Kristen Wiig one ups herself

Okay, this'll be my last Kristen Wiig SNL sketch post, but I couldn't just let it go without showing you this one. This one is just a bit longer, but worth it I assure you! I'm dedicating this to anyone who has ever reacted differently to life than the "normals." Sue is just a chick who can't hold back her enthusiasm for surprise parties....haven't we all felt like the oddball at some point? Okay, maybe it's just me.....

Funniest SNL sketch in years

Kristin Wiig is so super hysterical, she kills it in every performance! This is my favorite sketch of hers, but she has created so many awesome characters that just blow my mind. She's the new Molly Shannon, but with more subtlety. You'll love it!

The real Halloween

Halloween has always sent shivers all over me, mainly because I've always scared really, really easily. I'm a product of the 70s, when even the most conservative parents saw no harm in their kids running the streets in cheap plastic costumes depicting some super hero or underworld creature. The masks that came with the costumes were hard plastic with holes for eyes, tiny holes for breathing, and a little slit at the mouth which served no rational purpose; these masks were held very UNsecurely around our heads by a single, thin rubber band stapled to Spiderman's or whomever's cheeks. We ALL used plastic pumpkins with black eyes, noses and mouths which we held by the black plastic handle. And we kept them from year to year, just like we did our Easter baskets. We did not replace them with disposable WalMart crap every year, as there was no WalMart. Those really were simpler times, at the risk of sounding like my grandparents. No one took it too seriously, it was just kids begging their neighbors for candy. Nowadays people are afraid of everything, and many parents don't allow their kids to celebrate Halloween in the belief that it is an evil, Pagan holiday. Pagan in history, yes. Evil, NO WAY! There's a very interesting and rich history behind Halloween and I thought I'd look it up for myself this year, so I could stop the goosebumps that plague me every October 31st. The ancient Celtic culture that thrived in more parts of Europe than I ever imagined was especially active in Ireland. It was a Pagan culture which was still very agricultural, and their lives depended on their crops and harvest. On one day of the year they believed that since the crops were in, and the green around them was turning to brown, there was one night when the season of life met the season of death. It was on this night that the dead could walk among the living and wreak havoc if they so chose, and this day was held in such importance that some say this was celebrated as the Celtic New Year. Samhain, the Celtic word for summer's end, was the name of this celebration which was also feared. So to try to scare off or placate the spirits walking among them on this night they wore demonic disguises, or scary costumes and burned great big bonfires to ward off evil. Well, as the Celtic culture gave way to Christianity, the Irish kept their Halloween traditions and beliefs. The Catholics, feeling the need to bring religion to the people, took a feast celebration formally held on May 13 (which was also the date of an earlier Pagan holiday known as Feast of the Lemures) called All Saints' Day and moved it to November 1st, the day after the old Pagan holiday. Halloween is so named because now it was the Eve of All Saints' Day, and became All Hallows Eve, or All Hallows Even, both Eve and Even short for evening. So All Hallows Even became Halloween. In early America Halloween was not celebrated, due to the Puritan values upon which it was built. But in the mid-nineteenth century, thousands of hungry Irish descended upon New York City and brought with them their old traditions, including Halloween. The bonfires turned into the burning of carved gourds, or pumpkins, and children became the primary practitioners of the holiday, still enjoying the costumes. Some believe that trick or treating came from the old Irish practice of peasants going from house to house praying for its owners in exchange for a small piece of cake. By the mid-20th century Halloween had become one of the most profitable holidays in the US. This history lesson has given me a whole new outlook on Halloween, and an appreciation for a culture of which I was totally unfamiliar. I've done some reading on the Celts and they seem like pretty awesome folks. So now you know!

Choice?

The landslide brought me down

My 34th birthday is quickly approaching, and now more than ever I'm aware of the reality of change and the necessity of it as well. Change isn't a thing to dread, as if it will take you down and ruin you, leaving you a confused shell of your former self. If I'm honest with myself, my former self needed changing, no matter the cost. And what is that cost? Pain. My heart aches for people and places that don't even exist anymore, and has held on by the last thin, invisible string just in case the loss is an illusion and I'm only dreaming of the present. It's most incomprehensible to let go of the hands you grasp that are no longer holding on to yours. And to realize that time and distance have not been the only factors in changing the relationship you revere the most, but rather an organic change in that person him/herself that in no way is a reflection of you, but in spite of you and your magical, colorful and bonded past. 33 was a year of amazing and blossoming growth, and its fantastic surprise has made me more hopeful than ever before, b/c I realize the unpredictability of life can work for good, not just a random episode of my bad ole, faithful ole mental illness. I've come to see the fragility of life and its many layers and colors as beautiful and tragic all at once. And waking to a day with another year almost behind me makes me realize that it's worth it- every single tear and giggle has been worth it and I never thought I'd be able to say that even just a few years ago. This song has always conjured up a million epiphanies for me, its words and melody never fail to draw emotion from deep within me. And the questions it asks are so real it's an almost palpable request to take a closer look, have a good cry, linger on the past for a moment and let go. It's about moving on, and I can do that.

Shame on you, China!

During the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, a super-cute little girl brought down the house by singing a beautiful song. So talented, right? Wrong! The precious, fresh-faced, picture-perfect girl who performed did not sing the song at all---- she lip synched. The girl on the right is the one who lent her lovely voice. A Chinese Official said, "The main consideration was the national interest. The child on the screen should be flawless in image, in her internal feelings, and in her expression." Can you imagine the rejection and humiliation that budding singer feels? I'm not pretty enough to represent my country? I sincerely hope that we would not resort to such extreme discrimination and harsh judgement based on a child's particular FACIAL FEATURES. Though I'm not so sure we're above it considering the children featured on TV programs. Another thing China is being called out on is the fact that the majority of professionals in the field of gymnastics believe at least half of China's women's team are underage! By quite a few years, even. Have you seen these girls? Some of them look like little children, and the only proof of age required is a passport issued from their country of origin. Do we believe China is above faking passports? Not if they'll reject and take advantage of an innocent little girl whose voice was perfect, but her face just didn't make the cut.

Bit of trivia: The colors of the Olympic rings are purposeful and not arbitrary. They represent the colors of all countries' flags, b/c every single country in the world has at least one of those colors on their flag.

Karate Kid

Can you believe this guy? Ralph Macchio is 46 and still looks like a frat boy. Just thought you might like a blast from the past. Sorry about the lack of posts, it's terrible, but I'll be back soon!