Katie Doyle, Girl About Town

Saturday, Nov. 23, 2002 - 3:26 a.m.

Many, many people seem to be fascinated with Michael Jackson...a good many yahoo and google searches lead them here this week. I'm almost tempted to go with a whole Michael Jackson theme...except that that would probably be really creepy, so I think we'll just say we did and move on, shall we? I think that would be best.

So, school is out for the semester, and I have to say I'm glad. I think I was dealing with a little PTSD, because I started crying on the way home from class and was horribly depressed the rest of the day. I'm glad that's over, fer sher.

4:20...time to jet over to the Vineyard
So, this just in; apparently, Martha's Vineyard - in addition to being a veritable hotbed of golfing activity - is also the place to go to do your drugs:

"People come [here] from all over the world to recreate and to spend their time celebrating and having a time where they can just use drugs and alcohol." --Tom Bennett, director of the Island Counseling Center, on the island's rising trend in drug use.

Wow, so that's where people go to get high. And here I thought Hawaii or Jamaica were the place to go. The Vineyard has pretty strict rules of etiquette on this, though: all dealers must wear plaid. 5 points for the use of the verb "recreate".

But ya know, the more I read about the Vineyard, the more there's not a chance in hell I ever want to even visit there. There's a reason they have anti-snob zoning laws. I'm sure the Republicans love it.

Punch-Drunk Love
Okay, so I went to see this with my friend Mary tonight, because I wanted to see it, and her friend thought it was really, really extremely good. So we had an expensive dinner and then dropped by the Galleria to take it in.

It's chaos in a bottle.

It was seriously the most nerve-wracking thing I have ever seen. And there's all this random bizarreness to it, like a van which suddenly and inexplicably explodes into a freakishly long roll and leaves all this glass and debris everywhere, only no one goes to investigate or see what that was about, and it's never explained, but the glass stays there the rest of the movie. Then there's this object which becomes the focus of everyone's attention, and they all want to know what's up with that, but still not one word is ever spoken about this hellacious accident that happens right before this musical McGuffin appears. It's just odd. And for some insane reason, the director chose to make certain sounds so bone-jarringly loud that you and half the audience all jump half out of your skins. It got to the point whenever a new scene started, I would shrink back in my seat and wait to be beaten with whatever new shrill awaited me. I did not enjoy that aspect of the film at all. Or for the excessive and mind-numbing use of this one song that went on and on, with some girl singing "he needs me." I swear to you people, I was ready to go over the backs of all the chairs in front of me and take a butcher knife to the screen, that song was so unbelievably unrelenting. I mentally thanked merciful God in Heaven when it was finally over. But I digress. Adam Sandler did a really good job. It was worth seeing to see his performance. I suspected he had it in him, so I'm glad I was right. His character was well-written, too. I wish I could say the same for everyone else's. No one else is really all that likeable, not even Emily Watson's fairly desperate character. She's not UNlikeable, she's just not really likeable. She's sort of nondescript, really. I'm not sure what to think of a movie where the only female character who isn't a harridan is non-descript and kind of pathetic, but whatever. I'm not even sure whether or not I liked it. But Adam Sandler was really good.

Stupid Quote(s) of the Day
"The need for reform is clear and has broad-based support. [Current Clean Air Standards] have deterred companies from implementing projects that would increase energy efficiency and decrease air pollution." --EPA administrator Christie Whitman, in a written statement issued today regarding the Bush Administration's decision to loosen air pollution regulations.

If by broad-based she means oil refineries, the boilermakers union, paper manufacturers (can you say dioxin? i know you can), the American Chemistry Council (oo, sulfur dioxide!), and the council for electric plants (as well as other manufacturers), she's right. Although, the electricity council guy feels the loosened standards are only a good start, and that they really need to be relaxed a lot more.

Funny how they waited until AFTER the election to make this benevolent little change, and that the "news conference" they held to announce it was conducted while Bush is out of the country, by an assistant administrator, and that television cameras were banned. My personal favorite part about the whole thing is that they actually expect us to believe that oil refineries and other industrial plants are going to voluntarily spend millions of dollars to reduce emissions...the same fucking factories that dump raw sewage into rivers and fight tooth and nail against every single Clean Air Standard they're expected to meet. Yeah. Those guys are going to sacrifice profits to reduce emissions. And maybe if I sit very still, and close my eyes very tight, and wish very hard, I'll sprout fucking wings and win the lottery and meet Ang Lee, who will put me in his next drably brilliant film, and I will win Oscars for Best Actress AND Best Supporting Actress both, for the same role, beating out Meryl Streep, Susan Sarandon, Shirley MacLaine, AND Bette Davis. (yes, I know she's dead, that's the point; work with me, people.)

Not surprisingly, big industry fully supports the decision.

Have I mentioned lately how much I hate the mewling, facile fuck that is our "president"? Oh, yeah.

Oh, and by facile, I mean "readily manifested, together with an aura of insincerity and lack of depth: a facile slogan devised by politicians, not "working, acting, or speaking with effortless ease and fluency," which could not be further from George Dubya Bush if you beat it into submission and forced it down his useless fucking throat.

Picture me making little quote signs in the air with both my hands, my voice dripping sarcasm and malice, as I say "Bygones."

Excellent Quote(s) of the Day
[The Republican Party's] new motto is "Regulate softly and carry a big inhaler." --Massachusetts Representative Edward J. Markey

You know, though, Edward, they could be right. Oxygen could be over-rated.

"We don't just need a new E.P.A. administrator; we need a new president." --Massachusetts Senator John Kerry

Word, John. Word.

All right, people, it's late. I was in a pretty good mood till this whole air thing. Lola got away from me there, but have a good weekend, will ya?

Peace out,
Katie

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Yesterday's News - Next Stop

In which Katie shares sad news - Wednesday, Apr. 01, 2015
In which Katie returns after a very long absence - Monday, Jun. 25, 2012
In which Katie pokes her head in and brushes some of the cobwebs away - Thursday, May. 06, 2010
In which Katie asks you to write your congressman again. - Monday, Jun. 02, 2008
In which Katie asks you to please click the link and send the message to protect the rights of artists - Wednesday, May. 21, 2008