August 28th, 2008 Nichole
Ever since watching Vision of Escaflowne back in high school, I’ve loved Yoko Kanno. However, today I’m wondering if she isn’t a bit of a fraud, or more simply an uninspired musician.
Why do I say this? Yoko Kanno ripped off Bjork. Her song “Where Does This Ocean Go” sounds way too much like “Hyperballad” for my tastes. In fact, it left a god-awful taste in my mouth. Do a search “Yoko Kanno is a fraud” in google and you come up with even more websites about songs she’s composed that are a lot like other songs that existed well before her time in the limelight.
I’ve liked Yoko Kanno forever it seems. It just took until today to question that love.
It’s one thing to remix or sample; you give credit to the original creator of such things. However it sort of rubs me the wrong way to watch someone profit from too-close creations.
You’ve failed me, Yoko Kanno. You’ve failed me hardcore.
Posted in music, rant | 6 Comments »
August 17th, 2008 Nichole
I’ve talked about this a couple times in my other blog but whenever I hear someone say that a thin person should have a sandwich crammed down their throat, it makes me both sad and horribly sadistic. Like the person ragging on someone thin is the one should have that sandwich stuffed oh-so-lovingly down their windpipe.
Ragging on thin (or dare I say skinny) people seems more socially accepted than ragging on someone who’s overweight. If I’m in the company of people who are heavier and start mentioning on how someone shouldn’t be eating so much, I’d probably get glared at or one worse. We’re a society programmed on oversized portions, prepackaged foods and fat-inducing additives.
Just because someone eats right, works out and/or is conscious about portion sizes, that does not make that person anorexic. It makes that person healthy. Some other people (both fat, skinny and of average weight) should try it sometime.
That’s not to say you can’t eat out once in awhile, but I think McDonalds or the equivalent 5 times a week is a little excessive. Do people not know how to cook anymore?
And you know what? Some people actually have a hard time gaining weight. Shocker, I know, but just as people plateau when they’re losing weight, people also flatline while gaining as well. I’m one of those people. I have a friend who is another. And when people tell us nicely that, “We should eat a sandwich,” or “Did you just go to throw up your lunch,” it’s totally not appreciated.
So skinny ladies, much love. I love me some curves, but before all that I love the person you are underneath. Eat what you want; it’s your prerogative, but don’t tell me how I should be dieting.
Posted in rant | 8 Comments »
June 11th, 2008 Nichole
At the beginning of June everyday minerals moved over to their new site. It looks fantastic (just like their makeup), but I wish the site worked as well as it looked. Honestly, I don’t think they were ready to flip from their old one.
There were so many problems that should have been debugged: international and domestic shipping prices being too high, cart problems, checkout problems, database problems, ordering problems. The list goes on and on.
I will say though the staff over there has been working very hard to fix the site so it’s running smooth. I just now managed to order, though I did not see my sample kit in the Items Ordered section of my account. I can do without it this time, I guess. At least the rest of my order was there and I got the 20% off.
So, cheers to everyday minerals. You’re doing a good job. I just wish you had a little better foresight when you switched everything over. That was a major move.
Oh well. You learn best from your mistakes.
Posted in rant | 5 Comments »
May 30th, 2008 Nichole
Tonight I was inducted into the Rahsaan-formed Fine Dining Club at Paparazzi in Valparaiso. I had eaten there before with a friend and had a wonderful experience. Tonight however, it was something out of a sitcom: not funny to the people in it but most likely hilarious to everyone else.
First, they seated us at this long table right in the middle of the room. RIGHT in the MIDDLE. Where all the door traffic was. We constantly had people walking around us, which was more than distracting. It was downright uncomfortable.
Then, there was more noise than I had anticipated. This wasn’t really the restaurant’s fault, but the time I had been with my friend it was a lot quieter. I don’t like having to yell to hold conversation.
And finally, the icing on the cake. There was a blackout. The restaurant blew a fuse. So here we were, nine of us, eating in the dark. We thought about leaving a couple times, but we’re all too nice of people to do that.
It got hot after awhile. The musician that was going to play for the night just up and left, which I found hysterical. Dine and dash, I’d never done it before. And I really wanted to. At least I had the company of my friends. We’d never laughed so hard at misfortune in all our lives.
The food was good at least.
Posted in friends, rant | No Comments »
April 29th, 2008 Nichole
I was reading some blogs after dinner when I stumbled across this post at Real Live Lesbian that pretty much encompassed everything I feel about being gay.
Maybe I’m just naive, but I don’t get the whole pride thing. It’s a big display that seems… shallow. Sorry. As a person, I’m not defined by being a lesbian pretty much the same way that I’m not only defined by being tall, blond and an overzealous gamer with a currently level 1 heavy warrior that will totally kick some ass when we FINALLY PLAY. Come on Shaun, Brad and Jose!
I don’t like defining myself by those little bits and pieces. That’s not to say I don’t do it; I do. Just look how often I say I’m a writer. Hell, look at the name of this blog.
I know, I’m horrible. Some may even choose to sling the popular, “You’re in denial,” phrase at me. Yet I will tell you this: if my sexuality comes up in a conversation, I’ll gladly talk about it, but I’m not going to broadcast it to the world. Do my straight friends broadcast their straightness? No. Are they in denial? No.
I don’t understand the people I don’t even know who find the need to come up to me, start conversation and then gently tell me, “Oh by the way, I’m gay.” Do you think that will make me like you more? Less? I know it sounds so cliche but I like people for the sum of all their parts. Specific definitions wrapped up in pretty rainbow-colored colloquial phrases won’t have me liking or hating you more. There are always exceptions to generalized definitions, which is why it’s best to always look at the sum. The total.
The whole person.
I want people to look at me the same way: a grand sum. I want people to say, “Hey, I really like Nichole,” and not “I really like Nichole because she’s a lesbian.”
I’m not trying to pass off as straight. I just go with the flow of being me. People know, even if I don’t say it outright, and personally I think that is best. It means you know me enough to actually know things about me.
I consider myself lucky to have friends like that.
Posted in rant | 3 Comments »
