In honor of Thanksgiving, I have decided to start a new series in my blog. I am calling it “Thankful Thursday”. This is up there with “Friday 5″. Now, even though this is coming around Thanksgivings Day, I actually thought of this a few weeks ago, around the time that I started “Friday 5″, however I decided to hold off, and I am glad that I did, because now I can have my first one be on Thanksgiving…and I honestly can’t think of a better way to start this. Here we are:

 

- Friends that you never loose touch with, even though you may have  actually lost touch over a short period of time. I like being able to  pick relationships right back up, even if it may have been a long long  time since I’ve seen them.

- The attractive people that come to my job. After standing there for  a long time, I honestly need something that makes  me genuinely smile. Not in a slutty I want to sex them up way, but in a “You are really nice looking, and I admire that” kind of way.

-People that I can joke around with at work, which make it a lot easier on crappy, crappy days.

-People who appreciate Lady Gaga as much as I do.

- The social diversity of the apple store. The geeks, old guy, random attractive guy, and the 2 token girls (one of which was just at the door, not even opening it, just standing there).

- People who understand my cynical views on life, marriage, little devils (aka small children), etc.

- Late night bowling.

-Going to Perkins super late, and staying there talking for hours on end.

- Waking up Thursday morning after working a crappy Wednesday Night, to an episode of Glee on Hulu.

- Hulu, and other online television websites.

- The comparisons to famous people that have been made by others on me. (Taylor Lautner, Zachary Quinto, [this one was a long time ago] Wilmar Valderama). Does anyone have any others? lol

- Individuals who not only read my blog, but also comment…I am most thankful for those.

What are you thankful for? What do you think about this list? Leave a comment.

If anyone would like to write a “Thankful Thursday” blog, please email me the entry, and I will run it in the next “Thankful Thursday” yours can be in list form, or if you have some great, amazing moment that has happened, or if there is ONE thing that you are extremply thankful for, then you can write a longer paragraph, or essay, or short story, or novel. You decide. If you have any questions email me (which can be found in the ‘contact’ page, or leave a comment).

** For more “Thankful Thursday” be sure to click on the category with the same name**

Jose invited me to write a blog, and I was already going to anyway, so this works out well.  I’m not sure how to decide what I want more, so I’ll just be making a list and, like Jose’s, it will be in no particular order.

1. Hourglass Coffee Maker

This thing is exactly what I need.  It would reduce my spending on coffee that I barely even want.  I’m tired of ordering the next best thing because no one near me makes halfway decent coldpress.  In fact, no one near me makes coldpress at all.  The nearest place is a train ride and a bus ride away.  I can get it at Caribou, but every time I do I have to throw it away because it is of so low quality I want to vomit.  They just double brew coffee and then chill it.  What is that?  Weak.  That’s what it is.  I could go to Starbucks, which is much better than Caribou, but not as good as I am accustomed.  Audubon Coffee is the best place to get it, but that’s quite a trip from where I am.  The Beat also has good iced coffee, but that is also too far.  I would kill to make it myself, so the Hourglass Coffee Maker is pretty much the only tool I can find to aid me in doing so, without having to brew gallons at a time.

 

 

2. HP Touchsmart tx2

This tiny computer is amazing.  After reading Jose’s blog, I advocated him getting one of these instead of a MacBook.  I currently have a MacBook, and while it is functioning at a satisfactory level, I have become increasingly frustrated with Apple from an ethical stand point.  They treat their customers like dirt and they tell their customers what they can and cannot do with the products they buy.  If you buy the OS, you have to install it on and Apple computer.  If you buy their iPod Touch, you have to be running their OS for that.  Not only must you be running their OS, you must be running their applications.  If they don’t like an application, they can just make it so it no longer exists, which, by my standards, is not okay.  But I digress.

This laptop is top of the line touchscreen technology.  It’s portable and turnable and twistable.  It’s simply amazing.  If you go for the recommended upgrade, which I would totally do, its specs are nothing to be scoffed at, especially considering that it’s a laptop.  The only problem I can imagine encountering is running Ubuntu.  I don’t know if there is a way (though there probably is) to make Ubuntu touchscreen compatible.

 

3. HTC Magic

 

 

 

Most of you probably know this as the T-Mobile MyTouch 3G.  My dream phone has two criteria.  First, it must be a touchscreen, so that is met.  Second, it must be running Android.  So, clearly this is my dream phone.  It’s an awesome phone, and you can go look at it at the website.  Basically, it kicks ass and that’s about all there is to say.  Presumably there will be more touchscreen Android phones out by next October, which is when I plan on upgrading, so I’m in no rush to get this or anything.  I’ll just get whatever’s best when I go to get a new phone when I renew my contract, but if I could switch today without any issues involving money or anything I’d get the HTC Magic.

4. A bass amp

The ol’ band could really use a bass amp.  If I could pick any, I’d probably use an Eden Time Traveler.  I really like the way they sound.  But just as I didn’t bore you with the specs for the computer and the phone, I will not bore you with the specs for the amp.  I could just really use a nice bass amp is all.  A new bass would be nice too, but that is less desirable than an amp.

 

5. A Messenger Bag of Holding

As some of you may know I will be going to Paris this winter.  This item is probably the most pressing.  I will be bringing along my computer and will always have it with me.  With my standard backpack I run the risk of someone opening it up very slowly without me noticing and taking my computer.  I cannot leave my computer in the room for two reasons.  First, my friend just went to Europe and got his computer stolen out of his hotel room.  Second, I’ll be staying a youth hostel so it’s even more likely than in a hotel to get stolen.  But why specifically this bag?  First of all, its name is a D&D reference.  Second, it has like a billion pockets.  Third, thinkgeek.com is probably the best website ever and I trust them completely to sell quality items.

Thank you, Jose, for letting me be on your blog.  This has been a great experience.  I also realize I should make a blog about coldpress in Minneapolis because I’m so opinionated about it.  If any of you would like to buy these items for me, just comment and I will provide you with my PayPal and an enormous “thank you”.

 

From Jose:
If you would like to write what your 5 things you want, then email me, and I will make it work. Or, you could also write on any of the topics I have written in the Friday 5 before. Feel free to create your own Friday 5. Thanks.

 

This question is directed to ANYONE and EVERYONE who feels that they can either a. answer this question or b. have an opinion with which to answer the question.

What do you think it means to be an active (straight) member of the fight towards equality for everyone regardless of sexual orientation (or gender identity)? Whether that be equality in the work place, marriage, acceptance overall etc.

Does it mean that you should be at rallies, you should be voting against discriminatory laws/acts, try to get others to assess their views, being  allies? What is an ally? Can you be a quiet ally? Can you simply just know that you suuport people regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity? Do you have to stand up to anyone or everyone who uses the word ‘gay’ to mean stupid? What if someone uses that word, yet says they have nothing against homosexuals, but simply just used gay in whatever terms they do.

 

This may come off as being a bit of a confusing question, being that I rambbled a lot, but I think my question is in there somewhere.

 

Leave your answer in the comments, and feel free to remain anonymous (keep in mind that others might choose to be anonymous as well, so a pseudonym would probably work better in this scenario).

 

P.S. this wasn’t spell checked. Deal with it.

These are the 5 things on my “want list”. I don’t actually have a “want list”, but for the sake of this blog, I have one now. For those of you in the market for getting me a gift…here you are. ha. (actually, these are just things that I have decided that I want to buy in the near future. Be sure to let me know the 5 things that you want [lets make them tangible things, please] in the comments section).

Here are the Friday 5 Things I want (in no particular order).

1. Glee: The Music, Volume 1

The soundtrack for the first part of Season 1 of Glee. I don’t think I have to explain why I want this. Pure amazement…that’s why.

2. Glee T-Shirt

This is something that is more difficult to find. Back in May (and over the Summer) they were carried by Hot Topic, but they have since been pulled from their website, and their stores. Anyone who knows how to get a hold of one, please, enlighten me.

3. Flip Video Camera

I don’t even know if I would use it much…however, I have been obsessed with getting one of these for the longest time. Does anyone have one? Do you like it? My logic really is that when I have it, I will just use it a lot…which sounds kinda dumb, but oh well. ha.

4. MacBook

There is a story to this one. I will take you back a few months. My computer Oliver died. Right now I am on Max, my new laptop. I have, however not felt the same connection that I had with Oliver. I had pictures, and music, and files on Oliver. I haven’t even gotten Word for Max yet. I just don’t have the same emotional connection. Therefore, I have been strongly considering buying a new computer. Since I would be getting a new one, I was considering making the leap to a Mac, from a PC. I am still in the in initial stages of consideration, but I think that I will definitely be getting one(?). I haven’t gotten much feedback on what I should do, and if people think I should switch….thoughts?

5. Higher Education

I really just want to go back to school. I miss it. I feel weird, and like something is lacking. It’s weird.

 

Those are the Friday 5 Things I Want. What are some things that you want? Is there something you would like to suggest I write for a ‘Friday 5′? Let me know.

Fear. For many, the last day in October is a day built on fear. It is the day when we are encouraged to wear  gruesome masks and  face paints. It is a day when many try to emulate the things that go bump in the night. Witches and ghosts. Monsters and demons. These are things that we normally don’t like to deal with. Yet, we dedicate a day where we actually appreciate seeing all this unpleasantness displayed. Which house will scare the trick-or-treaters more? Which neighbor will get more bang for their bucks on their fog machine? Who can put on the more believable haunted house?

Yes, all of these are things that we admire on October 31st. They are all built on fear. But, why is it that we face the things we fear so head on just one day a year? Why is it that we can be so open and unafraid of all the frightful things just one night out of the year? What about the remaining days? Surely, if we can face our fears one day a year we can do it for say, two, or possibly three…no?

Well, in reality, we aren’t facing any real fear at all. Sure, children might fear these things, but on that day, they will be more than likely to have a parent holding their hand. Taking them to the door, and assuring them that zombie that just came out of the coffin was just one of the residents of the home which they were going to, to ask for candy. Although, some adults fear these same monsters and demons, and witches and ghosts, not all of them do. These fictitious fears are ones that most children have, and eventually grow out of.

Most of the adults that commemorate the final day of October aren’t facing any fears at all. The monsters that hide under their beds, or in our closets aren’t fictitious at all. The monsters in our closets and under our beds, go from simple childhood fears, to adult grown realities. As adults, these monsters become the secrets that we keep from our friends, from our family, and yes…even from ourselves. For you see, when we grown up, the only thing that we think of when something goes bump in the night, is that somewhere, someone, is finding out the truth.

1. When people don’t use photos of themselves. I would like to see you, please and thank you!

2. People whose political views are just stated as “Obama!” I like the guy too, however, you look like a gigantic douche bag for that! I have seen many people who have done this so I am basically here to say that I would prefer if you didn’t do that. Awesome!

3. I don’t like it when people that add me on Facebook act weird when I comment on their status, or photos. There was an instance where this girl who went to my college, and I had never seen before, added me on Facebook. I accepted her request and then a few weeks later she posted a pretty funny status to which I posted a reply to. A few minutes later it was deleted. Seriously? You are a huge huge bitch for that. You added me. If you don’t want me to comment on a status that I think is funny, or on a picture that I like, then don’t add me at all!

4. People who can’t decide if their status will be in 3rd person or not. There are status updates that go as follows:

Jose is thinking about doing work but he doesn’t really know. What should I do?

C’mon people, just decide. Choose either:

Jose is thinking about doing work but he doesn’t really know. What should he do?

OR

Jose I’m thinking about doing work. What should I do?

There are two options. Choose one, and don’t combine them.

5. I really really really dislike, no, scratch that, despise with a passion, when people comment on events that they cannot attend telling the person, or group, the usually ridiculous self absorbed reasons why they can’t make it.

I’d totally LOVE to go, but I can’t, my aunt’s cousins daughter is getting her tubes tied, and I don’t want to miss it. Sorry…wish I could make it. If I had known earlier I totally would have. Maybe next time!

There are so many things wrong with this. First off, I did exaggerate the excuse a tad, but it isn’t that far off. Now, this usually almost ALWAYS happens. The person apologizes as if them not attending is end the world. Sure, people apologize to be cordial, however these people usually don’t care about that at all. This is one of my biggest pet peeves. 9 times out of 10 the event holder doesn’t give a damn why you aren’t attending. Just RSVP with a “not attending” and leave it at that.

**There is a side note to this, because I am also annoyed by people who don’t read the event information/description, and then ask questions about it in the comments. Read the event information first jerks!

This is a new thing that I am starting on my blog called Friday 5. I won’t be doing it every Friday, and they can be 5 anything. If you are interested in doing your own Friday 5 let me know. Also, if you have any ideas for topics in the Friday 5 category let me know as well! To get more Friday 5 lists look under the “Friday 5″ category!

peace && love.

An Open Letter To: Miley Cyrus

Dear Miley,

Today it was brought to my attention that you have decided to delete your twitter account. Now, there have been reports that it is in fact back on, but when I last checked (a mere seconds ago) it still wasn’t. I do not follow your on twitter, so I got news of this incident from the trending topic “#mileycomeback” which is, at the moment, the number one most popular trending topic. Upon discovering this, and being the part-time investigative journalist that I am, I went searching for answers. I stumbled upon a few articles which had the tweet in where you declared that you were leaving.

“FYI Liam doesn’t have a twitter & he wants ME 2 delete mine w/ good reason”- via @Mileycyrus

When I read that I was rather confused as to who the hell Liam was, so I went searching again with my sly detective skills. Turns out that Liam is Liam Hemsworth, an Australian actor. There a few things wrong with this. First off, what does Liam not having a twitter have anything to do with this? No body in the States knows, nor cared who the hell “Liam” was until you starting dating him. Also, if you are old enough to wear short skirts and dance on the poles of ice cream carts, then you are old enough to make your own decisions, no? Well, then why are you letting this kid influence you? Sorry, I shouldn’t say kid, I should say older kid considering that he is 19.

I don’t know about the laws “down under” but in the state of California, where you reside, him being 3 years older than you is considered statutory rape. Now, if he were 18, and just 2 years older than you, then it would fly.

As I recall, your last boyfriend was 21 years old. Are there no guys your age? What happened with Nick Jonas? He was nice. He was also your age. By the way that you dress, I can assure you that you can find a douche bag that is your age. I used to be indifferent about you. I used to think, “Hey, everyone! Leave this girl alone”.  Now, not so much.

So, being the amazing movie actor that I am on the weekends, I am going to give you some career advice. You were going on about how you were going to love being at the Oscars this year as a nominee. You said you were joking about that, but we all knew you were serious. You are very proud of this new movie that you are in, which, last time I checked, had its release date pushed back. Being that you are a few years younger, you might not know this, but a movie release date being pushed back is never a good sign. There are only a few movies where having a release date pushed back is a good thing.

As I was doing my intensive research for this letter, it was brought to my attention that Lindsey Lohan invited you (via Twitter) to a party while you were in Paris. If you only take one thing away from this letter it is the following: STAY AWAY FROM LINDSEY LOHAN! Don’t go near her. If you are so unfortunate as to having to stand next to her don’t even breath! If she somehow gets you number, change it! If she sends you a gift, burn it! Don’t even say her name. Long exposure to Lindsey Lohan will ruin your life. In a few years you will be worse than her!

Sincerely,

Jose.

I have been asked on a number of occasions the following  statements:

How do you generate people to your blog? How do I start a  blog? How to I keep doing it? What makes it fun? How can I  make it popular? etc.

That is a variation of things that I have been asked by people  (both that I know, and that I don’t). Not to toot my own horn  (although this is my blog…so it shouldn’t matter!) but, I get a pretty steady number of blog visitors. Even when I don’t post for a while, the numbers are still pretty up there. So, I decided to consolidate all of my (semi-) extensive knowledge to help others. This is my Oprah moment. (not really).

HOW TO GET STARTED:
So, you don’t have a blog yet? First, I will ask if you have had one before? If you have, you should think long and hard about where to go to get your blog started. I have used a number of services prior to getting settled on WordPress.  When I had my first blog, it was just posting on my old Myspace page. If blogging is something that you are going to do on a more steady basis then you don’t want to post your blogs on your Myspace page, or as Facebook notes. The reason for this is because there is a certain level of promotion that having a blog attached to your social networking site brings. Prior to WordPress I used blogger.com. There are a number of free services out there to choose from, so my advice is to look around and test the water. There are benefits to each, and the more you know before hand, the better you will be. I would even go as far as opening accounts on two sites that you are thinking about, and trying them out for a few days. Just play around. Maybe even preview it for a friend. You must make sure that your blog is easy to navigate, both for the reader, but most importantly, for yourself.

HOW TO BLOG:
It is probably no secret that when you are blogging, proofreading is a must. Now, I am not saying that you must have perfect grammar, or anything of that sort. However, you should look through it to make sure that everything that you have said makes sense. Now, I usually only go through it once, and there are sometimes things that I miss. However, the important  part of this process is that you have to know when to over proofread. If you are writing something that could potentially be scandalous, or generate a lot of buzz, you MUST make sure your writing is near perfect. Here are some examples of when to be overly, and when not to be, overly cautious:

- Writing about shopping for dog food…not so much.
- Writing about how you think the liberal media is responsible for teen pregnancy….PROOFREAD PROOFREAD PROOFREAD!!!

There will always be people who are basing their comments on how you write, and not the ideas. The more discussion that your post could generate, the more likely it is for someone calling you out on a technicality. Another reason for good writing is that you want your blog to be easy to read. As a reader, I will know within the first few sentences what I will think about your blog as a whole. I have come across a number of blog entries that I just stop reading. They are just too hard to follow, and there have been times where I just comment and say “Hey…I couldn’t even get through this entry!”

WRITING STYLE:  Under how to blog, falls the writing style. Personally, I use different types. The longer your entry will be, the more entertaining you should try to make it. When you know that you have a lot to say, try to add things that allow a break from the material. This comes in the form of parenthetical side notes on this blog (Like this one. It really has nothing to do with the post, and the entry could usually do without it, but it adds a little flair to give the reader a break, and time to process what is being said). On my “Mini-Blog” series I don’t worry about giving that extra flair, because those are usually 2 paragraphs, or even 3 at the most. This might sound sad, but people don’t like to read a lot. If you are getting starting in the blogging game, you will have try to keep it short. Especially if you don’t have something interesting to talk about. Remember, this is the internet. People’s attention spans aren’t that big.

BLOG TYPE:

This blog is not a niche blog by any stretch of the word. Don’t know what that is? Well, a niche blog is a blog that can be marketed at a certain group, like someone who just blogs about cooking for example. Their entire blog is dedicated to all things cooking. There are people who have multiple blogs to cover the broad spectrum of topics that they have. This now takes us back to finding the right place to host your blog. Here on WordPress, I have the ability to place my entries into different categories (haven’t noticed…head towards the bottom of this post. Check them out).  This way I can blog about a variety of different topics, thereby not having a niche blog. Are there benefits to having a niche blog? YES! If you have a niche blog, the chances of you getting a big following is much, much bigger. If people know that your blog is all about cooking, they will be drawn to it when they need something cooking related because they can count on you having posted something on cooking. Unlike blogs that are like mine, where you don’t really ever know what you are going to get. The benefits to have a more sporadic blog like mine, are few and far between. One benefit would be that you can have a broader audience, however that also means that a person would be less likely to come back to my blog if they are looking for something specific.

Now, if you would like to expand your blog, then you are going to want to avoid writing too much about what happened to you on Tuesday. No one really cares, unless you can being it in and make it east to relate to. These posts are okay once and awhile, but if you do it all the time it will limit the number of readers you have. Sometimes, believe it or not, people find it creepy to read about the days of people they don’t know.

NAME DROPPING:

This is a big no no. There are very few times when it is acceptable to name drop. If you are talking about the time you went to the grocery store and ran into Neil Patrick Harris buying cucumbers, that is all good! I would LOVE to read about that. If you are talking about how you and Molly Sue are fighting over your boyfriend, that is a no no. Not just because it is negative and Molly Sue would prefer you not to, but also because by writing about Molly Sue you are limiting your audience. Is it ever okay? Yes, but NOT when you are starting out. I have done this on occasions, like when I wrote my “College Dropout” blog. That was fine because I was writing about particular things that I was going to miss, and therefore I included certain people (and things we did together) to make the experience more real. I used the name dropping to enhance the blog entry. Just like talking about Neil Patrick Harris at the grocery store would enhance the entry.

MARKETING:

Seriously? Yes, I am serious. Reader will rarely come to you first. When you first start out, you have to make the readers come. There are several ways of doing this. Number one is obviously to post your links where ever you can. Don’t worry about over doing it. As you start to generate more hits, you can reduce this practice. Here is the thing, the more views that you get, the higher up on the GOOGLE search list you are. NAMEING is a huge part of this. You want something short and sweet. JOEALMUN is my short and sweet. When I first started blogging if you searched JOEALMUN on google it gave me results for Joe Salmon. Now, when you google it, all the entries are previous blog entries of mine. On a related note, when your blog asks (under settings usually) if you want to make your entires un-searchable on search engines, you need to say NO! If you say yes, then it will limit the ways that people can reach and find your blog.

Another thing is when you name blog posts, you should make it something that people want to read. Don’t worry about being raunchy. There is an entry that I did entitled ”Things I Like in My Mouth”, now, don’t you want to go and read that? I bet you do. If anything just to find out what it is all about!

I am sure that there are other things that will aid you in having a successful blog, but to be honest at the moment I just can’t come up with them! Now, feel free to use these and let me know if these were things that helped you. Did you already know this? Was this helpful? Want to know more? Was there something that YOU think I left out? Feel free to ask! Also, if you have a blog, I would LOVE to check it out. Leave the link in the comments.

Dear Summer,

As you know, I live in Minnesota. I don’t know if you are aware, but you didn’t really show up. I mean, on the calendar, it was summer, but you didn’t bring the nice HOT weather that I love you for. LOVE? Yes. You are reading right. I said it. I love you, Summer. What is it that I like most about you? Well, I like the feeling of the sun on my back as I lay in the sand at the beach. Sure it may be flooded with people, but that doesn’t matter to me. I know that others love you too. I’m not jealous. You give me everything that I have ever wanted. You make me feel so good when I am down. Not having you around me isn’t easy. I simply don’t know how to quit you. Reading a great book under a shady tree makes my heart warm and fuzzy.

Like I said before, I feel like you didn’t even come to Minnesota. I felt neglected. Sure, you were here for a week or two here, and a week or two there, but really, I needed you here for 3 months. That is never enough, but I have gotten used to those short 3 months. Having you for a few weeks randomly just didn’t cut it for me! It isn’t working. I need you in my life. I miss you a lot, and well, Summer…I Love You. I don’t think I will be able to bare the next 7 or 8 months without you. Let’s be honest, in Minnesota is it more like 8. I don’t think I will be able to fill this void! Sure, I look great in a hoodie and jeans, but hell…I like being half naked a lot more! Couldn’t you just come back to me in November? I would even settle for you coming back for half of October. That isn’t too out of the question right? I mean, with global warming and all, I’m sure you could work it out…couldn’t you?

Best Wishes,

Love Jose.

Have you ever had a dream that you really wish was reality? It felt so real, so why isn’t it? You wake up to the fact that this dream is now just a distant occurrence. The dreams where you try so hard to fall back asleep to relive. I had one today. It was magical. Upon thinking about it I still have a warm feeling inside. The only thing that makes it bitter is the fact that it wasn’t real. What makes it bitter is the feeling that I want to live it in real life.

Now, I am one of the highest believers in deja vu. I’ve had it more than once. The main place of this is in my dreams. I’ll dream an event very vividly. It isn’t anything too major, and not something that stands out. It is very realistic. It could happen. Then, months, weeks, later it does happen. It isn’t anything like the sky falling, it is more of just a conversation or an event. I will be going through the event and suddenly it comes to me that, I had in fact dreamt this exact event. The same person, the same conversation, same clothes, same place.

Now, if you have stuck with me this far, and don’t think I am crazy, then thanks! Now, I don’t think this is too weird…is it? I don’t. When I have these very enticing dreams, like I did last night, I think to myself why can’t this happen always? Why can’t these great ones come true. Instead of just the mediocre ones.

By now you are probably wondering what in the world I want to come true so bad. What is so great about this dream? Well, I can’t give away specifics, but I will share some of the aspects that were in the dream and their explanations.

The dream I had signified the respect and adoration of a close friend, and possibly the romantic interest in this person. My dream was also symbolic of my caring and loving nature. In addition to the fact that this person is someone that I hold close to my heart. In addition to the connection that I have to this person, and the fear of possibly loosing touch with this person.

Now, there were more peoeple involved, but this was the main person that was in this said dream, and so I ask to you all… have and of your dream come true, in this more literal sense that I was describing? Do you like dreaming? Do you do it a lot? What do you think about the disclosure I had about my dream? Answer in the comments. =).

As the big night approaches (tomorrow) it is about time that I give you all my Emmy Predictions. Like it or Hate it, I’m doing it! Make sure to let me know what you think. Which you agree with, and which you think are totally off! Keep in mind that I will be posting  after the Emmys to see which I was right, and which I got dead wrong!

Best Series, Drama
‘Big Love’
‘Breaking Bad’
‘Damages’
‘Dexter’
‘House’
‘Lost’
‘Mad Men’
Winner: Mad Men. They have been the little show that could, and I think that this streak will continue for them. A possible contender would be ‘Breaking Bad’. As far as ‘Lost’ goes, maybe they will get better luck next year, as the series gets ready for an end in 2010.

Best Series, Comedy
‘30 Rock’
‘Entourage’
‘Family Guy’
‘Flight Of The Conchords’
‘How I Met Your Mother’
‘The Office’
‘Weeds’
Winner: 30 Rock. They had another great year with some stellar guest stars. As far as potential contenders, I would say that ‘Entourage’ would be one. As far as ‘Family Guy’ is concerned, they should be content with being nominated. The voters aren’t too keen to their style of comedy. The move from the cartoon category, into the plain ole’ Comedy category doesn’t help their cause.

Best Actor, Drama
Bryan Cranston ‘Breaking Bad’
Michael C. Hall ‘Dexter’
Hugh Laurie ‘House’
Gabriel Byrne ‘In Treatment’
Jon Hamm ‘Mad Men’
Simon Baker ‘The Mentalist’
Winner: Hugh Laurie. This is his 4th Emmy nomination for ‘House’ and it would be his first win. His performance in the series has only gotten better over time, and this is long over due. As far as possible contenders go, Bryan Cranston could take it. However, if Emmy voters have been paying attention, Hugh Laurie will take this no problem.

Best Actress, Comedy
Tina Fey ‘30 Rock’
Christina Applegate ‘Samantha Who?’
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
‘The New Adventures Of Old Christine’
Sarah Silverman ‘The Sarah Silverman Program’
Mary-Louise Parker ‘Weeds’
Toni Collette ‘United States Of Tara’
Winner: Tina Fey will take this once again. However, a possible contender is Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Someone that I hope would take it is Christina Applegate for her last year on ‘Samantha Who?’. However, that isn’t very likely.

Best Actor, Comedy
Alec Baldwin ‘30 Rock’
Tony Shalhoub ‘Monk’
Jim Parsons ‘The Big Bang Theory’
Steve Carell ‘The Office’
Charlie Sheen ‘Two And A Half Men’
Jemaine Clement ‘Flight Of The Conchords’
Winner: Last year ‘30 Rock’ dominated the Emmys. That makes this category exceptionally hard to predict. On the one hand Alec Baldwin has continued to deliver on fan favorite ‘30 Rock’. Jermaine Clement and Jim Parsons are the two new comers in this category, while the others were all nominated for their respective roles in this category last year. I think that Jim Parsons could potentially take it, but if not, then Alec Baldwin would be in for another win.

Best Actress, Drama
Sally Field ‘Brothers & Sisters’
Glenn Close ‘Damages’
Mariska Hargitay ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’
Holly Hunter ‘Saving Grace’
Kyra Sedgwick ‘The Closer’
Elisabeth Moss ‘Mad Men’
Winner: All of these women were nominated last year, with the exception of Elisabeth Moss. Though the Emmys have been known to being quite nice to new comers, over previous nominees, I don’t think that she is going to benefit. Though I would personally like to see Mariska Hargitay take this home, I think that it is between Sally Field and Glen Close (both having won in this category back in 2007 and 2008).

Best Supporting Actor, Comedy Series
Kevin Dillon ‘Entourage’
Tracy Morgan ‘30 Rock’
Neil Patrick Harris ‘How I Met Your Mother’
Rainn Wilson ‘The Office’
Jon Cryer ‘Two And A Half Men’
Jack McBrayer ‘30 Rock’
Winner: Neil Patrick Harris. With Jackass Jeremy Piven out-of-the-way, it is finally time for the real start to shine through! This past season was hands down his best on ‘How I Met Your Mother’. It is definitely his time. Now, the possible contender for this would be Tracy Morgan and Jack McBrayer. If Voters decide to make it all about ‘30 Rock’ like they did last year. If voters have paid attention, then Emmy Host Neil Patrick Harris will get what he deserves.

Best Supporting Actress, Drama Series
Rose Byrne ‘Damages’
Hope Davis ‘In Treatment’
Chandra Wilson ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
Sandra Oh ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
Dianne Wiest ‘In Treatment’
Cherry Jones ‘24’
Winner: Chandra Wilson. Despite the turbulent year that ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ has had, the talent that Chandra Wilson brought to the table shouldn’t be over looked. She gave many powerful performances, and I think that this is her Emmy to win.

Best Supporting Actor, Drama Series
William Shatner ‘Boston Legal’
Christian Clemenson ‘Boston Legal’
Aaron Paul ‘Breaking Bad’
Michael Emerson ‘Lost’
John Slattery ‘Mad Men’
William Hurt ‘Damages’
Winner: Michael Emerson. The fact that ‘Boston Legal’ ended will have no affect on the voters, which means no luck for William Shatner or Christian Clemenson.

Best Supporting Actress, Comedy Series
Kristin Chenoweth ‘Pushing Daisies’
Kristen Wiig ‘Saturday Night Live’
Amy Poehler ‘Saturday Night Live’
Jane Krakowski ‘30 Rock’
Vanessa Williams ‘Ugly Betty’
Elizabeth Perkins ‘Weeds’
Winner: This category is a draw for me. It was a breakout year on ‘Saturday Night Live’ for Kristen Wiig. However, it was also a great year for Amy Poehler. The award is in one of their hands. A possible contender is Vanessa Williams who once again brought her A-game to ‘Ugly Betty’. Kristin Chenoweth snags the last nomination for cancelled ‘Pushing Dasies’, but I regret to say that she won’t be able to make them proud. This is a bitter 3 way battle, and the top two contenders are Poehler and Wiig.

Best Reality-Competition Program
‘American Idol’
‘Dancing With The Stars’
‘Project Runway’
‘The Amazing Race’
‘Top Chef’
Winner: Hands down, this is ‘The Amazing Race’. This show has been great from the start, and the voters know that. This year is no different. I’ve heard some predict that ‘Top Chef’ might give it a run for its money, but I simply don’t believe that. Personally, I would like to see ‘Dancing With The Stars’ take it home, but this is a race that has already been won.

Best Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program
Ryan Seacrest ‘American Idol’
Tom Bergeron ‘Dancing With the Stars’
Phil Keoghan ‘The Amazing Race’
Heidi Klum ‘Project Runway’
Jeff Probst ‘Survivor’
Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio ‘Top Chef’
Winner: Last year this went to Jeff Probst, and I don’t think he will be able to take it twice. Tom Bergon is hands down the winner of this category. He was robbed of his award from last year! I’m pretty sure that the voters learned from the drama that went down at last years award show, hosted by all 5 nominees (most of which are back again). The only thing that last years awards proved is that Bergeron is the only one of these that is always on his game! In the event of an upset, it would go to Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio as co-hosts.

Best Variety, Music or Comedy Series
‘Late Show With David Letterman’
‘Real Time With Bill Maher’
‘Saturday Night Live’
‘The Colbert Report’
‘The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Winner: I think most would say that ‘The Daily Show With Jon Stewart’ would take this, however, this having been an election year, ‘Saturday Night Live’ had a spectacular season. This is a close call, but I know that I would like if  ’Saturday Night Live’ could take this one.

Best Lead Actress, Miniseries or Movie
Chandra Wilson ‘Accidental Friendship’
Shirley MacLaine ‘Coco Chanel’
Drew Barrymore ‘Grey Gardens’
Jessica Lange ‘Grey Gardens’
Sigourney Weaver ‘Prayers For Bobby’
Winner: This is going to Sigourney Weaver. She gave a truly powerful performance in ‘Prayers For Bobby’.

The other day I went through the Barnes and Noble website and I bookmarked books that I wanted to read. Among these was a book by Peter Cameron entitled Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You. If Peter Cameron sounds familiar, it is because he is the author of the book turned movie The Weekend, starring Brooke Shields (which I haven’t seen or read). In addition, he has two more books set to make an appearance on the big screen. As I was researching for this blog, I recalled the fact that I wanted this book to be made into a movie. Not only that, but I also wanted to play the lead character, James Sveck.

I set out to B&N yesterday and I settled on reading this novel first (out of the others on the list). As I began reading I quickly found myself 7 chapters into the book. It was definitely hard to put down. As I was reading I quickly felt a certain connection to the main character, James. As I was going from page to page I honestly could not help but to laugh out loud at more than one part.

The book takes place over the course of a few days in 2003, and takes some time to go into flashbacks of James and his meetings with his therapist months prior. Unlike other novels that I have read with flashbacks, these were very easy to follow and flowed smoothly through the natural course of the book.

James, is an 18-year-old living in New York City, and the main journey of the novel is of his time pre-college, as he is set to attend Brown in the Fall. When I first read the synopsis of the novel, I couldn’t help but draw an instant connection to the Gossip Girl Books. Now, I have not read any of them to pass judgement, but I have caught parts of the television show. James is the product of wealthy (divorced) parents living in Manhattan. He come of privilege, and so I thought this was the story of a whinny  rich kid that doesn’t know how great he has it. I felt as if this novel was going to be hard to identify with, and was going to follow 18-year-old male socialite. On the contrary, it was nothing like that at all! James is a cynical, yet witty character that is honestly just trying to find the best path for himself.

He seems to be completely disconnected from his family and the people around him. Over the course of the book he always finds himself in a word battle with his parents, his sister, and his therapist. He is rather socially out of touch, and though sometimes he comes off rather strong, I found him to be honest in his approach to the world. He sees things through a different lens, aside from the socially acceptable.

The novel also does a great job of balancing a rather off beat main character with just as off beat characters. His mom has just suffered divorce from her 3rd marriage (lasting a matter of days), his sister is dating an older married man who is in an open relationship, and his dad is navigating the world of being a middle age white male.

Personally I felt that the novel was light, with its witty language and cynical humor. However, there are some deep issues handled in the book. There was an instance where James is asked by his father if he is gay. His father just wants to be supportive and tells him that his cares, but James turns the table and asks him if he would be less supportive if he were straight. The book is not an issue of sexuality, nor is it an issue of James being defiant. It is the honest search for what a person wants.

The novel shows the reader that sometimes what we want isn’t what we get. It shows us that things don’t always turn out as we expected, and it sheds light on the small, little things. It takes us through the motions, and through the struggle of living life not knowing what you want to do, but knowing what you don’t want to do. Most of all, it shows us that sometimes we do things without a clear explanation, and that sometimes the worst thing about horrible things in life, is that we don’t go through and experience them.

I enjoyed every second of reading this book. As I finished it, I was saddened by the fact that I had left James behind, and I only wished that there was more to read. However, that is not because the ending is rushed. It is simply because Cameron has done  a magnificent job giving James a great voice. Definitely, a must read.

Pain. We try out hardest to avoid it. Pain killers are made to get rid of our physical pain. The tangable pain. The type of pain that can be pin-pointed, or attributed to a particuluar body part. The more scientific pain. But, what about the other type of pain. The pain that can’t be attributed to our necks or backs. The pain that isn’t caused by falling on the play ground. Yet, what about the pain that can’t be fixed medically, or through pills? What do we do about that?  Some might call it the pains of the heart. The pain we feel when we break up with someone, or when someone dies. How do we recover from this pain? How do we get rid of it? Do we even want to get rid of it? I mean, when we think about it, pain does a lot of good. Physical pain tells us when something’s wrong. It tells us when we need something fixed or looked at. Emotional pain lets us know something else. It lets us know our feelings. Can it help though? With some great Blues singers, their pain can be heard in their voice. In the magnificant sounds they posses. Can greatness actually come from pain? Life can’t all be rainbows and sunshine. There has to be darkness. There has to be distress. The moon has to come out. Pain is something that we all need. It keeps us sane. Sometimes it motivates us. Makes us better. Makes us stronger. It gives us a reason to fight.

Death. I’ve blogged about it before. I’ve talked about the scary aspects of the unknown. I have talked about the funeral that I will never attend; my own. The one I truly want to see. Yet, there can be such a romanticized side of it. The side that brings things to a close. The side that grows new life.

The death of dreams sparks new ones. The closure that is brought about by the end of a possibility brings forth new opportunity, does it not? Yet, there are certain things that we are never truly ready to let go. Certain things that we can’t forget. Memories that won’t leave. Last night I had a dream that I recall having had years before. It involved a slew of people that I knew from high school. The premise of my dream was that I was in a class which turned into a ‘dive off a cliff’ adventure. The ending of the dream came when I was trusted into a dark, basement like room. The only light came from the monitor of a desktop computer which was displaying pictures of events that I did not recall occurring.

As I looked through these photographs I had a feeling that I had gone back in time to this summer. I had a list of songs that I was putting on a playlist, which was something that for some reason left me with a feeling that this was something that I had one day prepared after work. As I awoke I had the rather sour and bitter taste of nostalgia. The feeling that I was there, where ever “there” was. The feeling that I had traveled back in time only to be taken home before I was ready. Before I had said good bye. It was a feeling that made me sick to my stomach. It was the feeling that one gets as they get home from a long flight. The minute you lie in bed you can’t get to sleep despite being tired simply because you can’t wrap your head around the fact that  hours ago you weren’t home. That hours ago you were doing something else, and now you weren’t.

That dream definitely didn’t give me a sense of closure. If anything it left me feeling alone and empty. Although, this is something that I have been feeling lately. As I try to venture in life as a “real world” person I can’t help but feel like I have no purpose. I can’t help but feel as if something that I need is closure.  The issue with me currently is the amount of free time that I have, which I feel is adding to these continuing thoughts and feelings. There are times when I just want to take a chance at everything. I want to pick up and leave, follow the dreams I abandoned long time ago. Leaving would be that romanticized death. It would be the closure that is needed to fill a certain void I seem to have. Not just symbolic, but more.

Then again, there is a hopeless side of me. The side that feels as if nothing will happen regardless. A side that I have been fighting for a long time now. A side that chimes in from time to time but rarely comes out from behind the shadows. A side that is now fighting full force. The combination of empty and hopeless doesn’t really end well. We all saw how it turned out for April**. Thought it wouldn’t be the best turn out for me, it is sometimes the perfect end. It is the ultimate closure. The final curtain call. The end of a show that has been a train wreck for a while. A show with mixed reviews from critics, but with favorable thumbs up from viewers.

The hopeless empty-ness is just as unbearable as it sounds. I’m just as desperate to get out as they were. Just as desperate as she was. Yet, will it end the same? Only time will tell.

**Read my Blog on Revolutionary Road to comprehend this connection.

I was recently asked what I really did feel about relationships, and how I knew that I was so against them. This all stemmed from a Facecbook survey that I did the other night, in which I made reference to marriage, relationships, and even kids. This particular person asked me more so about relationships, but I felt like I would tackle all three of the topics previously stated. I haven’t written a blog in a while, and I felt like I owed you all one!

Relationships:

For some reason I have a very cynical view on relationships. Don’t ask me where it came from, but I do. How do I know this? Well, there is one thing that I know will confirm this. I want you to think about a couple together. Lets say we are walking down the pier and you see two young folk holding hands. Or, maybe your best friend and her boyfriend. Or your brother and his girlfriend? Or your sister and her girlfriend. I just want you to think about a couple. Now, your thought on their relationship, whether you are just thinking about them being together, or visualizing them holding hands. Your first thought might be “Aww” or “Cute” or some other variation of these warm fuzzies. Do you want to know the first thing that comes to my mind? This, honestly never fails to be the first thought that comes to mind: “It’s going to suck when they break up!”*.

*Note: I said “when”  not “if”.

Marriage:

I don’t have the same thoughts when it comes to marriage. When I am thinking, or somehow interacting with married people, I don’t think how much it would suck when they break up. On the contrary, I want them to come out, and I want them to celebrate years together, and all that good stuff. One of the toughest things that I think I endure is going to a public place and seeing a married couple fighting, or arguing. Now, it hits me hardest when I see that they have children with them, however, even if there are no children present it is still bad. How do I know they are married? It is called stalking their fingers for rings. I can usually tell. It is honestly the worst feeling to see the deterioration of a marriage, although one of my favorite books is about that.

There is a second part to this. It is that I have somehow decided that until marriage is something that is equally accessible to everyone I wouldn’t get married. To some, it might seem like I don’t ever want to get married, simply because if the mormons keep dishing out money the way they have been, then marriage equality everywhere won’t really happen. However, I assure you that it isn’t it.

To be honest, I don’t really find any real reason to get married. I mean, aside from religion, and society. If someone is very religious then they might want to get married in order to have sex and then in turn produce children. Or, they will get married so that they don’t “live in sin”. Also to be seen as having a relationship that is “worthy” and valid” in the eyes of god. Then, socially, we are sort of told that marriage is a step that we need to take to make a relationship serious. Also, even if you are not religious and you and your partner get pregnant, marriage is automatically the next step that it thought of.

All of that being said, I am not too sure about me ever getting married. I might prove myself wrong and then actually do it, but then again, probably not.

Kids:

In the aforementioned Facebook note I talked about how I am in a weird situation about children. On the one hand I don’t want kids because I don’t want to screw them up. On the other hand I want kids just because society tells me that as I get older I need something to occupy my time (and money).  Personally, I have no problem with kids. Sure, I get annoyed by certain things, but I have really been around kids (babies and older) my whole life. I have no problem with them. There is however a difference between other people’s kids, and your own kids. Personally, the aspect that appeals to me about having children is getting to name them and then being able to say that I have kids. Then I would like to have them for about 2 years. Then get them again when they are 17 years old. So, if I could just have a child, name it, send it away for a few years, and then have him or her back when he or she was 17 then I would totally be into it all! I mean, personally, I feel like the ages of 3-16 are very crucial years in a person’s life. Honestly, there are so many things that could go wrong during that time. So many ways for me to screw the kid up. It wouldn’t even be funny!

It would be nice if I could just have one child, but at the same time I don’t want that. Only children are usually spoiled, or depressed because they don’t have siblings. Then, there are their children. My only child’s kids wouldn’t have cousins or aunts and uncles. That doesn’t sounds very nice. I mean, I would basically be starting a chain or either spoiled people, or depressed lonely people.

Those are just my views on kids. Now, you are probably asking yourself how, or why, I think that I would screw up a child. Here it goes:  I am the type of person that would want to give my children differnt last names. If I had 5 kids I wouldn’t give them 5 different last names. Rather I would just give them all a last name different than mine, or their mother. Why would I do this? Well, I would do it because society wouldn’t like it. Society doesn’t know how to handle something like that. It is hard enough for people to deal with the fact that sometimes children and their mothers don’t have the same last name, and so this blatant disuse of a last name would not leave society very happy. That is why I would want to do it. Also, since I am on the subject of last names, I don’t think that I would want my significant other to take my last name. I mean, honestly, how selfish is that! I can see how some people would like that, and how it is somehow some kind of adventure, but honestly, who decided that women should give up their names? Why not the other way around?

At this point I am just ranting, but this is honestly how I feel on these 3 (seemingly important) aspects of life. Do any of you feel the same way I do? Are any of you going to psycho-analyze me and tell me why I feel the way I do? [Feel free]. I want your feedback.