A Long Time Ago, We Used to be Friends...

I admit it.  I'm a Marshmallow.  I'm also a big ol' softie, but in this case I'm referring to being a die hard Veronica Mars fan. If you can't name the catchy theme song by The Dandy Warhols in the first two bars, I'm not sure we can be friends.

I saw the Kickstarter-ed movie on opening night, and absolutely adored it. I hate spoilers as much as the next geek, so you'll get none from me. I will just say two things.  It's totally worth the 7 year wait we endured to get it and Mac's hair is f-i-e-r-c-e you guys.  Fierce! If you haven't seen it, go now. If you don't want to go outside, you don't have to. There's a digital download available and you can sit and watch it in your mother's living room with your laundry clothes on where no one can see you.  I have no personal experience with this. Really.

Now I can hear some of you saying "Why do I want to see a movie for a television show I haven't even seen?"  What?  You're killing me, Smalls.  You haven't seen Veronica Mars?  But Joss Whedon and Stephen King love it!  There are fantastic cameos throughout the three seasons from people you would never expect! It has Ken Marino from The State and Party Down doing this:



Sold, yet?  Buy all three seasons here.  Still on the fence?  This video of the show's star, Kristen Bell, talking about how much she loves sloths will cinch it for you.

Already a Marshmallow? The Thousand Dollar Tan Line just came out last week. The audio version is, of course, read by K-Bell herself. It promises to be the first in a series of novels by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham. 

Is one of the characters really getting a spinoff?  Yep, in web-series form.  Read about it here.

I also read this partial interview with creator Rob Thomas, who hinted at the possibility of more crimes, more cases, and more witty repartee. Yes!

Hey, Rob.  Now can we get that Party Down movie we've been waiting for?

XOXO,

Gossip Girl, err...I mean Geeky Bunny

Music Monday

This morning,  I received such a nice comment on a previous post that I decided to devote this entry to getting my reader set up with some new tunes.  Anonymous said..."Always enjoyed what you had to say. Glad to see you're writing again. Listening to anything of note, these days? I need something new to listen to at work."  Not only can I help you, but I'm thinking Music Monday might be around to stay!

Now normally I would ask all kinds of questions before I make a suggestion for new music.  What kind of office do you work in?  What genres are your favorites? Do you need need a boost in the morning or after lunch?  No matter your need, Songza has to covered.  I downloaded the free app on my iPhone a couple of years ago, and couldn't be happier.  It organizes playlists by genre, decade, mood and activity. You're not just limited to listening from your mobile device, either.  They have a fully functioning website so you can listen directly from your desk.  Some of my favorites are Irrelevant Bees, put together by the ultra hip and self-proclaimed sometimes DJ, Kahlym Schell (Tumblr here). It's loaded with some great, upbeat little gems that you've likely never heard. I also really like Melancholy Jangle, a 60's garage rock compilation that's great for rainy days, Alternative Pick-Me-Ups spanning decades and literally vowing to break through your mid-afternoon slump and the Girls: Jessa playlist.  It boasts the coolest pop-punk and rock from 1954-1979 for those of you who still long for the character and warmth of vinyl. Even if my recommendations aren't exactly your bag, there are practically endless options and all of them are free.  Just make sure you are on WiFi if you stream from your mobile device.

Want to just make your own playlist for your iPod?  I used this ultimate playlist to help me decide what to load on my new iPhone a few months ago.  It was put together by a last.fm group who calls themselves The Musical Elitists. They are thorough and have so many excellent tracks that every true music lover needs at their fingertips.  

Tracks I'm digging for Spring of 2014? "Broken Bones and Pocket Change" by St. Paul and the Broken Bones is on repeat right now.  I like it because it's a new song with an old soul.  Definitely a band with a wide appeal if you have to share your speakers with an office mate. "Hot and Cold" by Ex Hex is still encouraging my teenage daydream of having an all chick rock band. "Wave" by Beck is dreamy and cinematic. I'll need to wait another paycheck to pick up Morning Phase in it's entirety, but this one gets a regular listen.


Hope I helped, Anonymous!  Happy playlisting. 

What's Happenin', Hot Stuff?

If you read that in your best Donger voice, I love you.  Let's do lunch. If you didn't, I haven't been drinking. This is what I'm talking about:

John Hughes forever!

Lately I've been feasting on this tattoo artist's eye candy.  It is weird.  It is original. It is glorious.  If I didn't think my mother would come at me with a loofah in an attempt to remove it, I would so get one.  I'm thinking the 3D glasses or the Adventure Time one from this page.

Speaking of Adventure Time, Indie Wire wrote this great article about why you should be watching it, if you aren't already.  I recently bonded with my cousin's ten-year-old over our mutual love for it, much to the dismay of his mother. It's funny in a way that appeals to kids, but is laced with lines that are clearly meant for thirtysomething adults.  It has John DiMaggio, who we have loved as Bender Bending Rodriguez on Futurama and Stimpy the Cat on Ren and Stimpy. Lena Dunham has even guested as the voice of one of the characters.  Don't take my word for it, though.  Bingewatch it on Netflix now.  They just added new episodes!

As for Lena Dunham, I just watched this very charming interview she did with Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show.  Think what you want to about Girls. Even criticize the indiscriminate nudity, if you must.  I doubt you'll walk away from this 5 minute conversation she has about Reese Witherspoon's "Man in the Moon" without kinda loving her. 

The death of Lou Reed back in January really affected me in a very deep way.  I spent a great deal of time in high school devouring his music and discovering art because of him.  He lead me to paint and work in collage and stencils after reading about his collaborations with Andy Warhol. I recently heard a very haunting and beautiful tribute cover of "Walk on the Wild Side" by one of my favorite artists, Joseph Arthur, that was too fantastic not to share.  It's clear to me after listening that his influence affected others very deeply, as well.  A full album's worth of influence, Lou, is due in early May. Here is the magic. 

Signed, Epstein's Mother

I'm going to go ahead and get this out of the way, right now:

To say it's been a while would be pretty silly considering I'd completely forgotten I'd left this account open until I received a spam comment on it this week. The call to write has been sounding louder than ever in the past few months, however. Perhaps it was kismet.

I'd been given some advice in the months before I walked away from my blog, which was "write about what you know."  I'd made some changes to the content and pulled away from my original passion, which was music, television and movies, thinking that by giving things a singular focus, I was doing myself a favor.  It failed.  When I tell you it failed, think Edsel.  Think Crystal Pepsi.  Think Wayne's World 2. It wasn't until I re-read some of my old posts that I realized, I was writing about what I knew and I was passionate about my topics. 


It feels good to be back, but I'll be skipping the perm and the bell bottoms if that's okay with all of you.

Mulling It Over...

Life has been full of unpleasant surprises for this bunny, as of late. My grandmother, and heroine, passed away little less than 3 months ago. She suffered from a massive stroke, and was in intensive care for about a week. I'm not anywhere close to being over it, and wonder if I ever will be. I'd like Elisabeth Kubler Ross to study me, because I have certainly deviated from her neatly packaged stages of grief. On Death and Dying is simply not relatable, if you ask me.

My job security was threatened in the week that lead up to her death. My bosses' boss wondered why it was that I needed to be at the hospital every day, and felt that I should just return to work and wait for a phone call. Things have since let up on that front, but I still have to interact on a semi-regular basis with a woman whom I feel can only be filled with selfishness and evil. I do not want to work for someone who can only offer me grief during a time when I am already filled with it. She called me one day to tell me that she and her daughter were praying for me, but to be perfectly honest, I think I'd feel better knowing that Max Cady from Cape Fear was doing the praying.

Shortly after my grandmother passed, my grandfather had what was likely a small heart attack, and had a pacemaker put in. He's been in two nursing homes since the surgery, and is making no progress. He's depressed, confused, and suffering from the saddest form of dememtia I have ever seen. He asks me where his wife is fairly regularly now, and it kills me to have to hide the truth from him, but I know that hearing the truth every 20 minutes can only make him feel worse than he already does.

Due to unforseen financial matters, we moved my mom and sister into the house where they found my grandma after her stroke. It was a helluva move, and it's strange to be there in that part of the house without falling apart. I know I should be helping them unpack and decide what stuff gets donated to charity, what stuff goes to a garage sale, and what stuff gets kept, I just can't hide how her death is tearing me apart anymore. I was the strong one for everyone during the time that she lay there dying, and now I have nothing left. Not faith, not hope, not energy, not helpfulness. They all keep telling me that I need to be strong for them, or else they will fall apart, but I've got nothing to offer that will do anyone any good. Two different kinds of anti-depressants, and I cannot do this. Not without needing more sleep than my life allows.

To top all of this off, our family dog that I grew up with, passed on a few weeks ago. I simply do not see "God's Plan" in any of this. Why would He allow all of this to happen, and then take away one of the small and simple comforts we all had to get us through?

Dear Readers, it will be a long while before I find my way back to this forum, so I hope you all understand. As it is, I'll be spending what's left of Sunday in my bed, wishing Monday would stay away. Right now, my own dog is the only thing that keeps me going. I don't know what I would be doing right now if I didn't have him.

Calling All Readers!!

What is your favorite music to listen to when you clean the house? I welcome any and all suggestions. God knows, I need to straighten up in here. Illness has a way of letting housework go undone. Help me get rid of these house-cleaning blues!

Labor Day Edition

It's been a while since my last post, and that is mainly because I have been working my tail off. I've been sick with every little thing that's been going around, and am now fighting off the last of a nasty cough and cold. Enough already!

I did think to post a few things I've found interesting, amusing, or amazing, though. I figure it's the least I can do, since I'm sitting at my desk at work, on Labor Day, manning an office that doesn't really need my presence. I'm not bitter about it. No, not at all. Enjoy!

I've enjoyed Phoenix's album from beginning to end. It's peppy, but not poppy. It's fun, but not frivolous. Great for a gloomy day. Find it here.

Toothpaste for Dinner never fails to make me smile. If laughter is the best medicine, this web comic is better than penicillin.

My hair has really been brittle, dull, and prone to breakage lately. I picked this up at the grocery store when I went yesterday for soup and juice. Today, my hair is shiny, easy to comb through, and actually has body, again. I'm not terribly keen on the smell, but it's worth smelling a bit like fruit salad. Put it on for 3 minutes, complete your other shower activities, and rinse. Awesome? I think so!

I'm reading a very gripping, quirky novel that I can't wait to get home and finish, called The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon. It's written from the perspective of a young Brit with high-functioning autism, and his fascination with mysteries. I cannot recommend this book enough.

I've been lucky enough to have 4 Seasons of Boston Legal to keep me company while I've been illin'. If you missed this show while it was on the air, do yourself a favor and just buy the boxed sets. It's hilarious, the closing arguments are both inspiring and entertaining, and the friendship between Alan Shore and Denny Crane is better than any I've seen in real life or in TV Land.

That's all I've got for now, Kiddies. I'm off to make myself some tea, and sit out this day. Then it's jammies and quality time with the dog! Have a happy and safe Labor Day