Things I Like: Trivia

Special shout out goes to Kelly M. for enabling my idiocracy.

Picture this: a crowded bar on a cold Wednesday night in January. A group of friends sits around two tables pushed together.  The atmosphere is tense and competitive.  People are shuffling all around and a large American Indian man with a pony tail is on the mic.  He poses a question: What is Ronnie's signature drink?  Ron-Ron Juice. Duh.  Thirteen more questions are asked, all pertaining to the Jersey Shore and all are answered with flying colors.  The tense round ends with a tie and representatives from 5 teams are asked to approach the official's table.  The representative from the aforementioned group of friends has competition in her eyes and trash-talk at the ready just in case she loses.  A tie-breaking question is asked: What is Mike "The Situation's age? 27? NO! 28!  WINNER!  My friends, that Wednesday night was trivia night and that winner was I.  I was so proud of myself and my team members.  Others might think we are an embarrassment, but I say they are just jealous of our triva skillz (yes, with a Z). 

As I sit here in my pajamas, listening to T.I., I consider what it is that makes me one of the nerdiest people I know, and the answer is: trivia.  I love trivia.  Did you know that a cockroach has two brains?  Also, cochineal and carminic acid, popular colorants used to impart deeper red shades to fruit juices, gelatins, ice creams, and candies, are made from ground beetles (Yum).  Oh, and that celebs are selected to get a star on the Walk of Fame, but have to cough up $15,000 of their own money to actually get it there.  I love little fun facts like that.  There is so much useless information in the world to learn.  I have books upon books of random crap that no one cares about.  Thanks Kelly.  Day in and day out we are on autopilot saying "Goodbye" or shaking hands.  Where do those customs come from?  We eat tomatoes and pineapples, not even realizing that they are considere berries...bet you didn't know that one.  How about this little fun fact: The custom of carrying a bride over the threshold comes from kidnapping practices of Germanic Goths.  Usually, the men would marry women from their communities, but when the supply ran short, they would raid neighboring villages and steal their girls and carry them home to be their wives.  The abduction practices turned into our symbol of carrying brides over the threshold.  There you have it.

Trivia is not just about knowing the most useless information on the planet, but it's about questioning our everyday living.  If you've got a curious nature and you want to know what Meatloaf's real name is (Marvin Lee Aday), then maybe it wouldn't hurt to open up a book of trivial information.  It's impossible to know every stupid thing in the world, but I'm trying. Really hard.

Disclaimer: Now, that I've made myself look like the lamest person that's ever walked the Earth, I should mention that the books from which this info was acquired were called So, Now You Know: A Compendium of Completely Uselss Information by Harry Bright and Harlan Briscoe and The Little Book of Answers by Doug Lennox.

Shows I Love: The Jersey Shore

Today's Special Shout-Out goes to my new friends at EMU.  You guys make grad school tolerable.

It's been a whirlwind of activity for the past couple of months and by activity, I mean that I have been enjoying my leisure time by partaking in some spirits with my new friends, here or there.  In addition, I have been creating the kind of stories which should be hidden from any future children.  If I ever happen to have a child or two, they don't have to know about the time "Mommy" rapped during a impromptu karaoke night.  That is unnecessary information.  It's moments like that that make me think what exactly my parents are not disclosing about their youths.  I probably don't even want to know.

The number one reason I would never want to be on a reality show like the Real World or the Jersey Shore would be the inability to hide all of my behavior from anyone.  You fall down in a club on camera and it's there forever.  Obviously, Snooki isn't looking for a career in healthcare.  Which brings me to the best show ever made.

I know the Jersey Shore doesn't need any plugs.  I know that most people have watched at least one episode, whether by choice or by sheer force (someone tied you down and duck taped your eyes open).  I, however, love this show.  First time I decided to watch, I stood in front of the television with my mouth open, marveling at the level of stupidity and fun that these people could exhibit.  When I saw Snooki waddle in to the house and yell "PARTY'S HERE!" I knew it was over.  I would be forever hooked on the Jersey Shore.  It's a pop culture phenomena.  How does this 8 person (number fluctuates depending on Angelina's ass beatings) cast, made up of overly tanned and toned young people, make it to be the best of the worst of pop culture?  Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino has participated and eliminated himself on Dancing with the Stars.  His twelve pack abs and pigeon toes have made him an icon.  Whether you watch the show or not, when someone says "The Situation," you know they mean a toolbag straight out of Jersey.  Fans of the show, inlcuding myself, gather around the television every Thursday at 10 to watch DJ Pauly D, Vinny, and the Sitch fight off grenades and landmines.  Snooki's pickle eating and JWOWW's (dumbest. nickname. ever.) boobs spurred countless Halloween constumes and tanning products.  No one cares about Sammi "Sweetheart" because she's whiny and Ronnie...well, Ronnie makes good commentary.   I can't say I wouldn't want their lives.  They get paid to make club appearances and have fun.  The downfall would be getting chastised for every failed relationship or idiotic comment.  I have enough trouble without being in the public eye.  Eh, could be worth it.

Here are the highlights from episode 1, season 1 BOO YAH!

http://www.mtv.com/videos/misc/464052/welcome-to-jersey-shore.jhtml#more

So, regardless of how hot mess you ever feel you are...remember that Vinny is getting rejected on camera, The Situation hooked up with a grenade for the world to see, and Snooki flashed her personal business to a majority of America's youth (Oh, and she told everyone all she wants to do is marry a gorilla juicehead and live in Jersey...embarrassing...).  OH YAH! CABS ARE HERE! YAH!

Love,

Diana

Podcasts I Like: NPR's Planet Money

Today's special shout-out goes to Jessica F. for being the voice of reason, always.

A whole new chapter of life is about to unfold for many of us.  Grad programs are looming over many of our heads.  New careers are starting.  Marriages or possibly children are making their way slowly into existence.  It makes me want to look back and say "What happened?" Who is this person I have become?  I thought I was supposed to be taller, smarter, married with children.  Instead, I realize I will be the eternal procrastinator.  Even when I'm 100 years old and it's time for me to die, I'll be like "No, wait, I'll do it tomorrow."  At almost 23 years old I have a feeling I will be "winging" my adulthood.  I wouldn't even call it adulthood, I would call it overgrown adolescence.  Am I the only one who is pretending to have my shit together?  All of you fakers should come forward so that I don't feel like I am the only incompetent human being on this Earth.

I am sure many of you have picked your lives up and moved to a brand new place.  There is no pleasant way to push a mattress up two flights of stairs.  Also, I decided that I have a love/hate relationship with IKEA.  As useful and interesting of a store as it is, I would like a couch not an EKTORP.   It's like the Starbucks of furniture.  The pretentiousness of IKEA is overshadowed by the adorable, but useless wooden spoon holder that requires 3 days of assembly.  Something tells me that people in Sweden are not as drawn to IKEA as they would like us to believe.  Regardless, it's a good store with good business sense.

Speaking of good business sense, I tend to be drawn to economics.  It naturally fits into my set of interests including politics, history, cats, and Swedish furniture.  This is why NPR's Planet Money podcast is perfect.  It's for us simple-minded people who could not fathom the thought of making a life of economics.  As much as I would have loved sitting through macro and micro econ, applying algorithms to determine patterns, I thought that I would do the world a favor and not ruin it.  Instead, I listen to Planet Money and my desire for information on the World Bank and its inner workings are satiated.  They did a great episode on LeBron James and the impact of his decision, economically, on each city that he did/did not choose.  Bottom line is that he couldn't have helped Cleveland because we are already too unhappy and our finances are in the toilet regardless.  If I say that David Kastenbaum and Jacob Goldstein are the hosts of an economics podcast, would anyone be suprised?  That's what I thought.  Here is the link to the podcast through iTunes.  If you need something to listen to while making that morning/afternoon commute, walking on campus, or wiping baby puke from your clothes this is it AND you can learn something new.

So, there we go.  The world keeps spinning, life is coming and going, and we all know money makes the world go round.  The only thing I can think to leave you with is a video that combines cats AND IKEA...woah apocalypse. 

Love,
Diana

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Musicians I Love: Enrique Iglesias

Today's special shout out goes to Lauren E. for being just as strange as I am.

I have returned from Mexico and with me I bring an ear infection, some sort of splinter caused by a thorn from the Caribbean Sea, digestive issues, and a cold. All in all it was a good time. It's always an eye opening experience when I find myself among a bunch of Europeans. By association, I am considered to be "European." Although, if I were to be perfectly honest with myself I am becoming more of a hillbilly for every year that I have lived in the U.S. and that, my dear friends, has been a long time. I learned a few things while I was in Mexico as I will outline:
1) Other countries care about soccer. It is acceptable to go running through the pool with your country's flag tied around your neck if your team has won (I'm pointing my finger at you, SPAIN).
2) Our ideas about clothing are different. Manpris are perfectly acceptable and coveted in European countries and every other country that's not the U.S..
3) Parents in other countries don't coddle their children. I witnessed an American parent calling her child "sweetie" when trying to make a point. A minute later, a Russian speaking family walked by, the kid dropped their sippy cup, and the parent asked her if she was an idiot (or rather a "piece of wood" if literally translated). I have long since known about this discrepancy in parenting styles...because I have lived it...unfortunately.
4) Other countries think that we only listen to 40's style music and country. During an "Around-the-World" performance, the Americans were represented, first by dancers dressed in WWII era costumes and second, changed into assless chaps with fringe on them for the country music number. To make matters worse the people sitting in front of me (Americans) were wearing cut-off t-shirts, cowboy hats, and proceeded to yell "yeehaw" and pretend to lasso something as the music continued. Finally,
5) We, in the United States of America, have some serious body image issues. I don't mean to stereotype (HA!), but it was very easy to scope out fellow Americans on the beach. First, American men tend to wear shorts that go past the knee and fit loosely on the body. European and South American men tend to wear swim trunks that leave little to the imagination. It's hard to play volleyball with a bunch of old Polish guys in Speedos. American women tend to cover up more, as well. By that, I mean that we are very aware of every imperfection and will do everything in our power to cover it. Let me just say that there was a group of very large girls from Scotland who laid in their lounge chairs, reading their books, and drank their daquiris without apologizing for their fat rolls. They seemed very liberated and comfortable in their string binkinis (although, I did not know they were made in those sizes...not even trying to be mean). I found myself comforted around other Americans after I spent an entire day trying to understand the Spanish.

Speaking of Spanish, I am OBSESSED with Enrique Iglesias right now and his album. His album Euphoria is great. Full of dance songs and Spanish language love songs and all around enjoyable songs. Now, I could be partial because I have loved Enrique since he came out with "Bailamos." In general, I'd like to think that Enrique is singing to me. Weird? Yes. I don't know if he is still with that Anna Kournikova nonsense, but if he wants a short, chubby, Jewish girl, who also speaks Russian (although broken) I am available. I used to think Enrique was a bootleg Ricky Martin, but obviously Ricky Martin likes people who are more similar to him and by that I mean men. Enrique tends to have a habit of pulling girls on stage with him during songs like "Hero." I find this extremely awkward to watch for multiple reasons. First, he generally picks a girl who is plain to say the least, definitely not the kind of girl that he would ever be seen with in a normal public appearance. It's almost like he talks to his band before he goes out on stage and they make a bet on how awkward and unbearable he can make the moment. Second, he places his hands in places that are unacceptable on a large stage in front of thousands of people. The only time this hand placement is allowed in public is when there is alcohol involved and one thinks they are in private. Third, he ends with a kiss. I want to know how much he has to drink before he performs so that he can oh so gently kiss the less than beautiful girl he has pulled up on stage. View the awkwardness for yourselves:


Bottom line is that he is great to his fans and I can't say I would be upset if he pulled me up on stage even if it meant that he thought I was the craziest looking person in the audience. I like the fact that he has kept relevant and proceeds to come out with music that is fun and addicting.

It would have been nice if Enrique showed up in Mexico. We could have watched the World Cup together. He could've showed me how to play beach volleyball (I have no business playing). We could've frolicked through the sand and then I would have awoken from my heat stroke and realized it was all a dream. Bailamos.

(P.S. I realize that I may or may not have insulted/offended at least 3 different groups of people with this post. I apologize.)

Love,
Diana

Music I Love: Gogol Bordello

Today's Special Shout-out goes to Elyse M. for being the best hostess!

Mexico is coming in to my midst and I am hoping my dad doesn't try to sell me to the first offer like he did when we were in the Dominican Republic (apparently I'm disposable for the first small Dominican man who offers the best amenities). Anyways, I wish I had the resources to travel more. There are so many places that I would love to go. First being Europe and everywhere in Europe. Then I would go to Africa, but I would try to steer clear of all of the conflict. Then I would go to Asia and Australia and all the other places that I missed. I'm worried that I will get caught up in my life and be one of those people who don't get farther than their front door. I just know that the continents are waiting for the "Diana Invasion" (narcissism at its best). I don't want to be a pretentious traveller...I am willing to take on my American tourist persona. I'm not willing to pretend like I fit in with the locals because truth of the matter is, I don't. I will travel with American flags waving proudly from my panama hat and fanny pack. My jorts and hawaiian shirt will show proudly and I will speak in the loud obnoxious voice for which the Europeans and others LOVE us. I will cringe at the local cuisine and ask politically incorrect questions such as, "Why do you French people smell?" After I have successfully offended every known group of people in the world I will return to my small suburban town, get into my Hummer (do they even make those anymore?), continue polluting the world, argue against all taxes helping social reforms, and censoring all forms of self-expression. Sounds like a good time to me.

You know what else sounds like a great time? Partying with the members of Gogol Bordello. Who is Gogol Bordello? Gogol Bordello is a muscial group who describe themselves as gypsy punk. I know what you are thinking, "Diana, what the hell is gypsy punk?! Why don't you go hug your cats some more." Ok, I know that the appeal of a gypsy punk band is hard to swallow. Watch this first and then you can judge me:





Okay, now you may verbally abuse me for my choices in music, but guess what you can't because they are awesome and you know that you liked the song and tapped your foot a long with the beat. I came across this band a couple of months ago when I was perusing iTunes. They happened to come out with a new album, Trans-Continental Hustle, and it was being promoted. As an avid fan of anything that may seem Russian I decided to check it out and as I did more research and realized that Gogol Bordello was also featured in one of my favorite movies, Everything is Illuminated. Not only that, but the lead singer Eugene Hutz played Alexander Perchov in the movie. I have been a fan of Eugene for a while, but for some reason it took me some time to stumble across Gogol Bordello. Had I known 2 years ago when I saw Everything is Illuminated that this awesomeness was embedded into the film I would have been a happier person. Gogol Bordello has been around for a while. They have a large underground and not so underground following. I am hoping to see them in concert because I heard that they are amazing live. I will be curious to see how I fit into that crowd.


So there it is, my latest music obsession. I will be taking my iPod to Mexico so I can listen to Gogol Bordello, while I lay on the beach and contemplate my life...or I will join Fernando and Alejandro and do the Macarena. Party.

Love,
Diana

The Places I Love: Miami University

Today's Special Shout-out goes to all of my friends that I have acquired throughout my years at Miami and to the rest of my friends who are graduating and moving on with their futures. This blog post will not necessarily target one thing that I love, but all of the people and experiences that I have known and gained in my four years of college.

For me, it seems natural to be cynical about graduation...what else was I going to do? Sit around on my butt and watch all of my friends go to college and move on with their lives? NOT an option. By the time graduation rolled around it felt like leaving high school, kind of inevitable. But it's true, some people don't make it and some people don't have the opportunity to try and some people are just not cut out for college. It would be naive and snobby of me to say that I don't appreciate the opportunities that have been afforded to me. I had a chance to go to Miami University. I had a chance to walk through a beautiful campus (except after the weekends when there would be beer cans in places that I didn't know beer cans could go) and I had a chance to sit in brand new classrooms, in brand new buildings (even though the business school was off limits to us lowly Arts and Sciences students). Most of all I had the opportunity to learn from great professors (no matter what kind of horrid grades I would get. not my fault.)

If I had know as a freshman that these 4 years were going to fly by quicker than I could say "alcohol induced coma," I would've cherished every moment, every fart (you know who you are), every laugh, every stumble, every hug. It's over now and we will all be moving on to whatever it is that we're moving on to. That guy who came to class drunk and smelly every day will probably be our next president or future CEO of some big corporatioin, but that's the way the world works. Going to college taught me how to question the Universe. Now, when a politician stands in front of me and spews his/her Sarah Palin crap, I will be able to make an educated decision about what is important to me. When I have to go to the doctor and they start using their big words and their medical jargon, I will know what they want from me. Most importantly, I learned that I know nothing. Labels are for people who don't know any better. You can never judge a book by its cover and Miami is the epitome of this. Everyone's reality is different and it all depends on whatever one chooses for oneself. Not to get too serious or anything. I wouldn't want people to think I have a head on my shoulders or anything ridiculous like that.

I will miss my friends and experiences at Miami with every ounce of my being. I will have to find all new friends who will appreciate my rap skillz (yes, with a 'Z') and my insanity. I have established a home in Oxford and right as I was feeling comfortable...BAM...it's snatched away like a toy by a bully...maybe that was a bad analogy? Regradless, I can only assume that I am moving on to bigger and better things. I look forward to seeing what life brings my way (until I get smacked in the face by the pimp hand of life). I wish everyone the best of luck in their endeavors. May happiness, health, and love come to every single person reading this blog (and everyone they know ;-) )

Love,

Diana

Books I Love: Sweet and Low by Rich Cohen

UM HI. Talk about being M.I.A. for quite a while. Today's Special Shout Out goes to Leslie S. because it's her birthday. YAY!

Life has quieted down significantly since my last buhlog. At this moment I have been accepted into a graduate program and my anxiety level has dropped significantly, along with my motivation level. At this point I am anticipating and dreading graduation. Can someone tell me how I am supposed to walk away from a four year slumber party? A slumber party with homework and libraries and questionable decisions! Remember everyone, in the real world, drinking heavily on a Monday night will more than likely result in some negative consequences other than not being able to attend your 1 p.m. class. So what's the next step in the game of life? According to the actual Game of Life by Hasbro, I am supposed to spin the wheel, move a few spaces, and find a husband? Is that before or after I get to choose a salary from a series of 3 cards? I love this game by the way. What if life actually worked like that? What if our world was a Game of Life by Hasbro. God is up there spinning a big wheel and next thing we know we're in a plastic van (I like the red one), with a little blue husband and 2-6 children. Then you choose your salary and house and if you don't like it you steal it away from someone else ( I get the tudor and the $100,000 ALWAYS). Then you get some happiness along the way because you get to win the lottery or go on vacation. There should be a card in Life that says "Your husband is a schmuk, get a divorce," or "Your child has to go to drug rehab, lose $10,000." Maybe it's better that our world doesn't work like the game. Regardless, it's exciting to be moving on, but scary at the same time. It might as well be controlled by a large spinning wheel, like a game of Roulette (woah that's deep). I'll be interested to see where my history takes me.



Speaking of history, I have been reading a book called Sweet and Low, by Rich Cohen. The book is really good and I'll explain why. It's about the development of the sugar substitute Sweet and Low, which happended to be created by the author's grandfather, Ben Eisenstadt. The creation of Sweet and Low is not simply the saccharine in a packet, it's the history of the Jewish people in Brooklyn and the development of Germ Theory. The author ties it all together. Nothing is an independent occurence and those little pink packets sit on all the tables because a Jewish lawyer needed something to do after WWII ended and his cafe was no longer doing well. If it hadn't been for him, we would all still be reaching into a communal sugar bowl to sweeten our coffee. According to the author, the sugar packet is a representation of the American attitude. That packet reperesents and individual, once we open it and use it, it is our own. This is why I enjoy history so much because it lets us know where we come from and where we're going. People don't know they are changing history with one idea and that's the beauty of it. The book, Sweet and Low, is funny and informative and interesting. You don't have to be a scholar of Jewish history to enjoy and understand it. This is for everyone. Here's the link to Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002N2XEO2/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1F2C7CC2B1N3HWETS2KX&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846

As for the Game of Life, I'll play it and I'll try not to cheat like I usually do (I always get to be the doctor). Lets see where our history takes us no matter what we're doing after graduation.

Love,
Diana

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