Nikki Minaj and American Idol

I just want to say for the record that I love Nikki Minaj, and may possibly even be obsessed with her since seeing her as a judge on American Idol. I appreciate how she challenges the typical Idol norms, like prematurely pigeonholing contestants into stereotypes (e.g. “the country singer” vs. “the pop star”). If this year is the year in which “glorified weirdness” can be appreciated and “awkwardness is the new confidence”—and I really hope it is—then we have Nikki Minaj to thank.

(Yes, this is a retro-post. I’m a cheater.)

ps4

Just one word – excitement! (And maybe that this could be the revival of Sony and AMD.)

Also, not related to the PS4 but still very much in the realm of gaming: Metal Gear Rising – Revengeance (WordPress wouldn’t allow me to embed the IGN video for some reason.)

cone of shame and a tough decision

I just got some great news from our vet—turns out that the irritated mass that had mysteriously appeared on Maggy’s right hind paw last week was brought about by a virus and not by cancer. I’m so so soooo relieved.

Hubby and I still have to decide what we want to do with this information. Per the vet, we have two options: 1) leave it alone and see if it will go away on its own, or 2) surgically remove it.

I’m inclined to just wait and see, but it could take up to two months to pass—which means poor Maggy will have to endure some discomfort and her cone for a while longer. The longer it takes for the viral mass to heal and leave on its own, the greater the risk of infection as well. On the flip side, I would really hate to have our girl undergo unnecessary surgery.

What should we do?

oscars 2013: everyone is a family guy

Last night, I lost to Hubby for the first time at our annual Oscar winners prediction contest. I won the last two years, even if by slim margins, but  still, I was the victor. Yesterday though…I’m not sure what happened, but my movie mojo was not working. Hubby beat me by five! It’s outlandish. I’m totally upset at myself and my utter underestimation of “Life of Pi.”  (I had incorrectly assumed that it was going to share a similar anti-climatic fate to that of “Avatar” back in 2009.) Did anyone predict that it would win the most Oscars this year?

I also noticed that a lot of celebrities showed up to the Oscars last night with family members as dates, which was really sweet. Most notable for me included Jamie Foxx and his daughter, Bradley Cooper and his mother, and Chris Evans and his mother. They’re all family guys. And this was fitting and also funny because the creator of “Family Guy” was also the host…

…And with that bad joke, I’m ending this post 🙂

K-pop

Finally Hubby and I got around to checking out K-pop, which recently joined the plethora of Asian restaurants on Castro St (replacing Barracuda, a Japanese restaurant that we had enjoyed up until their happy hour menu could no longer offset the lack of service). And K-pop turned out to be a pretty solid joint, with a super attentive staff—major brownie points. A bountiful array of side dishes, interesting “KFC” aka Korean fried chicken, tasty soon tofu, and steaming dol sot bi bim bap. But it’s the excellent service that’s going to bring us back. That’s something that led us to abandon its predecessor, so I’m glad K-pop got it right!

P!NK – the greatest show on earth

P!NK is my hero.

My friend and I went to her concert at the HP Pavilion on Monday night, and we were completely blown away. Like, all gasps and awe. Her Truth About Love tour has got be the greatest show on earth. The woman is amazing; she’s such an incredible performer. I couldn’t believe how she could be singing, dancing and doing crazy Cirque du Soleil-type acrobatics in the air all at the same time! And best of all, she sounded really good despite all her gravity-defying stunts. How many vocalists can pull that off?? Just P!NK, as far as I’ve seen. If you haven’t seen this woman in concert, you’ve been missing out—her show’s a real treat.

She sang nearly all her radio hits, including Just Like a Pill, U + Ur Hand, Fuckin’ Perfect, and Blow Me (One Last Kiss). My favorite performances were Try, Sober, and her throwback hit You Make Me Sick (gotta dig her old school R&B days).

Here’s one of her encore performances:

what “The Americans” has in common with “Dexter,” “Homeland,” and “Breaking Bad”

I’ve recently taken up on the new FX drama “The Americans,” which is the story about two KGB sleeper agents operating/living in the United States during the Cold War era. The show has a gritty, not fully polished, kind of feel similar to that of “Damages” (another FX drama), which works well, and even adds to, the suspenseful, undercover nature of the show. So far, five episodes in, I’m digging it.

“The Americans” is also the latest of a series of shows that promote morally ambiguous protagonists (aka, are they bad guys or good guys, or…?) who lead somewhat vanilla lives on the surface, but are actually eyeballs deep in some crazy/bad/questionable shit. But, these complex characters are all compelling, and to some degree, they have potential for change, which makes them likable in our eyes. There’s a part of us that wants to root for them, to look past, justify, and even forgive their flaws and actions.

Some folks might attribute this phenomenon to our own desires and fears related to walking on the wild side—but I’m going to argue that we are attracted to these characters because each has a glimmer of hope for changing for the better, and maybe we see a little bit of ourselves in them, in their vulnerability. For example, I so badly believe that Dexter is going to overcome his Dark Passenger; he’s become so much more human over the seasons, I’ve just got to believe. On the other hand, I don’t know that Walter White is going to reform, but I’m praying that he’ll at least do right by Jesse Pinkman and his family. And while the whole Carrie and Brody relationship is a little too crazy for me, I’m rooting for them to fight for the truth and get over this mess that season two left them with. Similarly, I’m sensing that Elizabeth and Phillip Jennings will soon see some promise in the American life.

The writers of these shows have made it easier for us to be hopeful because these characters that they’ve developed aren’t flat. Flat is boring, unbelievable. In fact, these characters are rather realistic in the sense that they have pride, egos, rage, bitterness—which we all do—that haunts and influences them. So we resonate with them, even if we don’t necessarily always like them. “The Americans,” just like “Dexter” and “Breaking Bad,” successfully makes that connection and pulls us in. And in my case, I just might be too sucked in…(How am I keeping up with all these shows??)

the most innovative companies

Fast Company recently released its list of most innovative companies in the world – the top 10 are as follows:

1. Nike
2. Amazon
3. Square
4. Splunk
5. Fab
6. Uber
7. Sproxil
8. Pinterest
9. Safaricom
10. Target

I’m impacted on a daily basis by about half of these companies, and I’ve only not heard of two (Sproxil and Safaricom, which are based outside the US; this makes me feel like a totally ignorant American). Notice that 4 of these companies are based in Silicon Valley. Last year’s list had 5, and the list from 2011 had 7. I think it’s interesting that the bulk of these companies are still known for innovations on the web, but you see that a few really made their mark because of physical products, or their ability to innovate on how physical products are discovered, sold and delivered to the end user (Nike, Amazon, Fab, Target).

So often, because of where I live, I lose sight of all the cool stuff going on in industries other than web. Reading up on all the neat inventions and improvements that are happening in all places, around the globe, has reminded me not to think, and be, so small. Oh and have you seen what 3D printing can do these days?? Amaze-balls.

all paws

what is the hardest thing about being single?

Hubby always finds interesting things on Quora and forwards them on to me. Below is one topic that I found particularly interesting, especially because it called me out on a couple things that I do as a married person, and it made me recall some of my own experiences as a single woman before I met Hubby.

See the full Q&A article here – the first response on the hardest thing(s) about being a single heterosexual woman.

Knowing that every time you are asked to a dinner hosted by a couple, there’s a better than 70% chance there will be a set-up involved…Being disappointed that there’s no set-up involved at those dinners, against your better judgment.

Hubby and I haven’t actually tried to set anyone up at our dinner parties, but I think that’s mainly because we have an intimate social circle and tend to invite the same guest list over and over again, so everyone already knows each other (it also doesn’t help that most of my friends are female). I wonder if my friends sometimes wish that I would expand my network a little more so that setups could happen? But I also would feel like I’m overstepping the bounds if I were to set them up, unless they explicitly asked me to. I don’t want to be “that married friend” who thinks she knows everything there is to know about love and relationships and meddles in people’s affairs—I hate unsolicited advice too.

Going to girls’ nights out and finding that your stories of dating humiliation are the only ones anyone wants to hear (unless there are any other singles with you).

OK I admit that I enjoy dating stories, but everyone enjoys dating stories! Even single people. I know I did; the telling of, and listening to, embarrassing failed first dates and awkward break-ups was often cathartic (and if not, at least it was over a few margaritas and you got a decent buzz from it). Now that I’m married, I don’t have any more dating stories to share, but I still want to have that exchange with my girlfriends. Some people might interpret that as my looking to be entertained, “to live vicariously through my single friends,” but more accurately, I just want to connect.

Feeling awkward about going to a bar or going to a restaurant and sitting at the bar for a drink or dinner by yourself.  Especially when traveling for business, when it should be the least awkward.

One time when I was in college, I went to lunch at a random diner next to an auto shop, where I happened to be getting my car’s wheels aligned. I told the hostess, “Table for one,” and she just stared at me. Like, literally stared at me for almost 5 whole seconds as if no one had ever said that to her before. Then she took me to my table, after I repeated myself, and she actually sat down across from me and said, “I will sit with you until your server comes.” She made me feel SO much more awkward than I would have ever felt just on my own. Anyway, as much as I didn’t mind eating by myself, I confess that I always brought a book or notepad with me just in case I had to avoid anyone who might feel awkward for me.

Not having anyone to turn the TV off at night and carry you to bed when you fall asleep on the couch watching a LoveBoat marathon, or to take turns with being the designated driver.

Before Hubby, I didn’t know what I was missing. I didn’t know that there was a life out there in which I didn’t have to kill all the spiders, or carry all the groceries up the stairs from the car, or be in bed at home sick with the flu, drowning in all my snot-filled tissues and wondering how long until a neighbor would find me if I were to just rot to death. Now that I have Hubby in my life, he kills a lot of the spiders, and he helps with trips to Safeway, and he tucks me under the covers and feeds me Robitussin when I’m under the weather. Finally, I am able to lean on someone else, to not always have to lean on myself for everything. And I do the same for him. Oh and the thing about taking turns being the designated driver is true too (and here I will declare utmost gratitude for Hubby, who assumes the role of DD 9 times out of 10).