Wedded Miss - Iowa update

Judge Robert Hanson wussed out and granted a stay on his ruling regarding same-sex marriage. Only one couple managed to get a license before they stopped being issued.

I'd like to know what heterosexual couples have done to make marriage so sacred. Look at any five minute marriage in Hollywood (or anywhere) and tell me why preserving the sanctity equals making this club exclusive for one man/one woman. I think if people are so hell bent on DOMA then they need to outlaw divorce, too. I mean, if marriage is such a precious thing... But that's just it, isn't it? Marriage is valuable and that is why it should be available to everyone. Like all rights. That we're even having this debate is BS. People need to stop being such scaredy cats and get a freaking life.

Yes, I just said scaredy cats.

ps. Mitch McConnell can kiss my not insignificant behind. Unforgivable? Really Mitch? Should we talk about Iraq? And I thought Bunning was bad...

Friday Fashion Edition

Good morning, afternoon, evening, fine readers...

Today we delve rather superficially into pop culture and fashion. Sure to be a fascinating ride :smirk: so let's get moving.

Sports
The US Open is underway and tennis actually seems to be taking a back seat to the fashionable stylings of Maria Shriekapova (I mean Sharapova) and Roger Federer. Showing off the finest in Nike couture, Sharapova's little red dress was so exciting to her that she cut her warm up short just so she could put it on! To quote, "When you feel good about what you're wearing and you feel good about putting it on, yeah, you know what it's like. Put on a nice outfit and some makeup and you're the bomb." Indeed.

As for Federer, one could question the wisdom of patent leather and men not to mention patent leather and men and tennis but the Fed pulls it off somehow and as for his $800 haircut... well worth the money, I say! He definitely looks twice as good as John Edwards.

Rafael Nadal's hemlines have been rising with each passing slam and frankly, though I am not sorry to see more leg, I'm a bit sad to see the capri pants go. Maybe they're too constricting with the knee injury.

As for who's winning... All the usual suspects but I was bummed to see Baghdatis lose so early to Mirnyi. At least Henman made it past the opening round. Announcing his retirement seems to have lifted a weight from his shoulders so I say freedom is the best fashion! Of course, by the time you read this he may be out.

Film
Last night I was unfortunate enough to see Becoming Jane. This movie was bad in every way and it didn't help that the volume was so low I could hear the air conditioner at the movie theater over the film. The acting was dreadful, the story dull, and the directing deplorable. This is one of the worst movies I've seen in a while and I watch some pretty crappy movies. That I even titled this section "film" is a bit of an insult to the word.

I wonder if the director hated Anne Hathaway as she was so poorly lit she looked like Casper and often appeared to have a poodle on her head, but perhaps he was just angry at her abominable accent. I keep waiting for Hathaway to break out and be the next Julia Roberts but she won't if she keeps doing junk like this (and Havoc). I think The Devil Wears Prada was meant to do it for her. Too bad she was completely eclipsed by Streep and Blunt.

But this is supposed to be the fashion edition so let me just say - why don't those fabulous designs of the early 1800s make a return? Everything else comes back (much to my dismay). Those empire waist dresses hide a multitude of sins without being too tentish. I know we've been swinging on the trapeze for the last few seasons and the backlash has begun, which is fine because have you noticed how those super a-line swingy things actually only look good on really thin girls? Any bit of girth only serves to make them MORE voluminous. Not good.

Anyway, back to Becoming Jane... though Austen had some very attractive attire, one can only hope that she was not this horribly insipid in real life. Thank God she's dead and doesn't have to witness what they've done to her.

TV
It has come to my attention that nearly every one of my intelligent girlfriends watches America's Next Top Model. I will save my reality TV discussion for another post but... Wow. What am I missing? Someone, please enlighten me! Tyra Banks makes me green (with nausea, not envy) so I've avoided this show like the plague.

What I will not be avoiding is Tim Gunn's Guide to Style. I can't wait to see Master Gunn work his magic with real people instead of whiny wannabe fashion designers. He makes me wish I was a gay man so I could marry him. And speaking of gay marriage...

News
Don't you love how I put the actual news last as if somehow what's really going on in our world is less important? Let's just say, "last but not least."

This might lose me some readers but I am a big advocate for gay marriage rights (to the extent that we went to Massachusetts to get legally married because we wanted a license from a state that a) allowed same-sex marriage and b) (obviously) did not have a constitutional ban against it). So, it definitely made my evening to read that a Polk county, Iowa judge struck down their ban and ruled in favor of same sex marriage. This could all be overturned on appeal but I say bless his little activist judge heart! It really irks me that the Evangelical Right would have no problems using the court to overturn gay rights and Roe v Wade but cry foul when they rule like this. But that's another post entirely. When will I ever get to these things, I wonder!

Also, speaking of all things gay... Senator Larry Craig might resign today. This is a shame. How come Republican senators can have affairs and see hookers and that's ok but God forbid they be gay? We all know the answer to this but urgh... I know we are all hypocritical to some extent but really, these so-called Christians take the cake. And when did tapping your foot become the international sign for bathroom sex? Clearly I missed something.

Okay... before this post becomes something akin to War and Peace (only less entertaining), I bid you adieu. Happy Friday, good people.

Sartorially yours,
Ms. P

ps. Yes, I posted another picture of the bean and no, it has nothing to do with fashion. Or does it?!

Double Your Flavor...

I've been encouraged to post often and since I actually wrote the last post a few days ago, here you go.

Noteworthy (in my mind) events of the last week:

Michael Vick on trial. I wish people would understand that it's not about race and ultimately it may not even be so much about dogfighting considering I don't remember there being this kind of fuss when Floyd Boudreaux got busted. I think what people are reacting to - ok, I think what I'm reacting to is the cruelty in terms of how he killed the dogs who weren't winning. I'm sorry but strangling and drowning man's best friend just because he didn't perform well is some kind of messed up that I can't even contemplate. I think it says that Michael Vick is a bit of a sociopath. I won't start going on about athletes and celebrities and pedestals and such... yet. Anyway, I just loved that cartoon. Snoopy looks po'ed.

Miss South Carolina really wants to help those Asian countries, such as. I can't believe I was actually watching this as it happened. We had to rewind and watch it again. If all beauty pageants are this entertaining I should go back to watching them. Then again, maybe not.

Then there was this "unfortunate situation". Who's to blame here? Ignorant Americans or an Administration that routinely uses fear to keep us in line? Or both?

All I have to say is... Konichiwa!

(I'm Korean and that is a whole other story entirely.)

Chattily yours,
Ms. P

ps. the picture is one I took of Cloud Gate at Millennium Park in Chicago. You can keep up with my other photos (if you like) at flickr.

Hello Louisville!

I'm pretending I hear a crowd roaring back at me although I know that what I've probably got right now is my husband and a few friends wondering what the heck I'm doing blogging for all of Kentucky.

I did not expect to start the afternoon taking a hundred crappy pictures to get one semi-decent headshot. I am allergic to photographs of myself so it took a while. Also, shooting into a mirror isn't as easy as I thought it would be. I am now the proud owner of 57 shots of half my head and yes, I think I look like a jerk in this picture but they wouldn't let me wear a bunny mask.

What will make this Velocity blog worth reading? Well, I shall dare to impart all I know about Bret Michaels' dating show Rock of Love among other things. I would have written a grand synopsis of So You Think You Can Dance but lucky for you that show ended last week. I'm never so arrogant to think that anyone cares about what I'm watching, reading or what I ate for breakfast but I am opinionated and am overly fond of talking in a vacuum. People who know me will attest to the fact that they very rarely speak to me on the phone and that I love electronic communication. It would be easy to blame it on living in Crestwood but it's more that Crestwood provides an excellent excuse to hermit it up!

I moved to Kentucky three and a half years ago from Los Angeles and I'm hoping to use this platform to find out what Louisvillians think. It's definitely been a bit of a culture shock but at least growing up in Texas I had a bit of an idea of what I was in for. Kentucky pride runs rampant, though, and I'm interested to know what it's about. What am I missing out here in my Oldham County (the original OC! I was going to make t-shirts but then the show got canceled) oasis? This inquiring mind wants to know!

To wrap up, here are some quick useless facts and opinions:

Last three movies I saw: Superbad (Super uneven but super funny!), Stardust (Tristan is dreamy and DeNiro is a credit to transvestites everywhere!), Transformers (not quite more than meets the eye but I heart Bumblebee!)

Last three books I read (here is where I lie to look smarter): Stumbling on Happiness (Not quite finished but it's nice to know that happiness isn't real, it's just your brain messing with you), The Sugar Busters Diet (Did you know sugar is in almost everything? I just ate some Junior Mints so obviously the diet isn't going very well) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Yes, I cried, but I won't spoil it for you).

Last three new(ish) songs I heard and didn't hate: "Fake Empire" by The National (Nick Cave with a hint of The Cure), "No Cars Go" by The Arcade Fire (is it embarrassing to not be cool and like them?) and, yes it's true, I really loved the theme song to the now canceled (and I'm quite sad about this) Hidden Palms. The song is called "Blind" and it's by the terribly named band Mega Bass.

Last three shows I watched on the DVR: Burn Notice (even though Gabrielle Anwar got kind of scary. Bruce Campbell rules!), Damages (even though Glenn Close got kind of scary. She still rules!) and (the aforementioned) Rock of Love (even though everyone on it is totally scary. Sleaze cheese rules!)

And what about you? What makes your pop culture heart swoon? I'm keeping it light for now but believe you me I will start griping about politics and the state of the world soon.

Next up: A comprehensive list of all the TV shows I am currently watching along with a thousand word essay on each describing why. Okay, not really, but I will share more television g(l)ory.

Parenthetically yours,
Ms. Park