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February 27, 2006

If I had a million dollars.......

In light of last week's Powerball jackpot mystery and win by a group of blue-collared meat packers, co-workers and family members have all been sharing their Powerball fantasies. My co-workers would all enter early retirement, buying their dream homes in Florida and living the rest of their days traveling and enjoying life. My parents would finish paying the mortgage on their house and buy a vineyard in my dad's hometown and more than likely also retire early. Everyone has a jackpot dream, allowing him or her to live out madcap fantasies.

I started thinking about what I would do if I won. Call me a pragmatist, but it would be quite boring. I would immediately write Uncle Sam a check for approximately $14,000 so we clear up the little affair called my student loans. Another check would be sent to my credit card company and settle that account. I'd also help set my parents up and take care of them, repaying them for all they've done for me over the years.

Now I would purchase a nice little condo on the Milford beach and set up house. No McMansions for me! A cozy little cottage for me and my books, where I could organize and clutter at my pleasure and not have my mother getting on my case for leaving stacks of junk mail and books on my desk. Perhaps I'd get a nice little loft in the NYC for weekend getaways to the city or when I'd go in for classes, as I would be able to afford that Museum Studies degree I want.

The rest of the jackpot, well, I'd set up one trust to help different charities and arts foundations, another in investments to help take care of my home and all the minutiae of everyday life and most importantly I would set up my travel fund. This would allow me to go anywhere and everywhere at a moments notice. Carnaval in Brazil, New Year's in Sydney, London and then NYC or a month on the Amalfi coast.

Of course I’d throw in ridiculous luxury items like an black Hermes Birkin bag or maybe a burgundy Luella. A pair or two of Manolos and Jimmy Choo’s and a couple Diane von Furstenberg dresses, and building for them the ultimate walk-in closet that I've always dreamed.

Alas, I am a realist and know that it is highly doubtful I'll ever hit the jackpot. But it is still nice to escape to that world where all worries are miles away and dreams are reality. So the next time the Powerball jackpot is huge, I'll go out and buy myself a ticket and hope for the best.

Though, I, too, was a winner on the February 18th drawing. Thanks to my buddy Hank, who forced three Powerball tickets and wouldn't take them back, I won 7 bucks. I owe him a couple spins on the dance floor, once his hip is healed.

Posted by eva on 8:01 AM

February 9, 2006

Songs of the Moment : Hail Britannia

As I watched the Grammy's Wednesday evening, I decided that it was time to list a few new artists and musicians that you may want to check out sometime. Much of these picks happen to be from across the pond, merry old England. From time to time, I listen in to the BBC Radio 1 to check out what's going on in the UK music scene. Radio 1 is a good mix of all genres and at times, it allows me to discover older artists often ignored or unknown to my generation. So drumroll please......

1 - Goldfrapp - Number 1 / Ride A White Horse - This electronic duo has been around for a while. Their latest album in the UK , Supernature has spawned some wicked singles, laced with sensuous synth beats which are guaranteed to lead to sultry swaying. Potential soundtrack for nocturnal hijinks. Not to mention, the theremin has never sounded so sexy.

2 - The Go! Team - Ladyflash - This 2005 Mercury nominated group's sound is equal parts 60s soul and 80s hiphop with some creative sampling. Infectious and joyous, a sonic energy rush much like eating chocolate or drinking a freshly brewed espresso, it always perks me up whenever I hear it. It brings out the inner Hollaback Girl.

3 - Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor - This rock band is shaking things up in the UK charts right now. Reminiscent of the Libertines without all the narcotics drama, their gravel mouthed delivery is full of youthful arrogance and makes the perfect anthem for manic dancing.

4 - Jose Gonzalez - Heartbeats / Hand on Your Heart - This singer/songwriter out of Sweden has a beautiful, stripped sound which goes straight to your heart. One of my personal favorites is his cover of Kylie Minogue's Hand On Your Heart. There is a real earnestness in his voice and immediate personal connection.

5 - Embrace - Nature's Law - This little band from Manchester has been the ultimate underdog, who has been down for the count many times in the UK and with their last album Out of Nothing found themselves in the limelight once again. Nature's Law is the latest single on their forthcoming album. It's a great lead-off single and I'm looking forward to hear more from them. [If you ever get a chance, you may want to listen to Looking As You Are off of Out of Nothing. Everytime I hear it, I get goosebumps. Someday and Gravity are other standout tracks.]

Posted by eva on 11:30 PM

February 8, 2006

News of the Bizarre

This morning as I was slowly waking from my night's slumber, I saw a rather odd news report about some woman whose hidden talent happens to be whistling with her toes. I honestly don't know what was more disturbing: the image of the woman whistling with her own foot or the fact that her pedicured toe featured a small portrait of Dubya. Weird!

Posted by eva on 8:19 AM

February 7, 2006

London Calling

Newcastle and Pellegrino flowed plentifully this past Wednesday evening at the opening of the Yale Center for British Art's new exhibit, London: John Virtue. Virtue, Associate Artist to the National Gallery, was commissioned to create works, which attempt to grasp the essence of London and demonstrates his singular view of the metropolis. The assemblage of impressive paintings and multitudinous sketches are a combination of two exhibits, which ran concurrently in London during 2005. The Yale Center for British Art is the only U.S. institution to host this monumental exhibition.

Monumental because the canvases are immense, monochromatic "punk epics" as Simon Schama describes them, gritty and abrasive on the one hand, and at the same time structured and organized. You collide with the images and can't get away. The paintings engage the viewer; the different textures which a photograph cannot properly capture, draw you in and keep you looking at the image.

The sketches are equally wonderful. They are meticulous, well planned drafts of London, annotated with weather conditions and general observations. These are the germinal ideas for the paintings and allow the viewer a glimpse into Virtue's London.

Posted by eva on 10:23 PM

February 3, 2006

State of the English Language

I've been reading Simon Winchester's The Professor and the Madman, a book about the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary and the characters which aided in its genesis, most notoriously New Haven's very own William C. Minor, lunatic extraordinaire. In my readings, I stumbled upon a quote by Benjamin Martin, who said:

No language as depending on arbitrary use and custom can ever be permanently the same, but will always be in a mutable and fluctuating state; and what is deem'd polite an elegant in one age, may be accounted uncouth and barbarous in another.

This is a perfect and timeless description of language for it is a living, breathing entity in a constant state of flux. With each passing year, our dictionaries grow, adding new words and revising existing meanings. As our societies change, so does the terminology we use to express ourselves and interpret our surroundings. A word may have one initial meaning and through the course of time, it mutates and finds a new context.

Be it a dictionary, lyrics in a rap song or an article in some pop culture magazine, they are all constructed with the same basic building blocks of our language, words. And as time flies and we progress on this mortal coil, it acts as a testament to an era. When we look back at the elaborate Dickensian prose and compare it to more modern writings, we see many of the same words, but their uses are slightly different.

As future historians look upon all our scribbling, what impressions will they have of our society and about us? What idiosyncrasies will come to light in the eyes of the future generations? What will they think of terms as bling bling or blogging?

Sometimes, we think that the English language is this sublime, otherworldly entity, placed upon a pedestal and treated with reverence. At times, it is an oppressive and restrictive force ruled by arbitrary and nonsensical laws. But we must realize that it is a powerful tool that is always adapting to our ever-changing world. Language is alive and we should never lose sight of this. Just as you and I change from year to year, so does it.

Don't think that I am advocating that we give everyone a carte-blanche to abuse our language, but instead I hope I open your eyes to the untapped power within your reach, that is the power of the word.

Posted by eva on 8:08 AM | Comments (1)