I usually hate when my birthday rolls around. They're hardly ever really memorable. I mean last year was great, my sister took the extended family and my boyfriend to Farrell's in Mission Viejo. Actually, it was perfect, but this year? Oh man. The key is to set low expectations; almost believe you're a Jehovah's Witness, that way when you get one or two texts, and five or less Facebook/email birthday wishes, you're not too sad about it. Then again, what pathetic person judges their self-worth by how many of these messages are received? Ahem. Today, at least at one point, I was with someone I really love and care for. Domestic partner (ha) and I met my sister and her family, and she took us out to eat... where I ate the BEST burger ever. And fries. Those fries... ugh and iced tea. Heaven is on earth my friends, and it's on the corner of south Brea Blvd. My sister bought these adorable and absolutely delicious Korean fruit tarts from a bakery. A Korean bakery, which of course, are the best bakeries. We (we being Mr. Argueta and I) were dropped off in the fifth circle of Hell, Pico Rivera. It was actually nice though. The money meant to help me with college and my burgeoning lifestyle was funneled into my dad's attempts to be relevant in regards to today's technology. Ergo, he owns a PS3 (of which he solely uses to play crappy NFL games), and many, many blu ray dvds. Anyway, the two of us played God of War III. Which, holy crap, is one of the most aesthetically stunning video games I have ever played. I haven't played much on the seventh generation consoles, with the exception of the Wii (which really doesn't say anything). Mr. Argueta was picked up as he had further tasks. THEN...
I went outside to look for my dying cat.* Found him, but then dropped him (not too high off the ground), and saw my two bff's from high school. Yeah, high school sucked, but these guys, we've been to NY, and have known each other since we were 11. They came out of nowhere, scared the shit out of me, and then we went bowling. I am so terrible at bowling. Yes. We then got coffee, girl talk, and reminisced. Laaaaater, we said our goodbyes, and I was back at my dad's house, who took me back to Argueta's house, err home.
O M G. I love this family. My real family is okay, my sister is amazing, but the other two, eh. More surprises! And yeah, Gio is probably the best gift giver ever. And birthday planner. This guy, have him plan your shit. Pictures of gifts will soon be posted! After that, the two of us ate dinner of which he prepared (no, it's not romantic, they were leftovers), and we watched Breaking Bad.
I hate sappy posts. I hate long posts, but hi there. And, thank you Gio. You euuugh, there are no words. Just, Danny Trejo sends his regards. This was the best. Goodbye, teenage years. ~*good riddance*~
*Not dead, or dying, just depressed.
8.08.2011
6.02.2011
I Just Wrote an 800 Word Paper on Radiohead, I Love College
**The following is an essay I wrote for one of my lower division English classes this quarter. Wait, just forget I said that, this is an analysis of Radiohead. And this is my blog. Catherine Carroll's blog.
Generation Y-ers were given the chance to indulge in being the completely awkward individuals parental divorce, the internet, and video games had made them out to be. And frankly, this was possible thanks to an English band known as Radiohead, whose single titled “Creep,” resonated in the hearts of many, (probably millions, don’t count me on that though). The typical, avid Radiohead listener may or may not have low-self confidence, a tendency to be overly-pretentious about what he or she considers “good” music, and possibly wears really tight jeans and plaid shirts. Of course, these are all generalizations, and probably only speak for myself. In 1997, Radiohead released their third studio album OK Computer.
A considerable amount of the lyrics and artwork featured in the album share a common theme of isolation, anti-materialism, anti-government, all due in part to political and social stagnation. The album itself is a widely critically acclaimed and commercially successful work, that reinstated Radiohead’s status of being a band of truly experimental genius. Ok Computer’s first single, “Paranoid Android,” illustrates disdain for the conformist society that became ubiquitous in the mid to late 1990s (popular films like Office Space (1999) and the Matrix (1999) echo such themes, and show obvious rapport towards this new mundane way of life). Nearly every verse brings to mind a sense of the anonymity and monotonous lifestyle that is accompanied with working in cubicles, subscribing to inconsequential trends, and generally being a slave of a corrupt capitalistic society.
Nevertheless, to say Radiohead is a group of radical Marxists would be a bit of an over-exaggeration. “Paranoid Android’s” lyrics are indeed anti-capitalistic, and even quite abrasive in nature, however Radiohead is in a sense lamenting the obsessive consumerism found in the western world. In a tongue and cheek manner, the lyrics (and the way in which they are vocalized, think: distortion, confusion) express and induce the madness experienced by the protagonist in the song.
Before I proceed, let me say that Thom Yorke (lead vocalist and songwriter) has this wonderfully amazing voice that can reach the highest of octaves, and in a second, change to an almost monotone murmur. I will be the first person to admit though, his voice is not for everyone, as such, definitely not my dad nor my roommates. To me though, his voice, the songwriting, the instrumentals, everything, come together effortlessly to create hauntingly beautiful pieces of music. “Paranoid Android” is composed of three distinct parts (some argue four). I really do not want to do a second by second analysis of the song, ergo, the three main segments of the song and their significance:
PARANOID
The protagonist is presented as a feeble person (just listen to that falsetto!), “Please could you stop the noise/ I’m trying to get some rest.” Throughout the duration of the song, the line “What’s this?” is repeated numerous times, thus evoking a sense of insecurity and suspiciousness. All these queries are entirely rhetorical, which consequently, adds to the mounting paranoia of both the listener and the protagonist. The lyric “With your opinion that’s of no consequence at all,” transitions focus from the protagonist to the pronoun. Also, this line marks the beginning of the anti-government sentiment present in the rest of the song. The listener is told he does not have any real, discerning beliefs or notions, because of the asset-obsessed society he lives in.
DISCOVERY
An almost slurring Thom Yorke, sings around the 2:20 mark, “Ambition makes you look pretty ugly/ kicking and squealing, Gucci little piggy.” These lyrics clearly deride capitalism. True, the free market of the west has (relatively) allowed and prompted the economic stability and agency of many people, however as expressed in the following lyrics, happiness and the human spirit are drained from this system. Furthermore, the inclusion of the high fashion brand Gucci and its correlation with a filthy barn animal emphasizes the total disdain Yorke has for materialism (at least in this song, anyway).
ANDROID
At 3:34, the song takes a dramatic shift; a chorus of angelic-like chanting with the lyrics “Rain down. Come on down rain on me/ From a great height,” is repeated. Pristine and serene images come to mind, especially with the lyrically reinforced impressions of Heaven (“a great height”). The chorus continues to overlap with the repeated words, “The panic, the vomit.” The final lyric, “God loves His children, God loves His children, yeah,” shows great juxtaposition, unsettling images with a “caring” God. Again, Yorke is using sarcasm, but this time, to praise the ideological apparatus of religion.
I would not be lying if I said this album raised my IQ. In fact, it certainly did.
Generation Y-ers were given the chance to indulge in being the completely awkward individuals parental divorce, the internet, and video games had made them out to be. And frankly, this was possible thanks to an English band known as Radiohead, whose single titled “Creep,” resonated in the hearts of many, (probably millions, don’t count me on that though). The typical, avid Radiohead listener may or may not have low-self confidence, a tendency to be overly-pretentious about what he or she considers “good” music, and possibly wears really tight jeans and plaid shirts. Of course, these are all generalizations, and probably only speak for myself. In 1997, Radiohead released their third studio album OK Computer.
A considerable amount of the lyrics and artwork featured in the album share a common theme of isolation, anti-materialism, anti-government, all due in part to political and social stagnation. The album itself is a widely critically acclaimed and commercially successful work, that reinstated Radiohead’s status of being a band of truly experimental genius. Ok Computer’s first single, “Paranoid Android,” illustrates disdain for the conformist society that became ubiquitous in the mid to late 1990s (popular films like Office Space (1999) and the Matrix (1999) echo such themes, and show obvious rapport towards this new mundane way of life). Nearly every verse brings to mind a sense of the anonymity and monotonous lifestyle that is accompanied with working in cubicles, subscribing to inconsequential trends, and generally being a slave of a corrupt capitalistic society.
Nevertheless, to say Radiohead is a group of radical Marxists would be a bit of an over-exaggeration. “Paranoid Android’s” lyrics are indeed anti-capitalistic, and even quite abrasive in nature, however Radiohead is in a sense lamenting the obsessive consumerism found in the western world. In a tongue and cheek manner, the lyrics (and the way in which they are vocalized, think: distortion, confusion) express and induce the madness experienced by the protagonist in the song.
Before I proceed, let me say that Thom Yorke (lead vocalist and songwriter) has this wonderfully amazing voice that can reach the highest of octaves, and in a second, change to an almost monotone murmur. I will be the first person to admit though, his voice is not for everyone, as such, definitely not my dad nor my roommates. To me though, his voice, the songwriting, the instrumentals, everything, come together effortlessly to create hauntingly beautiful pieces of music. “Paranoid Android” is composed of three distinct parts (some argue four). I really do not want to do a second by second analysis of the song, ergo, the three main segments of the song and their significance:
PARANOID
The protagonist is presented as a feeble person (just listen to that falsetto!), “Please could you stop the noise/ I’m trying to get some rest.” Throughout the duration of the song, the line “What’s this?” is repeated numerous times, thus evoking a sense of insecurity and suspiciousness. All these queries are entirely rhetorical, which consequently, adds to the mounting paranoia of both the listener and the protagonist. The lyric “With your opinion that’s of no consequence at all,” transitions focus from the protagonist to the pronoun. Also, this line marks the beginning of the anti-government sentiment present in the rest of the song. The listener is told he does not have any real, discerning beliefs or notions, because of the asset-obsessed society he lives in.
DISCOVERY
An almost slurring Thom Yorke, sings around the 2:20 mark, “Ambition makes you look pretty ugly/ kicking and squealing, Gucci little piggy.” These lyrics clearly deride capitalism. True, the free market of the west has (relatively) allowed and prompted the economic stability and agency of many people, however as expressed in the following lyrics, happiness and the human spirit are drained from this system. Furthermore, the inclusion of the high fashion brand Gucci and its correlation with a filthy barn animal emphasizes the total disdain Yorke has for materialism (at least in this song, anyway).
ANDROID
At 3:34, the song takes a dramatic shift; a chorus of angelic-like chanting with the lyrics “Rain down. Come on down rain on me/ From a great height,” is repeated. Pristine and serene images come to mind, especially with the lyrically reinforced impressions of Heaven (“a great height”). The chorus continues to overlap with the repeated words, “The panic, the vomit.” The final lyric, “God loves His children, God loves His children, yeah,” shows great juxtaposition, unsettling images with a “caring” God. Again, Yorke is using sarcasm, but this time, to praise the ideological apparatus of religion.
I would not be lying if I said this album raised my IQ. In fact, it certainly did.
8.24.2009
Hello, (most of) The State
GOOD NEWS! I have something to blog about, unfortunately this will lack the obsessive detail of past blog entries in which I encountered people that I adore and worship. On second thought, after seeing how long this ended up being, I take that back.
Last Thursday, I went to a meet and greet with six of the eleven members of the ahhmazing, beloved MTV series The State near Santa Monica, or somewhere near there. I woke up a bit late, 9:50-ish, a Top Chef marathon and BBC America were the defaults. I had to take the public bus to meet my dad where he works in downtown so that we could go to the previously mentioned destination. After waiting what seemed like hours at that bus stop right in front of that big ol' intersection (hey there agoraphobia), a bus finally pulls in. When I got to my stop, which was the very last stop of the busline, I had to wait a little while on that street. Being a teenage girl, waiting alone on a street in downtown Los Angeles is interesting, actually that's not the right adjective, is it? OH! I forget to mention, if you ever take a car/bus to/around downtown, I recommend listening to some Joy Division, particularly these tracks: Transmission, Disorder, She's Lost Control...
Well, my dad picked me up and we headed over to the the DVD store where the signing was being held at, and much to our surprise, there was hardly any traffic! We drove near the store, but we were two hours early and there was no parking anywhere. Not that people had already showed up for the signing. Free parking in LA is nearly impossible to find, kind of like the elusive Mew, Suicine, Lugia, Darkrai... you get the point. So we parked at a nearby mall and killed some time in the Barnes and Noble there. I was starting to feel the effect of the ativan I took earlier, which is probably on par with being slightly drunk but still being fully aware of everything, sort of.
We went back to the store and there was already a small line, probably ten or so people in front of me. Hmm to protect the privacy of other people, I'll cut this part really short. I talked with a huge State fan that was behind me, I'm not sure how the conversation started, but it was great! Ah, speaking with someone with the same comedic taste... it is glorious. My new friend is a BIG Thomas Lennon fan, seriously my Michael Ian Black is her Lt. Dangle. In fact, she actually won the short-shorts Lennon sports on Reno 911 that were auctioned off on eBay. Anyway, we were finally let in... Ahh and I just got to say, they were so incredibly nice (this word will soon be overused). Like, you have no idea... A few of my favorite exchanges.
Thomas Lennon- A lot of tension built up to this moment. I mean, the last time I saw him up close was at the Orpheum where he was staring directly at me and happily talking about oral sex. Would he remember me? He shook my hand and kinda locked eyes again. Oh, sweet deja vu.
Ben Garant- Nice dude! He said hi and "thanks for coming out." I swear, I have the worst hearing ever, ESPECIALLY when mixed with the confusion and disorientation of my anxiety meds in full effect. "Huh?" He repeats it. "Umm, wait huh?" He says it a third time, finally I get it; "Oh, uh yeah... thanks."
Ken Marino- "Hi, I'm Ken!" "Umm I know." "What's your name?" "Catherine." "Nice to meet you Catherine." "You too."
The greatest exchange of words, ever?
David Wain- Ah the king of them all. The head honcho... Our "conversation" went something like this:
David: Where did you come from?
Me: *surprised* Here, well I live in LA.
David: Yeah. I know that. But where?
Me: Near Whittier...
David: That's good. *signs DVD with "YOU LIVE IN LA, I HEAR"*
I took an organic banana signed by Joe and took pictures of them. It was super awesome, I mean look at this LONG blog post, which means either two things (or both) that a) this was really fun and b) I have nothing better to do.... We had to leave early, UGH. I hate myself for not staying to see Tom fall off and subsequently break his chair, actually that was really sad, in a funny sort of way.
**Note: There's something about Robert Ben Garant. I just can't pin it. Sans mustache, military haircut, and aviator sunglasses, he's pretty darn sexy.
Here. In case you don't believe me. Check out the Flickr.
Last Thursday, I went to a meet and greet with six of the eleven members of the ahhmazing, beloved MTV series The State near Santa Monica, or somewhere near there. I woke up a bit late, 9:50-ish, a Top Chef marathon and BBC America were the defaults. I had to take the public bus to meet my dad where he works in downtown so that we could go to the previously mentioned destination. After waiting what seemed like hours at that bus stop right in front of that big ol' intersection (hey there agoraphobia), a bus finally pulls in. When I got to my stop, which was the very last stop of the busline, I had to wait a little while on that street. Being a teenage girl, waiting alone on a street in downtown Los Angeles is interesting, actually that's not the right adjective, is it? OH! I forget to mention, if you ever take a car/bus to/around downtown, I recommend listening to some Joy Division, particularly these tracks: Transmission, Disorder, She's Lost Control...
Well, my dad picked me up and we headed over to the the DVD store where the signing was being held at, and much to our surprise, there was hardly any traffic! We drove near the store, but we were two hours early and there was no parking anywhere. Not that people had already showed up for the signing. Free parking in LA is nearly impossible to find, kind of like the elusive Mew, Suicine, Lugia, Darkrai... you get the point. So we parked at a nearby mall and killed some time in the Barnes and Noble there. I was starting to feel the effect of the ativan I took earlier, which is probably on par with being slightly drunk but still being fully aware of everything, sort of.
We went back to the store and there was already a small line, probably ten or so people in front of me. Hmm to protect the privacy of other people, I'll cut this part really short. I talked with a huge State fan that was behind me, I'm not sure how the conversation started, but it was great! Ah, speaking with someone with the same comedic taste... it is glorious. My new friend is a BIG Thomas Lennon fan, seriously my Michael Ian Black is her Lt. Dangle. In fact, she actually won the short-shorts Lennon sports on Reno 911 that were auctioned off on eBay. Anyway, we were finally let in... Ahh and I just got to say, they were so incredibly nice (this word will soon be overused). Like, you have no idea... A few of my favorite exchanges.
Thomas Lennon- A lot of tension built up to this moment. I mean, the last time I saw him up close was at the Orpheum where he was staring directly at me and happily talking about oral sex. Would he remember me? He shook my hand and kinda locked eyes again. Oh, sweet deja vu.
Ben Garant- Nice dude! He said hi and "thanks for coming out." I swear, I have the worst hearing ever, ESPECIALLY when mixed with the confusion and disorientation of my anxiety meds in full effect. "Huh?" He repeats it. "Umm, wait huh?" He says it a third time, finally I get it; "Oh, uh yeah... thanks."
Ken Marino- "Hi, I'm Ken!" "Umm I know." "What's your name?" "Catherine." "Nice to meet you Catherine." "You too."
The greatest exchange of words, ever?
David Wain- Ah the king of them all. The head honcho... Our "conversation" went something like this:
David: Where did you come from?
Me: *surprised* Here, well I live in LA.
David: Yeah. I know that. But where?
Me: Near Whittier...
David: That's good. *signs DVD with "YOU LIVE IN LA, I HEAR"*
I took an organic banana signed by Joe and took pictures of them. It was super awesome, I mean look at this LONG blog post, which means either two things (or both) that a) this was really fun and b) I have nothing better to do.... We had to leave early, UGH. I hate myself for not staying to see Tom fall off and subsequently break his chair, actually that was really sad, in a funny sort of way.
**Note: There's something about Robert Ben Garant. I just can't pin it. Sans mustache, military haircut, and aviator sunglasses, he's pretty darn sexy.
Here. In case you don't believe me. Check out the Flickr.
8.10.2009
The philosophy of blogging
I've really hit a slump with this... The thing is, you start a blog and name it. Hopefully some people will click on the link to it on some social networking website of yours or people will find it via some obscure google search. Things go great; you find an interesting blog and read about that person's experiences, whether he or she be a self-hating Jew or an awesome ESL teacher living in Japan (obscure descriptions ftw). Then, like I mentioned above, a slump hits. You didn't blog about last week's concert or your recent vacation (not that I did any of those cool things). You start to wonder what's the point.
Well, enough of that depressing stuff! I think I will return to this blog, not for your enjoyment of reading about yours truly (creepy, but flattering, actually just creepy), but for the Google hits. I can't say the same for all browsers, but when you google the words "catherine carroll" and "jew" this blog is the first listing. A huge accomplishment really. S00, stay tuned.
Well, enough of that depressing stuff! I think I will return to this blog, not for your enjoyment of reading about yours truly (creepy, but flattering, actually just creepy), but for the Google hits. I can't say the same for all browsers, but when you google the words "catherine carroll" and "jew" this blog is the first listing. A huge accomplishment really. S00, stay tuned.
8.03.2009
5.31.2009
4.09.2009
goodnewsday
Yes, yes. Found out that The State is FINALLY getting a dvd release this summer. Now, I’ll admit I was a tad bit young when the show was on air, and YouTube has sadly been the only source for my reveling. Oh wellz.
(via Joe Lo Truglio)
Aaaaaand the dates for AWESOMECON and a live show in San Diego were posted today. Wave runners+karaoke+cold meat+T&E= a lifechanging weekend.
Summer will be loads of fun. “Awwwww yeaaaaaaaaah.”
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