Saturday, July 31, 2010

The Bookstore Test

You Are Modern
You are optimistic and forward looking. You love living in this world.

You are a generous and compassionate person. You are as responsible and helpful as you can be.

People excite you. You like to be up on what's going on with everyone you know and don't know!

You're going through a phase where nothing seems particularly interesting to you.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

What's Your SPF?

You Are SPF 8
You enjoy being out in the sun more than most people, and the sun is generally kind to you.
You are aware that the sun can become too much of a good thing, so you do enjoy it in moderation.

You feel invigorated when you spend an afternoon in the sun, especially if it's not too hot out.
There's something about being outdoors that lifts your spirits.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

The Fancy Cupcake test

You Crave Happiness
You are an idealist, and you spend more time in your dream world more than the real world.
You feel deeply, and it's easy for you to tap into your emotional side. You empathize strongly with people.

You are highly sensitive and a bit withdrawn. It takes you a while to get used to strangers.
You can happily spend hours by yourself. You are your own best friend, and your imagination constantly entertains you.

Friday, July 16, 2010

The Mountain Test

You Are a Hard Worker
You carry a lot of baggage with you when you travel. Some of it turns out to be unnecessary.

You are naturally low energy. You have to nurture yourself in order to cultivate endurance.

When you get tired, you tend to feel scattered and a bit disoriented. It's hard for you to get your bearings.

You are happiest when you are able to let loose and celebrate a little. Your natural state is to be happy.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

"Hey Y, where's MCA?"

This is  a line uttered by David Spade's character in the current film "Grown Ups" to the Steve Buscemi character after that character winds up in a full-body cast with his arms raised upward.  I won't spoil the film for those who haven't seen it. Besides, this blog entry  is not about the film, but about the YMCA, which just changed its name to "the Y."  I just quoted that movie line because I thought it was strange that this name change happened just after that movie was released with that line.   The YMCA was long nicknamed "the Y," now that's its actual name.  

When the news broke of the name change on my local news last night, the weatherman immediately mentioned the hit single "YMCA" by the Village People.   The song from 1979 is still a favorite today,  played by DJs at parties and weddings and performed at karaoke bars.   At my cousin's wedding in June of last year, the DJ  had several guests don hats and other accessories to represent the various members of the Village People as he proceeded to play "YMCA."   Below are some photos of "The YMCA Dance," as I called it.













The Village People were known for this song as well as other songs such as "In the Navy" and "Macho Man."  They were known for their costumes representing various occupations, making them a popular group costume for Halloween, seen in the photo below.  The school dance in the 1999 film "Never Been Kissed," the theme of which was "Famous Couples Through History," shows some students disguised as the members of this group. 
I have performed the song at karaoke night at a bar in my town, most recently on the night before the 4th of July.   All day today, I was asking on my Facebook, MySpace and Twitter pages if the name change meant I could no longer perform the song?   I was kidding, of course. The USSR no longer exists, but I still listen to that Beatles song, and they still play it on classic rock radio stations.  And now I'm beginning to wonder what other popular songs refer to a no-longer-existing or renamed group, country or whatever in their titles and/or lyrics.  This could make an interesting list.   Anyone got any ideas? Respond in the comments section if you have any.

Back to the "YMCA" song.  The song name won't change despite the organization changing its name. From the Washington Times today:

The Village People are wondering Y.

The iconic 1970s disco group plans to ignore the YMCA-USA, which announced at a press conference Monday that it will be shortening their name to just "the Y" as part of an effort to modernize their logo.

Some things can't be changed, and one of them is singing "it's fun to stay at the Y" without then throwing your arms in their air in the shapes of "M," "C" and "A."

The group will keep on singing "YMCA," which topped the charts in late 1978 and early 1979.

"We are deeply dismayed by today's announcement from the YMCA that they feel a name change and a rebranding are in order after 166 years," the Village People's publicist said in an official statement following the announcement.

Yes, you can keep on performing it at weddings and parties and at karaoke bars (I intend to)!

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Happy July 4th everyone!!!

You Are Blue
You are a highly tolerant and peaceful person. You have a lot of compassion and respect for people.
You love that the USA is a country with many different people. You may not agree with what everyone believes, but you agree with their right to believe it.

You look for the common bonds that Americans share. You rather unite than divide people.
You'd like to see more understanding and less fighting. You find it hard to stomach politics.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

"Eclipse" was all right

Finally saw the current installment of the "Twilight" vampire movie series, "Eclipse" this afternoon.  It was at a 1PM matinee, something I rarely get to even on Saturday.  If I get to the movies on Saturdays, it's often later than 1PM.  

"Eclipse" was all right, not too different from the first two films as far as I can remember.   I only vaguely remember the books, having read them more than year ago.   But at least I read them before seeing the movies.   The first had already finished its theatrical run when I began reading the books.  I then saw the movie on DVD last summer.   

I'm not that great at writing movie reviews, incidentally. I attempted this a few times on IMDB.com and Netflix, but no one has ever found any of mine helpful.  

What's Your International Spy Name?

Your International Spy Name is Glam Harley
Your Code Name: The Undertaker

You Reside in: Geneva

Why You're a Good Spy: You a master at disguise