution I have ever made to civilization. And, you know I’ve made some pretty important contributions. Like, I invented that shot called The Barbarella (Grand Marnier + Peach Schnapps) that one time. That was a pretty good contribution. But not as good as this. Also, I will take the recipe to my grave, so don’t even bother asking. This stuff is so powerful that I can’t trust just anyone with it.

    Oh, also:

    Dear Los Angeles,

    Please be sunny tomorrow like you are supposed to be so that I can go do my homework at the beach.

    Love forever,

    Alexandra

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  8. And this is why I am a scholar of punk rock.

    March 1, 2008 by admin

    Something musicologists like to do is listen to pieces of music and say “Oh! I can hear Tristan in that!” or “This clearly shows the influence of Tristan!” or “Hey! That’s a Tristan chord!” Because, you know, Tristan und Isolde is such a landmark of composition that EVERYTHING that was written after it MUST display its influence some way or another.

    Being able to instantly identify references (real or imagined) to Tristan und Isolde in other works is not an ability that I am lucky enough to count as being part of musicological skill set (my musicological skill set has, however, equipped me to be very good at rolling my eyes and thinking, “Jesus Christ, Wagner again? Oh honestly,” whenever someone else flexes their “look it’s some Tristan!” muscles).

    Anyhow, I was thinking about all of this today as I sat in the library reading about Wagner for Stupid France class (because, you know, he’s everywhere. Even in France), and wondering why I missed the part where you gain the ability to identify Tristan whenever it rears it’s ugly (no, seriously, UGLY) head.

    And then I realized that it’s because, in all of my years as a musician, as a music student, as a one-time-aspiring opera singer, and as a musicologist, I, Alexandra, have never actually heard any of Tristan and Isolde.

    My new goal in life is to obtain my doctoral degree without ever hearing any.

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