I Love Allan Stewart Konisberg

In other words, Woody Allen.

So Partner and I just went to see the new Woody Allen flick "Scoop" with Scarlett Johannson, Hugh Jackman, and of course, everyone's favorite neurotic, narcissist, pessimist cynic. I do not mean that in a sarcastic way. Do not insert sarcasm here. Because it was fab. It was witty, it was like a really efficient paper cut: sharp, stings, and was painfully clever.

I've never been much for Woody Allen having never been exposed to much of his stuff before; being 26, I wasn't exposed to much of his earlier '70s films, and was before my time. But that all changed when Partner and I went to see "MatchPoint," another WA film released last year, and it turned out to be a brilliant commentary on love, relationships, fidelity, morality, and betrayal. Well done and shockingly intoxicating (like a car wreck you just have to stare at) it enveloped me, wrapped around me like I had sprouted wings and got cold. It was refreshing; not like these other droll films I see again and again; it was somewhat a british flick, and now so is "Scoop," set in London with all british supporting cast.

It was bitingly funny, ascerbicly witty, neurotic, entertaingly droll. But most of all it was a film that was funny as it was a mystery, a whodunit, a thrill ride with both thrill and fun. Nice.

So I have decided to contribute some time in getting to know more of Woody Allen's work. He's hysterically funny, charmingingly so, even when he's talking about sex or love.

In "Scoop" he's one of the main characters, and he's like an entertaining grandfather, the one we wished we had had, an endearing counterpart to Scarlett Johanson's morbidly honest character, a girl who is starkly literal in a way that makes you fall for her character; they are so perfect together as a team of crackpot reporters posing as father and daughter you'd think they really were. Go see it. You'll be glad you did. It's a very very funny, entertaining flick. And that's TWO verys.

ps: Anthony Stewart Head makes a brief cameo as a detective. For that reason alone, Woody Allen is the new black.

Margaret Cho is SO my hero

Sometimes my friends, you're the windshield, and sometimes you're the bug.

I just so happen to currently be in a series of moments where I am totally the windshield.

First of all, let me just divulge the greatest of great news that I currently have, and there are a few.

I just bought tickets to see comedian Margaret Cho in Durham on August 10!!!!!! Ah!!!!! You have no idea how excited I am about this; she's not only one of the funniest women comedians around, and one of the funniest comedians in general, but she's also a great advocate for the gay and lesbian cause, equal marriage rights, reporductive rights, and quite possibly my favorite feminist. She's fabulous!!! I suppose the best way to describe her would be to say that she is the corporeal version of what Peaches sings about in her songs. She's not afraid to be vulgar, loud, obnoxious, and I admire her for it. It's fab. And I am TOTALLY pumped about this. She's part of the annual NC gay and lesbian film festival. (Insert Napoleon voice here: YES!)

In other fabuloso news, I was approved for IN STATE TUITION. OH YEAH. That means I'll be getting some loan money back to pay off some bills and I'll have a nice cushion so I don't have to borrow any more money for school, (at least a lot less!) and I can take summer school now too, and that's a fab notion too. Sigh.

Anyhoo, those are the two biggest pieces of news in Sabrina's little corner of the world. I am pumped!

Richard Brautigan's Poetry

So a friend of mine has let me borrow a book of prose and poetry by a writer I had not heard of before, but am enchanted and quite possibly lost in his poetry. I want to share some of it here; the ones that burn me right in the middle of my brain.

"Boo, Forever"
Spinning like a ghost
on the bottom of a
top,
I'm haunted by all
the space that I
will live without
you.

"The Pill Vs. the Springhill Mine Disaster"
When you take your pill
it's like a mine disaster.
I think of all the people
lost inside of you.

"Flowers for Those You Love"
Butcher, Baker, candlestick maker,
anybody can get VD,
including those you love.

Please see a doctor
if you think you've got it.

You'll feel better afterwards
and so will those you love.

"I Feel Horrible. She Doesn't"
I feel horrible. She doesn't
love me and I wander around
the house like a sewing machine
that's just finsihed sewing
a turd to a garbage can lid.

"I've Never Had It Done So Gently Before"
The sweet juices of your mouth
are like castles bathed in honey.
I've never had it done so gently before.
You have put a circle of castles
around my penis and you swirl them
like sunlight on the wings of birds.
(has anyone ever made oral sex so beautiful before?)

"Map Shower"
I want your hair
to cover me with maps
of new places,

so everywhere I go
will be as beautiful
as your hair.

"Discovery"
The petals of the vagina unfold
like Christopher Columbus
taking off his shoes.

Is there anything more beautiful
than the bow of a ship
touching a new world?

"Xerox Candy Bar"
Ah,
you're just a copy
of all the candy bars
I've ever eaten.

and my favorite (though I have many)
"The Beautiful Poem"
I go to bed in Los Angeles thinking
about you.
Pissing a few moments ago
I looked down at my penis
affectionately.
Knowing it has been inside
you twice today makes me
feel beautiful.

Check him out. I have a ton more, but there's only so much blog space!

Is Harry Right?

The sexual revolution has long been over, but it still remains that men and women are fighting each other, fighting themselves, fighting their friends. But the question that is inevitably born from this revolution of sexual freedom is the question, the question: can men and women be friends? Friends in the utmost respectful sense? I'm not so sure.

Of course, built within this question is the assumption that both said male and female are both heterosexual but it also applies to lesbian women, gay men, straight men friends with lesbian women, vice versa, all of the above. I'm not sure sexuality plays as big a role so much as the underlying tension, perhaps the fundamental difference (if there is such a thing?) between what's inherently male or female. Of course, the terms "male" and "female" denote sex, while "masculine" and "feminine" denote gender. And in our culture, if you are a feminine gender, you are automatically labeled as a female sex. As logic follows, the same goes for men. Any deviation from stated norm finds you in the category of "other" and well, we all know what happens when you're sent to the "other" box. So for the sake of this exploration, this question rests on the accepted societal belief system of sex and gender.

So now that is out of the way, can men and women be friends? I happen to think no, and let me tell you why. First, the term "friends" is quite abstract, b/c there are those who label themselves friends and do nothing to warrant said label; perhaps they lie to each other, don't respect one another, steal from each other, etc. There are those that say they are more than friends but do not mean in an intimate lovey dovey way; that what they have supercedes friendship but is not romantical or attractive in nature; it's not erotic or passionate. But it's still love or some form of it. Because I happen to think friendship is partly love; love in its purest sense, whatever that is; but it's a forging of commonality and a way to keep from being lonely on the journey of life, as cheesey as that sounds.

*more to come; I'm going on a walk with neighbor*

Okay, back. So men and women as friends. Is it possible? In the film "When Harry Met Sally" Harry provides these stipulations:

• that in fact, no, M and W cannot be friends b/c men are always trying to sleep with the woman; that men, in their DNA, do not have the capacity to share a platonic relationship without sex getting in the way
  
• I happen to think this goes for women too. I've been in many a friendships when all I've wanted to do is jump said friend's bones.
• M and W cannot be friends, especially if they themselves are in a relationship with someone else, b/c then the sig other asks, what is my partner not getting that they have to go outside of the relationship to get?
  
• The jealousy factor.
  
• The friends become lovers factor. In my personal experience, all male friends I've ever had (well, all except one) I have been intimately involved with, eventually, whether it be pure sex or something more. But the sex factor or the attraction factor, if you want to call it that, is something to be considered.
  
• Can M and W only be friends with people they find unattractive? Harry seems to think so.
  

Perhaps it just becomes too complicated, b/c either one or both fall for the other, or their sig others become jealous and pressure their partner to end the friendship, and I wonder, if you become so close with someone whom you share your thoughts, feelings, ideas, past, present and future ideas, isn't it inevitable that something develops between two psyches that turns into something physical?

In "You've Got Mail" Meg Ryan goes to ask her psychologist brother about true love. His response? Love is just two psyches recognizing something in each other.

Is that all love is? Where does the line between friendship and love, intimacy, begin to blur? And should, can, M and W be friends? Are we innately diferent and thus inevitably doomed to failure? Is it possible? Can it be done? And if so, why? Does it help us breach any barrier? Aren't the only barriers in place the ones we've ourselves created?

Can you be friends with someone you're sexually attracted to? Doesn't all mental attraction turn physical? Is Harry right? It seems he was, at least in the case of when Harry met Sally.

The New Superman....Rules!!!!

So Partner and I had a super time yesterday; as part of a week long birthday celebration, we went to a G'boro Grasshoppers game at 12:30 and let me tell ya, it was hot! And if it weren't obvious that God is fond of playing cruel jokes on me, we had to sit in front of a bunch of kindergartenders and let me tell you, that was fun! (not really).

Not only that, but Partner caught a foul ball! He had to fight a kid for it, but I say bring it on little man, b/c it was Partner's fair and square and that little rugrat tried to bogart it. But the rightful owner won, and Partner has been carrying it around like a security blanket.

Then we saw the best movie out right now, and that is Superman Returns. It was everything I was hoping it would be, and much to my surprise Brandon Routh goes above and beyond what Superman should be and should be given kudos for filling the shoes of a great big giant. Bravo! He had all the idiosyncracies down, even the index finger glasses push-up. He was anxious but endearingly so, and was so much like Christopher Reeves that it was sort of uncanny; is there such a thing as channeling? I think so. Not since Jim Carrey's acting in "Man on the Moon" have I seen such striking resemblance to another actor. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and am much shamed to see that stupid "Pirates of the Carribbean" has made more money than the man of steel. This movie is leaps and bounds above PotC and it should be relected in the ticket sales.

Go out and support a film that not only pays righteous homage to the previous Superman franchise, but sets out on its own journey, in a respectful and humoring way. I heart Brandon Routh. What a great job by a virtually unknown. Go see it. NOW.

The New Superman....Rules!!!!

So Partner and I had a super time yesterday; as part of a week long birthday celebration, we went to a G'boro Grasshoppers game at 12:30 and let me tell ya, it was hot! And if it weren't obvious that God is fond of playing cruel jokes on me, we had to sit in front of a bunch of kindergartenders and let me tell you, that was fun! (not really).

Not only that, but Partner caught a foul ball! He had to fight a kid for it, but I say bring it on little man, b/c it was Partner's fair and square and that little rugrat tried to bogart it. But the rightful owner won, and Partner has been carrying it around like a security blanket.

Then we saw the best movie out right now, and that is Superman Returns. It was everything I was hoping it would be, and much to my surprise Brandon Routh goes above and beyond what Superman should be and should be given kudos for filling the shoes of a great big giant. Bravo! He had all the idiosyncracies down, even the index finger glasses push-up. He was anxious but endearingly so, and was so much like Christopher Reeves that it was sort of uncanny; is there such a thing as channeling? I think so. Not since Jim Carrey's acting in "Man on the Moon" have I seen such striking resemblance to another actor. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and am much shamed to see that stupid "Pirates of the Carribbean" has made more money than the man of steel. This movie is leaps and bounds above PotC and it should be relected in the ticket sales.

Go out and support a film that not only pays righteous homage to the previous Superman franchise, but sets out on its own journey, in a respectful and humoring way. I heart Brandon Routh. What a great job by a virtually unknown. Go see it. NOW.

Did you know....

that smoking is bad for you? Do you think smoking will help you deal with life's little problems? Well, the sad truth is, that smoking will only create problems that will and can haunt you for life. Here. Let me show you. Look to the right here. The top lung is a smoker's lung and the bottom is not.

If that's not enough to keep you reading, look at this site here.

Wanna know some fun facts to know and tell about smoking? Well good, cause sit back, relax, and if you're a smoker, think about the damage that's been done by your cancer sticks today alone. Just because you can't see something doesn't mean it isn't there.

• Smoking is the leading cause of STROKES, and STROKES are the 3rd leading cause of death! So yay for you, you're on your way to drooling like a vegetable on some lettuce. Good for you!

• For those of you who are eyeball sensitive, you have a TWO TO THREE times higher chance of developing CATARACTS in your eyes b/c of smoking. So when you're drooling, you'll be running into stuff too.
  

• Smoking causes throat cancer, larynx cancer and cancer of the esphogaus; so maybe if you're lucky, you'll develop all 3 at the same time!
  

• Smokers are more likely to have upper respiratory infections, and more likely to have colds, coughs, etc.

• Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the US. Smoking causes your lungs to shrink, causing less oxygen to get into your lungs, heart, brain and body in general. You have smaller breathing capacity and cannot do as much physical exertion. You also have a pesky smoker's cough that is OH SO ATTRACTIVE.
  

• Smoking can cause coronorary heart disease, lead to congestive heart failure, causes hardening of the arteries, and can cause aortic aneurysms; that's when blood can't get to your heart, kind of like a stroke of the heart. Yay for you! Not only is it extremely painful, but in some of these cases, death and suffering can last for YEARS, while your lungs SLOWLY fill up with fluid, your heart slowly slows down, and your legs swell b/c of water retention, you can't sleep b/c you're so fluidy, and you will have no energy; walking up stairs will be a dream you once had. You'll be nothing more than a lump of bones and flesh waiting to die.
  

• Smoking causes stomach cancer. Yum!

• Smoking causes kidney cancer.
  

• Smoking causes bladder cancer (so you'll not only drool on yourself, but you'll sporatically urinate on yourself too. Now that's what I call ooh baby).
  

• Smoking causes pancreatic cancer
• Not only ALL THIS, but smoking makes you smell and taste like an ashtray. It's not attractive and a cop out way of dealing with whatever it is it helps you deal with. If you want to have oral fixations on something, pick up a straw, a stick of gum, a popsicle. Something.
  

But do it now and do it soon. Because tomorrow you may be dead.

Find Your "-Ness"

So Partner and I went to see "You, Me and Dupree" last night as part of a dinner and a movie date night for my birthday. And it was hysterial.

I now have a super duper crush on Owen Wilson. The MotherShip has spoken, and my "Sabrina-ness" has awakened. Sigh. God/Allah/Jesus, whatever, bless Owen Wilson.

Anyhoo. So my birthday was yesterday, I'm now 26 (I know, try not to faint) and it was like any other day.
I painted a bookshelf, went biking and got caught in the rain (so much fun!) and went to dinner and a movie. I don't know, but as you get older, birthdays just don't hold magicness they used to. Sigh.

But tonight, some friends are coming over and we'll have wine and appetizers, probably go play putt=putt, and then karaoke. I think. Unless we do something different. duh.

Anyway, see ya~!

A Time (and Need) to Change

So Partner and I just went to see "An Inconvenient Truth." And I know what some of you are thinking: that it's just another liberal bias film that spreads lies and mistrust against the Bush administration using global warming as its catalyst.

WRONG. This movie does nothing to spread false rumors about global warming or the current administration. It does, however, seek to reveal what has been happening in our world, and at a most rapid rate, over the last 20 years. I'll admit that the film is narrated by Al Gore (and to my belief, he is my president) and it gets a little over the top at times, but in his explanation of what's happening to the earth as I type is dead on. So on in fact, remember that little film called "Day After Tomorrow?" It's not so much fiction anymore.

Some shocking statistics:

• C02 levels have risen at a catastrophic rate in the last ten years.
• The U.S. is THE only developed nation that does not have gas mileage requirements above 25 mpgallon.
• The US and Australia are the only two countries who have NOT signed Kyoto.
• The average global temperature has risen 2 degrees in the last ten years.
• The Global population has risen from 3 billion to over 6 billion in one average lifetime, which used to take over the entire HISTORY OF TIME to accomplish. In only 60 years, we have doubled it, and at this rate, we will reach 9 billion by 2050. In yet one lifetime!!!! Um, hello? What do you think will happen to the earth's resources? Use a condom! Suck it don't fuck it!
• We are looking at a possible ice age in the next 50 to 60 years if the North and South Pole keep melting at the rate they are.
• Over the entire planet, ice is melting, lakes, rivers and mountaintops are disappearing.
• We are looking at everlasting damage to ecosystems around the world. If the polar ice caps keep melting at the rate they currently are, (which means they'll be gone in 40 to 70 years, possibly in our lifetime) Polar Bears will be extinct, penguins, whales, all kinds of sea life will have no home.
• At this rate, sea level will rise 40 feet. That means no more San Francisco, the entire southern half of Florida will be under water, and heavily populations in China and India will vanish, the Netherlands will be under water, Greenland will have melted into the sea, and NYC will be 20 to 30% under water.
• A couple hundred MILLION people will be displaced from coastlines, causing another Katrina event on a more global scale. Can you imagine that? Try. Cause it's happening right now.
• The conflict in Darfur is directly related to global warming. Monsoon rains have stopped, and Arab farmers are moving in on cultural land to allow their camels to eat; agriculture and camels have caused conflict and genocide.
• Out of 968 scientifically peer reviewed articles, not a one disagrees with the fact that global warming is happening, and in fact, at an alarming rate, faster than scientists have predicted.
• However, just like Tobacoo companies launched a doubt campaign that smoking "may not" cause lung cancer, our right-wing media has launched a new doubt campaign, one that is targeting global warming. We have the resources to stop it, but we don't. Why?

Check out climatecrisis.net for more conclusive information. It's happening people, and we're causing it. So what can you do about it?

• use public transportation or ride a bike when possible
• be energy efficient
• call your energy provider and ask if they provide green services
• buy a hybrid car
• plant A LOT of trees
• tell this information to others
• go see "An Inconvenient Truth."
• Most importantly, believe that global warming IS HAPPENING.

African Proverb: "While you pray, move your feet."

"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it? -Upton Sinclair

We are in an hour of consequences, and there is nothing inconvenient about our own survival.

Did you miss me?

So I've made it home ladies and gents, after one grueling and mind-boggling drive from Tally to home, but let me say, it's good to be home!!!

When I arrived, I was greeted by beautiful new hardwood floors (pictures forthcoming) but a somewhat messy house. I couldn't sleep much the night before I left b/c I was pumped about coming home, and well, when I arrived let's just say partner's idea of clean and mine are two completely different concepts. So I unloaded a very packed car (thanks to partner's mom who gave us pretty plants to plant in our backyard) and my stuff. THEN I put my room back together as it was a mess; literally. Messes abound in my room, and stuff was everywhere. Then I went grocery shopping while partner was still at work, and then I got to kiss and hug my baby doll. I really did miss him oodles, so it was good to be home.

We watched a movie and went to bed as I was one sleepy girl. But let me catch you up on what's happening hotstuff in the coming days.

• my computer decided to fritz up so it is now getting some TLC at a local computer store, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's not the hard drive. Cross yours too please.
  
• My 26th birthday is Friday. And I don't know what to do for it. I suppose Partner and I will do dinner and a movie, and then Saturday I hope friends will be able to come over for fun!
• I've got many plans for the rest of the summer now that I've got time off (but little money ah) and that will be to paint a bit of the kitchen, make a art piece out of shells from the beach, read a lot, maybe paint the deck if I have time, and re-do my room a bit. OH! And have a yard sale!
  
• Anyhoo; more to tell about vacation to beautiful sunny Florida, but that will have to come later. I still haven't unpacked yet. Bollocks.
  

I hope all is well out there in your land. More to come!