Many moods of Mickey

Magnet #1290 - Shades of Mickey Mouse

A friend of mine brought this back for me from Disneyland. So cute!

You know, for as many times as I've been out to California, I still haven't done one trip centered around themeparks.

This is bad! I'm also getting annoyed that my list of places to visit is getting longer and longer. I should probably set up a spreadsheet of trips that I want to take and the bucket list of things to do in each place. Then I can start tiering my trips. As it is, it's been only 3 months since my last international trip and I'm already itching to get outta dodge.

Anyway, I do love this magnet because it's like someone's asking Mickey to be Happy! Be Sad! Be freaked out! Now you're surprised! Plus, with all the different colors, it's like an Andy Warhol set.

Ok, fine. It's really a set of 15 magnets. But honestly, did ya'll want 15 separate Mickey magnetsposts?

Nope, didn't think so.

Therefore, I present Mickey Warhol.

Bumble forward*

Magnet #1201 - Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall

Ok folks. My list for Things to Do in LA is always so very long, but this building is definitely in my top 3 to visit. I've seen it from afar, but haven't managed to go in...my friend brought this back from their gift shop, though...so yay!

Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall, dedicated in 2003, is the home of the LA Philharmonic, and is arguably one of the coolest buildings around. It's one of Gehry's most recognizable works, and he almost didn't get the gig.

Back in the 1980s, Lillian Disney gave $15 million to help build a world-class performing arts institution to Los Angeles. The Walt Disney Concert Hall committee wasn't on board with Gehry, because at the time, he hadn't done the Bilbao in Spain or any major local work - locals knew him as the guy who had a funny house down in Santa Monica.

In the end, it took Lillian Disney's backing to get the committee on board with using him. Several years later - after much drama (that you can listen to here) - they finally managed to get the supercool building with the curvy-curvy stainless steel exteriors built.

And, bonus, they do tours!



*“You've got to bumble forward into the unknown.”

- Frank Gehry

I just love the quote, because if there's anyone who does that, it's Gehry...crinkling papers to see what shapes he can come up with. Building with materials that don't always exist in nature and have to be custom-built, etc.

Also, it's just a great quote for life, at least for me...given how I seem to be constantly bumbling forward into great unknowns this last calendar year.

When you're smiling...

Magnet #1178 - Eeyore

I smile a lot. No. I mean, really. A lot.

Someone posted a Facebook photo album this weekend, and don't you know - every damn photo, I'm laughing like a damned hyena. (Mind you, there was wine involved, so thank goodness the photos aren't worse than what they could be, but yeah, I was a pretty happy camper that night.)

But, even without wine, I'm generally a pretty smiley chick. You have to be to keep the doldrums at bay, and to get through whatever it is you have to get through.

I mean, look at Eeyore here. It's why I picked him up at that street fair last week, cuz he's one of my faves. He knows. Sad about the world, but somehow he's still got a sad little smile on his face.

Some of my old colleagues used to get superticked off at me because even when I'd be delivering bad news, somehow I'd still be smiling. I can be pissed off as hell and still be smiling.

In fact, that's how you know there's trouble, when I can't muster up a smile for you. When that happens, just shut up, back away slowly and don't make any sudden moves. And give me some space.

Sooner or later, I'll be smiling again. Maybe not at you, but surely, at something.

Don't be a dope

Magnet #1129 - Don't be a dope

Yeah, that's right, this pin magnet clearly proves that I'm a product of the Nancy Reagan Just Say No generation.

Actually, for me, it was part of a bigger story than the Just So No campaign. In high school, a friend of ours was killed by a drunk driver coming home from basketball game during Christmas break. He was one of the bright lights of our school, and we all took it hard.

A few months later, with the help of a beloved librarian, some of us started our own club called NOISOK, focused on keeping us kids out of trouble, keeping us busy with making buttons and sharing experiences, and helping us band together to just say no to the peer pressures of drinking, drugs, and driving under the influence.

I honestly can't tell if worked for everyone - I mean, I'm still pretty self-righteous when it comes to drinking and driving, and I swear to this day whenever I take a drink in hand, I think of my friend from many years ago.

In the end, you can only do so much to educate. It's still a personal decision, whether or not to drink or do drugs, and whether or not to drive under the influence. But, whether or not silly pins like this are responsible for saving lives (I have to believe they are), it's amazing how the messaging doesn't change in 25 years...

Words by Rice, building by Piano

Magnet #1050 - Times Square/42nd Street

I once fell into the N/R/W/Q subway tracks in the Times Square/42nd Street station. This is not that magnetpost.

I'm just using it for today, because I just got back from Times Square, and seeing the Sir Tim Rice and Friends performance.

I've been looking forward to this event, mostly because of my obsession with watching all of those (very late to the U.S.) BBC/BBC-A, Andrew Lloyd Webber reality shows casting parts in the West End's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Sound of Music, then Wizard of Oz, and now Oliver! So when I didn't see any of Rice's work with ALW on the program, I was a little sad.

But, it was quickly explained by the funnier than I'd have expected Tim Rice, that the evening was being devoted not so much to him, but to Disney on Broadway's songbook. Being a Disney fan, color me sooo not disappointed!

And it was so much fun!

After Sir Tim did a tongue-in-cheek reading of all the not-so-great NYTs reviews of Disney shows, we were treated to fantastic numbers sung by seven original cast members of Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, AIDA, Tarzan, Mary Poppins, The Little Mermaid, and King David (which you've likely never heard of, but the two numbers from it were fabulous, so I hope we will hear of them again).

The first song was Be Our Guest, and all I could think of was that it sure did not sound like when my sisters and I play Wii Disney Sing It. And for the whole song, all I could think was man, I bet that dude would rock out on Wii. What? It's true.

From then on, it was quite amazing watching these Disney vets as they performed their songs without sets, without costumes, with a two-piece musical accompaniment...and still they managed to place us in every single show. Maybe because it was on such a small stage, and we were all so close up, but it was truly uncanny how I felt like I was watching Belle and Mary Poppins and Rafiki and Ariel, and shoot, even Tarzan. In street clothes.

And now I finally understand what ALW and all the judges were trying to teach all those reality contestants - how to act out a song, feel the emotions, connect with the words. I had pooh-poohed that criticism, before but honestly, I got a little goosebumpy listening to several of the songs tonight. I guess that's how the pros do it.

But wait. There's more!

Last week, I used a magnetquote by architect Renzo Piano, where I surprised myself with all of the Piano museums/additions I'd been to. Tonight's NYTs Arts & Leisure Weekend event was held at TimesCenter, at Piano's New York Times building just off of Times Square.

I've been to TimesCenter before, but hadn't realized just how ingeniously multi-use they've managed to make this building. While I was sitting in the audience of a state-of-the-art, 378-seat auditorium, through the stage backdrop glass, I was able to see New York Times employees leave their office space across the indoor courtyard, dinner patrons dining at the gorgeous Montenapo Restaurant, and a chick shopping at supercool Muji.

All that, and, it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the incredible performances of Sir Tim Rice's merry band of friends.

Pretty. Damn. Cool.

Walk. Freeze. Eat. Repeat.

Magnet #1020 - Disney, New York City

Fact: I paid way too much for this magnet. But. It was opening day at Disney's new Flagship store in Times Square a few weeks ago, and so, was totally worth it.

Plus, look at it! So darn cute! If they had a second one, with a complementary set of Disney ones (they could so do one with just the princesses!), I would totally have gotten it.

Spent the day playing tourist again in my city - one of my favorite things to do here. One of my former clients from Italy is here this week with her boyfriend, so we went wandering around Queens and midtown.

Yes, Queens. They wanted to go, so I brought them all the way out to Corona Park and the Queens Museum of Art, to see all the World's Fair stuff. You know I love it there.

Her BF is an architect, so he was totally interested in the architecture out there, and in midtown. So I picked up a copy of Francis Morrone's Architectural Guidebook to the City for him - remember him? The dude who gave the Plaza tour?

I firmly believe that all visiting architects should have that book in hand while wandering around town. We wandered through Grand Central, up Park Avenue to visit the Seagram Building, Lever House and the Frank Lloyd Wright showroom, over to Madison for the AT&T/SONY Building - such a pleasure to wander around with someone who appreciates the buildings themselves! We followed that by a quick trip into Cartier, St. Patrick's, Rockefeller Center, and Times Square for Disney, M&Ms and Hershey's, and Toys R Us.

Yep. All day. Loved it. Walking, freezing and eating. My kind of day.

Well, without the freezing, maybe.

Here comes the sun

Magnet #1015 - Ariel

I have to admit, whenever I see this Ariel magnet, that Beatles song, Here Comes the Sun runs through my head. It's on the Parent Trap soundtrack, which is surprisingly one of the best. soundtracks. ever. It's one of my favorite movies, even if it's a little bittersweet watching Natasha Richardson in it.

Ariel was named Disney princess with the best hair a couple of weeks ago. I think it was a bit of an unfair competition, given that Snow White is like 73 years old, Cinderella's like 60, and Rapunzel's not even a month old! It's hair from different generations, and therefore shouldn't be judged against each other. Nevertheless, Ariel does have supercute hair, both above and below water.

For me, I will admit that I'm superjeal of Rapunzel's hair at the end of the movie.

Why all the hair talk? Because I figured while I don't really have an office to go to, that I might as well take this time to grow my hair out and donate it. I try and do this every so often, but I never make it - I get so frustrated with ponytails, hair clips, and barrettes that I just run to the nearest hairdresser and ask her to chop it all off.

So, for the past several months, I've been waiting and waiting for my own hair to grow, to get that eight inches. And my hair is growing sooooo slow! Hurrrrrry upppppp!

/whinewhinewhine

eta:
And, in case you wanted to know where the hair's going...STW Sis donated her hair earlier this year to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths program. She's done it a couple of times already. I wonder if they can tell by hair condition if you've been using their products. /randomthought

Wicked pissah

Magnet #975 - Harvard

Today's pitstop was Harvard.

When I was in junior high or so, my parents took me to Harvard and Yale. I remember lying down in the back of the van, looking up out of the windows, not seeing much, just the occasional tree and building and thinking, nope, I don't really want to go here.

Not that it was a possibility, really - once that first algebra grade showed up those parental dreams of Harvard or Yale disappeared into the ether. Really, they should have known the first, second and third time they had to pick me up from school, fresh from my after-school chalkboard sessions on 6th grade long division with Mrs. Misenheimer. But, it didn't stop them from having us visit.

But, my cousin and I figured since the T stopped there on the way in to Boston that we owed it a visit. The funny thing was seeing it from a standing vantage point, versus the floor of the blue van. Even funnier? How familiar it felt, walking through the Yard.

That's when I realized (like MIT the day before), I was familiar with the campus only through the movies. The first thing I thought of when I saw Widener Library was With Honors with cuteboy Brendan Fraser. Fabulous movie.

Which lead to the running question for the weekend "Did you see the movie _____? That's where this was!!!!"

Which lead to the running answer for the weekend, "No," with an implied, damn, do you only know movies from the 80s and 90s?

So, yeah, the cousin hadn't seen Good Will Hunting, or With Honors which were the two that I thought for sure she'd have seen!

(She hadn't seen The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, either, which had nothing to do with Boston, I don't think, but yeah, we got to talking about Kurt Russell, too. Silly, I know. But don't you think she's better now for knowing that Kurt Russell was the last thing Walt Disney was thinking about before he passed away?)

We spent the next hour or so walking around, joining random tours and taking pictures with random statues (of which we should have thought twice about the posing with John Harvard, it brings added meaning to our pitstop). Contrary to the smart/not smart MIT trip yesterday, I found myself way more intrigued by this campus...of course, it helped that we joined a tour right when it was talking about the the history of Massachusetts Hall, where John Adams, John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and James Otis lived back in the day.

Seeing their old dorm fit right in with the rest of the morning's Freedom Trailing.

Sigh. I love Boston, it truly is the most historic town in America...and way better when seen from foot, than the floor of the blue van.

Who is Don Draper?

Magnet #969 - Don Draper

[spoilers here]

I refused to read any of the articles or Tweets about the Mad Men finale, so I don't know if everyone liked or hated it. What I can say is that I loved it. Like, loved it.

Who is Don Draper, indeed? It's a question we've been asking since the first time he graced our screens three years ago. And, I gotta tell you, after this finale? It's a question I'm still asking.

I think that's the beauty of this show. We may never know the answer, but we'll sure as hell be intrigued by the journey.

Earlier yesterday, a friend and I were talking about what we thought would be the big cliffhanger, and I threw out there that I didn't think there'd be a big cliffhanger, so all that's left was that he'd propose. Only, seriously? I actually thought he'd settle down with Faye. I'm happier than I should be (and just as damn snarky as Peggy and Joan) that it's Megan, but I really thought he'd do the practical thing and marry Faye and find a house in Stamford or Greenwich. It's what they do, those boys.

I do think I might be the only one happy that he's happy with Megan. Clearly, Don being Don, he won't be happy because he's just feeling all sad about Anna, but I don't remember Don being this puppy dog over any of his many women, so maybe this will stick? Even though, there's a part of me that thinks Megan's a little more devious than we think and that she really might end up as one of Peggy's creatives. (Though a part of me was scared Peggy was gonna go cry in the bathroom over Don, and that's a whole can of worms I don't want to see. Yet.)

The finale on the whole though was just fantastic. Freakin' Peggy and Cos nailing the pantyhose account, with Peggy writing copy on the spot for the clients? Awesome.

Bets freakin' out on Carla, classic. (Though, dudes, tonight, when Don pulled out that bottle from the cabinet? It reminded me that we haven't seen an honest smile from her in years.)

And Joanie, keeping Roger's baby? I kinda figured she'd do it, but damn, to pass it off as hub's? Can't wait til next season, though I'm calling it now. He's gonna get killed in Vietnam, and Joanie (the new awesome DOO at SCDP) is gonna be stuck on her own and Roger's gonna have to deal with the fallout and a new baby carriage.

Overall, I've had mixed feelings over this season. While I know in my head it's fiction, I couldn't help seeing the last year and a half of my career in this season - the beginning of a new agency, the animosity of a new regime, the fighting over office supplies, the fear of losing clients, false promises, beating the bushes for new clients, wondering if we'd be around in the next six days, let alone six months. It's some scary stuff. Watching Don go through it at SCDP has been painful on a professional level.

But, this was a terrific way to end the season...though, I would have loved to actually see the Drapers wandering around Disneyland.

Oh! I'll probably do a longer post on it, mainly because I have five of the six buttons magnets for it, but ya'll need to run out right now and grab this book, Mad Men: The Illustrated World. It's adorable. It's well designed, cutely written in the spirit of the show and the times, and I loved it so much, I bought it twice at Comic-Con.

Seriously. Go. Now.

"A source of joy and inspiration"

Magnet #950 - Our Vacation at WDW

I had a friend in high school who called Mickey Mouse the anti-Christ. While I've never agreed with him, I will say I can't believe how much of a killing Disney makes off of kids and their parents. (And those who aren't parents, but love visiting Disney, anyway.)

And based on another friend who is spending a week down there with her family, Disney makes it soooo very easy to spend money - staying on various properties, fun character events, meal plans, cruises, corporate and school packages, plus the theme parks. Amazing.

I mean, the three of us in this magnetpicture with Stitch totally dropped a bundle for a week at Disney, and that was just to see a bunch of ABC Soap Stars.

I often wonder when Walt Disney dedicated Disneyland in the 1950s, if he had an inkling of the reach his park would have many years later. I love seeing those old videos of him giving updates on the construction of Disneyland, and later introducing the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. He had to have known something, I'd bet.

He had intended his parks to be "a source of joy and inspiration," but I imagine that they're quite the source of income for the estate as well, and that has good old Mickey giggling all the way to the bank.

eta:
Oooh, hey, happy birthday, Jan! You're not in this picture, but you totally should have been!

Candle on the water

Magnet #926 - Lighthouses of Maine

As I type this, I'm sitting on the slowest moving train known to man (I could seriously run faster, ya'll), on the last leg of my three-week sabbatical home.

Looks like that layoff was some damned good timing, since I ended up having to chauffeur my parents up and down the east coast for my dad's eye surgery. First the surgery, then the week-after follow-up. And, in another two weeks another follow-up roadtrip.

So this trip included:

• One train trip from NYC to NC
• One roadtrip from NC to Boston, with an overnight stopover in NYC
• One roadtrip from Boston to NC, with an overnight stopover in NYC
• One "roadtrip" to Raleigh to have some fun with a former client and friend
  
• One roadtrip from NC to Boston, with an hour stopover in NYC and a rather profitable side trip to Mohegan Sun
• One roadtrip from Boston to NC, with a detour through New Hampshire, Vermont, and an overnight stopover in NYC
• One train trip from NC to NYC
  

Whew. I Tweeted it, but dang, did I make the 85/95 corridor my bitka!

I picked up this magnet at a Hannaford's in York, Maine, when it was becoming clear that I wouldn't be able to see any lighthouses of Maine. In fact, I'd mentally written up the whole lighthouse magnetpost to be how of course I went to Maine and didn't see a lighthouse.

The next morning, though, we decided to take a quick oceanside jaunt, and just before a fabulous breakfast at Sandy's Purple Palace, we stumbled to Nubble Lighthouse. It's on an island, next to a look-out promontory - so gorgeous. Hurricane Earl helped us out with a strong surf, so it was very cool to see it with busy waves hitting the shores.

The lighthouse and its outerbuildings were very much like a Hopper painting and I couldn't stop taking pictures, just trying to capture the right shadows of the towers on the lawn.

Or, you know, waiting for the gift shop to open.

eta:
I have this strange urge to see Pete's Dragon now. And I haven't been able to stop singing It's Not Easy or Candle on the Water, ever since. And I can't stop trying to say Passamaquaddy, either.

Get your head in the game

Magnet #764 - Mickey Mouse

I've been having such a hard time getting my head in the game at work, at home, or basically anywhere. Sheesh, I'm still trying to catch up to the real number of magnets I should be on this day! I'm like two weeks behind.

Moving on. I picked this Mickey magnet because I'm rounding out my weekend of television and getting nothing accomplished with the Disney Channel and High School Musical 3: Senior Year.

I've already seen it, but for whatever reason, even in my late-30s, I find these things pretty rewatchable. I think it's the breaking into song, and what catchy songs they are.

Plus, I think I'm just hard-wired for anything the Mouse puts out there anyway. Or so says the amount of time I've just spent on Disney this weekend. Heh.

It sounds rather strange

Magnet #726 - Chesapeake Bay, Hooper Strait

The AGE10 brought this back for me, from a roadtrip they did to Maryland. It's the Hooper Strait Lighthouse that's been there since about 1879 - signaling the entry of Hooper Strait.

It's one of those screwpile lighthouses, because it has iron pilings with a screw at the bottom that dig down into the soft ground about 10 feet or so. Mind you, I just had to look that up, because I had no idea that they had lighthouses that screw into the grown. In my neck of the woods, we had all those towery North Carolina lighthouses.

All day, though, while I've been thinking of using this magnet for today, all I can think of is Disney's Pete's Dragon, which takes place in Maine, in and around a lighthouse.

And, in my head, all I hear is that It's Not Easy song with Helen Reddy and that ginger-haired kid playing Pete. Which, I guess in the grand scheme of things is easier to hear in my head than Candle on the Water.

Do you ride?

Magnet #713 - Aerosmith's Rock n Roller Coaster

I got asked that question by a colleague, who was trying to figure out if she'd have a ride partner during the Disney client retreat party.

Do. I. Ride???

Please. I love riding roller coasters!!!

Well, not technically totally true - I can ride any roller coaster. Except the ones that go up and down. It's true, you can ride me backwards, forwards, upside down, corkscrew me, standing up, sitting down, hanging tracks, inside out, whatever, that's fine. But I can't take the ups and downsy ones.

I'm always convince that when I'm headed downhill I'll fall out of the car.

So, when they closed down part of MGM (now Disney's Hollywood Studios) lot for the client party, and gave us free reign on two rides, I was absolutely thrilled to see that this coaster was one of the rides. (The Tower of Terror was the other one, but see above for why we didn't go on that one.)

Of course, I think I was more thrilled to discover the ride itself. Seriously. Apparently, it was opened in 1999. So how did we miss it during SuperSoap Weekend? Like, for realz, yo. We spent a ton of time there during that weekend. Mind you, I know we were watching the hot soap guys, but that's no excuse!

On the other hand, I totally got to ride the ride twice in 10 minutes. So. Freakin'. Awesome. Running up the ramp to ride it the first time, doing the 3Gs to go 0 to 60 in 2.8 seconds, the three inversions, in the dark with hypercolored neon signs, all while listening to the Aerosmith boys blaring in our ears. And then running back around to do it all over again. If I could have found someone else to ride it with me, I'd have done it again. And probably again. I don't care if my buzz did go away. It was totally worth it.

My only complaint is that at a minute, 22 seconds, it was way too short. But, hey, I also didn't wait the customary 40-60 minutes for it.

Rock. Freakin. On.

A dream is a wish

Magnet #711 - Cinderella's Castle

Ok. I bought this magnet in the Yacht Club souvenir shop, and of course, I will soon have a better picture of it when I get home from this Disney client retreat. Done.

I have to tell ya'll the best Disney story ever. And one from several years ago now. And I just know I've told this story before. I don't care.

I know some people have their issues with Disney. I. Am not one of those people. Like a good little brainwashed kid, I. Love. Disney. I don't care how jaded you are, there's just something wonderful about the wonderful world of Disney. You'll never get me to believe otherwise.

So, once upon a few years ago, during the year of a thousand dreams, in a magic park just a magical express bus away, I was shopping in one of the stores on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom, and a couple of castmembers came through, and they found a little girl. A little girl whose dreams had just been granted.

She had been invited up to Cinderella's castle to help Cindy get ready for the ball!

Can you just imagine? You're five years old, and you love Cinderella, and all of a sudden you get to be Cinderella's BFF and get to help her get ready to meet Prince Charming?

I would love that job, granting wishes to little girls (and boys), and all it takes is a little hard wishing. *sigh*

I seriously had to go make myself busy in the High School Musical section, so that I wouldn't get all sniffly over the little girl. C'mon. How does that not make you teary?

Where dreams come true...

Magnet #709 - ACRL Seattle

A librarian friend of mine brought this magnet back for me from a trade show/conference in CA, a couple of years ago. Funnily enough, it's one of the same friends who was down here in Orlando with us for SuperSoap Weekend a few years ago.

Now I'm back in town for a 3-day long client event, and am not participating any down time or character seeing while we're here at the Disney Yacht Club & Resort. It's actually kind of funny how I'm now back here for work.

Even funnier that in my head DisneyWorld has become more associated with ABC's soapstars than Disney's characters, but there you have it.

I'm kind of sad, because I'm fairly sure that this client thing will host no panel with hot boys from any of my previous soaps. All day long, I've been catching myself giggling whenever I pass anything that has to do with that last trip - from the bathroom where I got stuck waiting beside Trevor St. John for his family, to the hotel where they housed all the VIPs, and even seeing the fun ferries around the boardwalk.

Honestly, it's just so weird to be here and not see any people wearing soap star paraphernalia.

Oh, well. Time to get ready for the big kickoff party...that I'm fairly sure won't involve a parade of convertibles with pretty people waving, and women of all ages screaming their lungs off and stepping on my toes. Literally.

Though, I really need to speak to a weatherman about the weather. I haven't seen the sun once, and dang, it's freakin' cold down here. I'm really glad I didn't pack at all appropriately. Once again, it's because I missed Dave Price's weather. Sigh.

Princess jewels?

Magnet #688 - Glittery Snow White

Yesterday, we walked into a Target and I beelined to the dollar-store section, and my friend was like, Whhhhhy do you have to look there?

My question is, why not? I swear they put all the colorful items there just for the kids (and me) to pick up.

And, it's not like I'm picking up the crown jewels there or anything, just the odd Disney/Snoopy/Smurfs magnet set or two. Heh. What? I can't resist when they're just sitting there.

But, speaking of jewels, I just looked at this magnet closely. I wonder why the artist thought they should glitter and glorify the apple that poisoned Snow? Moreover, refresh my memory - did Snow White even include any princess jewels?

Very confusing magnet.

eta:
Oh! Speaking of confusing...a friend of mine shared this image of the Disney princesses dressed up as their Disney villains counterparts. Freaky!

Shining, shimmering splendor

Magnet #592 - Jasmine

Ah. The last of this particular Disney Princesses magnet set.

I wanted something happy for today. And you can't get any happier than a happy Disney Princess.

So, yay for happy Jasmine from Aladdin.

Right about now, I could use a happy, if somewhat annoying, magic genie in a bottle. And not the Christina Aguilera kind. Hell, I'd probably take the monkey, too.

Anyway, to recap: Nothing happier than the circle of Disney Princesses below. And if I use the word happy enough times, maybe I'll kick this bad, ticked-off and rather disgusted mood in the shins.


Huh. How'd that pink glittery apple get there. Wasn't Snow's apple red?

Happy.
Happy.
Happy.
Happy.
Happy.
Happy.

What? That's right. Next, I'll be spitting over my left shoulder, and walking in a counterclockwise circle three times backward.

Or. Coffee.

Or. Mountain Dew.

Those usually work.

Ride free or die

Magnet #564 - Harley-Davidson

Here's why I should never be a Nielsen family: I skew show demographics like no one's business.

It's not often that someone from the same demo watches Disney's Wizards of Waverly Place, ABC's Brothers & Sisters, BBC-A's Doctor Who or Top Gear, Lifetime's Army Wives, CBS' NCIS, and FX's Sons of Anarchy.

Can't help it - I love my tv in all its many forms, from cute to brutal. Add in a pretty boy and a love story, and I'm a goner.

Sons of Anarchy is one of those shows. Brutal, I mean. If you haven't watched the show, think Sopranos (which I never watched), with a gun-running, outlaw biker gang, taking care of their own in Charming, CA, and meting their own brand of justice along the way.

I don't mind saying that I had a pretty visceral reaction when I saw the first previews last year - you couldn't have paid me to watch. Not my cup of tea. But, if you've read any of the television posts on this blog, you know I totally had to give it a shot. It's what I do.

Sucked in. From the supersick opening titles with the fab ink graphics to the fanfreakin'tastic soundtrack - Sucked. Right. In.

And, I swear, it's more than just a pretty boy. Mind you, Charlie Hunnam's Jax Teller is easy on the eyes - especially in his "I swear every biker under 30 wears the baggy jeans and hoodies" cut, with his cute helmet and glasses, riding his bike. (As for love story, I do so want him together with Tara, his high-school sweetheart who got out of the life and became an upstanding doctor, but still has her killer tat on her lower back. She's played by Maggie Siff, who is oddly almost unrecognizable as Don Draper's client Rachel Menken, from S1 Mad Men.)

Anyway, after I got over the distasteful aspects (the outlawing, the violence, the supremacy of the other, other bad guys, etc.), I found myself left with a heap of engaging character complexities and impossible situations, brought to life by superb writing and raw acting.

Seriously, in what other world would Beauty & the Beast's Vincent Ron Perlman and Married with Children's Peg Bundy Katey Sagal be believable as Clay and Gemma, the aging patriarch and matriarch of an MC. In what other world would you be so engrossed in small touches of their lives (her menopause, his arthritis) and the well-being of their relationship (his infidelities with a tarty-tart, her spending the night in jail for smacking that tarty-tart upside the head - with a skateboard) that you forget that they possibly murdered her first husband to be together?

And, these two are just the tip of the iceberg - it's a magnetblog, remember? Of course, the Harley on this magnet is totally something that the Samcro boys would have to modify the bejeepers out of before taking out on the road. Yeah. Don't even get me started on the superawesome bikes.

Season 2 starts tonight at 10 on FX - this preview pretty much sums up most why I'm watching. Check out Maureen Ryan's and Alan Sepinwall's reviews for real reasons why you should be watching, too.

I guess if I had to think about it any harder, I'm betting the real reason I like this show, is because I feel like such a bad-ass watching it - like I could actually be a biker chick, kicking ass and taking names. (But you know, nicer.)

eta:
OMG! I don't know how I forgot about this! But, now I'm wondering if the Samcro clubhouse is anything like the old Hell's Angels haunt we used to pass every so often down in NC. And every time we'd pass it, Mom would be like, "that's where the Hell's Angels are!" as the whole family would look to the left as we passed.

eta2:
Oh. My. Good Gravy. That was one helluva season premiere. Ya'll better catch up. For realz, yo.

The seventh sister of hell

Magnet #550 - Ariel

Dudes. I had plans for today's magnet, and I threw them out the door the second I saw jeftoon01's art on deviant art yesterday.

He has a whole series of superfreaky, but amazing Twisted Princesses. On this magnet, cheeky Ariel looks so sweet and innocent and demure. Yet, here's the seventh daughter of Triton - jeftoon01's Ariel.

Part of me thinks it's wicked cool.

The other part of me wants to cover up the eyes of every Disney lover out there.

Please, won't someone think of the children? Hahahaha.