Friday, October 31, 2008

what we write about when we write electron blue & 8against8 contest results

[picture = barnaby ward]

[Results of the 8 against 8 contest in a video at the end of the post, for SON recap click HERE.]

So anyhow, back to memememe and my feelings. Much like the Dow Jones Industrial Whatzit, my feelings go up and down. Not that I understand, even abstractly, what the eff the Dow Jones actually IS, but my feelings about feelings are perhaps also quite conceptual -- they've got something to do with chemicals or the imbalance thereof, they fluctuate hour by hour, sometimes minute by minute, and are subject to massive drops and/or gigantic sky-charging leaps at any unexpected juncture.

Some humans choose to regulate these involuntary emotional fluctuations via the drink or the blow but ultimately these things kill you and/or ruin your life [and consequently lead you to Intervention, the best/worst show of all time]. So in lieu of smoking or xanaxing ourselves into rock bottom, we do the next best thing to get us through today which is making BIG plans for tomorrow! And what better time to make big plans for tomorrow than RIGHT NOW, this amazing moment in our nation's history when we've been assured & reassured that today is not gonna rock at all whatsoever.

So I've had a few ideas. I have these ideas all over the place, who knows where ideas come from, they just appear. I jot them down in my notebook. I have about 5-10 notebooks. Tomorrow I will get organized and consolodate my thoughts into less notebooks, obvs. (no I won't! i never will!)


In the interest of sharing with the group, I have transcribed below my collected notes more or less. one item is re-written from one page with variations, you'll see what I mean.

Autowin's Colossal Notes on Life:

- Ppl will return to roots, live in trees, etc., grow vegetables in the garden. will unite humanity, hope = seeds/soil.
humans not intended for such evolved desire, intended to hunt and gather (boring?) (what did artists do?)

- I should do national novel writing month i mean why not.
must totally restructure life, take self seriously
make schedule stick to it
SERIOUSLY

- unified by collective lack-of-wealth
a lot of sales at american eagle

- eventually things will become cheaper, like vacation
books, love

-things that give me hope: The West Wing, raspberries (raspberries are perfect - right? they are the perfect berry. if we can grow raspberries, we can do hope too)

- i totes heart rock bottom, it's where we finally meat each other

- universal problems --> universal understanding --> revolution?

- why do we always have to be the ones to move? why can't the republicans move ? where? they need a country (alaska? if rachel moves to nyc?)

- things that give me hope: The West Wing, raspberries, the cruise, poetry

- 1998: smoking w/krista in motel, reading southern lit out loud, coffee, cigarettes, pancakes, fudge, listening to ani like we meant it.
-2008: guitars seem too earnest

- the past keeps getting farther away, chronologically,
but closer and closer, emotionally, maybe i should've paid attention at the time

-things that give me hope: The West Wing, raspberries, the cruise, poetry, the fact that after all these years i still think ani difranco probs said it best, dancing, toast

-eyebrow wax has been on my todo list like every day

-why do i have so many friends who think that i have too many thoughts per day? they should try to keep up! we can have a race like odyssey of the mind.

-ladies and gentleman, the fabulous stain removers

--things that give me hope: The West Wing, raspberries, the cruise, poetry, the fact that after all these years i still think ani difranco probs said it best, dancing, toast, obama, perfect pens

-writers should go on strike -- no more writing for free
then what will everyone read?
perez?
i mean REAL WORDS

-goal: make new room represent a more organized, streamlined mentality

-find projects to pursue & use the pieces as blog posts -- see my drafts, give feedback. and "professional" feedback?

-i just need to write a novel next month. that will make everything better.

--things that give me hope: The West Wing, raspberries, the cruise, poetry, the fact that after all these years i still think ani difranco probs said it best, dancing, toast, obama, perfect pens, perfect books, purposeful pointlessness, alliteration.

++
It's hard to focus on more than what's in front of you
Electron Blue
Tomorrow's gaining speed on you
It's all you want to do, you,
You know where to run
You run Electron Blue

(R.E.M., Electron Blue)
++

Who won that 8against8 contest? Well, everyone who sent a photo or forwarded me proof of their donation to Equality California was entered in a drawing, which was held this afternoon at approximately 3:45 P.M., in my apartment [a.k.a. Haviland's apartment that I'm staying in for one more day] while A;ex should've been working, but needed to swing by to get this bright blue headband I'd borrowed. Very important. Then I made her do this.

Prizes:
1. Best of "Good Dyke Porn" DVD, courtesy of Bren, who donated it to the cause! There's a hot photo to the left of my window now 'cause I opened her window in a new window. That's the magic of Firefox and eyesight.
2. (2) copies of The L Word Season Five DVD Set. [I'll be giving away more copies soon, with a full promotion/contest thing]
3. (2) copies of Auto-Insomnia 'Zine #1.

Here we are, let's see who the big winners are. Unfortunately no stuffed animals or small children won prizes, then I could've gift-wrapped. Email me with your address if you've won and I will mail it to you sometime in the near future probably.

19 comments:

eric mathew said...

i'm just really happy to see semi back in a video. those sparkling eyes.

and how come lozo was not on the quilt? i mean he loves gays, he might as well show his damn support.

carlytron said...

Oh my god that was Toya. I cannot believe someone other than MP and I know that song.

caitlinmae said...

yaaaaaaaaaaaay everyone is a winner
but i was the FIRST WINNER!!!
hahaha I got a little drunk and came home to this and honestly started beaming, with no one to appreciate the shiteating grin i'm spreading all over...
so--
HEY INTERNETZ
I am BEAMING
kthx
and supermega riese thanks because she's really the automatic winner, as in if we all had prizes of COURSE they'd go to marie lyn bernard first!
(content wise this is incoherent, but I have been spending a lot of time typing nicely to not appear as drunkity as I actually am. This requires closing one eye.)
WHOOOOO
xox word veri- rimiski which is what I hope to see in my gayporn
xox again caitlinmae

asher said...

ASHER!!!

i appreciated the second scream in unison. that made me feel special. god, i hope the music video isn't betty.

Mercury said...

Your notebook thoughts made me LoL, especially the part about giving the republicans Alaska when I move, which will be, tomorrow. Yesterday? This morning?? ASAP. Or we made up a new acronym: AFSAP. It's for when you're serious about ASAP, feel the need to convey additional urgency. Guess what the f is for!

Also brilliant was the things that give you hope. I totally agree with all the things on that list especially the pens.

I toyed with the idea of doing national novel writing month last year. I can't believe it's been a year, cause I was like, "hmm, whatever, next year" and then now it is next year and I have no idea what I would write a novel about.

Happy hallow-wizz-eeeen everyone.

I love the distinction in rachels. I think rachel was the only double name on the prop 8 quilt. Go common names! whoo

Entertaining as always.
LOVE
me.

Butch Boo said...

Congrats Caitlinmae!

Need more butch lesbian representation in L word though!

BB

X

caitlinmae said...

GOod morning--
Mercury: that was a super lovely coherent comment. I plan on adding AFSAP or maybe ASFAP to my vocab... you're right, totes appropriate sense of urgency.
also-- double scream for asher! And rachel! Winners winners all.

autumn m said...

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!! that was some funny crap. things i loved:
-i really like your remake of the l-word theme song.
-"Your Mom!!!"....."Who's Mom???"
- Egor and Chi-Chi Rodriguez. do you know who Chi-Chi Rodriguez is?? a Puerto Rican professional golfer. just thought i would share.
- "Has your mom bought one yet?" funny. and its nice to know your friends miss work to make weird ass videos with you.

shannon said...

The West Wing gives me hope too. The fact the West Wing is on at 8am when I am getting ready for work makes my life 8-11x better. Although it also makes me late to work, sometimes.

Anonymous said...

Thats interesting about the puerto rican golf player, Autumn. But have you ever seen "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar"? Cause THIS this is the Chi Chi Rodriguez that I was referring to as my alter ego... Enjoy!

aww eric mathew!! I fancy you.

Riese, I had no idea you had that amazing song in your arsenal of weirdo music. You're smokin' hot.

Stephanie said...

holy crap, that's the first time I've heard anyone mention Odyssey of the Mind since, uh, I did Odyssey of the Mind.

My life is sad, yes?

I also like that you said you like rock bottom cause that's where you "meat" the best people, and that MIGHT be the best unintentionally hilarious sentence ever, I think.

Anonymous said...

I totally do NaNoWriMo every year... you should do it... and update us on your novel...

You'll need some motivation to get you started.. like an awesome title...great characters...and a martini.

Writing begins tonight at midnight! Good luck with whatever....I enjoy reading your blog. Later,

riese said...

eric mathew:aw, semi's sparkling eyes. sparkling blue eyes even.

i don't know what's going on with lozo. he sent me a screenshot of a comment he never posted last week so really all bets are off.

carlytron: that song was like my anthem of 2002. I think it has a bajillion plays on my itunes. holler we danced to it at the fraternity.

caitlinmae: HEY CAITLINZ WE'RE BEAMING AT YOU TOO and YEAH YOU WERE! and if we had a drunk comment contest we could enter you in it too kthanks gayporn! my word veri is habights, that's habits from brooklyn heights.

asher: ASHER! ASHER! maybe i should check out the music video right now.

OH! IT'S UH HUH HER!!!!! omg. !!! hello there, my friend the unicorn.

mercury: Yeah I would normally just give Alaska to the republicans, but then felt guilty 'cause you live there and 'cause the cruise is going there next year.

I like that and will put it into my thing before.

Happy halloweeeen. I put "mercury" on yours so that i would know which rachel i was drawing, 'cause there are so many wonderufl rachels in the world. thank you for noting on my notes. my quality of comment now is now impacted by the uh huh her music video i am watching for asher. ASHER! ASHER!

butch boo: what about SHANE?!! SHANE!!!

caitlinmae: GOod morning Good morning hello, hello, your comment was excitant-ing. BEtcha can't wait for me to mail you that video, it will happen before Christmas.

autumn m: I can't believe some golfer named himself after John Leguizamo's chracter in Too Wong Foo Thanks For Everything Julie Newmar!!

Oh man, me and alex totally should've been uh huh her for halloween, I'm seeing it now as I watch this music video.

It is nice to know that my friends miss work to make weird ass videos with me. Your Mom probably would too I'm just saying. Guess who does have a zine already though? AUTUMN!

Oh man this "behind the scenes at Wolfe video" party is so funny.

shannon: The West Wing makes my life better whenver it is on. I even watched it fuzzy fuzzy at the gym.

a;ex; I'm only going to address the part of this video that is addressing me. I love this song! I feel for sure it was on the other day when I was playing my hot dance mixes and etc.

stephanie: Your life is sad because you haven't heard of odyssey of the mind for so long!! I wanted to be in it but I feel lke maybe I wasn't smart enough. Or didn't have time. But it always seemed really cool. I didn't even notice the meat thing but you did so now I have to keep it obviously.

aj: I did it! Now let's just see if we can keep it up! Whee! You've done it every year? What do you do with the novels that you write when you are done wriitng them?

Mercury said...

Yay drunk commenting...
I wasn't drunk before but now, drunk, rereading, I feel I must have been?

I'm making a pit stop. i started drinking at brittaney's whilst wrapping b-day presents for her soon-to-be 3 year old, and now I'm going to put on my costume, and then I think at 2 I'm going to an afterparty or something!? I am considering Ditching the Costume, except for maybe she Shoes, and just going as Me, but IDK. She shoes are ridiculous stripper heels btw.

The point of this is that: I wasnted to drunk comment you. really. I just enjoy the things I write when I'm like this. go me!

loooooooove
me

Anonymous said...

Hi riese,

I know this post has nothing to do with this blog but I tried to find your email and after about 30 seconds I couldn't find it so I gave up and just decided to post here. I just wanted to let you know about this event:

http://www.cuarts.com/calendar/view/type/4/event_id/114

It's a reading and lecture by Junot Diaz at Columbia's Medical campus but you do not have to be a columbia student to go. You probably already know about this but just thought I would give you a heads up just in case.

Love the blog,
Amelia

Unknown said...

Odyssey of the Mind!!! Nooooooo, too hilarious and perfectly encapsulating us middle school semi-outcast/punky color/over-achievers.

I'm getting out the vote in Indiana in a few days, because... uh... I actually live 4 blocks away from Obama, so my help isn't really needed here. Let me tell you, his house is not so very big at all, and Republican millionaires should shut the fuck up with their five McMansions and their boats.

asher said...

um, yeah. on the odyssey of the mind shoutout to nerdy overachievers - i got an OMER for spontaneous in fourth grade. what what?

so now you all see there's substance behind this gorgeously humble exterior.

word veri - excesse

so i typed too much? point taken.

Jack said...

"i totes heart rock bottom, it's where we finally meat each other"

the english teacher emerges and seriously, i'm thinking it was unintentional, but the "meat" misspell made me have a couple deep thoughts, which was great. however, i'm watching "titanic" right now like a total depressed idiot and i feel like the world is going to end, so it's time to turn on the cartoon network or something.

but meet/meat. brilliant, even if unintentional. and rock bottom? haven't seen it in a while-- and totally forgot what a shitty feeling it is to watch yourself slide there. but whatev. it's always sunny (northeast of) philadelphia.

autumn m said...

ok so....i checked out that picture that alex linked....i must say, for naming her alter ego after THAT Chi Chi Rodriguez, she sure does look alot like her!!! i almost coudnt tell them apart, you know, except one was a creepy man, dressed in something god awful. and i have never even heard of "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar", let alone watched it.