One of my current favorite songs is “Voodoo Lady” by Ween.
I really, really love this song. It is weird, catchy, and stays in my head for about a day after I listen to it. Because I’m writing this review, I’ll probably be humming this until Friday. But that’s ok.
“Voodoo Lady” opens with this great percussion. The kind of thing you would imagine going on in the background of a tribal dance. It sets the tone for the whole song and makes it really easy, and fun, to move your body to. And then there’s a deep voice repeating “Boogie, Boogie, Boogie, Boogie”. This is a little goofy at first, but it is mostly just awesome and fun to sing with. Then a guitar comes in. It is a simple enough lick, and it just repeats itself, but the melody of it is really catchy and adds to the energetic feel of the song.
Then a goofy voice comes in, telling about a “Voodoo Lady” who “drive[s] [him] crazy with that boogie, oogie, oogie, oogie, oogie, oogie, oogie, oogie”. The lyrics and sound of the singer’s voice make it even more weird, but also great. The stylized way that he sings in makes it super fun to sing along. And the lyrics mainly repeat themselves, so it’s easy to do, too.
Dispersed in the song are a really sweet guitar solo and a strange few seconds of…well I don’t really know what. A very weird, I suppose synth solo? You have to hear it to understand it I think. This is my least favorite part of the song, however it really fits with the unique style of the tune. But soon enough the guitar comes back in, and you finish the song singing the repeated “boogie, boogie”.
Overall, it’s a really fun song. Upsettingly, a lot of the other stuff I’ve heard by Ween is…not the same as “Voodoo Lady”. Experimental, I guess you’d have to say. But I don’t really care. I’ll have a great time with this song any day of the week.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
This has GOT to mean something
A lot of things in my life seem too good to be true. I have to believe that they must mean something.
For instance, my best friend was the first friend I ever made at Whitney Young. That has to mean something, right? I was a shy incoming 7th grader from a suburban religious school and she was a weird (but excellent) incoming 7th grader from a Chicago public school. But she had really cool, black and blue striped socks, and I told her so. She said thanks. I’d like to say that we’ve been friends ever since, but that’s not necessarily true. In the past, we went through dips in our relationship where we seemed to fall to just acquaintances. But we’re so similar, even if we wanted to, we couldn’t stop being best friends. If you read this, know that you my girl.
And yeah, I have to get sappy about my boo, Zack. Our birthdays are a day apart! December 17th and 18th. AND his brother’s and his girlfriend’s are a day apart too, on our HALF-birthdays, June 17th and 18th, with the brothers’ on the 17th and the girlfriends’ on 18th. Weird, right? That has to mean something. The first real conversation we ever had was two Decembers ago. My best friend (see paragraph above) made me a heart shaped, chocolate cake with rainbow sprinkles the day before my birthday. Needless to say, it looked delicious. He approached me from the back of the class room. I, thinking he was nice and a cutie patootie, offered him a piece of cake. He said thank you, and that it was the first birthday cake he had had all day. He stared at him awkwardly. He informed me that it was his birthday. I freaked out. And with good reason. What a strange coincidence…or something with some meaning.
And furthermore, it’s gotta mean something that these two people get along exceedingly well with each other. But who knows. It could all just be a really cute coincidence.
For instance, my best friend was the first friend I ever made at Whitney Young. That has to mean something, right? I was a shy incoming 7th grader from a suburban religious school and she was a weird (but excellent) incoming 7th grader from a Chicago public school. But she had really cool, black and blue striped socks, and I told her so. She said thanks. I’d like to say that we’ve been friends ever since, but that’s not necessarily true. In the past, we went through dips in our relationship where we seemed to fall to just acquaintances. But we’re so similar, even if we wanted to, we couldn’t stop being best friends. If you read this, know that you my girl.
And yeah, I have to get sappy about my boo, Zack. Our birthdays are a day apart! December 17th and 18th. AND his brother’s and his girlfriend’s are a day apart too, on our HALF-birthdays, June 17th and 18th, with the brothers’ on the 17th and the girlfriends’ on 18th. Weird, right? That has to mean something. The first real conversation we ever had was two Decembers ago. My best friend (see paragraph above) made me a heart shaped, chocolate cake with rainbow sprinkles the day before my birthday. Needless to say, it looked delicious. He approached me from the back of the class room. I, thinking he was nice and a cutie patootie, offered him a piece of cake. He said thank you, and that it was the first birthday cake he had had all day. He stared at him awkwardly. He informed me that it was his birthday. I freaked out. And with good reason. What a strange coincidence…or something with some meaning.
And furthermore, it’s gotta mean something that these two people get along exceedingly well with each other. But who knows. It could all just be a really cute coincidence.
Ultimate Recipe - Chicken and Seafood Jambalaya
My dad makes this every year on New Year’s Day. Super delicious.
Seasonings:
Bay Leaves, salt, ground red pepper, dried oregano leaves, white pepper, black pepper, dried thyme leaves
Meats:
Ham, Smoked Sausage, Chicken, Shrimp
Veggies:
Chopped onions, chopped celery, chopped green bell peppers, garlic, chopped tomatoes, shopped green onions, canned tomato sauce
Plus seafood stock and rice.
Combine Seasonings. Sauté ham and sausage. Add onions, celery, bell peppers. Sauté, then add chicken. Raise heat, reduce heat. Add seasonings and garlic. Cook. Add tomatoes, then tomato sauce. Stir in stock and bring to a boil. Stir in green onions and cook. Add rice and shrimp. Stir well. Remove from heat. Transfer to pan. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350° until rice is tender, but still a bit crunchy. Remove bay leaves and serve immediately.
So good.
Seasonings:
Bay Leaves, salt, ground red pepper, dried oregano leaves, white pepper, black pepper, dried thyme leaves
Meats:
Ham, Smoked Sausage, Chicken, Shrimp
Veggies:
Chopped onions, chopped celery, chopped green bell peppers, garlic, chopped tomatoes, shopped green onions, canned tomato sauce
Plus seafood stock and rice.
Combine Seasonings. Sauté ham and sausage. Add onions, celery, bell peppers. Sauté, then add chicken. Raise heat, reduce heat. Add seasonings and garlic. Cook. Add tomatoes, then tomato sauce. Stir in stock and bring to a boil. Stir in green onions and cook. Add rice and shrimp. Stir well. Remove from heat. Transfer to pan. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350° until rice is tender, but still a bit crunchy. Remove bay leaves and serve immediately.
So good.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Winter Poem
This is the last straw.
For years
children have infected my ear drums
yelling and asking questions and complaining
but this.
America,
you have gone too far.
Encouraging little devils to ring my doorbell
and yell to me what they've deemed songs.
Carolers assaulting my doorstep
waging warfare with off-key and
amelodic stories.
This is unconstitutional.
You say I have the right to pursue happiness
but how can I when 4 foot monsters
shake their mitten-ed paws at me
and demand me to listen.
This is it.
I'm staging a rebellion.
Children
Beware.
I am your Wicked Witch of the West side and this time
I have your red shoes.
Children
Be prepared.
Someone's coming to town
but it ain't Santa.
For years
children have infected my ear drums
yelling and asking questions and complaining
but this.
America,
you have gone too far.
Encouraging little devils to ring my doorbell
and yell to me what they've deemed songs.
Carolers assaulting my doorstep
waging warfare with off-key and
amelodic stories.
This is unconstitutional.
You say I have the right to pursue happiness
but how can I when 4 foot monsters
shake their mitten-ed paws at me
and demand me to listen.
This is it.
I'm staging a rebellion.
Children
Beware.
I am your Wicked Witch of the West side and this time
I have your red shoes.
Children
Be prepared.
Someone's coming to town
but it ain't Santa.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Amarit Thai
Amarit Thai is a nice sit-down Thai place. It was very neat, clean, and almost empty at 3 p.m. It was pretty quiet, except for the pop music (“All I Wanna Do” by Sheryl Crow was a high light) playing through the speakers. The table’s had vibrant green plants around them, which definitely brightened our dining experience. The service was great. The staff was very attentive, refilling our water glasses often. They cracked a few jokes with us, but did not go out of their way to do so, adding to the chill environment of the place.
I ordered the Fresh Spring Rolls. They were delicious. Maybe not the best Spring Rolls I’ve ever had, but they were quite good. They were a medley of fried tofu, carrots, and other delicious vegetables wrapped in rice paper, topped with a tangy sauce, carrots, bean sprouts and red peppers. The flavors all blended very well together, especially after I started distributing the toppings onto each bite. There was also a nice contrast of temperature in the rolls, the warm fried tofu complimenting the chilled vegetables. There was also a nice variety of texture in the dish, from the crisp rice paper, to the crunchy vegetables, to the softer tofu. I would have preferred it with less sauce, but it was still a great overall dish.
I’m not sure if I would go to Amarit Thai again. The environment and food were good, but not fabulous. I think if I was every in the neighborhood hungry for Thai, Amarit’s would be the place to go, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to return.
I ordered the Fresh Spring Rolls. They were delicious. Maybe not the best Spring Rolls I’ve ever had, but they were quite good. They were a medley of fried tofu, carrots, and other delicious vegetables wrapped in rice paper, topped with a tangy sauce, carrots, bean sprouts and red peppers. The flavors all blended very well together, especially after I started distributing the toppings onto each bite. There was also a nice contrast of temperature in the rolls, the warm fried tofu complimenting the chilled vegetables. There was also a nice variety of texture in the dish, from the crisp rice paper, to the crunchy vegetables, to the softer tofu. I would have preferred it with less sauce, but it was still a great overall dish.
I’m not sure if I would go to Amarit Thai again. The environment and food were good, but not fabulous. I think if I was every in the neighborhood hungry for Thai, Amarit’s would be the place to go, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to return.
Friday, January 14, 2011
King = King?
I’m honestly still undecided about this issue. On the one hand, I’m glad we still acknowledge Dr. King every year. I think that the day doesn’t only symbolize a unity between blacks, but between all Americans. Even though many of us didn’t think about Dr. King last Monday, I still believe it’s important for us to take a day off. It’s unusual for students to get a random Monday off, and I think the extent of the holiday helps it make an impact.
However, I think that it’s about time for us to start learning about and paying tribute to other people who have contributed to human rights. All I ever knew about W. E. B. Dubois was a short description of him I needed to know for an APUSH quiz last year, which I have since forgotten. I would know nothing about Harvey Milk if Sean Penn hadn’t starred in a movie about him. And even with a Hollywood movie, how many still don’t know about him?
I think that it’s time for us to start learning about the people who sacrificed so much to help the world we live in. Of course this is necessary for Black History, but I think it is only fair for us to extend our knowledge to people who have fought for Womens’, Gay, Latino, Irish, Workers’, American Rights.
However, I think that it’s about time for us to start learning about and paying tribute to other people who have contributed to human rights. All I ever knew about W. E. B. Dubois was a short description of him I needed to know for an APUSH quiz last year, which I have since forgotten. I would know nothing about Harvey Milk if Sean Penn hadn’t starred in a movie about him. And even with a Hollywood movie, how many still don’t know about him?
I think that it’s time for us to start learning about the people who sacrificed so much to help the world we live in. Of course this is necessary for Black History, but I think it is only fair for us to extend our knowledge to people who have fought for Womens’, Gay, Latino, Irish, Workers’, American Rights.
Friday, January 7, 2011
If I Only Were a Shoe
After a lot of discussion and back and forth between my friends this morning, we finally decided what shoes we would be, if we were to become shoes. My friend Kiera would be a suede work boot. My friend Tika would be an intricate, yet comfortable, hippie sandal. And me? It was obvious.
If I were a shoe, I would be a fuzzy slipper.
Besides the obvious reasons (my fluffy hair and the fact that my skin tends to feel like rabbit’s fur), I think I have many of the qualities of a fuzzy slipper. Sometimes I look really goofy, but the people who like me prefer that I look goofy. Have you ever met a true slipper lover who doesn’t prefer a luscious bunny to a plain red shoe? Of course not, it’s unheard of. Also, I really like to be comfortable. My favorite part of the day, especially in these winter months, is going home, taking my shoes off, and wrapping myself in a snuggly blanket. Maybe this isn’t the most exciting thing in the world, but I’m not claiming I’m a stiletto, am I? No. Although plain, this is purely fuzzy slipper behavior. And as my friend Kiera insists, I make the people I care about feel warm and comfortable too. “Fuzzy slippers make me feel cozy, and you make me feel loved”, says Kiera, ’10. How precious. My other friend, Tika, adds that although I would be quite soft and snuggly as a shoe, I would have a rubber sole. “ ‘Cause you have a backbone”, she says. Aw. I’ve never heard something that cute.
So, I think it’s pretty undeniable now that if I were ever reincarnated as a form of footwear, I would look a little something like the image attached to this post.
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