Monday, March 31, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
And then there were ones.
For the first time in NCAA tournament history, the Final Four is comprised of all the Number 1 seeds. On Sat. April 5, UNC plays Kansas, UCLA plays Memphis. It's just as I predicted in my bracket! (:
I'm starting to question my choice of Memphis beating UCLA though. I think it's going to be UCLA vs UNC in the final. With Carolina winning, of course!
I <3 Psycho T!
GO HEELS!!
I'm starting to question my choice of Memphis beating UCLA though. I think it's going to be UCLA vs UNC in the final. With Carolina winning, of course!
I <3 Psycho T!
GO HEELS!!
It's beautiful to be good.
One of my favorite causes to support is wildlife in Africa. I just heard about this new haircare line by Kate Hudson and her hairdresser, David Babaii, that was created from completely natural, organic ingredients, and donates a portion of its proceeds to WildAid, a global wildlife conservation organization. None of the products are tested on animals - only on Kate.
You can read more about WildAid here.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
I'll remember you in the blue skies.
Citizen Cope had a show scheduled at the Lincoln Theater in Raleigh in a couple of weeks, but I couldn't go - and it ended up being canceled. But just today he announced one at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach - one of my favorite venues for live music. I bought a ticket for Tom and I immediately (after checking his schedule to make sure he didn't have a show). I am so excited!
The son's gonna rise in a mile.
Just wanted to remind everyone (all 4 of you that read this) about Earth Hour - tonight at 8 pm (your local time). All you have to do is turn your lights off for one hour to have a tremendous effect on climate change. Cities and people all over the world are participating. It's easy to do something good!
Friday, March 28, 2008
NC Voter Registration Info
The North Carolina Presidential Primary on May 6th will have added significance this time around due to the close race for the Democratic nomination between Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton.
The deadline to register to vote is April 11th.
You must be registered as either a Democrat or Unaffiliated to vote in the Democratic Primary. While Arizona Sen. John McCain has already clinched the Republican nomination, NC Republicans will also vote on May 6th.
One-Stop Absentee Voting
If you miss the April 11th deadline, North Carolina will be holding "One Stop Absentee Voting" from April 17-May 3.
What this means is that within these dates, you may register and vote at the same time, but you'll have to show up at a One Stop Voting Site.
You can find them through your county's Board of Elections.
In New Hanover County, you can vote at one of these 3 sites: The Board of Elections (230 Government Center Dr.), the Senior Center (2222 S. College Rd.), or the Main Library downtown (201 Chestnut St.).
Be sure to bring identification with name and current address.
Once again, you can register and vote at the same time from April 17th-May 3rd if you miss the April 11th deadline to register.
If you miss the deadline, this is your only way of voting.
You will not be allowed to vote on May 6th.
In addition, you are not allowed to change your party affiliation during one-stop voting if you are already registered.
Make any party affiliation changes by the April 11th deadline.
Mail-in Absentee Voting
Absentee ballots must be requested by April 29th and must be signed and hand-written.
They must be mailed in to your county's Board of Elections.
(New Hanover: Mail to New Hanover County Board of Elections, 230 Government Center Drive, Ste 180, Wilmington, NC 28403)
If you are 17 years old, you are eligible to vote in the primary as long as you will turn 18 by November 4th, the date of the general election.
You can check your registration status online here.
The deadline to register to vote is April 11th.
You must be registered as either a Democrat or Unaffiliated to vote in the Democratic Primary. While Arizona Sen. John McCain has already clinched the Republican nomination, NC Republicans will also vote on May 6th.
One-Stop Absentee Voting
If you miss the April 11th deadline, North Carolina will be holding "One Stop Absentee Voting" from April 17-May 3.
What this means is that within these dates, you may register and vote at the same time, but you'll have to show up at a One Stop Voting Site.
You can find them through your county's Board of Elections.
In New Hanover County, you can vote at one of these 3 sites: The Board of Elections (230 Government Center Dr.), the Senior Center (2222 S. College Rd.), or the Main Library downtown (201 Chestnut St.).
Be sure to bring identification with name and current address.
Once again, you can register and vote at the same time from April 17th-May 3rd if you miss the April 11th deadline to register.
If you miss the deadline, this is your only way of voting.
You will not be allowed to vote on May 6th.
In addition, you are not allowed to change your party affiliation during one-stop voting if you are already registered.
Make any party affiliation changes by the April 11th deadline.
Mail-in Absentee Voting
Absentee ballots must be requested by April 29th and must be signed and hand-written.
They must be mailed in to your county's Board of Elections.
(New Hanover: Mail to New Hanover County Board of Elections, 230 Government Center Drive, Ste 180, Wilmington, NC 28403)
If you are 17 years old, you are eligible to vote in the primary as long as you will turn 18 by November 4th, the date of the general election.
You can check your registration status online here.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
We all want something beautiful.
[Reposted from people.com]
It hasn't been an easy road for Counting Crows lead singer Adam Duritz. While touring the world and performing onstage for adoring fans, the "Mr. Jones" singer was battling severe depression and an inability to connect with people, he reveals to PEOPLE.
"I've been dealing with mental illness," Duritz, 43, says. "But I didn't want to say anything for a long time. I went crazy. It was scary."
After years of not knowing exactly what was wrong with him, he recently found a doctor who diagnosed him with a disassociative disorder, which can distort reality for those who have it.
"Being crazy is bad," he says. "It's scary when the world isn't real to you. You come untethered. Everything seems imaginary. You look around the room and nothing seems real. You don't feel pain. I stopped letting myself feel."
Now, almost six years since the release of their 2002 hit album Hard Candy, the Counting Crows are back with their newest studio album, Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings, a double album inspired by the painful emotional journey Duritz experienced.
"The album [out March 25] is about a downward spiral, losing my mind and about trying to get it back," he says. "Not about getting it back but trying to get it back."
The album is divided as such: "The Saturday Nights record is about madness and spiraling out of control and disillusionment," explains Duritz. "The Sunday Morningsrecord is mostly about failing at the things you're trying to do when you are getting better. It's not redemption, necessarily. It's more like the hangover."
As Far Away Mentally as I Can Be
One of his lowest moments came on tour, when he lost two of the people he was closest to on the same day. "We were in Perth and in one 10-minute period I got a text message from my girlfriend telling me that I needed to get out of her life – eight minutes after the phone call from my mother that my grandmother had died.
"So not only am I as [far] away physically as I could be in Perth, which is farthest city from any major city on earth – but I am as far away mentally as I can be. So I lost a girl and my grandmother at the same time."
His grandmother's health deteriorated severely after a stroke. "In the last five years of her life I barely saw her because I was always working. She didn't recognize me. To her I was this fat, hairy, bearded guy with dreadlocks. I think I scared her some of the time. And then it was too late."
Instead of boarding a plane back to the United States for his grandmother's funeral, he decided to continue with the tour – with his "obligations." It was a friend's tough words that convinced him otherwise. "I thought about everything all night long. I decided to go to the funeral. Getting from Perth to Baltimore is not easy in one day," Duritz says.
All in a Song
The song, "Hanging Tree," reflects the angst he felt during this time. "It's about losing that girl. It's a snapshot about when I am very much in love but I know I have to leave ... I wasn't good at being caring. It was a lot to handle me. I was 10,000 miles away and I wasn't there for her."
The saddest song on the album is "On a Tuesday in Amsterdam Long Ago," he says. "It goes, 'Come around. I'm still here.' And the band is still here. We're still here 18 years later because we work our asses off. No matter what was going on in my private life, I played my heart out up there. The hours onstage are magic. I love playing gigs. I have been so lucky to have this one in a billion chance to do what I love."
And life is certainly better for him these days. "My friends are trying to find a wife for me," he says. "I'm dating a girl right now and a bunch of people are coming up to me and saying, ‘We love her. We love her.' " As for his take on her: "She's wonderful. I'm lucky to know her."
It hasn't been an easy road for Counting Crows lead singer Adam Duritz. While touring the world and performing onstage for adoring fans, the "Mr. Jones" singer was battling severe depression and an inability to connect with people, he reveals to PEOPLE.
"I've been dealing with mental illness," Duritz, 43, says. "But I didn't want to say anything for a long time. I went crazy. It was scary."
After years of not knowing exactly what was wrong with him, he recently found a doctor who diagnosed him with a disassociative disorder, which can distort reality for those who have it.
"Being crazy is bad," he says. "It's scary when the world isn't real to you. You come untethered. Everything seems imaginary. You look around the room and nothing seems real. You don't feel pain. I stopped letting myself feel."
Now, almost six years since the release of their 2002 hit album Hard Candy, the Counting Crows are back with their newest studio album, Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings, a double album inspired by the painful emotional journey Duritz experienced.
"The album [out March 25] is about a downward spiral, losing my mind and about trying to get it back," he says. "Not about getting it back but trying to get it back."
The album is divided as such: "The Saturday Nights record is about madness and spiraling out of control and disillusionment," explains Duritz. "The Sunday Morningsrecord is mostly about failing at the things you're trying to do when you are getting better. It's not redemption, necessarily. It's more like the hangover."
As Far Away Mentally as I Can Be
One of his lowest moments came on tour, when he lost two of the people he was closest to on the same day. "We were in Perth and in one 10-minute period I got a text message from my girlfriend telling me that I needed to get out of her life – eight minutes after the phone call from my mother that my grandmother had died.
"So not only am I as [far] away physically as I could be in Perth, which is farthest city from any major city on earth – but I am as far away mentally as I can be. So I lost a girl and my grandmother at the same time."
His grandmother's health deteriorated severely after a stroke. "In the last five years of her life I barely saw her because I was always working. She didn't recognize me. To her I was this fat, hairy, bearded guy with dreadlocks. I think I scared her some of the time. And then it was too late."
Instead of boarding a plane back to the United States for his grandmother's funeral, he decided to continue with the tour – with his "obligations." It was a friend's tough words that convinced him otherwise. "I thought about everything all night long. I decided to go to the funeral. Getting from Perth to Baltimore is not easy in one day," Duritz says.
All in a Song
The song, "Hanging Tree," reflects the angst he felt during this time. "It's about losing that girl. It's a snapshot about when I am very much in love but I know I have to leave ... I wasn't good at being caring. It was a lot to handle me. I was 10,000 miles away and I wasn't there for her."
The saddest song on the album is "On a Tuesday in Amsterdam Long Ago," he says. "It goes, 'Come around. I'm still here.' And the band is still here. We're still here 18 years later because we work our asses off. No matter what was going on in my private life, I played my heart out up there. The hours onstage are magic. I love playing gigs. I have been so lucky to have this one in a billion chance to do what I love."
And life is certainly better for him these days. "My friends are trying to find a wife for me," he says. "I'm dating a girl right now and a bunch of people are coming up to me and saying, ‘We love her. We love her.' " As for his take on her: "She's wonderful. I'm lucky to know her."
Really?
When would you EVER need a purse this big? Is it so you can crawl in it and hide if you need to?
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
The sun'll come out tomorrow.
Hope everyone had a happy Easter weekend. I was spoiled by the 4 day weekend and now I need another. Jayla's visit was way too short and I miss her tremendously. I will get to see her again next Friday though. If it weren't for that I think I might not have gotten out of bed today. I think the pollen has a lot to do with how depressed I feel - I just felt so yucky today.
So here's Jayla in her Easter dress, which I got to see her in because she wouldn't take it off, even for the 4+ hour car ride.
We went to the Aquarium yesterday, which was pretty fun. I'd never been there even though I've lived in Wilmington for 7 years. We saw Nemo, of course, and some sharks and turtles and jellyfish and all kinds of stuff.
My nephew Chase is visiting Disney World this week - I have never been but I am sure he's having a great time. I can't wait to see the pictures and hear him talk about it.
Carolina had two easy games this weekend - scoring 100+ pts in back to back games. Sweet Sixteen games start Thursday - I hope they are as easy as the first 2 rounds. If they make it back to the final game, I will be back in Chapel Hill... I wouldn't miss it.
Happy Birthday to Matt today, and congratulations to Claudia and Josh who just got engaged! I don't know if I mentioned Erin and Mark, who got engaged on Valentine's Day, but I am so excited for all the engagements happening and all the love that's in the air. (:
P.S. ZOMG - George Michael just announced a US tour!!1!
Things that I think are awesome...
... and wish I actually had time for:
• SouthParkStudios.com [beta] is live! [From Gawker] The maybe-a-little-bit-groundbreaking ad-based site allows users to stream every single episode from every single season of the maybe-a-little-bit-groundbreaking animated series for free. This development, coupled with the debut of [non-beta] Hulu, bodes well for television obsessed people who have way too much free time on their hands. Hopefully a SwansCrossingStudios.com isn't far behind. (Haha!) Oh! And! There are tons and tons of clips that you can embed on your blog website! Just like the wonderful Scientology clip here:
• SouthParkStudios.com [beta] is live! [From Gawker] The maybe-a-little-bit-groundbreaking ad-based site allows users to stream every single episode from every single season of the maybe-a-little-bit-groundbreaking animated series for free. This development, coupled with the debut of [non-beta] Hulu, bodes well for television obsessed people who have way too much free time on their hands. Hopefully a SwansCrossingStudios.com isn't far behind. (Haha!) Oh! And! There are tons and tons of clips that you can embed on your blog website! Just like the wonderful Scientology clip here:
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