I'm hung up... on Madonna

I personally think that it is impossible for an American girl of a certain age to not have been extremely influenced by Madonna growing up. She was everywhere, and there was nothing like her. I recall being driven out to the mall on several ocassions just so that I could increase my amount of those jelly rubber bracelets that she made so popular in the mid/late Eighties. There were bright summer days where we all sat inside watching MTV, hoping for another glance of the "Lucky Star" video. The music, the changing style, the revolving door of celebrity boyfriends, the yoga, the single mom-dom, Kabbalah - that's Madonna. Pushing the envelope of social convention and giving the finger to her critics - that's Madonna. She's a unique feminist, a pop-icon power house, and on Thursday night, I spent my evening in her world.

It was the first night of a three night engagement at the Boston Garden, and the place was packed and totally energized. There was just so much Madge love in that place. People were "dressed," and there were a lot of tee shirts from Madonna tours of the past. People were prepared to love this concert, and Madonna didn't disappoint. Neither did our tickets, which were on the floor in the back, making it possible to see the images on the screens all over the stage, as well as Mrs. Ritchie herself who came strutting out onto the catwalk in almost all of her numbers. (Thank God, I got my new glasses last week; I was able to see her FACE!!)

It was a complete spectacle, like a big-time Broadway show meets a Las Vegas magic act. With effects such as disco balls, kalescope Madonnas, equestrine dominatrix gear, a rhinestone-studded, black leather merry-go-round horse, giant crucifix, jungle gym athletics, dancers in bhurkas, roller skates, the show touched on Madonna's personal life (X-rays from her riding accident) to political problems in the USA (shots of political bad'duns, including Bush, Rice and Cheney along with Hussein, bin Laden and Co.) and global issues of concern (African AIDS orphans.) The senses were assalted with sounds and imagery, and the audience welcomed it, rising to their feet from the first number until the end two hours later. (My legs were SORE from wearing, and dancing, in fancy heels.)

Madonna looks amazing. She looks even more amazing considering that she is 47. By the time they got more than halfway through the show, I started to get thigh and arm envy, and then, I got really depressed. The depression passed when I contemplated that it probably has been 20 years since she ate pizza and drank a glass of wine.

The set list featured: Future Lovers // I Feel Love (Donna Summer cover) // Get Together // Like a Virgin // Jump // Live to Tell // Forbidden Love // Isaac // Sorry // Like It Or Not // Sorry // I Love New York // Ray of Light // Let It Will Be // Drowned World/Substitute for Love // Paradise [Not For Me] // (Disco Inferno) Music // Erotica // La Isla Bonita // Lucky Star // Hung Up

(The last I heard, there are still tickets for today's show.)

Workin' for the Weekend

On Friday night, I went to see The Devil Wears Prada. I really enjoyed it, but I left the theater feeling both fat and ugly which is NOT the kind of experience you want to have at the movies. The clothes and accessories, on the other hand, had me at "hello." OMG, how I needwant a Marc Jacobs tote.

This image about sums up my Saturday. SOB SOB ::pets the bump on Terry's head::


Sunday I took an hour and forty-five minute nap and then cleaned like a maniac. I had no idea my house was so untidy and dusty. It was so nice to wake up this morning and see how clean everything is now. It makes for a far less stressful Monday at work where this place is virtually empty.

Here is a link to the unaired pilot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer... before the role of Willow was recast by Alyson Hannigan. It would have been a whole different Buffy.

Here comes the rain again...again

The skies are about to open up on the city of Boston and the sky is crackling with thunder and lightning. Guess who didn't bring her umbrella to work today?? ::DOH:: This all comes from not believing the weather people on tv. And of course, I am wearing a white skirt. A white, dry clean only skirt.

Old Navy is selling some really cute tank tops this season. The great thing about these tanks is that they are LONG, for those of us who would prefer NOT to show off our navel or our bums. The ones that I really like are v-necked layering tanks and come in awesome colors. (I got Paradise Blue and Pink Cadillac.) I also really like the basic camis, which have some stretch to them and make them perfect for layering under a blouse for work. These tanks also are very reasonably priced. I got six tanks and ended up spending about $30 for them.

H2O

I made a resolution to start drinking 8 8oz glasses of water a day, which started yesterday. Unfortunately, the resolution started yesterday afternoon, and I spent a lot of time running back and forth from my desk to the ladies' room. Lesson learned, and now I am spreading out my water consumption over the course of the day. I am going to be thin and healthy, damn it. ::shakes fist at the sky::

I had to go to the UPS office this morning to pick up a package that they were holding for me. It took ages for them to find it, but when I was leaving, late for work, I got to see the fleet of brown UPS trucks leaving the parking lot, truck after truck in tandem, ready to deliver all sorts of goodies to people in the greater Boston area. I wonder what they got.

Summer of Doing Stuff, Part I

Last night featured the first event in what is hereforeward to be called "The Summer of Doing Stuff" (technical term.) The evening began with Scarlet, Moneypenny and I going out to Silvertone for the highly delicious (and caloric, but hey! it's summer!) macaroni and cheese (and a side of greens,) which Moneypenny and I washed down with Sidecars, while Scarlet partook of the Bud Light. Don't be fooled, true believers, this wasn't just a night of drunken debauchery; this was a night for culture, philosophy, art, relationships, sports, and how if Moneypenny ends up working at Starbucks that personal caffeine consumption would be at an all time high.

My favorite topic of the evening was the lengthy discussion of "Why Can't Women Break Up With Their Girl Friends If They Don't Get Along/Have Grown Apart/Have Gone Psycho???" I could probably write a blog entry on that subject alone, but instead I am going to leave that for my readers to comment on, if they so choose.

Now don't get me wrong, the night wasn't all quite so highbrow; after the third round was served, we delved into fandoms and Mary Sues, not to mention teh hawt-ness that is Varitek and teh awesome that is Big Papi. And Sark. And vampire novels. And "Supernatural", which I still don't watch, but as it has Jeffrey Dean Morgan aka "Denny ::sobsob::", I might have to sign on to that one.

Now Scarlet has started a bit of a summer reading recommendation challenge, despite the fact that I told her about the entire bookshelf of books that I still have to read and can't take on any new books. But then again, I can be up for this challenge as re-runs aren't my idea of summer fun.

And so:
Let's start a meme! What books/fanfic/comic do you recommend as must reads? Can be anything and for any reason...
1. The Griffin and Sabine trilogy and The Morning Star Trilogy by Nick Bantock. I simply love these books of existential correspondence between people who have never met, and yet, who are completely connected. It isn't just the story that is compelling; there is the tactile nature of the book - reading the actual letters and postcards. The illustrations are beautiful and multi-layered.

Holiday Weekend

I haven't posted much of late, mostly due to being too lazy and not having all that much to reflect on.

This weekend, however, I was utterly rejuvenated by my college core group of friends. "Raquel", "Molly" and I headed out to Nantucket on Saturday morning to meet up with "JLou" and "Suzer" and "Jo" to have a pre-10 year reunion (this coming Saturday,) "Suite 102" reunion. We reminisced about school, napped, watched cheesy Lifetime television movies about teenagers and sex and syphilis, tried to find a baby name for Raquel's unborn child (due in July,) Googled to find a father for Jo's baby (with her partner,) ate TONS of dip and crackers and Peanut Butter M&Ms, went to the beach, drove around town looking for boys designated by code names like "Levy" and "Blue Devil", talked about bad and good things going on with our lives, and basically laughed and laughed until I got the hiccups and started to cry from laughing so hard.

When I got back after the seven hour commute from the island, I discovered that my apartment was an oven, so I threw open all the windows and made some iced tea, the first of the season! Then I watched Stage Beauty, which I found surprisingly good... surprising because I have been disappointed by much of Claire Danes work post "My So-Called Life", but she was very good, and Billy Crudup, despite the whole break up with (goddess) Mary Louise Parker, was really outstanding! I had forgotten that I had done a whole research project my sophomore year of college about men as women on the stage in Elizabethan and Jacobean England (from a costuming perspective), and there was so much in the film that resonated with my (long-forgotten) research. The last 15 minutes of the film was really great - the rehearsal and ultimately the "truest" performance of Othello. I need to see some Shakespeare live; it has been too long.

After such a great time, I feel the absence of my friends, but I also have the reserves to attack this week and make it a great one. And anyhow, I will see most of them again on Saturday at the reunion!

Springtime, a ringy dingy ding time... birds sing...

I went outside for a walk up Massachusetts Avenue today to run something up to the hotel for a visitor, and I didn't want to come back to the office afterwards. The weather outside is sunny and mild and simply perfect. Everyone I talk to agrees that it is so nice to have spring in New England again, despite the doom and gloom of the Channel 5 news last night talking about brush fires and bugs. Brush fires and bugs are nothing in comparison to daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and robins building their nests. And I don't even LIKE birds.

I keep forgetting my coat places. I think that it is because when I go to the places it still is on the cooler side, but when it is time to leave, the day has really warmed up, and I just don't THINK "I had a coat when I came in because it was cool." Yesterday I had to drive all the way back to Concord from Cambridge because I realised that I had left my coat at our book club hostess' house. Thankfully, I remembered it before I got COMPLETELY home.

At book club yesterday, where we BARELY talked about the book, the subject of clothing sizes (including the clothing conspiracy that I mentioned in my previous post) and dieting and exercise was a hot topic for discussion. I really need to drink more water and start driving less and walking more. I have been so bad about going to the gym since my bad cold at the beginning of March, but I am going to go workout today after work. I had been going for exercise walks outside, but there is something about the pace on the treadmill or on the elliptical machine that can't be duplicated when you are walking outside. And I really need to back on the caffiene again, although I am NO WHERE NEARLY as bad as I was a couple of years ago. One large coffee and one 12 oz can of Diet Coke a day really isn't bad in comparison to the 3-4 liters that I was drinking per afternoon of the stuff. But I would like to be in better shape for my 10 year college reunion next month, so that when we climb all those stairs at the Cross, I won't have a heart attack or stroke. Not eating crap at meals and getting more sleep probably wouldn't hurt either.

I haven't really said all that much lately about things going on in the world or with the US government, mostly because I just find everything too absurd to try to make sense of it all. My standard MO is just to shake my head woefully. For I am indeed, full of "woe"; I am also full of "whoa."