10 posts tagged “rip”
What's your favorite Michael Jackson song? Bonus points if you share the video.
Hands down, "Beat It" (though "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" is a close second). It's just an amazing song, and how can you go wrong with the Eddie Van Halen guitar solo? I'm trying to learn the choreography at the end of the video because I think it's badass, and I was only able to do a sad imitation of a couple of the moves at the 80s party. (The thing about Michael Jackson's video choreographies is that he makes them look really easy, and when you try them yourself, they are SO HARD. I learned this last year when we did the "Thriller" choreography).
I've been thinking of an entry for a couple of days, but my thoughts were so scattered that I couldn't just sit and put them down. I'm not going to pretend to be an ardent Michael Jackson fan. I love his music from the 80s and early 90s; my parents have been playing Thriller since I could remember, so it's no surprise that most of my favorite songs of his are from that album. But the past 15 years or so, I've been quite critical of him and his controversies. Even more, I was just saddened at his obvious decline and personal problems. Maybe some people enjoy watching celebrities fade into obscurity and become trainwrecks, but I never did. I think it was hard to be a fan in the past decade, though I never let his notoriety get in the way of enjoying his earlier music. It was just hard to take him seriously anymore.
I went through a phase at the beginning of this year where I listened to his old hits and watched his videos. It saddened me to see him so full of talent and youth in the earlier videos. It made me wonder what his legacy would be when he died. Would he be remembered for his incredible musical legacy, or for his personal tragedies? I didn't expect to see an answer to my question so soon. I always assumed Michael Jackson would be one of those reclusive old celebrities, where I would reminsice about his glory days with my children. I found out about his death via Twitter, and my stomach churned when I read he was dead. I was just in shock. Despite everything, he's a musical icon; he's the Elvis Presley of the 80s generation (sadly, in more ways than one.) How can icons die so young, at only 50? I obsessively refreshed cnn.com, because it just didn't seem real unless they said so (of course, CNN ended up being one of the last major media outlets to confirm his death).
Like many people from Gen X and Gen Y, I grew up with Michael Jackson. He literally was always THERE. Thriller was released two years before I was born, so even though he was very popular when I was growing up, I wasn't alive to see him at his peak. My mother was pregnant with me when his revolutionary video "Thriller" was released. I can only remember his videos from the Dangerous album being released, not Bad because I was still too young. Luckily, I am old enough to remember when Michael Jackson was still considered a true pop idol-sure, there were questions on why his skin was so white, but no one ever considered him a pedophile back then. Sadly, along with his hits, I also remember every crazy story - the shock of hearing that Michael Jackson may have molested a child, seeing his tearful plea of innocence on TV, the interviews with Lisa Marie Presley and their kiss on MTV.
After the party was finished on early Sunday morning, my friends and I watched a tribute to Michael Jackson performed by the Phillipine prisoners, and it was then that I felt really sad, for the first time. I mourned that the sweet little boy singing "I'll Be There" would grow up to have so much material wealth, but so little of what really matters in life - love, friendship, happiness. I am so glad to see that Michael Jackson is rightfully being remembered for his musical genius and influence. But I think in many ways, the real Michael Jackson died a long time ago, perhaps even before my birth. I hope that he's in a better place. And now, all his personal, publicized tragedies are no longer relevant. I'll continue to remember him for his wonderful music and for the joy I feel when I hear it, just like it should be.
A high school classmate passed away this weekend. I don't want to make this blog sound like we were best friends or anything...we weren't. We had a lot of classes together but we weren't close in high school. But he was still a constant fixture in my classes, someone who signed my yearbook every year. He was a nice guy.
It just makes me sad to think of his family and friends. There has been a sad number of people from my high school who have died in the past couple of years...four or five at least. To me, that's too much. 24 is too young to die. RIP Jacob. Your family and friends are in my thoughts.
2008 has struck again. If you are a classic rock fan, then you will be bummed to note that Richard Wright, one of the founding members of Pink Floyd, passed away today at 65. I know David Gilmour did an interview just last week when he said that there would be no reunion between the remaining members and Roger Waters after their 2005 gig at Live 8, but I always had a small hope that they would.
Richard Wright not only was a great keyboardist (i.e. "Any Colour You Like") but he also sang and contributed to the music composition of the band (like "Echoes.")
The song of the week, "Time," is my favorite from Dark Side of the Moon and features Richard Wright singing on bridge. It is a fitting song. RIP.
When we were watching The Bank Job on Sunday, Patrick and I were commenting on the many trailers before the film (there were at least 7, before we finally got tired and skipped to the main menu). All the trailers had a different voiceover-you know, not the "trailer" guy's voice. To me, that doesn't bode well for the movie. If your movie isn't good enough for the trailer guy's voice, then chances are, it's going to suck. So Pat and I started talking about the voiceover guy and how iconic his voice is. "Oh man," I wondered out loud. "What's going to happen when he dies?"
So you can understand why I was all, "HOLY SHIT" today when I read that Don LaFontaine, the "voiceover guy," did indeed die on Monday. Patrick says that I killed the voiceover guy. I just figured he had a good 20 years left, like the voiceover guy for SNL, who is in his 90's. RIP, Mr. LaFontaine. And for the next couple of weeks, I'm going to refrain from voicing the names of my favorite celebrities out loud. Just in case.
So, life is all about rolling with the changes. There's a current commercial for Nationwide Insurance, where a couple are driving along a field in a convertible and end up crashing into a fence or something. The couple look at each other after the wreck and start laughing. "Life comes at you fast" is the tagline. That carefree reaction wasn't quite the one I had after my accident, but whatever. Point is, being alive is way more important than possessing a material item. I am okay, the other guy is okay, and that's what matters. Anything else can be dealt with later.
But I cannot pretend that I wasn't upset that I found out that Pearl is irreparable. I've known the news for a week, actually; I was just too pissed off to mention it in here. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that I loved that car. I worked hard to get her. Before going to college, my dad made me an offer. He would either help pay for some of my college expenses, or buy me a car. That was an easy choice. Five years later, I bought myself Pearl. I paid for her all by myself and all of my friends will know how inordinately proud of her I was.
Pearl wasn't especially fancy. She was an amazing deal for a 2006 model, but she didn't have all the fancy luxury items that a lot of cars do. But that didn't matter. She was a loyal and dependable vehicle, right until the very end. It sucks that she is wrecked beyond repair. I wonder if there's any way I can keep her tires. No, not for sentimental reasons: I still have the bill for her brand-new, three-week old tires to pay off. I do not want to be making payments for tires that are in a salvage yard.
Right now I'm slowly starting to shop for Pearl Jr., who will likely be another truck. Shopping for another vehicle is not something I was planning on doing this year, but hey. Rolling with the changes. It could be worse. But I will never forget my first truck.
RIP Pearl. You were the best first car a girl could have. You will be missed.
Holy crap! So I was not expecting the news on Heath Ledger. I didn't get on the internet this afternoon, so I didn't find out until I got home from work and saw all the Vox neighborhood updates. I wasn't a fan of Heath Ledger's; I don't mean that in a rude way, it's just I can't think of one movie I've seen him in (of course, there are a lot of movies I haven't seen). But I've always been a celebrity gossip whore so I've been following him and his career since A Knight's Tale. I was just thinking yesterday how he was going to make a genuinely scary Joker. RIP. I really feel for his family and young daughter.
Eh. So anyway. The weather here sucks. I used to like cloudy, rainy days back when I lived in Virginia, but I think I've been a Texan for too long because I long for sunny weather. I think even cold weather would be more bearable as long as it's sunny outside. Leaving for work early in the morning when it's drizzly and freezing is no bueno. Days like that were more fun when I was in college and could get away with staying in my room doing nothing all day. Ah, we humans are never happy. Wait until summer, when I'm going to be bitching about how hot it is outside.
Things at work are going well so far. It looks like in a couple of months, I'll be able to participate in a project in my hometown. And I'm learning about another project that we're doing that is in Cowboy Country. Isn't that funny? I'm still getting introduced to everyone, so I worked on data entry today. I worked on data entry for 2 years in college so I am a data entry pro. It's a good way for me to set my reputation by doing a good job on these support jobs and to move my way into cool projects. There was a list of tips for new employees in my packet and one really stood out: "There is nothing beneath you except the floor." I like that saying. I never want to feel entitled about anything.
I found a shortcut back from work that allows me to be protected by a light instead of having to yield to crazy traffic. That's exciting. I made the mistake of leaving at 7:45 this morning...I got at work right at 8. It only takes about ten minutes to get to work, but of course, there was more traffic and plus the lights take FOREVER.
Man I'm getting pretty sleepy.
Well, it's after midnight, so I didn't quite make three posts in one day. I think it's ironic that I was complaining about a condescending prick, when my last entry was also quite condescending. However, I think my form of condescension is more acceptable, because it's anonymous!
I had fun tonight. I was cooking some chicken with teriyaki flavored sauce because I was craving Chinese food (Panda Express, namely). When they were about ready, I got a call from Meghan to see if I wanted to eat out with her...at Panda Express. Hmm, eat so-so chicken or hang out with my friend I've hardly seen in 9 months AND have Panda Express? The choice was obvious. The orange chicken is better than I remembered.
By the time I returned to my room, showered, and made my way over to the Arena, it was around 8:30. I caught the middle of the Johnny Cash cover band, which was REALLY good. Unfortunately, I did not miss the country dancers like I was hoping. They perform to the same songs every time. Don't get me wrong, these are talented dancers-I certainly cannot dance like they do. But after watching them do the same performance four or five times...to country music...eh.
Finally, at 9:00, these guys came out:
I'm really happy that I was able to see half the cast of Whose Line (last year, Wayne Brady came to campus.) I've been lucky enough to have seen Martin Short, Marc Cooper, Bill Cosby, and Bill Engvall as well here. In another month or so, Larry the Cable Guy is coming to give a show. I'm going to see it; I like Blue Collar Comedy and I don't care who knows it.
I can't believe yesterday was the 10th anniversary of Princess Diana's death. I have to say that no celebrity death affected me as much as hers did. I was 13 when she died, and I still remember where I was when I heard about her accident. I was in my dad's office writing my "novel." My parents told me she had gotten in a car accident, but I didn't think it was all that serious. My mom called me in later that night and told me that she died. I just broke down crying. I remember for the next week, pretty much everyone I knew was really depressed about it. I had been a fan of hers since I was a very little girl, and I couldn't believe that she was dead. I think that she did a lot of good in the world and it's so tragic that she died at a young age. RIP.
I really should get to sleep. At least the couple next door are not having the very loud, somewhat entertaining argument that they were having yesterday night at 2:30 in the morning. And if you're wondering where my blog title came from, it's from a convo that Pat and I had earlier. If your year goes by fast, September is the month that sets everything straight. It is the black hole of the months. It feels like September has 60 days in it instead of 30. I would go as far to say that it should be scientifically proven that September is the longest month ever. I guess you get the point.
In keeping with testing out new catchphrases for my blog...
EFF this was a long post.
At least the past couple of days have been. Yesterday I was in the lab for a cumulative 12 hours. It kind of sucked, mostly because I would mess up on something and have to start over again. The SPE part of it is kicking my ass because it TAKES SO LONG. And the other grad student I work with needs to use it too, so I'm getting rushed and I only produced three samples today. No bueno. Neither was the interaction between me and the grad student today. We got along great until we started working together in the lab. He means well, but he micromanages and lectures me about things that aren't even my fault. If I have questions, I definitely don't have problems asking (and he knows it). But otherwise, let me work because I can't stand people staring at me when I work, waiting for me to make a mistake. So we had an argument this morning, and at one point I just stopped what I was doing and left because I was about to lose my temper. He sent me an email later apologizing, so I'm going to work with him and compromise our differences. I notice that when I feel like I'm being attacked, I get really aggressive. I should probably work on being more touchy-feely. I have a hard time doing that though. If I am pissed off about something, it is very hard for me to hide it. Anyhoo, I hope today was our last argument, because arguing with co-workers suck.
Today I went out to lunch with one of my friends and her classmates, and then we headed over to Dr. K's memorial service. A lot of people showed up, which made me happy. They had a slideshow at the beginning of pictures of him with his plane, girlfriend, and nephew. Any slideshow like that always gets to me, and this was no exception. One of my classmates gave one of the eulogies, and I think he did a really good job expressing what was so great about Dr. K. You know how when a person dies, people are compelled to come up with nice things to say about him? Not in this case. If you had asked my opinion about him last week, it'd be the same as this week's: he was a hilarious, very caring person.
Memorial services are never fun to go to. A. Obviously someone you cared about is being honored at one, and B. it makes you question your own mortality. Unfortunately, such is life. What sucks even more is that after a rough patch, Dr. K was really having a good time-he was with the person he wanted to marry, and he just made tenure ten days ago. Everything was looking up, and bam. It's never fair. But at least he left Earth having made a positive impact. He was adored by many students. And even if I didn't have a close relationship with him like some of my other classmates, it is because of one of his presentations in class that made me want to join the USPHS. I know he will not be forgotten.
In other news. I'm going home soon, and I'm really excited. I have to work on my thesis though when I'm home, but that's ok, because I don't want to be a total bum and have nothing to show Dr. A when I return. I found out I made an A in Biological Processes, so that was pretty awesome. Getting an A in Chemical Processes would be the icing on the cake, but the final was pretty effing hard. I'm not sure where I stand. I don't see myself getting lower than a B, though. But I want an A.
We-ell, I have some more things to finish up here, so ta-ta for now.
This morning when I arrived for my 620 final, my professor came in and appeared very upset. He gave us the option of not taking the test because one of our professors, Dr. K, had died over the weekend.
The class was shocked. I took the final, since I hadn't heard of the news before and felt like I'd be copping out (kind of wish I hadn't taken it...it was rough. Besides the point though). All while taking it, I couldn't stop thinking about the news. He was young, in his forties. He was my professor for 402 last Fall. Andres and I loved that class, because Dr. K was such a cool guy. We could always get him going off on his "rants." He cared about us; his final was difficult, but he all made sure we passed with good grades. I'll never forget the time when I was the only one in my class to raise my hand for liking Pink Floyd, and named some of their later albums. "No, no, no!" he cried, and wrote on the board, "All good Pink Floyd albums are on vinyl."
I saw Dr. K just last week. First, when I turned in my abstract for a conference, we chatted briefly. Then, last Tuesday, he flagged me down and gave me slices of pizza, even though they were for his current students. He was always just a cool guy like that.
It always seems like whenever you are becoming self-absorbed and start forgetting how lucky you are, something like this happens. His death in a plane crash this weekend reminds me how fragile life is. It's so weird to think someone I saw last week, healthy and happy, is dead. He was a cool guy. I was lucky to have him as a professor, and was looking forward to taking his course next semester. RIP, Dr. K. You will be missed.
So I suppose the big news of the day is Steve Irwin's tragic death. As well it should be! Patrick had texted me at 1:30 in the morning with the news, but I was so wiped that I didn't find it until this morning, when I woke up. I was in shock. I'd grown up with Steve, and while he had a dangerous job, I didn't expect for him to be dead so soon. My family used to watch his show all the time, especially my brother and me. Steve was so infectious and energetic about his job. He showed another side to crocodiles, when most of us dismissed them as ugly or dangerous (which they undoubtedly are). I always knew some sort of wild animal would kill him, but a stingray? Do you know how random and rare that is? Talk about it being your time to go. Man, that's so sad. He was a father too, with small children. He and his wife did a great service to environmentalism and animal conservationism. I hope she will be able to carry on his work. RIP, Steve, you will be greatly missed.
