LOVEISDEAD.NET

Grocery Store Rant: Pre-Sliced Cheese

Ashley — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 22:03:00 +0000

WTF is with grocery stores refusing to slice cheese for each individual customer nowadays? They pre-slice the common kinds like Land O’ Lakes American and let it sit there all day in huge stacks next to the deli meats so it takes on all the nasty flavors.

Even when we argue with them that we want it sliced extra thin or explain we are vegetarian and want it fresh, they give us a hard time! Maybe it’s a Western New York thing because I never experience this when I’m visiting my mom in Pennsylvania. Both huge grocery store chains up here, (Wegmans and Tops) pull this shit and I’m sick of it!

Note: This is a super lame old-lady rant and its my first post in months… ugh! I’m so ashamed, but it only took 3 minutes to write and that’s all the time I have right now.

PS: Does anyone else remember The Stinky Cheese Man?

Rivers Cuomo

Ashley — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 00:21:56 +0000

Whenever I listen to Weezer there is always this thought in the back of my mind – like a pebble in my shoe. I knew there was truth to it but felt nobody would know what the fuck I was talking about, or perhaps write me off as a crazy feminist, but this is my blog so I’m going to say it:

Rivers Cuomo is a fucking sexist.

Hoping to validate my own self-conscious thoughts by finding like minds, I googled rivers cuomo sexist and found this incredible post: A Scale to Help You Determine What Type of Sexist the Hip-Culture Canon Work You’re Looking at is

I am in complete agreement with everything they’ve said because I’ve had a similar experience with (sub-mainstream) popular culture. All of my favorite movies and books seem to be written by these sexist assholes but it’s never been enough to make me read chick lit or something. Anyway, you should read their post because I couldn’t say any of this better than they already have.

I think this explains it.

Top 10 Favorite Cover Songs

Ashley — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 11:48:17 +0000

Cover songs aren’t just for Me First and the Gimme Gimmes! Most bands have done at least one cover. Since covers are quick and easy to record, bands will often contribute them to projects such as compilations, tribute albums, and soundtracks. Covers get a bad rap, but every once in a while you come across one that is well-done, possibly even better than the original. Here are my top 10 cover songs, in no particular order:

Nirvana‘s cover of “The Man Who Sold The World” by David Bowie (listen)
The Blood Brothers‘ cover of “Under Pressure” by Queen & David Bowie (listen)
At the Drive-In‘s cover of “This Night Has Opened My Eyes” by The Smiths (listen)
Between The Buried And Me‘s cover of “Colorblind” by Counting Crows (listen)
Thursday‘s cover of “Ever Fallen In Love” by the Buzzcocks (listen)
The Number Twelve Looks Like You‘s cover of “My Sharona” by The Knack (listen)
Taking Back Sunday‘s cover of “Suburban Home/I Like Food” by Descendents (listen)
Youth Group‘s cover of “Forever Young” by Alphaville (listen)
Muse‘s cover of “House Of The Rising Sun” (listen)
Gary Jules‘ cover of “Mad World” by Tears for Fears (listen)

Runner Up: The Postal Service‘s cover of “Against All Odds” by Phil Collins (listen)

Cover songs are also really common at live shows since they’re so much fun and everyone can sing along regardless of whether or not they are familiar with the band playing the cover. These typically aren’t recorded, but we always have YouTube. Here’s one of my favorites; Davey Havok of AFI singing with the band Ceremony to a cover of “Straight Edge Revenge” by Project X:

Many thanks go to Kristi for her post Covers: Do or Don’t? which inspired me to make this list. Her blog is 100% awesomeness and we’re actually affies now!

// EDIT
I just found out 2 seconds ago that “Nothing Compares 2 U” by Sinead O’conner is a cover of a Prince/The Family song and now I wish I could ammend my post because I fucking love that song! Ugh!

Irrelevent, paradoxical ads make me lawl

Ashley — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 15:33:35 +0000

Envy: Breathing and Dying in This Place

Ever visit a site that features random, irrelevant ads that have nothing to do with the content? Or maybe the juxtaposition of the content and the advertising just makes you laugh because it’s completely antithetical or absurd? I’m not trying to bust anyone’s chops, but I experienced this exact thing while browsing today:

I love the softcore porn star (apparently from 2003 when people still wore trucker hats) in a “kinky” t-shirt right above Caylee’s angelic face. Is that her mom? The barbed wire tattoo is effing classy.

MATERIALGASM! Camera bags hot enough to make you buy a DSLR

Ashley — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 13:36:44 +0000

Reversal Of Man: I'm A New York City Detective That Strays From Cheap Suits And Short Sleeve Shirts And Ties

I do not usually write posts like this, but ever since I got my new camera for Christmas last year, I’ve been obsessed with camera bags that don’t look like camera bags. By this I mean, camera bags which are stylish and feminine instead of black, utilitarian, and ugly. I still notice people searching for bags so I thought I’d share the sources I’ve gathered from around the web. So this is sort of a link dump for those of you interested in buying a camera bag that doesn’t look like your dad’s.

Be careful because buying a couple of these could be more expensive than new lenses or a camera! I actually make my regular handbags into camera bags using one of these. No sewing, just Velcro, and it’s a great solution if you’re on a budget. Camera bags are targets to thieves, especially when you’re traveling, so if you need to justify your expenses to anyone, your new bag was a safety measure!

Let me know if you guys know of any sites that I missed so I can add it to the list.

On Introversion and Why Group Work Sucks

Ashley — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:13:55 +0000

New Order: Age of Consent

I was out blog-hopping again (I am beginning to really hate this word) and reading Leeza’s post, Misconceptions About Being An Asshole, was like reading something I wrote myself. It reminded me of a reflection paper I wrote for an Education class this semester. Something I have noticed in these courses is the constant emphasis on group work and activities where kids essentially teach themselves by teaching each other. This is complete bullshit, but I’m not getting into theory right now. I wanted to share a piece of how I explained to my professor the trouble with being an introvert in an extrovert’s world, and how important it is for teachers to consider all personalities when designing lessons:

Most of my experience with group work is as a student, not a teacher. Group work always appeared to favor the extroverted students. Extroverts learn through speaking – they don’t know if they “know” something until they try to explain it to others. Introverted students need a quiet place to think and formulate ideas before sharing them. Due to this, introverts are often better writers than speakers. Group work favors the speakers. Extroverts are energized by being around others, while introverts are energized by being alone – people “drain” introverts of energy. It is exhausting trying to work in a group as an introvert.

Though teachers defend group work by saying that there are “jobs” for writers and readers as well, the truth is that introverts can’t concentrate around loud extroverts, even if their “job” is to take notes, write on the board, etc. This is a glaring problem with modern Education classes which I have experienced. Methods and theory strongly favor the extroverted, despite the fact that around 30% of people are introverted. My conclusion is that in college, Education attracts extroverts the way Business or Communications attract extroverts, therefore the people debating and creating these methods are overwhelmingly extroverted.

So, if you didn’t actually read all that, this is my point in graph form:

People who don’t like music: What the f%ck?

Ashley — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:49:52 +0000

I was blog-hopping the other day (the straight edge equivalent to bar-hopping?) and I read this blog post where this girl was listing things she’s thankful for, and although my thoughts are not at all related to Canadian Thanksgiving, the thing on her list that inspired this post was:

4. Music

Who has ears and dislikes music? I love music! Don’t we all? =p Lalala.

You know, I used to think the same thing about music. I mean, who the hell doesn’t like music? I used to laugh when people would act like listening to the radio was a defining characteristic of their personality. I found it really annoying and obvious, like those people who list their interests as “hanging out with friends” and “having fun”.

But then… well, you get a little older and meet a greater variety of people and find that there REALLY ARE freaks out there who hate music or are simply uninterested. I don’t know if being a teenager or college student keeps you in this youthful bubble where everyone you know is blasting their iPod every second of the day or what, but you really start to run into the weirdos once you’re in your mid-twenties. Maybe we stop being so self absorbed at this age and take notice of the previously unnoticeable people (I’m taking another psych class this semester, so forgive my analysis).

Have you come across any of these musically illiterate people? I know they are not all culturally retarded home-schooled kids who grew up without MTV or social interaction, because my boyfriend’s uncle is one of these anti-music people and he had a typical American upbringing. His own sister absolutely loves music yet he is seemingly immune to its charms. What the fuck, right?

When Boyfriends Shop

Ashley — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 14:05:07 +0000

Ever since H&M opened up a store here this summer, Justin wants to go to the mall. Prior to this, the nearest H&M was in Rochester – which isn’t that far away (a little over an hour), but alas we are bicycle people.

Justin and his H&M-induced madness

I’m fine with his renewed interest in the mall because when I drag myself along, I get a free movie out of it (this mall has a Regal Cinema). On Tuesday we went to the late-night showing of The Lion King 3D and it was magical. We took the best seats in the house and were sure we’d have the place to ourselves, but eventually 2 other couples wandered in. One guy wanted our great seats and acted a little playfully dramatic about it.

Before we had decided on The Lion King there was this 20-minute deliberation where we tried to convince ourselves we shouldn’t waste money on a movie we’d each seen 100 times as children. Luckily we came to our senses because it was absolutely wonderful and us two emo kids teared up at the beauty and nostalgia of it all.

It was also our very first 3D movie ever! Can you believe it? I always though 3D was gimmicky, but now I think it’s kind of cool to spice up an old movie. I think it would be distracting though in a movie you’re seeing for the first time. What do you think? Are you a fan of 3D?

A O Hell

Ashley — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 23:18:56 +0000

Remember all those disks AOL sent out in the 90s? I used to put them in the microwave, make mirror collages, and do other stupid shit with them. Anyway, if you’ve ever been bored enough to put one in a CD player back then, you know how it makes an annoying/creepy high pitched sound. Well that’s what the background sounds like in this song I’m listening to by An Albatross. It’s awesome.

The real inspiration behind Blessphemy's cover art?

Just a note…

Ashley — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 10:04:01 +0000

I’ve been MIA for a long time. I should have bought the domain bloggingisdead.net instead (hey, maybe I will). As a 16-year-old writing egocentric bullshit with no context, I would receive 20 comments per post. As a 20-something student in competition with Facebook, microblogging, and photoblogging, I don’t have a chance in hell. Needless to say, I’m not as motivated to post as I once was. Everything here is abashedly outdated. I haven’t created a new theme in years. Dozens of e-friends seemingly dropped off the face of the internet. Blogs are dead, but I’m not ready to give up. Bear with me while I pull this all together and figure it out.

I’m a Strokes Fan and I’m Not Ashamed!

Ashley — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 01:13:42 +0000

I love this video, but the real winner is the song and that Billie Jean beat that grabs you in the beginning.

Michael Jackson isn’t the only influence on Angles; every track on this album has a different sound. Two Kinds of Happiness is so David Bowie (obvious example @ 1:40) while Gratisfaction is Billy Joel straight up (obvious example @ 1:12). Despite my general disdain for when bands completely change their sound, I love this record! I haven’t stopped spinning it since my preorder arrived from Amazon! It really grows on you, so even if you’re loyal to that garage sound The Strokes used to have, you can’t help but fall in love with these songs.

The Strokes aesthetic has really changed though. If you notice their, umm, interesting fashion choices… all that remains is Julian’s leather jacket, a throwback to that dirty Rock n’ Roll sound they used to have. Oh 2001, how I miss you so…

Zooey Deschanel Sold Out (And Other Judgy Comments)

Ashley — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 06:28:24 +0000

It’s so depressing when indie actors sell out. Zooey Deschanel is the latest tragedy. I was reminded of this with her ads for Cotton Inc a couple years ago, but now she has what appears to be a Three’s Company rip-off called New Girl. This just seems like a move an aging actor would make, not a rising star, and especially not someone known for indie movies.

As a preteen, I recall my uncle Jimmy sending me a big coffee table book called Beyond Beauty which is by Jane Pratt of Sassy and Jane magazine fame. The book featured interviews with young stars like Natalie Portman and Kirsten Dunst. I instantly fell in love with Natalie. It’s funny how we attach ourselves to actors or musicians when they are new and feel this sort of ownership or responsibility over them once they become successful. I guess that is why we regret when they make it big; it’s like they’re no longer “ours” and we have to share. There is definitely something flawed with this thought process but we do it anyway. So, when they go from Garden State to No Strings Attached, we feel cheated and wronged.

In the case of Zooey Deschanel, well, she didn’t just make a bad movie for a quick buck. It’s no longer just a matter of artistic integrity. What turns me off is her blatant display of opportunism and a love of money in the form of ads and sitcoms, and both so early on in a promising career. I guess my punk rock ethic just won’t stand for it.

Ten Years Ago

Ashley — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 03:45:11 +0000

I always thought it was sort of gruesome and morbid to have an “anniversary” for horrific events like Pearl Harbor or 9/11, but it is important we are reminded how we are all connected in this world. The decisions you and I make every day have an impact. As an American, it is easy to feel isolated from things like war, religious conflict, child labor, ecological disaster, and more, but once in a while in a wonderful or terrible way, we are forced to face the reality that we are not living in a bubble. Our decisions have consequences in other parts of the world, be it in sweat shops where our clothing is sewn, or in rainforests where our trendy furniture begins. We are often the antagonist in situations which are out of sight, thus out of mind, but on occasion, we are victims. As victims, we see the world with more clarity. Never forget what that feels like; don’t trade the role of victim for victimizer. Neither wins. Unite.

Freud would have a field day.

Ashley — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 05:57:33 +0000

We’re sleeping, but in a moment of clarity Justin turns to me:

“I just had a dream I was in a sting. Setting up a prostitute.”
“Did you get to have sex with her?”
“No, it was a guy.”

Laughing pursues.

Vin Diesel looks like Mickey Mouse.

Ashley — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 03:00:51 +0000

I just told Justin how I always thought Vin Diesel looked like Mickey Mouse. I guess he thought it was pretty out there/random until I photoshopped the pair next to each other:

Work vs Labor

Ashley — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 23:09:30 +0000

I am in a heated argument over semantics right now. Justin wanted to make a statement about wage slavery using the word “labor” as a synonym for exertion/working, but I said his wording was confusing and he should write it a different way because in political literature and conversation, “labor” typically means the group of people laboring, and his point could be taken in the wrong way very easily. He disagreed and said that this is never the most common meaning, even in political circles. Psh! Sometimes I wish we could just fight about money or something. I’m really good with a budget.

If you have hate in your heart, let it out.

Ashley — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 22:18:27 +0000

I hate the overuse of the word “hubby” by women on forums. It’s such a sickening fucking word. Hubby said this and hubby did that. We get it: you’re married. The thing is, when you use an ugly ass word like “hubby” as a term of endearment for your soul mate, I see John Goodman holding a thermos. So it is a double offense of both sight and sound (thank you, Rod Serling) and I don’t fucking appreciate it.

This Magazine Is A Time Capsule

Ashley — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 23:35:04 +0000

Summer is wonderful: no responsibility, just dozens of magazines I never found time to read this year. Suddenly I’m 14 again, curled up on my group home bunk-bed with a JANE mag (RIP), pre-MTV Dashboard Confessional on the stereo and nowhere to be. Ask me why I have hundreds of old magazines stacked neatly in a closet and I’ll explain how it’s my archive.

One of the many stacks of disposable literature in my closet.

I am this person today because of several factors, but those magazines are one of the few factors which are tangible. One day I will probably scan them all into PDFs and recycle them, but I like seeing the articles, ideas, stories, and opinions that shaped my young, impressionable mind and taught me how to write and how to think. I probably picked up my eye for design right from those cool cut-and-paste pages. I’m not a pack-rat, I’m just a nostalgic magazine junkie with too much respect for this underrated medium to throw it in the trash.

Q. How Do I Look? A. Like everybody else.

Ashley — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 16:10:36 +0000

I have mixed feelings about the show How Do I Look? because they seem to pick on eclectic/colorful indie kids and gloomy punk chicks a lot and give them this uninteresting, generic look. The stylists don’t seem to “get it“, which makes no sense to me because fashion is often about making a statement and you’d think fashion pros would understand this. Yet time and again they keep putting these women into clothes that “minimize” this or “enhance” that, but they’re missing the fucking point!

by Christy Road

This one punk/goth girl named Mia on the episode “Damsel Distressed” is on the show because her friend thinks she needs to attract a new type of man because she’s been burned so many times in the past. The problem is that dating a guy in a blazer is no different than dating a guy with a septum piercing. Good guys come in all styles, and just because this girl will now be attractive to the white collar crowd instead of artists and punks doesn’t mean she’ll find true love. I’ve personally always found punk boys to be incredibly feminist in their attitudes, and quite sweet. Maybe she should stop dating womanizing cockrockers. This brings me to the heart of the issue:

Making judgments and generalizations based on style is wrong, but it is forgivable. What is not forgivable, is sterilizing the diversity we see in street fashion and in various subcultures by labeling it immature, ugly, and slutty, and ordering that it be changed. These women don’t have a problem with their clothes – other people have a problem with their clothes. They could have made her look better without ditching the punk aesthetic. Put her in some Vivienne Westwood knockoffs for fuck’s sake and fix her makeup. Mia is a musician, not a stenographer. It’s not like her career is in danger if she wears a corset as outerwear. This show is actually pretty fucked.

tick tock tick tock

Ashley — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 23:58:56 +0000

I know it’s totally ridiculous, but I officially have “baby fever”. Sometimes I wish I were a few years older with a degree, career, husband and house so I could finally stop obsessing about the future and just live it. There’s no stopping the biological clock, I suppose, but 24 seems a little early to start ticking! Ideally I would be 28 at least, haha. Justin and I have been together for almost 7 years, lived together for 6, but we’re still such kids. Luckily I’m a control freak and over-plan everything (I never pay retail, travel without an itinerary, etc etc). I guess having such an unusual, dysfunctional family life has made me long for the traditional things. I wish all the pieces would just fall into place but it seems lightyears away…

Lost in an ocean of effects.

Ashley — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 18:36:16 +0000

I give up on shopping for Justin’s Christmas gifts this year. I did great last year because I had more time. It is extremely taxing doing the research (reading reviews & specs) on effects pedals and other musical equipment. I already spent 6 HOURS online and I’m only more confused and torn than when I began.

One of Omar Rodriguez-Lopez of The Mars Volta's pedal boards. How does he do it?

I think I’m just going to get him a few small things and give him the rest of my “gift budget” in cash toward buying his dream amp. I believe there’s only so much you can do with effects if you’re using a mediocre amp. He has quite a few pedals already and although he loves experimenting with them, he’s probably not getting the most out of them with his current setup. I just wish I had $1000+ to outright buy a good amp for him, but I’m just a jobless college student.

What do you think? Is it strange or tactless to “go halves” on a large gift for your boyfriend/girlfriend they otherwise couldn’t afford?

OMIGOD! Beatles in your Apples!

Ashley — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 07:07:32 +0000

Shut the FUCK up about The Beatles and iTunes. What asshole didn’t have The Beatles on their iPod already? Everybody has Beatles records and/or CDs – just rip them to your fucking computer. I don’t understand the hysteria here. What is wrong with people? OMG THERE’S THIS EXCITING NEW ALBUM CALLED ABBEY ROAD LOLOLOL!!!!!!1ONE

...for shame.

You’re standing on my neck…

Ashley — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 04:29:10 +0000

So I’m watching Daria and these really gay-friendly commercials keep coming on with like gay couples endorsing KY jelly or wallpaper or whatever and I’m like “wow, American society is finally progressing – this is awesome!”

This is exactly what our 1-bedroom apartment looks like right now.

Three minutes pass and I suddenly remember I’m watching LOGO. I’m like “fuuuuck“…

Lord Help Us.

Ashley — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 23:57:31 +0000

The things you see at the bus stop. Okay, this is a multiple offense, but let’s start with the biggest one: Your jeans are ACID WASH. Are you fucking kidding? Second, those jeans are too fucking light to wear in winter. Third, if your calves are that big, you shouldn’t be wearing skinny jeans… and NOBODY should be wearing THOSE skinny jeans. The only people who’ve considered wearing these pants must be too young to remember when they were actually in fashion. It was like living in a nightmare everyday. Please stop before you kill us all.

Feeling some e-guilt…

Ashley — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 23:02:35 +0000

It’s crazy how much the web has changed since I first began blogging. We used to have little scripts for everything: a “currently” script (replaced by Twitter), an “ask & answer” script (replaced by Formspring), a “listening to” script (replaced by last.fm), a flash radio script (replaced by myspace), a photo gallery script (replaced by flickr) and there are dozens more examples I’m sure some of you can think of. I feel like there’s nothing left to DO anymore.

You don’t want to feed the capitalist machine and bring ad revenue to a bunch of douche bags, but you start to rely on the audience these services provide because this has become the standard. Consequently, every website looks the same, with the same simple plugins, and we’re forced to rely on these websites to deliver our content, but the very audience that keeps us using them is also to blame for their slow speeds and constant errors. I just miss when everything was in your hands. I guess if your main concern is content and you get no joy out of fiddling with code, your only problem with them is reliability. For me, it steals the fun out of running a website.

Meanwhile, these services are hailed as time-savers which “make it easy” for all, while (ironically) they are probably the #1 way to waste time. They are designed to take the time you would have normally put into your own site, and get you to give it to them instead. Ask yourself: Who are you working for? What are you supporting? Who owns your thoughts and what are they worth?