July 14, 2008

Iraq is not -- and has never been -- the central front in the war on terrorism.

But will moving too quickly, in early 2009, to withdrawl troops from Iraq, turn the nation into a Zimbabwe of sorts?

Sure, whoever's in charge is no Mugabe. But when one dictator (in this case, Sadaam Hussein) falls, another is sure to come along. Not immediately, but eventually. Always.

Barack Obama's op-ed, which ran in the New York Times today, intrigued me. I must admit, since Hillary Clinton dropped out of the presidential race, I've harbored a bit of resentment toward Mr. Obama and his supporters. Charmed by his message of "change" and/or good looks, these fans/Obama girls annoy me. Aren't they thinking about practical issues like, oh, how much fixing the economy will actually cost? What about the fact that the rockstar Democrat has yet to take a stance on Mexican immigration policies?

Also, who isn't tired of Hillary being juxtaposed against Bill?

Now, things are more complicated. At least in terms of who is best for our country, and who will deliver on his promises -- and in turn, lead the most effectively.

This piece offers a bit of hope: On Day 1, Obama says he'll work with the Iraqi prime minister to actually sketch out a tangible plan to get our men and women off the front lines. And with a body count of 4,000, a vote for Obama seems to be the best way of saying "The situation is dire and we need to take action now."

Does this mean I've made my decision? No. I still kinda like some things about John McCain. But at least I can say that my decision may not entirely be based on my resentment of Obama fans and Hillary foes, picking on a strong role model of a woman -- the woman who should've been president.

July 7, 2008

Hey kids! Come out for Marisa Mini’s New York Warm-up Weekend!!

FRIDAY JULY 11
HANKS SALOON
46 Third Avenue
(at Atlantic Ave.)
Brooklyn, N.Y.
www.hankssaloon.com

This Friday night, we’re hosting our second Brooklyn Guitar School Student/Teacher Showcase!!
Hear teachers Marisa, Michelangelo, Shane, Kyle & Woody (with full bands) plus aspiring guitar virtuosos in a rowdy, awesome dive bar for FREE! Show starts at 8 p.m. and goes till midnight!!

Directions: Take the 4/5/6/N/Q/R to Atlantic Ave./Pacific Street in Brooklyn. Exit at Pacific Street/4th Avenue and walk a block.

---
SATURDAY JULY 12
THE_UNDERSCORE
1733 1st Avenue
(between 89th & 90th, below Bar East), (212) 876-0203
$10 admission - 21+ w/ID **
www.theunderscore.com

Bands Performing:
7pm Marisa Mini (myspace.com/marisamini)
8pm Portraits of Murder (myspace.com/portraitsofmurder)
9pm Har Ik Zehr (myspace.com/harikzehrmusic)
10pm Suspyre (myspace.com/suspyre)
11pm RIA ALLECIN
12am Junta (myspace.com/junta)

** E-mail me for a $2-off coupon!

Directions: Take the 4/5/6 to 86th St. then walk to 1st avenue, take a left and it's on the west side of the street.

June 29, 2008

Holy, moly, it's been a long time since I blogged on this site (as my pal Patrick reminded me yesterday, upon sending me this link to a posting about the new waterfall under the Brooklyn Bridge).

So much has happened. Make Music New York kicked butt, Fuse TV hasn't called me for another round (though I made two callbacks, woohoo!) and I'm up to my neck in work. Still, summer is as great as it's supposed to be.

The 18-year-old twins Max and Will, who work at Canteen, a deli-takeout place right across the street from the Brooklyn Guitar School, are SCANDALOUSLY HOT!! Omigod. These men could be Abercrombie & Fitch models, with their blond hair and blue eyes. I became very aware of my age, basking in the presence of Will (the one with the buzz cut), the goofier of the two. They love nu metal (what the heck is that, anyway?), I've heard.

Then last night, at a party at the apartment complex next to mine -- in lovely Lefferts Park -- I met Billy from Biohazard! The conversation started out innocently enough: It was hotter than a Bikram studio in the middle of July at this dress-up champagne-and-sushi b-day party for Lola, the neighbor I met three days earlier. We went to the kitchen to milk the air conditioning, and someone mentioned that the guy with the blond hair standing next to me (big biceps, a sleeve of tattoos and a certain kinda rockstar look I know and love) had a band. I used this tipoff to start a conversation: "Oh, I'm a guitar teacher and in a band, too! What's your band?" As soon as he said Biohazard (and I realized that this Billy was the Billy of Biohazard, my jaw dropped. BIOHAZARD?!!!

From there, I waxed on and on about how great that song "Wrong Side of the Tracks" is, and how my 17-year-old, hardcore-show-loving self adored them back in the day. Then, I told him about my friend Michele (of Loki the Grump) and our plan to start an all-girl NYC/DC hardcore cover band!! Billy was way, way into that idea.

He has a new band, but the name escapes me. What's more interesting: My date, a young, sweet, mid-20s former frat boy with a killer sense of humor but absolutely no knowledge of the punk music scene/NYC hardcore, admitted to a "man crush" on Billy. ;) And I certainly can't blame him!

June 12, 2008

Need a little summer lovin' ?? Come out and hear us rock!

Thanks for supporting GRGR!

June 11, 2008

Are we in a recession?

It's hard to believe if you don't have to pay $4-a-gallon gas prices. But what does that amount to? $60 a tank? An extra $240 a month? Yes, it is a whopper! Certainly not worth violence, however.

And yet another reason I'm glad I live in New York.

Mom came to visit yesterday and we saw Sex and the City. It was like one great, big episode of the awesome-ist series ever, and I'm pretty happy about the ending. Though putting a bird in one's hair as an accessory? Haven't quite launched onto that one!

I give it a 2.5-star rating. And of course, who doesn't love the lovely Jennifer Hudson?

June 2, 2008

I have some hot new head shots (okay, they're more like hot body shots) thanks to the talents of photographer Jenn Becker. Check out my fave one on my Myspace page. xoxox!

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