Life & Times of Your Friendly Neighborhood Rioter

New Musica

2009-01-28T18:10:00.000-08:00

I am listening to new things. As I often do. [Most of] these things aren't new. They're just new to me.

Currently:
Bon Iver EP
Free Design
Fleet Foxes
M. Ward
Erin McCarley

Anyone else listening to some awemazing things???

-Rioter

Yew Near

2009-01-01T09:02:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, all!

I've decided that Iowa is NOT the place for a New Year's Eve bash. It really kind of sucks. But what can ya do? I guess that's bum-fuck nowhere for ya.

Anywho, I had a thought the other day:

I forgot it, though. I'm sure it was insightful or something. or maybe it was just that I wanted a sandwich or something.

At any rate, I suppose I just wanted to say happy new year. If you're readin' this, what'd you do to celebrate? something awesome? something lame (which is cool too. we need people like you, bringin' up that end of things. Power to the lame, my friend)? do you even remember???

Alrighty, well I'm awatchin' 30 Rock (amazing show, isn't it?) so i'm out. kkhave fun on the blog-o-sphere, folks.

-Rioter the Rosie, I am.

Carnation Milk!!!

2008-12-12T20:11:00.000-08:00

BLEH!!!!!!!

Sound it out. It's fun, I swear. Try it! "Bulll-ay!!!!" well maybe not exactly like that. but whatever.

Having a lovely day? no one reads, so i hope all of you non-readers and doing fantastically. unless you've been an asshole today. in which case they have your room reserved in hell. hope you like yo' shit HOT.

Anywho! What happened to me today?

I did some french hornin' (not as dirty as it sounds, unfortunately)

came home

FINISHED MY COLLEGE CLASSES!!! PARTY!!

Binged on Ingrid Michaelson-ness

Went to a Madrigal Dinner. It was pretty good stuff.

And now I am here. Blogging on a Friday Night. Why, you ask? Well, friends, because my friends are either 1) taking the ACT tomorrow [good luck, Mr. M!] or 2) being weasels! Weasel means many different things. None of these things are probably very good. There is also a third category in which my friends were in ze madrigal, but this is small category, much like the Green Party. Actually, it's not that small...whateverz! I don't even care anymore!

Anywayyyy...I have little more to add....

oohhhh perhaps i should do a wittle review of a book i read! those are funnn...

okay. so it was called Let it Snow.

It was good.

that is all :D

if you're reading this absurd shit that i post, i love you! probably.

my eyes hurt.
my hair hurts.
my fingernails hurt.

I'm very sleepy.
if you couldn't tell

i wrote a short little thing for my lit class today about driving out in a snow storm in search of a ukulele. this never happened, though the assignment was to write about a pesonal life experience. sometimes fiction's just irrestible, right-o?

anyway...my eyes hurt. I'm gonna watch Grey's Anatomy so I can ponder the meaning of life before concluding that life is hopeless after the show is over (does GA make anyone else feel like this?! that show is fucking depressing! Wowza.)

Have a fabulous friday night, folks!

-Rosie

Srsly, Ur Mawm!

2008-07-20T19:59:00.000-07:00

Hello, citizens of the blog-o-sphere.

I'm here in lovely Chicago, and I thought I'd blog a teensy bit about the happenings in good ol' Chi Town.

Soooo, today was the first day of Samsung Mobile Fresh Films (read: mouthful). Good stuff, overall. The people seem pretty kick ass. We did some casting today, and guess who came in?! Evan "The Rocket"! From American Gladiator. I read with the guy. It was pretty surreal. Oh, and a guy that was in The Dark Knight came too. It was kickin'. We were in a casting agency and people had head shots and stuff, and we had to go through their agents to even talk to them about callbacks. This shit is legit, my friends.

Oh, and a guy that was in School of Rock is going to be starring in our little film as well. It's gonna be a blast.

Remember to vote for the Chicago film in a few weeks at www.fresh-films.com!!!

Lataz,
Rioter, lolz!

MacBook Pro

2008-01-13T10:30:00.000-08:00

So, I was definitely watching One Tree Hill, and Lucas, Brooke, and Peyton all have MacBook Pros. If you watch the show, you get it, if not, just know that it's awesome

This is a pointless post, but whatever, it's ramblin' time.

I like pinecones. And I want a hippopotamus. Cos they're awesome. And kind of scary. The Donnas totally rock. So does Ingrid Michaelson. I like peacoats. And coffee. And scary movies. And not scary movies. I like writing, and hot cocoa. I want to go to California. And I want to go to New York too. I'm kind of indecisive, and I definitely don't have a tolerance for the self-centered and self-absorbed. I'm also kind of tired of being made fun of for how i spend my time. I'm not whining, but this is MY blog, right? I'm just saying, if you do happen to read this, think a little bit harder about what you're saying before you decide to cut someone else down for what they like to do, what they listen to, what they watch, what they write, whatever. Because really, you're just going to burn bridges. I don't know how this turned into a speech, but whatever. I'm moving on. I like Starbucks, and Spiderman. I love my guitars, and even though they're dusty and inanimate, I think they kind of like it in my room. I kinda want to get out of the house, but I want to be alone. I want to go to the cemetary, and visit the grave where someone was buried Friday morning. For some illogical and unfounded reason, I don't think many people came. Lack of footprints in the snow or something. I want a car. No, I want MY car. The one I've wanted since I was old enough to know I should want something. I want a typewriter, because I think they're totally cool, and it would be awesome to write on. I want my own apartment, with big floor-to-ceiling windows, high ceilings, white carpet, and hardwood floors. I also want a wine rack, and to be able to drink wine on my nice, white couch and watch reruns. I want to visit an art museum, and not have to worry about what someone else thinks of a painting. I also want to visit an art museum and know all about what someone else thinks of it, so long as its the person I'm happy being there with. I want a big house in the mountains, because they're beautiful, and snow never gets old. I want a 9 foot christmas tree in my living room, and i want to sleep on my large couch, right next to it, every night in December. I want just one room, with nothing but a desk and a stereo, because I can't write with a ton of clutter around. I want a huge staircase in my mountain house, like the one in titanic. I'm not sure why. I want cupboards under the stairs, because I always thought they'd be pretty cool for a movie room. Don't ask why. I want to take a months-long vacation to another country, or several different countries, because I'm so tired of...here. The people here, sometimes. I want to get away, and find people who don't tell dumb jokes, don't lie to your face, don't hide things from you, don't push you until you feel like you're at the edge of a fucking cliff, don't make you feel inferior or guilty when they have no right, and just let you 'be', regardless of how corny it sounds. Okay, maybe the dumb jokes are okay, but I'm so tired of dirty jokes i could puke. I want an otterhound, the kind of dog that'll lay on the couch, with its head in you're lap, perfectly content with watching whatever movie you like. I want to go to England, Scotland, the Netherlands, Greece, Italy, France, Hungary, Romania, Albania, the Czech Republic, and Whoville too. I want to go to Macy's, because everyone looks happy on the commercials. I want to be around people who don't act like assholes, and I want to be around people who listen to what you say, simply because you listen to them. I want to be around people who aren't going to treat me like crap one day, and decide to be nice the next. I want to go someplace alone, and have someone offer to join me with the simple hope of having a good conversation. I want to drive across the country, and meet people along the way. I want to meet the type of person that decides to come with me, because they're tired of the way life was. I want a lot of things, obviously. But what I really want is to know that people are capable of just talking, listening, traveling, sleeping, dancing, laughing, joking, crying, opening presents, walking down the street, listening to the radio, or reading the same newspaper without irritating each other, or without fighting, without strings attached. I want to know that there are people who can just be happy with somebody based on who they are, what they love, and how they talk, or read, or live. I want to know that being around people who are only there for you when its convenient, or because they think they're going to get something in return isn't as good as it gets, and that there's more than one person who won't take advantage of how you feel. I need to know that I'm not obligated to do things that I don't want to do because someone thinks I owe it to them. I need to have a little faith in the human race, and I guess I need more than one person to show me that the whole species isn't just a big, fucking waste. Oh, and I want a grand piano next to my 9 foot Christmas tree.

That was long, but it's all true. I'm going to the piano, I don't know why. Then I'm gonna watch TV. I hope at least a little of it was coherent. Or maybe I don't. Maybe that kind of thing isn't they type of thing that needs to make sense, or the type of thing that should make sense. Maybe the whole thing really is just...a riot...

Christmas, the Riot, and a few tunes.

2007-11-19T22:14:00.000-08:00

Whoa! Two posts? In the same week? Now that's unheard of. Anywhoozle, I'z here to check in. I'm going to Atlanta Thursday on some trip I'm not 100% sure will be okay, but I figure I'd better get my bloggin' fix in, eh? So, here I am.

This are goin' well in this part of the riot. Most of the time. My uncle's here from out of town, which is really nice. And guess what? He knew the guy who wrote for 'One Tree Hill' and wrote 'She's All That'. Nifty, huh? I thought so, anyway.

Moving on, I'm pretty excited for the Holiday season. It's definitely my favorite time of year. Snow, cold, trees, lights, etc. It's just great :D. I can't wait until I spend my first Christmas in my New York apartment. Sounds cheesy, but it's been my dream for years.

Alrighty, onto business. I've got this nifty little playlist thing ima post on here. Some of my current and lasting favorites. Thought my find it interesting. ish.

Hugs & Drugs,
Rosie

I Dunno...

2007-11-17T10:57:00.001-08:00

So i figured i should post something here, considering its been nearly a month. My bad lawlz.

Anywhoosers, I'm at a tech team retreat at the moment, typin' on a MacBook, which is, you guessed it, amazing. <<< Biggest run-on sentence ever.

I don't really have a ton to say right now except that everything's going pretty well right now. Don't tell anyone, but I've actually got the urge to write *le gasp*

I've got an idea for my film festival movie as well, and I'm gonna need some serious help with it, so if your interested, plz plz plz give me a shout. Comment fa sho. It'll be amazing.

Love Always,
Mac Fangirl :P

Rosie

Ahoy! Movie Review!

2007-10-20T00:26:00.001-07:00

I know...it's one of the things i do best...criticize! but hey, it's a movie. it's supposed to have critics, right? *nods*

Anyway, I went to see Across the Universe tonight after hearing absolute rave reviews on it.

Overall Impression: Really visually pleasing movie, but the plotline was somewhat...odd.

Alright. So the beginning was amazing. [Spoiler Alert!]
We've got Jude in Liverpool, playing the part of the reject with a heart of gold or something like that. It wasn't necessarily a cliche, though certainly elements of his character did seem familiar. however, i'd attribute the similarities between him and a buttload of other characters to a certain 'character type' more than anything.

Moving On:
Jude leaves his relatively awful job to go to America, secretly in search of his father. (but not before necking his girlfriend somewhat oddly in an alley of some Liverpool street)
Again, it does seem a little familiar, but not something I'm gonna knock 'em for. They worked it. At any rate, Jude's character really sets up in the next few scenes. You'll kinda get the feeling that he's this down-to-earth, honest guy from England. I dunno, maybe it's the accent haha. Well, He hitch hikes and ends up at the Princeton campus, and finds his father, who works there as a janitor.
Okay, I got the whole father thing, but what's slightly disappointing is that Jude's father seemed to be a plot device and little more. He showed up a grand total of twice (i think) in the movie, and never really even acted as a catalyst, but a messenger. it would've been nice to see the writers use a character they spent a fair amount of time setting up.
Continuing, Jude meets someone (for the second time, following a brief run in involving books and directions to the janitor) who quickly becomes my favorite character. Enter Max, scruffy version of the [very rich] boy next door. He's got a rather endearing no-bullshit attitude and a touch of desire for some nonconformist glory.
There's a particularly entertaining montage of Jude's college partying/pranking/rooftop golf (heh) experience. It was well done, and a really good way to start off the tone of the movie.

Things turn sour...
Alright, jumping ahead a bit, Jude is invited to Max's family's Thanksgiving dinner. Lucy, who's boyfriend has gone off to fight the evil vietnam, seems to be somewhat intrigued by the dark-haired mystery boy from Liverpool. Props to Evan Rachael Wood on the acting. she did a pretty spectacular job with the 'act attentive but not slutty' bit. The bowling scene, which involved several (hundred) odd dance moves, leaps, slides, and psychadelic light effects with little warning caught me off guard. one minute we're in a relatively normal (and believable) movie with Beatles songs inserted as little bonuses, if you will. Anyway, this bowling alley scene seems to come out of left field. all of a sudden, we've moved to odd (and in my opinion, a few uncomfortable...) camera angles. BUT, shots like these are all personal taste. I'll admit that I'm way more into the angles that bring an audience into a plausible situation rather than excluding them by shooting extreme close-ups on bowling lanes, balls, and Jude himself. Okay, I'll stop now.

Well, Max his decision to drop out of college and head to New York City, for better or worse, but with rather intelligent reasoning. Jude tags along, and the entire storyline skips ahead a bit to Max and Jude finding an apartment in the Big Apple with a rather puzzling array of characters, from the mysterious (and in the boys' opinion, sexy) singer, Sadie, and her crew of Bohemian artists and musicians. The guys quickly seem to make themselves at home.

Meanwhile, remember Lucy? Mmmmhmmm. well it turns out her boyfriend has been killed. This is actually a really fantastic scene. In the beginning. Two uniformed men are shown descending the steps of what we assume to be Lucy's boyfriend's mother's house, leaving the aging woman in tears as she crumples to the ground. Another acting shoutout to the uniformed extras. In my opinion, they had the proper somber emtion without losing they're all-business military composure. Anyway, as the men walk out of frame, we experience (dun dun dun!) a nice little drag cam effect.
Sarcasm. That drag effect was actually irritating, at least to me. I'll say this several times: Producers! Stick to techniques that have worked for decades. Use slow mo. Drag cam is annoying and accomplishes the same effect, only better. (<<

So, now Lucy's boyfriend is dead, we find out, and all of a sudden, we cut to a scene that looks like a battlefield, until the door of a car reading 'Detroit Police' is shown. I gotta say, I thought this scene was incredibly random, though I do think I know why it was in there. Really, though, I think a better transition would've been nice. Anyway, in a heart-wrenching change of events, we have a small child amidst the gunfire and flames singing 'Let it Be'. Props to the kid as well, he's got some amazing pipes. This song actually fit the whole scene quite nicely, though we knew it would. It's 'Let it Be', right?
Cut to the funeral scene of Lucy's boyfriend. very emotional, with a large procession of black cars and a crowd of mourners, clad in the characteristic black as they stand in a cemetary around the casket, adorned with the American Flag. We switch to another funeral scene, one that's taking place in a large cathedral, a line extending outside of the door. In this open casket is the small child from the scene before. His voice is still singing, but he's motionless inside of the wooden, unfinished coffin. (Note: I actually saw the kid breathing during this scene, not that it should say anything for the quality of the movie. I just like finding things like that. heh.)
Anyway, this scene cuts back and forth between the funerals, and my only criticism was that there was no 21 gun salute! Nah, not really a criticism, but it would've been cool, and really effective if you could line it up with the beat of 'Let it Be'.

Alrighty, now we're back to Jude & Max, who are setting things up in New York, and more tennants are joining the mismatched gang, including one man from the little boy's funeral, though i never caught his relation to the boy. Also, a cheerleader from a brief (and sort of random) scene at the beginning named prudence crawls through the bathroom window of the apartment one night (beatles reference) and quickly becomes party of the gang.

Ima skim to the next important part. That'd be Lucy's arrival in NYC, after convincing her strict (and loaded) parents to let her stay with her brother over the summer. There are actually a series of commendable scenes here, illustrating what one would imagine the local's NYC was like. Sadie has made a few more appearances, and has become a rather likable character, despite the somewhat silly leather pants. Lucy and Jude seem to re-ignite the original intriguing chemistry they shared at Thanksgiving, and end up sleeping together that night. (Note: I'm not criticizing or implying that it moved too fast, i just don't want to type out the details)

The nub and gist of the middle part of the movie is this: after Lucy's arrival, the gang becomes very obviously totally hippie, LSD and all. Every other scene seemed to be treated like an acid trip, and i won't deny that i didn't like this particular part of the movie. Pimps in bright suites and animated uncle sam posters seem a little over the top. More on that later, though.

Now, Max gets drafted, Lucy becomes an anti-war activist, and Jude is drawing for RAT, a New York magazine publication..thing. after a few acid-filled twists and turns (including a very odd circus scene, which was totally out of place and a little irritating in general, and also an odd skinny dipping scene) Jude and Lucy, now completely smitten and lost in each other, are becoming separated by Lucy's extreme actions in the radical anti-war protests. There is one great scene in which Jude storms the anti-war headquarters, singing the well-known Revolution. It's a relatively intense scene, with fights and good visuals. After this point, the movie returns to it's former acid-less glory.

I don't want to type out the entire conclusion, but the ending scene really was masterful. No better way to end a movie than on top of a roof, singing 'All You Need Is Love'.

Recap: Great movie, bar the odd LSD middle. Now, i do understand that the acid is kind of part of the beatle's time period, but the filmmaking got really odd in those scenes. it was difficult to follow and focus on, though the colors were vivid and the strawberry fields scene had good potential. At any rate, It was a fantastic movie, but there were things I would've changed.

3.5 Stars.

yeah, i am entitled to give a star rating. Cuz i really am that good ;)

Top 10!!!

2007-10-17T16:17:00.000-07:00

Alrighty tighty, it's been too long since i've posted (almost a week!? eek!)

Anyway, thought I'd post something relatively entertaining I did...

Top Ten Reasons Why Ketchup is better than Mustard:

10: It is red, and red is simply a much better color than orange. Come on, all kinds of great things are the color red. North, for example. North high school kicks ass, we have red. Yay! Oh, that cute little car in the movie...er, Cars. He was adorable. The Boston Red Sox are also red, and thus, kick the shit out of any other team. What good has come from the color yellow? Nothing. Exactly, nothing.

9: The bottle isn't all confusing. Ketchup bottles are extremely convenient. While they are not perfect, there is no yellow crusty stuff around the top which you are forced to touch if you want the condiment. Mustard sucks.

8: Mustard cannot be put on fries. Some may argue that, indeed, it can be. My rebuttal is simply that it should not be. That is disgusting. Erlack and pongoes!

7: Mustard is for twits. Honestly, who finds mustard to be a tasty treat? Twits! or divs. which is, for those of you who have no idea, short for dithering prat, i.e. Paris Hilton. I bet she eats mustard by the gallons. Then throws it up. At an eating disorder party with Nicole Richie.

6: Ketchup is not globby or runny. it is simply smooth and red and does not have a tendancy to look an awful lot like something that came out of the rear end of a very sick horse.

5: Mustard looks like alien skin. 'nuf said.

4: Mustard has the tendancy to cause one to have a nervy spaz, also known as a nervy b. This simply means that those who eat mustard will freak out without reason due to the overwhelming disgustingosnosity of the mustard. Ver ver gross.

3: Ketchup is made out of tomatoes, which are quite nice and round and red and pretty as they grow. They're quite tasty and are used to make other tasty things. Like salsa...and tomatoes. But what the hell is mustard made out of?!?!?! God only knows, but we know it isn't good. pingy pongoes.

2: Ketchup can be spelled two ways. How cool is that? You can not beat the coolnessosity of being able to spell Cat Sup as such, along with the other spelling. Its wicked, i must say.

1: The number 1 reason why Ketchup is better than mustard is....*drum roll* is that when mustard is pronounced by anyone with a slight accent, it sounds like 'Moos Taaaarrrdddd' which tends to sound a lot like Moose Terd to our small, undereducated American ears. Here is the question you must ask yourself before going to bed every night. "Do I really want Moose Terd on my hot dog?" I think not. Goodnight and farwell, my chummy chums. I'll get some more chuddie soon, since you all seem to mooch off me. And, oh yeah....

Notice: All lists were made exclusively by me and are original content. Feel free to repost. With my name. And contacts for any hott guys who'd like it. hehe latas.

Werd, Rioter's Birthday!!!

2007-10-12T22:47:00.000-07:00

Hi

It's me again. Guess whatters? Today's my birthday :D

Okay, onto the important things, like the fact that i have nothing of importance to say.

So, thoughts!

Basically, i kind of realized today that even when i feel like a worthless pile, i actually have people who are there for me. a few of them actually.

It's kind of a great feeling when you know that if shit hits the fan and you fall down, kind of broken and damaged, that you've got you're own mosh pit there to catch you and keep you from hitting the bottom. The group that'll always set you on your feet again, you know?

I actually kind of realized that I have people to talk to if I'm having a bad day. people who won't be more concerned about what kind of soda is sitting in their fridge at home, or something completely random like that.

I know this blog isn't exactly coherent haha.

But, coming soon are top 10 lists.

yeah, kind of like david letterman's.

I'm well aware that I only have 2 readers of the blog right now. Me, and my dog, who's lying next to me.

Farewell,

-The Rioter

Notes from the Riot

2007-10-11T18:50:00.000-07:00

Hmmm...okay, so if you haven't caught on (hey, it's not my fault you're special) the blog isn't actually about a riot. The riot? Yeah, it's life.

Makes sense, doesn't it? Life hardly makes sense, it's full of chaos and anger and frustration, yelling, tears, injury, and change. You with me so far? Purrrfect. (yeah, i know that wasn't funny)

At any rate, I'm not a pessimist. I don't think life is terrible or worthless and sad.

It's full of other things too, obviously. Good things.

But in taking a step back, it kind of seems like the things that really make life what it is are the things that make it...well, like a riot. Out of the chaos, anger, frustration, yelling, tears, injury, and change comes a clear, after the smoke settles. Beyond the fog of the unexpected and undesired is the collection of good things. The things that make us who we are. But I think it's walking through the fog that makes us better. That makes everything...better.

Oh, and note: not every post will be all of my philosophical bullshit. This is just my little intro thing. I'm just a music loving filmmaker who enjoys spouting the psycho babble every once and awhile.

For normalacy: Rock of Love is completely addicting, right? That show's pretty kickin', not gonna lie.

Alright, I'm done with the random tangents now.

-Rosie