100 Issues for 100 Days: #86

#86: On the Eve of ...

Tomorrow is a random day off in the middle of the week and all I can say is: THANK GOD! I've already talked about my recent indifference towards work and my iPod still hasn't turned up so that is only growing. Then today a co-worker tried to tell me I'm not nice enough to her (even though she's a bitch most of the time). Frankly, I'm done with people pushing a lot of shit on me when they don't have their own stuff together.

/end rant

Sorry, what I really wanted to say was that in preparation of tomorrow's wonderful and much needed day off, I went to the grocery store today to get my "lay in bed" essentials:

1. A six-pack of beer: Since I'm treating myself I went with apricot Pyramid Hefeweizen.
2. A package of mint Milano cookies: quite possibly one of the best sweet treats ever and combines my faves mint and chocolate.
3. Cheese and crackers: I usually keep a few cheeses (goat, cheddar, pepper-jack) in the fridge but the crackers make it "lay in bed" worthy.
4. A mini-six pack of soda: I don't want to just drink beer but I don't want H2O to be my only other alternative. This is a nice compromise.
5. Lay's BBQ Chips: Chips are a necessity to all day TV watching.
6. Fruit: Acting seasonally, I went with the pomegranate.
7. A well-balanced dinner: After pigging out all day, I'll finally emerge in the evening to make a decent dinner that will begin to counteract the horribly wonderful fullness that comes from subsisting on chips, cheese & crackers, cookies and beer. I got steak, fresh kale and I'll add some couscous to round it out.

Tonight I'm going to clean all the essentials (bed, wash dishes, tidy up what I can) so I won't be hit with waves of guilt when I look around my apartment in the morning but other than that, I only get up to get more food and pee. Peace out.

100 Issues for 100 Days #76

#76: All Hallow's Eve


Halloween is probably my favorite holiday next to Christmas and my birthday (which I consider to be a holiday). As someone who's always loved stories, fantasy and theatre, the idea of an entire day dedicated to dressing in costume ... right up my alley.

But lately, as I've been talking to people I realize how maligned the holiday is. I will admit that Halloween is a far cry from what it originally was but every part of Halloween is rooted in some tradition.

At it's core Halloween is about a night when the veil between this world and the world of the dead is at its thinnest. Therefore, the spirits of the dead roam and the rituals we do are derived from the practical actions people took to ward off these spirits. Some of these practices are mostly lost, like the Celtic ritual of Samhain which is most closely related to Halloween. While others are still practiced today, like the Mexican Dia de los Muertos.

Costumes: The idea of costume-wearing is derived from the idea that while some spirits that may return on Halloween are helpful (the spirits of family members and friends), others may be harmful. So people wore costumes to frighten away the harmful spirits.

The Jack O' Lantern: In Irish and Scottish traditions, people lit candles to guide the spirits on their way. They would also carve turnips and rutabagas as well. This gave way to the jack o' lantern as we know it today.

Trick-or-treating: As many an altar will attest to, the giving of food to spirits is quite common in various religions. It is both an offering and a way to keep malicious spirits from trying to take more than you want them to. Historically, the poor would go door to door asking for the food that was laid out for spirits and offer their prayers for those who gave them food. This practice led to modern day trick-or-treating.

Candied Apples: Besides honouring the dead, given it's time of year, Halloween has also been a celebration of the harvest. As such, apples play a big role in the festival. In many Wiccan traditions, apples are also revered for their use in love spells. The apple is a fruit that is sacred to many traditions.

These are just a few of the Halloween traditions we know and love today. I just think it's time that people explore the history of Halloween before they think of it as scary or evil. And I think children would appreciate it more if we talked about the history and the various religious traditions it encompasses. In many ways, Halloween is one of the few holidays that everyone can embrace. I'm sure we all have a spirit we want near us as we claim our treats or plan our tricks.

Happy Halloween!

100 Issues for 100 Days: #69

#69: Lay In Bed Mix

The best thing about Sunday is that (if you can) you get to lay in bed all day. Often in movies and television this is depicted as the girl rolling around in her huge bed in gorgeous lingerie or sexy, casual underwear while an enticing soundtrack plays and she contemplates the next act to come. Even though I don't know too much about the rolling around in lingerie part, I can relate to laying in bed and listening to music. When I'm laying in bed, I want to listen to songs that take me from romance to lust to heartbreak and back again, along with a few songs I can sing along to. I created a playlist especially for that purpose and these are my top ten songs from that playlist (in order of how they should be played).


1. "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy" - Sarah Maclachan
Sarah Maclachlan hit it out of the park with this one. Equal parts sexy and romantic. It makes you want to pull at your clothes and feel skin against your skin, but not in a skeevy way.

2. "Cannot Even (Break Free)" - The Noisettes
This song is angsty and powerful. The lead singer of the Noisettes has a powerful voice and it's stretched to the limit here.

3. "Again" - Janet Jackson
The ultimate "lay in bed" song. The video features Janet on a bed covered in white with a simple top and a pair of jeans. A belly chain and Gary Dourdan are her only accessories.

4. "Bad Habits" - Maxwell
Although I disagree with the theme of the song, the infectious beat and Maxwell's breathy voice take me to another world.

5. "Beautiful" - Me'shell Ndegéocello
The height of romance. I first heard this song in the film Lost & Delirious and I'll probably always associate it with that movie. The lyrics are touching and the pared down to it's essence music is intoxicating.

6. "Realize" - Colbie Caillat
Simple message, simple melody but complicated emotions. It's a stereotypical dilemma. "If you'd just realize, what I just realized, then we'd be perfect for each other ... if you'd just realize"

7. "Your Body is a Wonderland" - John Mayer
Second only to "Again" when it comes to being a perfect "lay in bed" song. The entire video takes place in a bed. And why get out of bed when someone is discovering your body like it's newly discovered land?

8. "Pavement" - Cassie Steele
Cassie Steele is a young girl with some pretty dark lyrics. This song is full of angst and regret but in a way that's completely cathartic.

9. "Kissing You" - Des'ree
I can't help that every time I hear this song I see Leonardo DiCaprio kissing Claire Danes in my head. But more than that this song epitomizes innocent love and glorifies one of my favorite things: kissing.

10. "Heaven Help" - Lenny Kravitz
My mix ends with this song because it's not only soothing but it's determined and hopeful. When Lenny says, "I'm ready for love", I feel like I can go out and face anything. And who knows what I might find when I make up my mind to find it.

100 Issues for 100 Days: #58

#58: Packed House

Now that we've had a few weeks of new television, I thought I'd give my list of shows I'm loving, shows that are languishing on the DVR and others that have been deleted altogether.

My two busiest nights are Sundays and Thursdays. Sundays are comedy and drama. Animation Domination on FOX (Simpsons, The Cleveland Show, Family Guy, and American Dad) brings the funny as well as Calfornication. And the drama comes with Dexter, Brothers & Sisters and Cold Case. Rounding it all out is The Amazing Race. And until this week's finales there was also Army Wives and Drop Dead Diva. Combined that's 8 1/2 hours. The animated shows usually chill on the DVR until Monday morning while Cold Case and The Amazing Race I enjoy watching the night of. The rest stick around until Tuesday or the weekend.

Thursdays, there's Supernatural, Flashforward, Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice (both of whom have earned "night of" status because of their brilliant season openers), Fringe and Bones. Luckily, Fringe and Bones are both on Hulu, but they've unfortunately been relegated to weekend viewing.

Glee, Modern Family and Cougar Town have also earned coveted "night of" status because after the long crazy Wednesdays that I have, I need to laugh. And seriously, if you are not watching at least 2 of these three shows something is wrong with you.

Mondays are hard. I love all the shows that are on Monday but it's hit or miss with some of my favorites like Gossip Girl and Big Bang Theory. How I Met Your Mother has been great though, especially since Robin and Barney got together. And they still bring exciting extras like ItWasTheBestNightEver.com.

Friday has become another hit or miss night. Although Dollhouse is really building on the mythology of the show, some of the engagements have been less interesting. And one of my favorites, Numb3rs, has actually become formulaic to me.

There are some shows that still have legs though. I was hoping to drop 90210 but it's been exceptional this season. On the flip side, some of the shows I was excited about have fallen by the wayside. Castle has become a show that I try to catch but I rarely succeed. One Tree Hill, though promising is also a "try but don't cry" if I miss it show. And then there's the new shows. Eastwick has peaked my attention so I'm trying to catch up on ABC.com. But Melrose Place, and ABC's new comedy block are non-starters for me. FOX also has a new comedy called Brothers but given that it was buried on Fridays, I don't hold out hope. Finally, NBC is dead to me. The shows suck and they won't let the cast of Glee perform at the Thanksgiving Day parade out of fear. The only show I watch on that network is 30 Rock and I'd much rather watch it on Hulu. I also get DirecTv, so I'll be watching Friday Night Lights when it returns on October 28th and I get to bypass NBC's premiere in January.

100 Issues for 100 Days: #37

#37: Music & Lyrics

Today's a slow day for returning shows so I thought I'd honor all of my favorite television/music moments. Growing up, music was always a part of television. Theme songs and special guest stars always highlighted the musical moments of the shows but it wasn't until my teens when shows started to use television to launch new and emerging artists in a really significant way. So I just wanted to countdown my top 5 tv/music moments.

#5: Fisher - I Will Love You (Roswell)


I was a huge fan of the Max/Tess pairing on Roswell and their love scene was perfectly punctuated by Fisher's song. The love story of two characters separated by time and death was illustrated by the lyrics "Til my body is dust and my soul is no more/I will love you, love you"


#4: James Taylor - Fire & Rain (Dawson's Creek)

A classic song set to a memorable scene. After Dawson's father dies he all but burns everyone around him and ends up crying alone in his car while James Taylor plays in the background.



#3: The Sundays - Wild Horses (Buffy, The Vampire Slayer)



The best thing about this scene was that it was what every girl dreams of, dancing at her prom with her boyfriend, but it was set off by the knowledge that the moment was fleeting and more than likely the last time Buffy and Angel would be together. Bittersweet.


#2: Melissa McLelland - Rooftop (Degrassi)

Degrassi made a ground-breaking episode about a school shooting and besides the sound of gunshots, Melissa McLelland's song, Rooftop, haunted me or days after the show aired.



Honorable Mention: One Tree Hill. I have to give this show honorable mention because it consistently has amazing music and has introduced me to tons of artists. I actually could have done this entire list with just selections from this show.

#1: Kate Havnevik - Grace (Grey's Anatomy)



This moment tops the list because it has to do with two of my favorite television couples. In this scene Meredith and Derek succumb to lust and love after a season apart and a hopeful Izzie prepares to see the love of her life Denny Duquette as we watch him die. Beautiful, sensual, sad and life-changing. I don't think I've ever cried so much over a television show.