tv shows that no one remembers (except me).

i swear that all of the following shows are IMDB legit. yet, every time i’ve ever tried to describe any of them to someone, they either change the subject or run away. rude! i proudly claim these weird, forgotten, and awesomely terrible blips in tv history.

1. today's special

the one with the creepy department store mannequin that came to life at night and hung out with the chick that worked there. i think it was canadian. the mannequin was actually kind of cute when he became human, as my 5 year-old self remembers. but, um, he was also a mannequin, so....

2. on our own

the one about the six orphaned siblings struggling to make it in the ‘hood. It was part of the TGIF lineup for like, two weeks, and starred real-life siblings whose names all began with “j”. and they played characters whose names all began with “j”, but were different than their real names. oh dear, i’m beginning to understand why this didn’t last very long.

3. second noah

the one in hawaii with all of the pets and all of the kids. oh, and james marsden. no, i don’t mean 7th heaven, but i think the dad might have also been played by stephen collins or someone that looked a lot like him. “noah” is a reference to the ark. get it?!

4. fred penner's place

the one with the guy that had the guitar and sat on rocks and sang children’s folk songs. sometimes animal puppets would even join him,i think. he also instructed us viewers how to deal if we got sprayed by a skunk in one episode. there may have been some serious hallucinogenic drug overtones going on, but guys, he was basically the original man vs. wild! give the man some credit.

it's hard to look right...at you baaaaaby!

just documenting one of the greatest pop songs i've ever heard in my entire life. this homemade music video even makes me like bieber, which is saying A LOT. i'm on day 2 of listening to it on repeat, running low on food and water...but i can't stop.

from the livejournal archives: on this day in 2006...

this past week has been all about nostalgia for me, man. i made a huge playlist of basically everything i listened to from 2000-2006, and called up the old livejournal the other day for some lolz. i'm pretty pleased with how thorough i was! so let's look at what happened on this day in 2006, shall we? it was kind of boring, i guess, but there are so many forgotten cultural touchstones that it's like a damn time capsule(failure to launch kind of...failed to launch, rock-a-way records is long gone, i did end up working at my dad's office that summer, i got into emerson, etc.). i'd love to hear some of your old LJ gems- that is, if you weren't too cool for one back in the day.

your mind ain't playin' tricks and neither am i

[19 Mar 2006|12:32pm]

[ mood | busy ] aaand spring break's over. school's such a drag! things i did of note this past week include going with jacob to this awesome little vinyl store in nashua, called rock-a-way records. as i put it, it was a "hidden gem in an otherwise uncultured city". reminded me of a store that would be in portsmouth or something and i loved it! i might just go back there sometime to snag a kinks or black sabbath record for decoration, unless i buy a record player. which i have been toying with, too. i'm reading an article about the guy who owns it and i guess he's only 23. keep going, man...you're rocking nashua's world! i also saw failure to launch and now am even more in love with matthew mcconaughey (i honestly have to google his name every time), and idolize zooey deschanel. aaand i rented must love dogs which was cute...i need my own john cusack!! and i rekindled my dunkin' donuts love. though i probably can never work there again, i'm truly surprised at how much MORE i go there now for coffee...i probably went almost every day during break. sad, but that's my caffeine addiction. speaking of which, i'm also trying to think once again of summer employment ideas. i was supposed to be working at my dad's office, making frickin' 15 bucks an hour or something, but they gave the job to the girl who got it last summer. AWESOME...looks like more food service/retail fun for me! so, i sent in the last form that was part of my emerson application a few days before spring break started. it's been a long time coming, but it feels good to have it finished. now i just have to wait, which isn't my forte. but, what will be will be, and i'm really just hoping it works out! i kind of want to go see adam green at the bowery ballroom in april. but i don't know if anyone else here appreciates his oddball/extremely vulgar lyrics (i.e "you know i wanna bone you!! i wanna put a hole in you!") and that's quite a tame example. listen to some of his songs, especially "no legs" for a raunchy laugh or two...i think he's hysterical. my room is freeeezing. and i need to unpack. spring is tomorrow, i think, and it better stop flurrying here so i can get excited about it.

the best of weird florida, part #1

i love taking pictures of weird things, and florida has provided me with no shortage of them. so, i thought it was about time to start a collection of the photos. heeeere we go! please add your own "weird" sightings in the comments!

turtle bay "liquor bar" (orlando)

"breeder's pick" puppies (orlando)

3 signs, 3 flags (orlando)

outdoor laundromat (vero beach)

100 things to do in 2012: month in review

holy god how is it already (almost) march?! this time last year, i had just gotten into grad school and was about to head to TX for sxsw. so much has changed! all good things, though. i didn't accomplish as much from my list this month as i'd hoped to (read: go to miami for the south beach wine and food fest to chill with paula deen) but it's fiiiine.

ALSO! before i get into this month, i have to update you guys on one of my items from last year, which was to write a fan letter and get a response. welp, i received a huge envelope from LA a few weeks ago and knew immediately that it was from my fave jackass, steve-o. it was better than i could have dreamed:

but onto february!

10. make $2,000 in freelance: STARTED.

$785 already! holl-errrr.

29. watch 26 new movies, one for each letter of the alphabet: CONTINUED.

watched "midnight in paris" and "catfish" this month...both highly recommended (catfish is haunting my dreams). 20 to go!

42. give more than a 20% tip: COMPLETED.

i went to a new hair stylist and he was super-awesome and sweet, so he totally deserved a lil' extra.

77. find one new song that i like each week: COMPLETED.

my annual sxsw music hunt netted me some awesome songs, including:

furguson - casacuberta

the front bottoms - maps

the technicolors - to love

the lovely bad things - i just want you to go away

(you can listen to all of them on my sxsw playlist)

i also secretly started loving that cobra starship song "middle finger". but my current favorite, thanks to my pal jacob, is this tune (which he described as "very 'kim'". um, correct!) what is with me loving bands with "walk" and celestial objects in their names this year?! whatever, i'm going with it.

79. make my nails look really awesome: COMPLETED(?)

a meeting for a research paper last weekend with a friend and fellow classmate became us getting manicures instead...totally fine. i'm kind of stoked on the purple and gold glitter thang, but i think i can get a little crazier. so this one is a maybe.

damn hipsters.

so, we watched this clip from portlandia in one of my grad school classes last night (as part of a larger discussion on hipsters) and...WHY DON'T I GET IFC? so hilarious.

anyways, we also talked about how substantial the "hipster" culture is here in orlando. it's kind of weird, really, and people don't believe me. but there are more underground art galleries, coffee shops, vintage shops, and dirty dive bars in some areas than you could imagine, and i kind of love it. as someone who tends to hang on the fringes of that whole scene (read: likes lattes and live music, but dislikes all the pretense and the women's jeans on guys and such), i can dig it. i ain't afraid to say it: hipsters, i don't hate you! go on with yo' too cool selves.

4 tv characters that would make great valentines.

oh, v-day. i know it's all cool to hate you, but i just can't. i mean, there's chocolate involved! it's impossible to hate a day that involves chocolate. but i digress.

i was thinking about how i gave out "clarissa explains it all" valentines one year in elementary school, and what a crush i had on sam. he's being left out of this list because um, i'm no longer 8 years old, but here are the top 4 on-air dudes i wouldn't mind getting some candy hearts from:

1) jordan catalano (my so-called life)

so what if he can't read and he doesn't really have any other ambitions besides fronting the frozen embryos? he wears flannel and he's dreamy, goddammit.

2. jess mariano (gilmore girls)

same type, different show. rory so should have ended up with him!

3. seth cohen (the oc)

a nerd, sure, but a stand-up guy and a fellow music-lover. perfect!

4. nick andopolis (freaks and geeks)

i would basically just like to be jason segel's friend in general...and his f&g character really doesn't seem too far removed from his real-life personality. plus, he's a drummer. and everyone loves drummers.

100 things to do in 2012: month in review

hey, y'all! hope 2012 is off to a great start...i know i'm loving it already. i got to knock off at least a few items from my list, so hooray for that:

23. go to tampa & st. petersburg: PARTIALLY COMPLETED.

i took a trip to tampa last weekend to see my dear friend alissa and attend what is basically a pirate mardi gras known as gasparilla (pictures here). this was my first trip to tampa, and it was so much fun. especially since swashbucklers were roaming freely, i discovered the brilliance that is a dirty shirley, i got like 10 billion beads, and a man giving out free hugs told me i was a good hugger. success!

29: watch 26 new movies, one for each letter of the alphabet: STARTED.

the help, happythankyoumoreplease, something borrowed, and new year's eve. only 22 more to go!

75. laugh so hard i cry: COMPLETED.

i can always count on this youtube diva to crack me up, and i randomly decided to watch this video a few weeks ago. TEARS, child....tears rolling down my face the entire time. i seriously can't handle the genius of qaadir howard. enjoy!

77. find one new song i like each week: COMPLETED.

among them:

panic at the disco - "ready to go"

drake - "the motto"

breathe carolina - "blackout"

walk off the earth's cover of gotye's "somebody that i used to know" (in my previous post)

WOTE was definitely my best discovery and i'm kind of a little bit obsessed with them now. but i mean, how can you not love a band that does ridiculous covers of LMFAO and rihanna? also, i may or may not be in love with the long-haired singer who kind of looks like jesus. watch and LOVE!

96. eat at a hibachi steakhouse: COMPLETED.

my friend amy is moving to israel for 5 months(!) and just happened to have her going away dinner at a great hibachi place here in orlando. i don't think i'd been to one since i was like, 8, so it was a ton of fun. the chef pretended to throw an egg at me and we all chowed down on steak/chicken/shrimp/pasta/veggies. good times!

random round-up!

1. i made a lil' spotify mix for your (and my own) enjoyment.

2. this video is badass:

3. i want to have like 10,000 of shemar moore's babies:

4. i also want to live in this apartment.

5. i walked 7 miles this past weekend on cady way trail and saw a mini-orange tree. a MINI-ORANGE TREE! just fantastic.

campaign to bring anthony bourdain to orlando: a plea

look, i get it. when most people think "orlando", they think of big mouse ears, big-box chain restaurants, big populations of old people, and big dummies like casey anthony. but it's so much more! i'm talking to you, anthony bourdain.

you might have to look a little bit harder for it than in places like, say, new york or san fran, but o-town has a culture all its own that extends beyond boy bands and theme parks. among the hidden gems:

-a burgeoning food truck scene: peddling everything from chicken and waffles to sushi to gator tail and swedish fare, orlando's food trucks are delicious and varied. weekly "food truck bazaars" bring them all together like one big, happy, gas-powered family.

-great dive bars: will's pub, eye spy, bar-b-q bar, underground bluz. to name a few. plenty of places around town to kick back with a few brews and get weird. can't you just see A.B. hanging out at the lodge among the moose heads?

-MEAT: from the freakin' awesome barbeque at four rivers to the perfect roast beef sandwiches and creepy clown decor at beefy king, there are no shortage of places to enjoy some mouth-watering meaty goodness. rumor has it that the cheesesteak at laspada's is better than pat's in philly, tony...

my point? i'm spreading the word about a great campaign to bring anthony bourdain to orlando. the man's been all over the country and world, but has skillfully evaded pretty much everywhere in florida besides miami. join the revolution, "like" the page, and help us get tony down here, will ya?! mickey and i thank you.

love in the idol line: american idol's sexiest performances

it's baaaaaack! well, next week, anyways. as someone who's only voluntarily stopped watching during two seasons (the fantasia fail and the lee dewyze disaster) i will forever love american idol no matter what any haters say, because it's pure entertainment at its best. there are sob stories, success stories, seacrest wearing fake beards, steven tyler making up nonsensical phrases, randy saying "pitchy, dawg" and all sorts of other whimsy and wonder. my previous roommate had never watched before last season, but by the end of it she was proclaiming her love for ryan seacrest and voting feverishly.

forget "glee"...no other show has the power to make me download a clay aiken rendition of "don't let the sun go down on me" and revisit youtube clips years later. speaking of which, there have been some sexified performances that the fangirl within me will never forget (um, not by clay aiken, though). i give you, fine people, the top 3 sexiest idol performances of all time....OF ALL TIME!

3. david cook (season 7) - "daytripper"

i had a mostly hate relationship with david cook, mainly because he seemed super-arrogant during his season. but he brought out the voicebox for this performance and reduced me to a teenybopping mess with his bedroom eyes. ugh.

2. scott dangerfield (season 10) - "dreamin'"

this dude dropped out of the competition before hollywood week because he was a student teacher (aw!) but...DAMN. coulda won the whole thing. this whole clip is fantastic, but steven and randy's reaction at 1:05 is spot-on. love this man.

1. ace young (season 5) - "father figure"

i still remember sitting and watching this with my suitemates during my sophomore year of college. we were chatting and not really paying much attention, but all of a sudden we were all...."whoa. WHOA. why do we feel dirty in a good way?" and proceeded to watch it about 20x on youtube the next day. as someone in the comments section so beautifully summarized: "this song is so bizarre and sexual but hot damn when he sings it.." YEP!

100 things to do in 2011: month (and year) in review!

ok, so i made my list for 2012, but i couldn't let the year pass without figuring out just how many things i actually accomplished in 2011. in december alone, i:

-applied for my passport (1/2 of #4 - but the dept. of state is now giving me the spanish inquisition for reasons unknown)

-volunteered with my mom at an alzheimer's group (#16)

-drank an egg cream (surprisingly not bad - like chocolate milk soda! - #34)

-hung out around a bonfire (#85)

-learned the thriller dance (i'll perform upon request - #98)

-requested ace hood & chris brown's "body 2 body" on jam'n 94.5 (and heard it played! - #99)

i can proudly say that some of the less tangible items, like "improve my posture" and "cultivate a great new friendship", were successful, too.

the grand total? 41.5 (completed items bolded below). seems low, but i'm pretty pleased with the results. if i'd have listed 50 things, i'm sure it would be a lot lower. :) i'm also even more motivated to knock out the items on my list for this year. let's goooo!

1. go to south by southwest

2. visit chicago

3. meet andrew jenks

4. get my passport (counting this as .5 - i applied!)

5. dance on stage

6. host a dinner party

7. take a cooking class

8. go on a picnic

9. complete my book proposal

10. party with celebrities

11. go on a cruise

12. finish the crossword every day for a month

13. see 50 new movies

14. dine at 50 new restaurants

15. sell something on ebay

16. do volunteer work

17. sleep under the stars

18. visit 1 new state

19. win a contest

20. get a tattoo

21. perfect a dish

22. go to the cape

23. visit providence and newport, r.i.

24. see 10 bands live

25. try 5 new foods

26. go to a celtics game

27. skinny dip

28. go hiking

29. take a dance class

30. kiss in the rain

31. go to a drive-in movie

32. try one new recipe a month

33. take a duck tour

34. drink an egg cream

35. bake cupcakes

36. see a stand-up comedian

37. cultivate a great new friendship

38. get 100 blog subscribers

39. get a spray tan

40. visit a local winery/vineyard

41. take a guided tour

42. learn the "single ladies" dance

43. go swimming at night

44. go fruit picking

45. audition/try out for something

46. go out for fondue

47. spend a day in newburyport

48. reconnect with an old friend

49. get a psychic reading

50. yelp about 10 places i've been

51. go to a strip club

52. be on tv

53. win at trivia

54. tailgate

55. eat at pinkberry

56. learn to parallel park

57. lower my cholesterol

58. read one book per month

59. make my bedroom a cozy sanctuary

60. sing karaoke

61. make $1,000 in freelance

62. tone my stomach

63. floss once a week

64. eat at ruth's chris for free

65. hit 4,000 twitter followers

66. improve my posture

67. get a mani/pedi

68. go to a book signing

69. nurture a plant

70. go to a farmer's market

71. go out for tapas

72. visit the isabella stewart gardner museum

73. assume a fake identity for one night

74. play a board game

75. go to a jazz brunch

76. perform a random act of kindness

77. eat breakfast daily

78. take up a new hobby

79. watch an entire tv series on dvd

80. go backstage at a concert

81. whiten my teeth

82. ride in a limo

83. smoke a cigar

84. eat fried pickles

85. hang out around a bonfire

86. go to an art gallery opening

87. organize my itunes

88. write a fan letter and get a response

89. participate in a flashmob

90. kiss a foreigner

91. go on 2 dates with the same person

92. visit a historic landmark

93. donate money to a charity

94. go a month without fast food

95. see a sunrise and sunset in the same day

96. balance my checkbook

97. win money at a slot machine

98. learn the "thriller" dance

99. request a song on the radio

100. make a toast

100 things to do in 2012

it's that time again! though i've been doing this list since 2010, last year was the first that i actually blogged about it and kept track of my progress. it was pretty fun, so i decided to do it again. i got pretty ambitious for 2012 (mostly just to piss off the mayan apocalypse believers, if there are even any left). as always, i'd love to hear what's on your lists!

1. go to europe

2. make my own ice cream

3. learn to say hello in 50 languages

4. visit san francisco

5. go to a talk show taping

6. go to a show at the social

7. take a boat ride

8. meet a celebrity and take a picture with them

9. go to the south beach wine & food festival

10. make $2,000 in freelance

11. take a pottery class

12. go to an open house (with no intention of buying)

13. get VIP treatment at a nightclub

14. visit nashville

15. swim with dolphins

16. go to the icebar in orlando

17. be in a music video

18. go out to a sit-down dinner by myself

19. eat alligator

20. get a massage

21. visit the location of a TV/movie scene

22. take pictures in a photobooth

23. go to tampa & st. petersburg

24. drink a specialty martini at blue martini

25. make my own sushi

26. go to the rock & roll hall of fame induction ceremony (jacob's idea - i'm on the fence)

27. read a whole book in one day

28. send christmas cards

29. watch 26 new movies, one for each letter of the alphabet

30. go roller skating

31. go to universal studios

32. be part of a dance-off

33. attend a midnight movie showing

34. make my own bread

35. drink absinthe

36.make a wish at the trevi fountain

37. stay at a bed & breakfast

38. memorize busta rhymes' verse in "look at me now" (note to self: watch THIS for help - 1:04)

39. go to an orlando magic game

40. visit a citrus grove

41. drive the sunshine skyway bridge

42. give more than a 20% tip

43. see a bruins game in florida

44. see a musical

45. have a candlelight dinner

46. make a painting

47. dance in the street

48. bake and decorate a cake

49. cook my way through a cookbook

50. tour the everglades

51. go to a mass at the church around the corner from my apartment

52. wear red lipstick

53. roast marshmallows over a fire

54. take a bubble bath

55. stay in a beach house

56. pop champagne (...'cause we got that dough)

57. shake anthony bourdain's hand

58. party in miami

59. successfully submit an essay i wrote to another anthology

60. clean out my purse

61. watch one of the harry potter movies

62. use a fake name at starbucks

63. go speed dating

64. maintain a 4.0 GPA in grad school

65. practice gratitude every day

66. participate in a sing-along

67. visit a friend in another state

68. feed the ducks in the pond at my apartment complex

69. hang out with a band after a show

70. leave an inspirational note for someone else to find

71. take a tennis lesson

72. ride a bike

73. try on clothes i can't afford

74. have a ryan gosling movie marathon

75. laugh so hard i cry

76. win a trip

77. find one new song that i like each week

78. go completely soda-free for a month

79. make my nails look really awesome

80. go to a local punk show (like the good ol' days)

81. eat chicken and waffles

82. give money to a busker

83. fall in love

84. crash a wedding

85. read 5 classic novels

86. finally get my cheeseburger tattoo!

87. take a spontaneous day trip

88. initiate conversation with a guy at a bar (a.k.a. "grab somebody sexy, tell 'em 'hey!')

89. use a coupon at the grocery store

90. secure a literary agent

91. buy a scratch ticket

92. perform a song in public (live or youtube)

93. go to a fashion show

94. go without TV and internet for 24 hours

95. visit the home i was born in (now a B&B)

96. eat at a hibachi steakhouse

97. make my mom's potato salad recipe

98. nap in a hammock

99. play a dance game on wii

100. buy a pair of impractically high heels