This time, I am committed to moving with no more than that which I can fit into two suitcases and a carry-on.

I want and need to shed so much. I am at a point in my life where I distinctively need to let go, of both the physical and the emotional.

I deleted a draft wherein I classified my ten-month sojourn as a failed engagement and a job layoff. Instead, I like to think of the most incredible dog laying at my feet, re-homed to my studio in December; I wouldn’t have her if I didn’t move here. It sounds so trite to talk about pets as if they’re children, but especially in juxtaposition to so much shit that doesn’t matter, the vitals really shine in such stunning light.

I look at a drawing one of my good friends, Lauren, made for me right before I left New York. I look at some baby pictures I brought back last time I left my parents’ place in the Carolinas. I look at the copy of The Mayor of Castro Street that my best friend, Emily, mailed to me on my birthday, now well-worn from multiple reads. We saw Milk together when she was in town, and the note on the front page still makes me smile.

As for the emotional: I have carried so much baggage on my shoulders since the beginning of the year, when my exceptionally ugly breakup was followed by sudden unemployment days before my birthday. Failure peppered everything in sight. Stability? Forget about it.

But I guess the past is never a mistake insofar as we use it to set forth into the future more productively. I learned that, damn, timing can just be BAD. You can approach situations with the greatest intentions, and the big picture can just wipe you out. Somehow, you just have to brush it off and keep going.

I feel so revitalized, with renewed focus and energy.

PS - Before you move away from New York, try more vacations. I knew within a month in that I made a mistake.

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cheri, je m’adresse à toi:
avec toi, cheri, la vie est belle!

the perfect way to get up and get happy on a beautiful sunday is to listen to malian duo amadou & mariam. this blind, 50-something couple creates music that is hip and vibrant in a way that any american pop star could only dream about.

check out the song sabali. if you like it, please go on itunes and check out their album, welcome to mali.

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I want you -
The truth can’t hurt you,
it’s just like the dark;
it scares you witless,
but in time you see things clear and stark

The climactic burst of emotion from 3:45-5:10 is absurdly satisfying.

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What do you get when Ryan Murphy–the creator of the once-delicious FX show “Nip/Tuck”–takes on the world of high school show choirs?

In her review of Fox’s new show, “Glee,” The New York Times’ Alessandra Stanley says:

There are countless ways to characterize “Glee”: “Election” with music, “Bring It On” meets “High School Musical,” or even a lunchroom version of “The Breakfast Club.”

Even viewers who don’t like high school comedies should savor Tuesday’s episode of “Glee.” It serves as a much needed Armagnac after the gooey chocolate soufflé that is “American Idol”: a digestif that is sweet, but also dry and stinging.

I happened to love it. Pilots are always ten times worse than subsequent episodes because they’re usually filmed separately in an effort to get initial distribution; thus, less dimension, more shock value. If the pilot for this show is so good, I can only imagine what the future will bring. Spring Awakening’s Lea Michele is as delicious in “Glee” as she was in the musical (example). She commits fully to a role very reminiscent of–sorry for another Election reference–Tracey Flick. And any show containing full-out musical productions of Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab” and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” gets a thumbs up from me.

Luckily, Hulu has the full pilot up so you can judge for yourself. The show doesn’t go live until the fall; someone at the network deserves a raise for an effective bit of buzz-building.

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Suzy Banyon decided to perfect her ballet studies in the most famous school of dance in Europe. She chose the celebrated academy of Freeborge. One day, at nine in the morning, she left Kennedy airport, New York, and arrived in Germany at 10:40 p.m. local time.

Did you know you can watch the cult classic Dario Argento horror film Suspiria in its entirety online? It requires you to download Veoh’s small video player file, similar in nature to ABC.com, but to be able to kick back and watch this on a lazy day is a treat indeed.

Watch Suspiria (1977) in Entertainment

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though my wrists and my waist seemed so easy to break
still, my dear, I would have walked you to the very edge of the water
and they will recognize all the lines of your face
in the face of the daughter of the daughter of my daughter

from the top of the flight
of the wide, white stairs
through the rest of my life
do you wait for me there?

Originally published at scott anthony. Please leave any comments there.

you know, i don’t think i could consistently update this thing if my life depended upon it. for one, my mind is preoccupied with the logistics involved in moving back to new york city–t-minus 20 days–and blogging really isn’t even remotely on the front burner.

also, though, i still don’t think i’ve found my angle yet. i think the last thing people want to read is an overly emotional diary, devoid of any sort of factor that resonates with a complete stranger. i also think the newer idea of a news bit amalgam is not the way to go. others do it better and with more commitment.

luckily, i am moving back to the land of inspiration, and i’m moving back with the sort of appreciation that comes only with the sort of perspective derived from a year-long, ill-conceived move across the country.

i’m going to build upon my intermediate web design skills, and something amazing will come. it will.

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“As we near this iconic marker I’m surprised to see just how much is in motion - from passage of the stimulus and repeal of the global gag rule to the Administration’s pledge to close Guantanamo. I’m frustrated at how slow progress is on other priorities, like health care and labor reform. And I’m troubled by the administration’s direction on some issues, notably the bank bailout plan and Afghanistan. But as voices left and right move to grade Obama’s progress, it is astonishing to see the energy and directness with which Obama’s administration has confronted the issues of our time.” - Katrina vanden Heuvel, The Nation, regarding Obama’s first 100 days in office

A point I try very hard to keep in mind when I get frustrated. Read the rest here.

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xx 1500 farmers commit suicide in india - if this doesn’t break your heart, you don’t have one.

xx on a lighter note, this is my new screensaver, created by tokidoki. it makes me giggle like schoolgirl.

xx obama pushes for a long, long planned high-speed rail system, with speeds upward of 150mph. see a picture of the plans here.

xx more details on new york governor david paterson’s gay marriage bill proposal here. so rad. it even has me loving on gun-toting senator kirsten gillibrand, who gives it a rousing endorsement.

xx look out, michelle obama. spain’s first lady is STYLIN.

xx i want to be excited that front-facing cameras are coming to the next-gen iphone, but it means i’ll probably have to buy a new one.

xx firefox users, scope this. good stuff.

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running late for work, and i had to choose between abs workouts and witty filler. guess what won? check out these links, anyway.

xx trans rights bills advance on both coasts

xx university drops gay student housing plans [good riddance, i say; themed housing is just further ghettoization of minorities.]

xx NOM tries to recruit theatre folk. it brings the LOLz, really.

xx even joe thinks coleman needs to give up

xx i’m not a cyclist, but if i start, it’s all about this

xx vacation. here. now. take. me.

xx vital story if you own a credit card by a bailed-out bank. watch this shit.

xx only in japan!

xx sony once again makes a lame, overpriced attempt at entering a saturated market

xx reason 423098 i wish i was back in nyc already

xx raddddd origami!

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iowa senate majority leader mike gronstal - in blocking debate to reverse same sex marriage in his state, he delivered these remarks:

“One of my daughters was in the workplace one day, and her particular workplace at that moment in time, there were a whole bunch of conservative, older men. And those guys were talking about gay marriage. They were talking about discussions going on across the country.

Any my daughter Kate, after listening for about 20 minutes, said to them: You guys dont understand. Youve already lost. My generation doesnt care.

I think I learned something from my daughter that day, when she said that. And Ive talked with other people about it and thats what I see, Senator McKinley. I see a bunch of people that merely want to profess their love for each other, and want state law to recognize that.

Is that so wrong? I dont think thats so wrong. As a matter of fact, last Friday night, I hugged my wife. You know Ive been married for 37 years. I hugged my wife. I felt like our love was just a little more meaningful last Friday night because thousands of other Iowa citizens could hug each other and have the state recognize their love for each other.

No, Senator McKinley, I will not co-sponsor a leadership bill with you.”

youtube link

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sorry i’ve been so slow on the update lately. i have a ton of shit going on. still haven’t done my taxes, and i’ve decided to move back to new york city. it’s home. so it’s all logistics, logistics, logistics! also, check out the flickr widget to the left to see my sweet new tattoo!

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my grandpa passed away a few days ago at the age of 74. i don’t think i’ve allowed myself to process the idea, still super numb, but i do know that i will miss him and i am glad i managed to take a trip down to south carolina to see him a few months ago. he was strong as an ox last month, and now he’s gone. there has been a lot of concern in my mind for my grandma; they were together for 52 years. i can’t even fathom that at the age of 23, to have already found the love of my life and to be with that person for the rest of my life.

anyway, my point is, take a minute to think about those you love, and if it’s been a while, express it. when i went home in december, i hadn’t seen my parents in a few years. my grandparents live four hours away from my parents, so it had been a couple years even longer since i had seen them. i don’t think that’s ok. don’t ever put those you love on the back burner.

rip, granddaddy.

Originally published at scott anthony. Please leave any comments there.

today sees obama getting it rough and lubeless from both ends. there’s both international resentment and loyal opposition, led by my hero, paul krugman. and that’s not even including the clueless, marginalized republican opposition!

in honor of these times of economic crisis, i offer you what may be the perfect piece of entertainment: anti-monopoly! and if board games aren’t your thing, you can look forward to a BRILLIANT looking film adaptation of maurice sendak’s classic where the wild things are, or to the comic genius of amy poehler: her new show, parks & recreation, starts april 9 on nbc. the ny times takes a behind-the-scenes look at the woman and the show here.

or, if geeky is your idea of entertainment, check out a truly inspired piece of art here. it combines math, architecture, and sustainability. (have no idea what a fibonacci number is? now you do.)

finally, unintentionally entertaining: the state of texas, stupid lawyers, and incompetent copy editors.

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recently, i’ve been engrossed by vibratorgate, a back and forth between barbara walters and mika brzezinski that is two parts creepy, three parts hilarious, with a dash of straight-up bewildering.

equally entertaining as babwa vag, i bring you sheep pong. stick with it. i promise, it’s loads of nerdy fun.

it’s been announced that npr’s ratings are sky high; unfortunately, so are fox news’.

in my dear and beloved new york, impending fare hikes mean you have to pay 50 cents more to get on the L, and therefore have 50 cents less to give the old couple with the sign language cards.

homeland number two, oregon, saw a victory today as the state senate overwhelmingly passed a safe schools for all youth bill; it heads to the state house next. and in minnesota, a similar bully bill advanced from committee to full vote; somewhere, michele bachmann’s head exploded.

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in politics, geithner unveils a plan that rallies wall street but leads the UK press to exclaim, “US follows UK — on the wrong road.” also, my home state of nc looks better than expected on gay marriage, and obama’s education secretary talks the talk on safe schools for queer youth, but will she walk the walk? anne hathaway accepts a role that takes major balls, and for those balls, a lovely barstool already exists. in manufacturing news, can you imagine the world without saabs? it takes you back to the days when old ladies weren’t allowed to blog about how confusing ipods are. speaking of old ladies, i told you hillary would one day make it to the supreme court. finally, in miscellany, i bring you a beyond awesome business card–from my hometown, no less–stupid criminals, and awesome nature photography.

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i have had a lot of exciting ideas floating around in my head, and they will come to fruition shortly. the gist of my blog will be a news round-up, serious to bizarre, in the span of roughly one witty, snarky paragraph. it will become integrated with my twitter in that i will send a daily teaser out to twitter with the highlights of my round-up, and so it will all become this working, cooperating machine. in the meantime, twitter has become my new obsession. the focus on brevity and directness is refreshing, and i think that is what has affected my view on how the main part of the blog should work.

stay tuned. i’m working on it, and i’m excited for it. i’m getting at least half a dozen new friends on twitter per day, and i think the growth will be mutually beneficial for the site and my twitter.

Originally published at scott anthony. Please leave any comments there.

the online realm has become such an instant one, with facebook feeds and twitters, that it’s hard to figure out the place of personal blogs. i’m slowly figuring the best way to find a balance between integrating these products of an attention span-devoid world into something like wordpress, which generally requires a bit more work. we’ll see how it goes. i’d really like to start updating this thing again.

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From Paul Krugman’s NY Times blog. As always, he is dead on:

“AIG

Preliminary thoughts on the tax bill:

1. It’s not the way you should make policy — it’s clumsy, and it will punish some innocent parties while letting the most guilty off scot-free

2. But — there wasn’t much alternative at this point. And for that I blame the Obama people.

I’ll leave to others the question of who knew or should have known that the bonus firestorm was coming; but it’s part of a pattern. At every stage, Geithner et al have made it clear that they still have faith in the people who created the financial crisis — that they believe that all we have is a liquidity crisis that can be undone with a bit of financial engineering, that “governments do a bad job of running banks” (as opposed, presumably, to the wonderful job the private bankers have done), that financial bailouts and guarantees should come with no strings attached.

This was bad analysis, bad policy, and terrible politics. This administration, elected on the promise of change, has already managed, in an astonishingly short time, to create the impression that it’s owned by the wheeler-dealers. And that leaves it with no ability to counter crude populism.”

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who knew that lady gaga could simultaneously bring to mind freddie mercury and regina spektor?

youtube: lady gaga, “fooled me again, honest eyes”

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