Closet Know-It-All

Do you ever hear someone say something wrong, whether it’s a grammatical error, a misquote, or telling something as fact that is slightly to way off and have an almost uncontrollable urge to immediately correct them?  If so, you are not alone.  I am right there with you.  Yes, it may seem a little irritating, but if they are wrong and you are right that is all that matters in the end.  Some of my biggest pet peeves are as follows: 1. When you say the word realtor, please don’t add a vowel between the “l” and “t.” 2. It’s never “hisself,” it’s himself.  3. “Your” is the possessive form, “you’re” is the contraction of “you” and “are.” Please use the appropriate one when you write, text, etc.  4. Unless you specify that you are paraphrasing, don’t say you are quoting someone.  That means you are saying what they said verbatim, and it is even more irritating if you add to your paraphrase air quotes or say, “and I quote,” because you’re not (see I used the appropriate one).

Other than gramatical issues, I sometimes correct on trivia from movies, television, and music.  Please don’t mangle a quote or a factoid from a movie I love because I will call you on it.  Yes, this may make me the last person with whom you want to play Trivial Pursuit, but I am generally more concerned with being right than what you think, obviously.  Why would I want to hang around people who are always wrong anyway?  Geez!  (Just kidding.)  If you are like me, and are itching to comment on the error on this post, do so.  You can also like the blog, the page, etc.

Closet Narcissist

Being a narcissist means, in the simplest terms, that you are full of yourself.  It is the opposite of humble.  Deep down, most people are narcissistic. That’s why everyone has a Facebook and Twitter account or even a blog.  Yes, even I am full of…myself. You post your status because you believe that everyone is hanging on every word.  What is Random Friend on Facebook up to today? Well, she’ll tell you.  She is sick and tired of that boyfriend or is so head over heels in love with her boyfriend, depending on the day.  Of course some people will care, others try not to care, but get sucked into the emotional drama like a virtual soap opera.  Everyone believes they could be the next superstar, and, in this reality tv driven, everyone foaming at the mouth for the most outlandish, disgusting, or dysfunctional person they can watch 24/7 and silently pass judgement on (or truly wish they could be), could be. Talent has become less an absolute must-have on your resume to an interesting footnote (assuming it was there at all, which it wouldn’t have to be). Take the success of the Kardashians. (I could insert a lame joke there and say, Really, please take them, but I won’t.) What talent do they have? Looking good on camera? And…  …   … Nope that’s it, but they are A listers. What happened to the A list being designated for those celebrities that had actually accomplished something? That people admired for what they could do on-screen or with a guitar and a microphone. Those select few we all tried to be when we saw or heard them and it set a fire of desire in our hearts to make it big someday. The desire is still there, but the road to fame went from being a narrow and difficult path up a glorious mountain to an easy old dirt road that ends in a viral video on YouTube. But I digress. I don’t post this blog for a simple creative outlet.  I can write in a journal and keep it to myself.  I chose this public forum because, though I scorn others who try to take the quick road to fame, I secretly want it myself.  There are a few of you who are content just to live your life free of fame and notoriety, but the rest of us want it. Most will never come close (including me), but that doesn’t stop us from posting random and pointless comments on Facebook and Twitter (and on our blogs, which is the embodiment of our narcissism). We want people to notice, and more over think they should notice because we are special and more important, overall, than anyone else. So are you in the closet?  What are you hiding? We all hide something or somethings… Let it loose and embrace it!

Closet Nerd

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I am proud to be a geek. I am a die hard Harry Potter fan, and I love all things nerdy. My husband is what I would call a closet nerd. Secretly he loves Harry Potter, vampires, Firefly, and the like. I understand that being all macho is a standard for Southern men, well men in general, but I say nerd is the new cool. Just look at recent action movies. In Transformers, who is your lead? Is he a buff, muscles on top of muscles, Arnold Schwartzenegger wannabe? No. It’s Shia Lebeouf. He’s cute, but he is not what action heroes used to be. Spiderman is Tobey Maguire? Granted, Wolverine is built, but look at Hugh Jackman! Yes, he can play the prototypical action movie guy, but he also does Broadway. He sings, dances, and twirls about while hosting awards shows! Being a nerd is cool. Nathan Fillion is king of the nerds, but he is sexy, funny, and generally pretty awesome, too. Embrace your nerdiness! Let that freak flag fly! If you have not yet accepted that closeted side of yourself, let me make a few suggestions to get you on your way. First: watch Firefly, all 14 episodes, then watch Serenity or get in some quality Star Trek hours. Second: read Harry Potter. Yes, all 7 books, it won’t kill you, and you’ll appreciate the accomplishment or rent/buy the original Star Wars and watch in its entirety, then you won’t be able to wait to rush out and get all subsequent Star Wars episodes. Third: check out your local comic convention. You don’t have to dress up, but you know you want to! There is no shame in wearing tights! Superman did. That will be good for a start. If you have your own suggestions, comment here. That is all: live long and prosper. Na-noo, na-noo.

Movie of the day is The Lost Boys

The 80s offer a plethora of iconic movies, legendary roles, and cult classics. From this golden era of cinematic wonderment, I have selected The Lost Boys as the movie of the day. It was a vampire movie before the vampire craze, and in this case at least, everyone can act. You have an amazing cast with gems such as Corey Feldman, the late great Corey Haim, Jason Patric, Diane Wiest, Jami Gertz, and, of course, Kiefer Sutherland before he was Jack Bauer. This is what all other pop vampire movies should aspire to be (honorable mention to Interview with a Vampire and Underworld, as they do not fall in this genre, and are great movies in their own right). I watched this movies hundreds of times growing up, and I even named my first pet (a beautiful Persian cat) NaNook. I know every line, recall every glorious scene. Lines like, “If all the corpses buried around here were all to stand up at once, we’d have one he’ll of a population problem,” are priceless. The soundtrack is on a permanent playlist on my iPod. “Cry Little Sister” is one of my top 20 favorite songs. Of you haven’t seen it, I will summarize, but I’m big on not doing spoilers. So, here goes: A mom and her two teen sons move to a small town dubbed “Murder Capitol of the World.” big brother meets some unsavory types in pursuit of a pretty face, and finds he bit off a bit more than he can chew. Little brother meets a couple of strange brews in the local comic book store and they unravel the mystery of big brother’s strange behavior… Not even close to living up to it, but you have to watch it to revel in its full glory! Happy watching…

Movie of the day…

The Muppets get today’s spotlight. There are so many things I love about this movie. I would first like to thank Jason Segal for his work in getting this movie going. Bringing back the Muppets to the silver screen filled me with such nostalgia, and made me miss Jim Henson desperately. It also inspired a new generation of Muppet fans, my children included. It seems that in a world where the bulk of movies (even supposed family movies) are either so corny and cheaply done that hardly any benefit can come from wasting 90 minutes suffering through them or so cynical that they shouldn’t be marketed to kids. The Muppets movie was neither. It was funny, heartfelt, and appealed to adults as well as children. The songs were quirky and typical of the classic Muppets. Both Muppet and human characters in the film blended so well, you forgot which one actually had a hand up their hind parts…. I adore this film, and will be purchasing the Blu-ray as soon as it is available. Well done. I give it a solid A.

Movie of the day…

Of course, today’s movie has to be of a Christmas theme… It is Love Actually… This film is much more than your prototypical romcom… It is a skillful weaving of stories, some hopeful, some heartbreaking. In addition to beautiful script, it was brilliantly cast. Standout performances go to Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson, and Bill Nighy. Yes, I am a sucker for British comedies in general, but this one will have you laughing, crying, and laughing again. I truly adore it. Please rent, buy, watch it however you can… Even if it’s after Christmas…