Category Archives: pop culture

hello labor day, goodbye white pants.

Happy Labor Day, ya’ll!  I hope you’re enjoying the three day weekend!  As I was contemplating how I DO NOT have today off, I realized that I had no clue as to the real meaning and history of Labor Day (Wiki that) other than it’s the end of summer (wahhhh) and I can’t wear white until Memorial Day.  Ugh.  This is especially distressing to me because I have a killer pair of white pants that I didn’t get to show off this summer.  Well, I tried to show them off.  What happened to me was very traumatic.  No, I didn’t spill anything on them.  It’s even worse.

I realized that time was running out, so I brought said pants to Denver, for the D amazing NC.  Saving the best for last, I waited until Thursday to wear them.  So I woke up a little late on Thursday and got dressed.  White pants, classy black top.  I felt good.  Like vintage J-Lo.  My mother walks into the hotel room.  She’s wearing white pants and a classy black top.  A wave of panic hit me harder than when the Spice Girls broke up.  It’s okay to admire your mother–it is not okay to dress like your mother.  At least not when you’re 22!  Am I becoming my mother?!  I thought I had more time before the transformation took place!  Haha.  In vain she tried to tell me it would be alright, that nobody would notice.  But I could already feel the judgmental eyes on me as I walked next to her on the street.  I’d even mock me.  I quickly changed into an inferior outfit, and the white pants were thrust back into my suitcase, untouched by the summer sun.

Yup, that’s it.  I have been trying to think of some way to turn my white pants story into an allegory of sorts, but I’m afraid it’s too shallow for that.  There is, perhaps, some message here.  I might have better off if I had just listened to my mother and worn the white pants.  Or more likely, it didn’t matter at all.  🙂  Yes, I just emoticoned.  What of it?

While today is not its official end, I hope that you all had a lovely summer.  It went by so fast, didn’t it?

[Posted by Kathleen]

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Filed under family, fashion, humor, pop culture, random

diamonds are a girl’s dead friend.

Everyone has their own way of grieving after a loved one has passed away, but this walks the thin line between “do what you need to do to get by” and “that’s really weird”.  I’m just going to say it the bluntest way possible, because I don’t know how else to explain it.  You can turn dead people’s ashes into diamonds.  Yup.  They’re called remembrance diamonds.  If this is something you think you might be interested in, a company in Switzerland, called Algordanza, will help you out.  Imagine all the awkwardness that this could prompt!

Woman 1:  Those diamond earrings you’re wearing are just GORGEOUS!  Did your husband buy those for your anniversary?

Woman 2:  Oh no!  It’s my Great Uncle Walter!  He just died a few months ago.

Woman 1:  Ahh, I see.  So the diamonds are a family heirloom?

Woman 2:  No, the diamonds are literally my Great Uncle Walter.

Woman 1:  Errr…did you get the sympathy card I sent you a few months back?

And this bling does not come cheap.  Reuters gives us a figure around $7,488…sometimes less, sometimes more.  Eeek.

So what are people doing with these diamonds?  Obviously they turn them into jewelry or keep them in a box.  But one widow had a touching idea–mount the diamond into the table where her hubby used to sit at the local pub.  Of course!  If I’m ever turned into a diamond, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE place me at The Cellar.  (If you went to Richmond, you know what I’m talking about.)

So how popular are these things?

In its first year, 2004, the company sold one diamond. These days it is creating about 60 a month, which Brimer attributes to word-of-mouth recommendations and media coverage, as Algordanza does not advertise.

I was discussing this with my manly, bearded friend Neil.  Neil, who is pursuing his Masters in Marketing or something weird like that, said he could come up with a good pitch for remembrance diamonds if given some time.  The world is waiting, Neil.  This should be a toughie.  I encourage all readers to think of witty advertising for this and to post it as a comment.  Maybe someone could convince Lindsay Lohan to wear one.  Or Lil’ Jon can put them in his teeth or something.  That’s sure to jumpstart the trend.

As if this couldn’t get creepier, the technology to make diamonds from ashes can also be applied to make synthetic diamonds from other materials…such as hair.  SICK.

Bobby Thurman — of Nelson Funeral Service in Arkansas, which offers diamonds to both burial and cremation clients — decided to have LifeGem make a diamond from combined samples of his own and his family’s hair.

“My family will cherish this diamond for generations, and I expect other families will want to do the same,” Thurman said.

I’m expect most families DO NOT want to do the same, Bobby.  But whatev.

I’m sorry for the morbid six word title/subject, but I couldn’t let this go by without sharing it.  And the title is kind of clever, no?

[Posted by Kathleen]

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samantha bee stings governor sarah palin.

As much as I want to, I can’t really hate Sarah Palin–oh don’t get me wrong–this has nothing to do with the bonds of sisterhood. I absolutely ABHOR her positions on, well, everything.  And her early 90s mall girl bangs. But she is so much fun to write about and make fun of that I can’t help but be slightly appreciative of her very existence.  And I’m not alone.  It’s like John McCain took his happy pills and threw us all a softball.  And leave it up to All-Star Jon Stewart to hit it out of the park.  Jon Stewart, you are my hero.

So watch this clip with Jon and Samantha Bee, a self described “Vagina-American” (HAHA!), as she oh-so-sarcastically talks about why she’ll vote for McCain.  You will for sure pick up some new anatomical terminology as well.  (I’m talking about lady parts.  Teehee.)

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Huzzah!

And here is some more Daily Show goodness, brought to my attention by Alicia, our South Korea correspondent.  What a warm/appropriate welcome for the RNCers!

PS- I promise I’ll start writing about non-political stuff (aka NOT Sarah Palin) again…

[Posted by Kathleen]

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michael jackson is an old man.

Michael Jackson turns 50 today. Out of sheer classiness, I am going to refrain from making jokes about young boys (but it’s difficult). But I will post his quote:

“I feel very wise and sage, but at the same time very young.”

Wise? Nah. Sage? For sure no. But he feels young? I believe him.

And just for kicks, here’s a slideshow of M.J. through the years. My my my, he’s changed:

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/CelebrityCafePhotos/popup?id=793259

[Posted by Kathleen]

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just six words and a picture.

Palin looks lovely in dead animal.

or

PETA: take a look at this!

[Posted by Kathleen]

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Filed under animals, fashion, politics, pop culture, random, six word memoirs, Uncategorized

hillary should be mad at sarah.

In a blatant attempt to bring in the female vote, Sarah Palin, in her acceptance speech, tied herself to Democrats Geraldine Ferraro and Hillary Clinton simply because she is a woman.

Sarah Palin undercut Geraldine Ferraro and Hillary Clinton by acknowledging them only as women, and not as brillliant minds with bright ideas. Shame on her. The thing about Hillary is that she was proud about being a woman, but she became frustrated when that was all people talked about. Hillary Clinton stands for women’s rights and women’s choice. McCain voted against equal pay for women. McCain voted against funding for victims of domestic violence. I could go on and on. If gender is your big issue, then just know that this man votes against women. And Sarah Palin is standing right next to him.

I can’t wait for Hillary’s statement.

[Posted by Kathleen]

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david duchovny’s life imitates his art.

Your SWTCTW bloggers (and beloved friends) love the show ‘Californication’. For those of you who do not know the show, it’s basically Hank Moody (David Duchovny’s character) having sex with anything that walks. That sounds crass, but it’s a really witty, well-written show that actually has a plot. As you can imagine, I’ve been a leeeeeeeeetle preoccupied singing ‘Kumbaya’ with my fellow Democrats and have been neglecting all other news. So I was surprised/unsurprised to read that Duchovny is going into rehab for a sex addiction. Uh oh. That can’t be good. Here is D’s statement to People Magazine:

“I have voluntarily entered a facility for the treatment of sex addiction. I ask for respect and privacy for my wife and children as we deal with this situation as a family.”

He’s married to Téa Leoni. Shame on you for being a dirty boy, David. And it’s sad that life imitates art. But here’s the difference: Hank would nevah evah go to rehab for a sex addiction to try and get better.

[Posted by Kathleen]

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Filed under celebrities, definitely not politics, news, pop culture, random, sex, TV

sarah palin is mccain’s vp choice.

Interesting choice McCain. Sarah Palin is the governor of Alaska. And it’s so blatantly obvious that you’re fishing for Hilllllllz voters. But remember that sexism that Hillary faced? Yup. You’re going to alienate some of your base. Oh, and remember how you criticized Barack for being young and inexperienced? She hasn’t finished her first term as governor as Alaska. Hmmm. Is she ready to lead? Let the hypocrisy begin.

Okay, I chose a bad picture.

So she is kind of hot in that Tina Fey way. But Sarah Palin, I’d rather see Tina Fey in the White House than you. And Tina would never have those heinous bangs.

One last thought. If I were her, I’d be a little insulted. Because they don’t want her because of her, they chose her because she’s a woman and they’re aching to take away from Barack’s thunder.

UPDATED: Sarah Palin is under investigation for abuse of power. Click here to read the AP story.

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blogging from the dnc, day 3.

Yesterday was day 3 of the girl power hippie lovefest. And oh girl, it was a good one. I’m going to try and keep it quasi-brief. Brevity really isn’t my thing though.

I went to a tea hosted by Nancy Pelosi to honor to women in Congress. I was fairly dressed up, but some of the women looked absolutely absurd. It was like 2 p.m. and they had gotten their hair did. Whatev. The first speaking guest is introduced. The woman standing right next to me steps up onto the stage. I had been standing next to Annette Bening the entire time and didn’t even know it. Whoops. She was wearing glasses, okay?! Harder to recognize her… I don’t know. Next up to speak was Nancy. The word I always use to describe her is ‘lovely’. Really, she’s quite classy. And during her speech, she announced that Rosario Dawson and Eva Longoria Parker were there. Excuse me? Rosario is hot. Eva is pretty. Enough said about that. As if things couldn’t get any better, Idina Menzel comes out and sings an acoustic “Defying Gravity” from Wicked and a song that she had written. While she was singing, I was busy looking around for her smokin hot hubby, TAYE DIGGS. AHHH. No dice. Didn’t matter– she was amazing.

We were herded like cattle to the Pepsi Center for the delegate vote. Instead of just giving the numbers from the vote, every state made a long speech bragging about how beautiful they were. And I swear, at least three states claimed to be the first state the sun touches each morning. Somebody was lying. I bet it was Maine. I kid. Barack is getting the majority of votes, with some Hillary supporters sticking to their guns. Some states, like California and Illinois had passed. Weird. New Hampshire, New Jersey…everyone is waiting for New York…New Mexico. New Mexico yields to Illinois, Illinois yields to New York. And our girl Hilllllllz steps out to clean up the mess. How dramatic (and symbolic)! She asked that B be announced the winner. She shoots, she scores. Euphoria ensues. People are awkwardly dancing.

All the speeches were good, but some were better than others. My dad and I were discussing how DNC speeches made by unknowns are really just screen tests. I mean, Barack passed his in 2004, didn’t he? So look out for Rep. Patrick Murphy from PA. He did great.

Melissa Etheridge played, more awkward dancing occurred. You could tell people were gearing up for the Democratic savior and the Republican satan, Bill Clinton. He came out swinging for B. And it was genuine. Billy’s still got it. He focused a lot on world diplomacy during his speech. Seriously people treated him like he was Jesus.

John Kerry spoke. Some other people. And then Beau Biden came out. Beau, Joe’s son, is a complete dreamboat. Seriously foxy. RAWR. I was weeping when he talked about his mother and sister being killed in the car accident, and how Joe Biden never left their side. Of course I cried when Sen. Biden came out and hugged his son. I have cried more times in the past couple of days than in the past couple of years. By now we know Biden’s story, but every time I hear it I am convinced more and more that he will be great. And he’s really living up to his role as an attack dog. Slap old Mac around. His wife, Jill, came out at the end and said she had a surprise. Who could it be?! Joe Jonas? Ben Affleck? GEORGE CLOONEY?! And then Barack stepped out. AHHHHHH. People were having political strokes. I wish I could really convey the electricity of the convention last night.

Oh! I saw Mohammed Ali last night! Just walking around the convention with his posse. Pretty cool.

After the convention, I ended up hanging out with people Mallory went to high school with. I still miss you Mal. And now I totally get all of her Denver stories about burritos and bicycles.

The big speech is tonight. Still looking for George Clooney.

[Posted by Kathleen]

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yes we can: live at convention!

Remember that great “Yes We Can” video with all of the famous people in it that made you feel all tingly and Democratic and in love with Barack Obama? Well, according to CNN’s Political Ticker, it’s going to be recreated live on Thursday before Obama’s speech. I can’t exactly understand how that’s going to work, but I’ll leave that to the music folks to figure out. Hooray for Kathleen, who gets to actually be there. As for me, I’ll be chasing my tequila with a shot of bitter jealousy.

Presumably, Will.i.am will be there, and CNN tells us that Sheryl Crow, Stevie Wonder, and Jennifer Hudson are also performing. Plus, rumors are still flying that Mr. Bruce Springsteen himself will make an appearance. If that is true, my anger over the fact that I’m not in Denver right now may lead me to explode, right there in whatever DC bar I happen to be in.

So that I can calm down, and for your enjoyment, let’s watch the “Yes We Can” video together and just breeeathe. 

[Posted by Mallory]

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