June hodgepodgery

Well I think this month was saved by me cram-packing some stuff in at the end. Because up until about a week ago, I pretty much had done nothing! I've decided to make a few changes in my life, however, and I think those changes will definitely make me crank harder on my list.

So here we go!

1. Finish notes on all Hitchcock films

Yay, I DID try harder in June. I finished notes on three films this month :)

The Lodger



Secret Agent



Sabotage



Before I started working on this project, I hadn't seen any of Hitch's films from the 1930s. Having seen the majority of them now, I must say that it is an incredible decade of work. It's interesting how many of his films from the 30s are much more representative of his style and signature than many of the later ones. There is also a great deal of humor, sexuality, and violence that you probably wouldn't expect from cinema over 70 years old. Hitch is great that way :)

13. Eat at one new restaurant every month

This month I ate at Swig and Osteria del Mondo. At Swig I indulged in what was probably the tastiest thing I've ever had...the Lobster Stuffed Roasted Poblano Pepper. And at Osteria, my sis and I decided to go the antipasti/salad route rather than the entree route. I got the grilled tiger shrimp with a white bean puree and lemon caper sauce, and the caprese salad with grape tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, and aged balsamic vinegar. AMAZING.

15. Donate $5 to 1-3 charities of your choosing every month

This month I donated to the International Rett Syndrome Foundation. For those of you who do not watch So You Think You Can Dance, there's a choreographer on the show by the name of Jean-Marc Genereux. His daughter, Francesca, suffers from Rett Syndrome so he decided to choreograph a routine inspired by her. It was beautiful and incredibly moving. It also happened to be danced by one of my favorite couples, Kherington and Twitch. Because I was really inspired by Jean-Marc's ability to turn something tragic into something beautiful, I made my donation in honor of his daughter.

16. Take up meditation/find a serene place in the city to meditate

While I have yet to actually meditate there, I did notice while walking with my sis along the lakefront on Saturday how many amazing and peaceful areas there are to just chill out. So as soon as I get some more free time, and that will truly be the challenge, I plan on heading down there.

21. Watch at least one documentary every month

This month I watched The U.S. vs. John Lennon, a documentary about John Lennon's peace activism in the 60s and 70s. It also deals with the attempts made by the U.S. government to silence him and get him kicked out of the country. John Lennon has been and probably will always be my favorite Beatle. This feeling was only intensified when I had the privilege of seeing the John Lennon exhibit at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Being inches away from that famous pair of glasses and seeing the splatters of blood up close, it definitely made an impact. So while you may not have agreed with his politics, his method, or his attachment to Yoko Ono, you can't not be inspired by his passion to do good.


So there you have it! While I slacked a bit on some things, I think I did a fairly good job this month. I already feel like I've got the drive and energy to do more in the month of July. The summer's only going to get better from here.

like poetry, a saving grace

C'mon baby let's do the twist

Alright let's turn this blog back into a rockin' dance party like it should be! So your little Zeetlebug hit a bit of a rough patch this week but she's back to her happy-go-lucky self. And what better way to celebrate the world alla Z than with a good old fashioned E-dubs photo gallery dedicated to my favorite thing in the world: movies. This one is my favorite to date (and I have a LOT of favorites) so please enjoy. Hopefully you've seen most of these films cuz the best part is reliving their spectacular endings.

Some fun facts before you begin, five of the movies are in my own personal Top 20 and three of them were directed by the unparalled David Fincher. If you can name which five and which three (without cheating) well then you get the gold star and my seal of approval.

Okay I'll shut up now. Please proceed.

Everybody struggles

I always preface these kind of entries with the fact that I really don't like writing these kinds of entries, and the same goes for this one. I hesitate to be negative in a blog designed to celebrate the positive aspects of my life and the world. However, I feel as though I need to get some things off my chest. I already feel them eating away at me.

Now I can chalk everything I've been feeling in the past week or so to PMS, and that might be partially true, but most of this stuff is stuff I've been carrying with me through much of my adult life. It's the age old question...is this really what I want to be doing with my life? I'm a week away from the two month mark at my new job and I've already hit a wall. I'm no longer challenged and I'm growing resentful. I'm noticing how poorly certain things are handled. I'm also feeling very removed from my co-workers as I've been assigned a task that has nothing to do with what everyone else does here. I hear people chatting and working together on various projects and it makes me sad. The job I'm currently doing is slowly starting to remind me of my last one and that's scary.

So I'm at a loss. I know I have to keep plugging away because it's my job, my duty, and my responsibility. Due to my financial situation, I literally can't afford to be picky about my professional life. I guess I'm just struggling, which I know is normal. I mean, everybody struggles, it's a part of life. I think I'm simply looking for a little bit of hope and reassurance, that some day my life will be my own. That I can follow my dreams, pursue my passions, and not be held back by external circumstances. But that road has to start with me. There are a lot of bad decisions I continue to make again and again which only make things more difficult. I can't control a lot of what happens to me, but I can control my decisions.

I hope, more than anything, that I can find the right attitude and the wherewithal to keep on keepin' on. Just ignore all the bullshit and focus on my goals. When I think of my future and what I want to do it just seems so out of reach. But giving up will be my ultimate downfall. If I want to make it happen, it will happen. It will.

May hodgepodgery

So jeez louise, I'm finally getting to this blog entry. At least June hasn't reached the double digits yet. But every month I'm going to try a little harder to get this thing done a little sooner. Enough chatter though...let's get down to it.

1. Finish notes on all Hitchcock films

Sadly I was only able to do notes on one film this month, but at least it was a good one. I'm going to try MUCH harder in June, I promise ;)

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)



As much as I like Hitch's 1956 remake of this film, I found the 1934 version to be vastly superior. It was much scarier, violent, and daring especially for its time. And then there's Peter Lorre. The man is a genius. Makes me wish Hitch would have utilized him in his later films.

5. Go on a date

Yes, the one thing I was CONVINCED I wouldn't be able to accomplish on this list happened, and it only took until May ;) I met a waiter, gave him my number, and we went to dinner at Flannery's. Despite him ending up to be a real a-hole, the date was a really good time. We had some nice conversations and I got a free meal and a few beers out of it. So what did little Zeetlebee learn? Definitely go on more dates...but stay away from bad texters with a Peter Pan complex.

12. Go to the Milwaukee Art Museum

So the art museum has been open for about 7 years now and I finally got around to going. Wow am I glad I put this on my list and thanks to Aunt Martha's dedication to the art scene (and membership to the MAM which got us all in free!) I got to tour one incredible facility and some beautiful pieces of art. It was one of the best experiences I've had in awhile.









13. Eat at one new restaurant every month

Okay so what I lacked in book reading and Hitch viewing, I made up for and then some in my restaurant-going. I had a DELICIOUS falafel pita at Cafe Lulu, some very yummy BBQ (and the best mac & cheese EVER) at Smoque in Chicago, one of the tastiest and most innovative dishes I've ever had...



...Crab Cake Tater Tots at Cafe Calatrava at the art museum, really scrumptious chili cheese fries at Red Robin, and finally some ridiculously good Reuben Rolls from the Mader's stand at RiverSplash.

15. Donate $5 to 1-3 charities of your choosing every month

This month I donated to the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. I specifically requested that my money go toward juvenile diabetes research, and I made my donation in honor of a woman named Samantha Jankins. I heard her story on WKLH one morning and it inspired me in a way I don't know if I could ever describe in words. I'll just say that it made me want to be stronger and more grateful for what I have.

21. Watch at least one documentary every month



This month I watched In the Shadow of the Moon, a documentary about the Apollo space missions. Speaking of inspiring, this was an incredible film. Not only are these old guys the warmest, most good-humored guys on the planet, they have such amazing stories to tell. You won't look at your time here on earth in the same way once you see this...and you, each and every one of you, should see it.

25. Buy 15 classic albums from the Rolling Stone 500

I bought two this month!

The Mamas & the Papas - If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears



Bob Marley & The Wailers - Legend




So there you have it! May was definitely a feast for the senses, and I loved every second...even the bad ones :)

On a warm, rainy morning...

...you can't help but reminisce about days gone by. So I made some coffee, turned on the big bands channel, and busted out some LJ circa 2003.

wow. i just got back from THE funnest night with Jen. we took a bus to East Towne mall and were planning on walking over to the theater to see Elf but that backfired due to time constraints. so we just stayed at the mall and did a little shopping. i got three pairs of kick ass socks from American Eagle (finally!), some Christmasy candles from Bath & Body Works and presents for my mom and sister. Jen finally got the shoes she's been looking for forever. it was a successful shopping trip AND we were so fucking loopy and giddy it wasn't even funny. actually it was really funny. i haven't laughed that hard in awhile and for such a prolonged period of time. we had such a blast. and we're going to try and see Elf tomorrow now that we figured out how to get there.

i love nights like this one. and alcohol free! imagine that. now i'm going to go watch Citizen Kane and start my film paper.

good night.

Only a 'Sconie would be wistful over a cold night in November on a warm, rainy morning in June.

To May...a lovely month indeed

Okay is it just me or did this month seem to last forever? Wow, did I cram a lot in. Well despite a few snags here and there, May was fabulous. I checked several key things off my 25/25 list (stay tuned for updates later) and I spent oodles of time with all the people I love the most. Oh, and the weather finally got good again.

-rediscovering The Living End
-celebrating my new job at Café Lulu and At Random with the fam
-going to The Bottle with K and talking about high school and Butterworks
-Jason Castro
-a kickass day in Chicago…lunch at the Full Shilling, watching the Cubs win at Wrigley, the hottie on the bus, Smoque with Martha, a lovely car ride
-all the positive feedback at my job
-a hot dream about Dane Cook
-going to the driving range with K
-getting the Internet at home
-a lovely evening at home alone updating my blog and watching The Rules of Attraction and The Departed
-spending Mother’s Day at our apartment due to some interesting setbacks
-Dan in Real Life
-the Mamas and the Papas
-getting new tires
-the new Duffy and Jason Mraz cds
-finally getting together with Diana and hanging out at BBC and a random house party
-going to the art museum with K, Martha, and Momzy
-the crab cake tater tots
-Marne’s fabulous graduation party
-seeing Iron Man with K and J
-going to Flan’s with Ken
-my new job and all the awesome peeps
-The Paper on MTV…best show ever! Ohhh Michael Jan…
-David Cook winning AI!!
-bringing back the Asian man love
-my new bed spread!
-the half day before Memorial weekend
-kickin’ it with Nicole in the O.C.
-the Baconator!
-a lovely barbecue with the fam, J&J and Rob & Sarah
-running around in the rain with K and Jeremy
-seeing Prince Caspian with Momzy
-So You Think You Can Dance starting again!
-quoting Dane Cook
-the Lost season finale
-going to Riversplash with K…walking around in the beautiful weather, the “cop” convo by the Miller Lite stand, some very yummy Reuben rolls, dancing like crazy to King Solomon and the Have a Nice Day Café “wedding reception” dance party
-hanging with the fam at The Knick and Calypso
-Cloverfield…definitely one of the scariest and most awesome movies I’ve ever seen
-the Cubbies being #1 in the whole major league!!