tangent seventeen: cop-out.

Happy Monday. 

I had every intention of coming up with a new and fantastic tangent today, but instead I didn't. A little while ago I was invited to go to the Hawks game, so I'm going to steal one of those lame lists from facebook, copy it onto here, and call it a day. Unoriginal? Perhaps. But I'm not about to pass up a fun night to stay home and blog. I'd like to keep a few cool points in the bank. Anyway, the list you see below is one of those "25 Things About Me" copy-and-paste notes that take up too much time to fill out and aren't all that interesting to anyone else other than the vain person filling out said list. Regardless, here is mine. It was originally posted on facebook in February. Enjoy delving into my narcissism. And if you've already seen it, well...sucks for you.

Confirmation That I Need a Life:

1. I'd gladly let a hippo eat me just for a chance to hug one.
   
2. At the first sign of a tornado (warning, watch, severe thunderstorm possibly producing a funnel cloud) I'm in the basement or a bathtub. Greatest fear.
   
3. I watch Spongebob, Fairly Odd Parents, and Jimmy Neutron on Nickelodeon. And laugh hard.
   
4. My real last name is Langston-Wood.
   
5. While I respect her courageous fashion choices, I think Carrie Bradshaw is one of the most selfish fictional characters ever to grace my television set...Meredith Grey probably beats her, but I stopped watching Grey's Anatomy a long time ago and do not feel the need to analyze its female leading role.
   
6. To go along with number 5, I thought the Sex & the City movie blew.
   
7. Backstreet Boys. Yes, still.
   
8. I want to live in the Greek isles someday.
   
9. Most Friday nights I'd rather hang out with my brother at home than go to the bars.
   
10. One of the best pieces of advice I've ever received came from Maggie Kelly (my friend Natalie's mom): Don't buy expensive shoes until you get out of college. Bar funk is not partial to brands.
    
11. Diet Dr Pepper and cheese dip are necessities in my life.
    
12. I'm really good about not calling people back.
    
13. I'm scared that when I have kids it will be socially acceptable to propose to someone via text message.
    
14. I love text messaging.
    
15. I really like 6 Flags, but I hate that my hands smell like wet pennies after spending a day there.
    
16. I think energy drinks are disgusting.
    
17. My dog smells like she's wet even when she's dry. We keep her outside.
    
18. Coffee. Gross. Cigarettes. Grosser.
    
19. I fly all the time, but every time the plane takes off I still worry it's going to crash.
    
20. Not everybody loves Raymond.
    
21. A spoonful of peanut butter is guaranteed to make my day better.
    
22. I'm addicted to classic ChapStick.
    
23. In the winter you'll find me in Uggs. In the summer, Haviana flip-flops.
    
24. I don't miss college.
    
25. Right now I'm in class, and I haven't been paying attention. I'm going to have to teach it to myself. Awesome.
    

You probably figured this out, but #25 is not applicable anymore. I'm sure you caught that though because you're a genius. At any rate, I'm off. Go Hawks.

Peace. Love. Space Jam.

tangent sixteen: green day.

O'Hey.

I am done with second quarter and feel the need to rant. I actually have an excuse because it's St. Patrick's Day. So now I'm going to talk about verde. Learn Spanish if you don't understand that. Specifically, I want to discuss what happens to many people who forget to wear green on March 17. Some people choose not to do so out of protest to conventional standards. A handful of those people sit together in corners wearing black and discussing why convention and conformity do not apply to them. I think they have somewhat of a good idea there, but their execution leaves a sour taste in my mouth. I'd prefer for them to whine far away from my ears. We aren't discussing my problem with the color black or a bunch of egocentric emo kids though. We're discussing green. Well, I'm discussing green. You're reading about it. Maybe. Back to those who don't wear green. It's your prerogative if you decide not to partake in drunken Irish festivities. You shouldn't feel obligated to wear a "Kiss Me, I'm Irish" tight-fitting baby-T or an obnoxious blinking leprechaun button. You shouldn't even feel compelled to wear a smidgen of green if you don't want to. Let's be honest here for a second. St. Patrick's Day is really just spring break compressed into 24 hours. And if that's not your thing, then so be it. I personally enjoy the quasi-holiday. I do not, however, enjoy the pinchers. If you still pinch people for not wearing green then you just volunteered your way onto my "I'd like to punch you in the face" list. Don't be an asshole. Pinching serves no purpose other than legitimate proof that someone (the pincher) sucks. And not the mean kind of sucks, the irritating kind of sucks...which is way worse. I don't care if you think it's funny to parade around the office and pinch your co-workers who forgot their tiny Paddy flair. The only reason they even wear it is to avoid people like you. You aren't 7 anymore. Let the non-greeners go through March 17 in peace. In my opinion, pinching lies on the same plane with Carrot Top. Annoying and useless. So join me in my attempt to stop the pinchers from spreading their venomous fingers. Should you choose to be witty after reading this and decide to squeeze a portion of my skin in between your thumb and pointer finger then I can almost guarantee you'll be moved to the top of the previously-mentioned list. I hope those of you who dig today have green beers in hand and are about to sway back and forth to "Piano Man" at an overcrowded Irish pub. I'll see you in a few.

Peace. Love. Ginger fever.

tangent fifteen: voter registration.

Hi. 

I just added something new to my blog. A weekly question that you can cast your vote about. Pumped? I knew you would be. The questions will not be hard. Unless you are an imbecile. Alright. Go knock yourself out on the bottom of the sidebar.

Peace. Love. Yes you can.

tangent fourteen: my Oscar nominees.

Evening.

I'm going to make this as short as possible so I can get back to watching Degrassi, my newest obsession and time-sucker. Seeing as that I only saw Slumdog Millionaire, I don't have too much to say about any of the other nominees. Slumdog was an amazing piece of cinematic awesomeness, so I'm glad it won 694 awards. Well-deserved, in my opinion. I did make a mental list of my favorite moments tonight, and I would like to share them with you. In addition to my favorites, I also made a separate mental list of my least favorite moments. If you don't mind, I'm going to share those with you, as well. If you do mind, then I hate you. No, no. I'm being facetious. Although I might hate you anyway, for other reasons. Probably not though because I don't really hate anyone. "Hate" is, like many teachers and wise sages over the years have told me, a very strong word. So while you might annoy me a lot, I can almost guarantee that I don't hate you. There's always an exception to the rule though. And I hate to admit it, but I use "hate" a lot more than I should. Like just now, for instance. I don't really hate to admit it. But to say, "I strongly dislike to admit it" sounds ridiculous. "Hate" may be strong, but it is, in fact, easier. Okay. Enough of that. Now, for the drum roll...brrrrrrrr. (That is not supposed to look like the sound of shivering.) Here are the nominees of my favorite and least favorite Oscar moments:

Moments That Made My Heart Flutter:

1. Danny Boyle jumping up and down like Tigger on purpose.
   
2. Zac Efron looking old enough for me to legally date instead of molest...finally.
   
3. Robert Pattinson acting like a vampire even though he wasn't supposed to.
   
4. Mickey Rourke's nomination.
   
5. Halle Berry's dress.
   
6. Kate Winslet's acceptance speech.
   
7. Heath Ledger's family's acceptance speech.
8. Memorial dedication video. (Gets me every single time.)
9. The big musical shindig. (With a cameo from Zac Efron.)
   
10. Ben Stiller's riveting portrayal of Joaquin Phoenix.
    

Moments That Made My Heart Sputter: 

1. Barbara's pre-Oscars buzz kill.
   
2. Zac Efron's trollop of a date.
   
3. Christopher Walken's creepiness multiplied due to his long hair.
   
4. Mickey Rourke's face.
   
5. Reese Witherspoon copying Queen Latifah's dress. Or vice versa. (Tsk, tsk, ladies.)
   
6. Jessica Biel sans her only redeeming quality, Timberlake.
   
7. Sophia Loren's aging progress.
   
8. Not being able to see the memorial dedication video. (I'm sorry, Academy. Not all of us have 900-inch flat-screens.)
   
9. Beyonce's sparkling red loin cloth.
   
10. Joaquin Phoenix's absence (from both the awards and the acting world).
    

I should mention that my short-term memory is somewhat of a faulty trait, and had I written my thoughts down while watching the Oscars, my wit would have been sharper and my writing much funnier. Oh well. I distracted you for a little while, right? Okay. Back to work, slacker. 

Peace. Love. Why was Miley invited?

tangent thirteen: bite me.

Guess who's back? 

After an extra long vacay I'm back and ready to roll. I know I promised to write a lot during my break; however, I opted not to and did other things instead. I slept, watched a lot of unnecessary television, went to my 5 year high school reunion (AKA "shit show 2k8"), and went on a cruise with my family (and brought in the new year with a smooch on the cheek from my mother). Jealous? I'm sure. My first quarter at The Circus went really well, and it's good to know that I'm heading in the right direction in terms of what I want to do with the rest of my life. At least for now. You could probably care less about that so I'll ease into my newest tangent before you start bitching. While I did waste a lot of my time watching mindless TV shows and galavanting around Atlanta will my fellow high school chums during the break, I also divvied up some of my time to a fictional male specimen known to some as Edward Cullen. I, however, prefer to refer to him as "perfection". Edward Cullen is one of the characters in the Twilight book series by Stephenie Meyer. Now, if you are an observant and nitpicky person then you are A) obnoxious but B) also probably remembering something I wrote in tangent ten. I merely stated that I didn't understand the hype concerning Twilight. I never made fun of those who did. I retract my statement because I understand the hype now. At about 2:30 on Christmas Eve day I was perusing through Target, trying to find last minute Christmas gifts (if you know me, you aren't the least bit surprised) and a shiny paperback book cover caught my eye. There it was. A simple, yet perfect depiction of the forbidden fruit resting in the pale palms of two delicate hands. It was as if Eve herself was offering me a bite...Christmas Eve. Oh, the irony! I tried to hold my ground and walk past the preteen book section in order to make it to the DVD wall faster but something else caught my eye, paralyzing me even longer. The price sticker. Once I saw that, I knew I had been defeated. I took the bait and bought the book. Metaphorically speaking, one might say I took a bite. Eve's good. Whether out of respect for Christmas and my family or trying to salvage whatever morsel of dignity I had left, I  put the book on my bed and left it there until the next day. Once I had thanked Santa for my grey Uggs and make-up, I trudged upstairs to watch A Christmas Story. (I like the 24 hour marathon...it never gets old to me.) Just as I was about to turn on the tele via remote, that faint glittery glimmer caught my eye again. Blast, there was no turning back now. Christmas dinner at Gamma's (my badass grandmother) always starts at 6 pm. It's tradition. I began reading Twilight at 2:45ish. Surely, I thought, I would have enough time to get ready. But Edward Cullen just kept luring me in, page by page, with his cold, chiseled body and his chameleon-like eyes, and I couldn't move from my spot on the bed. 4 o'clock rolls around and I'm still pajama-clad, sans a shower, and falling deeper in love with Edward. This was no school girl Devon Sawa crush. This was real. Besides, Devon is just a mere mortal. I contemplated getting up and doing a rain dance so Atlanta might become more like Forks. I even checked the locks on my windows to see if they were painted shut. They were, and I cursed them because Edward would not be able to come into my bedroom. 5:15. No shower. No movement apart from my fingers flipping the pages. Not even a bathroom break. This was serious. My mom yelled at me from downstairs to make sure I was on my way to getting ready, and she informed me that they were going to ride in a separate car. Not a good idea, Mom. Not a good idea at all. I was suddenly 12 years old again...not because I was ridiculously engrossed in a tween book series about vampires but because I was lying to my mother about my grooming progress. I had made none. Damn that 544-page temptress. I'm not sure what snapped me out of my Edward love daze, but I finally got up and bathed, making my brother and me over 30 minutes late to Christmas dinner. You might be thinking, "Melissa, isn't 30 minutes late like early for you?" Well, hardy har har, you jackass. That's pretty funny. Not. Christmas dinner was fine, except for the gaping and rapidly expanding hole in my heart, otherwise known as my incessant longing for more Edward. I couldn't wait to get back to Meyer's literary ingenuity. Some things prevented that from happening, and I was forced to put down the book for longer than I wanted to. It wasn't until the cruise that I was able to pick it back up again. I silently apologized to Edward for my betrayal and finished Twilight in a flash. I then began to read New Moon, the sequel to Twilight, and I sunk to a new low. After ringing in the new year with my mom's kiss, I left the lido deck party, went to my room, changed into pajamas, and...wait for it...wait for it...read. Welcome to 2009, Melissa. You kind of believe in vampires. You're kind of delusional. What a great start. I even went and saw Twilight the movie 3 hours after returning home from the cruise. It didn't do my imagination justice; however, Robert Pattinson can sink his teeth into my neck any day. I am currently on the 3rd book of the series, but luckily school has somewhat brought me back to reality...not by choice. I'm worried I'll never be able to date again because I've concluded that my type is vampire and seeing as that they don't exist (or do they?) I am doomed to live a life alone vying with 7th graders for nonexistent Edward's love. Of course, I am kidding...I think. I didn't want to reveal any of the books' plots and stories because I urge you to pick it up and begin the journey yourself. I get the hype now. You should too.

Peace. Love. Move over, Devon.

tangent twelve: coming attractions.

For real. Updating soon. Don't get your panties in a wad. I have so much up my sleeve, you don't even know. (Comma splice? Not sure.)

Peace. Love. Wedgies rule.

tangent eleven: where are they now? (the TGIF edition.)

Greetings and salutations.

I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but over the next couple of weeks my tangents are going to be few and far between. It's crunch time at The Circus, which means lack of sleep, lack of a social life, and lack of any extracurricular activity not pertaining to school. Sorry. There's not much I can do about it. I'll be sure to make up for it over my break, once this quarter is over. Okay, enough business. Let's begin today's tangent. TGIF was one of the best things that ever happened to my childhood. I'm sure many of you share this sentiment and can remember a time when a great Friday night didn't involve getting gussied up and bar hopping. Inviting a friend to spend the night, setting up a pallet in the basement, ordering pizza, and flipping to ABC were the only necessary components to make Friday night a sure-fire success back in the day. Ah, nostalgia. I recently watched Stephanie Tanner on Chelsea Lately, and I must say that the once obnoxious lispy smart aleck is actually pretty cool now. She has a real name (Jodie Sweetin), but I like referring to her as Stephanie. I want to personally thank her for inspiring me to write today's tangent. Thanks, Steph. After reading about her addiction to crystal meth a while back, I figured she had spiraled down into has-been oblivion, never to return again. Her interview with Chelsea rerouted my opinion and proved me wrong. She's doing well, she's remarried, and she has a fat daughter named Zoe. Pin a rose on her nose because I'm proud. Watching her led me to wonder what the other TGIF alumni are up to these days. I don't care about every single actor or actress who graced ABC's Friday night lineup during my TGIF era because some of them have stood the test of time and are still somewhat in the limelight. Some, however, did not rise to the fame occasion after their shows got canned. I haven't heard about these people in a while. These are the people I am concerned about. These are the people I researched. And this is what I discovered:

Scott Weinger: 

(Steve Hale--Full House)

While his Full House character appeared to be a bit of a dunce at times, in reality, Scott is quite the smarty pants. In 1998 he graduated magna cum laude from Harvard. Who knew? I always found Steve so endearing because of how stupid he acted. I was very upset when he and DJ chose to go their separate ways. I was pleased about his reappearance on the Full House series finale, probably more so than I was about Michelle finding her memory. Aesthetically, Scott's suffering a bit, but I have complete faith that his old All-American look can be restored with a little Rogaine, some Botox, Mystic Tan, and, most importantly, a letter jacket. 

Bryton McClure: 

(Richie Crawford--Family Matters)

It was uncanny how much Richie Crawford looked like Little Richard. I felt bad for the kid because due to the striking resemblance and similar nomenclature, he was forced to sport a Jheri curl-inspired mullet for 6 years. Clever casting directors. On the other hand, now he's looking pretty slick with his short hair and chin flair. He's also strayed away from primitive sitcom acting and channeled his diverse talents toward his role as Devon Hamilton on The Young & The Restless. Now that I know this, I will make sure to make that show an integral part of my week. I'll keep you updated.

Andrea Barber: 

(Kimmy Gibbler--Full House)

Next to Screech, Kimmy Gibbler was quite possibly the most annoying sidekick ever written into a show. I became so excited whenever she and DJ got in one of their rare fights and vowed never to talk to each other again. Too bad DJ was a nice person and had Danny "the moral police" Tanner for a father. They remained BFF for the duration of the series. I was always on Uncle Jesse's side about Gibbler. I was also on his side because I wanted to bear his children. Still do. As far as what Andrea's up to now...she lives in the UK with her hubby and two kids. Her children's names are Tate James and Felicity Ruth. You might be wondering what I think about her daughter's name. I'm going to be nice and plead the fifth.

Trina McGee: 

(Angela Moore--Boy Meets World)

Angela was such a badass. She embodied boho chic and dated Shawn Hunter, who was also a badass. I loved him up until he decided to sport a goatee in a "glimpse into the future" episode. (Not your best  look, Shawn.) Anyway, Angela was a badass then and by the looks of it, now she's a freaking smokeshow. Other than looking dynamite, she's also married with 3 kids. From hippie to hottie in a such a short time. You go, girl.

Sasha Mitchell: 

(Cody Lambert--Step By Step)

I was in love with Cody (let's be honest, who wasn't I in love with back in the day?) Yes, he was an idiot. Yes, he had a weird incestual thing for his cousin. Yes, his vocabulary was very limited. But still, something about him was very sweet and likable. Sasha Mitchell played the part well; however, from the picture on the right, it appears that Sasha has taken up bartending in the Caribbean. I was disappointed to find out that my conclusion was false. I googled Sasha and while I wasn't able to pinpoint exactly what he's doing today (the general consensus is that he's in Hollywood with his 4 kids and fixes computers for a living), I did discover other nuggets of truth about the former Code-Man that might tickle your fancy. His nickname is Sash. (Question...is it pronounced "sash" or "sosh"?) He likes spicy Chinese food with BIG red peppers (whatever that means). He has a giant tattoo of a dragon on his shoulder (fierce). Maybe not as cool as his unintelligent character. But at least he's got something going for him in real life. 

Shawn Harrison: 

(Waldo Geraldo Faldo--Family Matters)

Speaking of morons. Remember Waldo? His stupidity was on another level, much lower than the average human being. In reality, I believe he would've qualified for the "special" category but the writers overlooked this detail and wrote lines for Shawn Harrison that oozed denseness. Waldo was a nice guy, and I was really happy when he and Maxine, Laura's BFF, began their love affair. I don't understand why the writers thought it was funny to have both his middle and last names rhyme with his first. It wasn't. Shawn is still acting. His most recent work was on a cartoon called Legion of Superheroes. Shawn provided the voice of Timber Wolf. I wasn't able to find anything else on him, but I'm glad he got rid of the flat-top and grew out a mini 'Fro. It suits him a lot better. On a random ending note, I've always wondered how much it hurt Shawn when that basketball slammed into his head during the Family Matters opening credits. It didn't look very fun.

Blake & Dylan Tuomy-Wilhoit: 

(Nicky & Alex Katsopolis--Full House)

Too bad Dylan and Cole Sprouse have already covered the cute blonde twin category. The Tuomy-Wilhoit twins don't really have too much of a chance to surpass them. It's hard to pronounce their hyphenated last name, and they're not nearly as cute as the Sprouse brothers. I wonder if they were mad at the Olsen twins for sharing DualStar with the Sprouse twins and not them. Despite their poor acting skills (which hinted the boys had been trained by the Olsen twins), they managed to coax "Awws" out of Full House viewers when they played Uncle Jesse's sons. I'm sure much of that had to do with the fact that Uncle Jesse as a father was extremely attractive. After Full House, the twins chose to return to normalcy as quickly as possible. In 2004 they started High School, which means they graduated in May. I'm crossing my fingers for a Full House Christmas special. I also wonder where the Tuomy-Wilhoit twins attend college, if they do. Good luck with everything, boys. If I were you, I'd nix the hairstyles and bring back the bowl cuts. 

Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen: 

(Michelle Tanner--Full House)

J/K.

Jason Marsden: 

(Rich Halke--Step By Step, Jason Marsden--Boy Meets World, Nelson Burkhard--Full House)

I take my comment back about Kimmy Gibbler's obnoxious sidekick status. Any character Jason Marsden played tops anything Gibbler said or did. Talk about typecasting. He was probably most annoying in Step By Step, as JT's BFF. He eventually won over Dana's heart. She was a little weird herself, so I guess they were a good match. On Boy Meets World his character was named "Jason Marsden". Wow, someone in the show's creative department really got lazy. He was essentially the same character in both shows--the sidekick of an idiot. Full House was the only show Jason was able to break out of the box just a little bit. He played Nelson, but Nelson, although extremely wealthy and intelligent, never had a chance to end up with DJ. She just wasn't the superficial type and couldn't be won over with lavish gifts and a live, personalized performance from Frankie Valli. Plus, Nelson tried to go up against Viper. Viper was hotter and badder and made me giddy. To the best of my recollection, DJ chose neither suitor in the end thus opening up the opportunity for Steve's return. Those clever writers. Today Jason's voice is used for various cartoon characters. He's married to a script supervisor named Christy and he's best friends with Will Friedle (Eric from Boy Meets World). His favorite activities include drawing, ice-skating, blading, and swimming. He also collects Disney videos and even named his pets after the characters, Aladdin, Jasmine, and Lady. It's a shame he's taken. He seems like quite a catch.

The Dinosaurs: 

( The Sinclairs--Dinosaurs)

I miss this show. Back in the day I thought they were the Family Matters family dressed up as dinosaurs...and without Steve. I loved this show, and I recently found out that seasons 1 & 2 are out on DVD. It's very tempting. I'm not sure what the dinosaurs are up to these days; however, I do have some theories. Earl Sinclair (Daddy dinosaur) was chased down by Dan Conner for copying his flannel shirt. He was then put in solitary confinement for the plagiarism, forced to watch season 1 of Rosanne on repeat. He remains there today. Fran Sinclair divorced Earl soon after his imprisonment and married Alf for money. They reside in Melmac with their 2 adopted children. Robbie and Charlene Sinclair returned back to the prehistoric era and reunited with their childhood friends. Robbie is married, and Charlene is working on her PhD. They each send a Christmas card each year and seem to be doing well. Ethyl Phillips, the grandmother, is now a fossil and can be seen in the Museum of Natural History. Baby Sinclair, perhaps the most abrasive of the bunch, was actually Elmo in a dinosaur costume. Elmo continues to work successfully on Sesame Street. 

Another fun fact about TGIF: it stood for "Thank God It's Funny" not "Thank God It's Friday". I say ABC brings it back. Okay, I must digress. I hope everyone has a wonderful day. I am about to go work on my sketchbook and watch a free movie OnDemand. 

Peace. Love. Adios Tanneritos.