Bianca Jagger Had Very Bad Breath

(This is an excerpt from a working biography titled "Still Breathing, Still Pouring" which I am working on with legendary bartender, Studio 54 groupie, and label whore Sal Defalco. This is all told from his real life perspective and please note it is a ROUGH DRAFT.)

Studio 54 was already famous throughout New York and the Tri-state area after their April 26, 1977 opening. It only took the disco a week to become world famous.

Even though I wasn't working there yet, every drip of gossip that came out of that place passed through my ears. My "date" for the Grand Opening, a very recognizable face from a very "fruity" and wealthy family in the New York area, rang me up to tell me about the next fiasco to come out of there.

May 2nd was Bianca Jagger's birthday. She was the epitome of a New York socialite, married to a rock star, fundraiser, charity organizer, jet-setter, party-goer. You get the picture. There was only one place spectacular enough for her to have her party at and only one person she would let design it. Studio 54 and Halston, of course.

Stevie didn't want to have the party on a Monday night. "Who the hell is gonna come out on a Monday night?" But then again, Steve Rubell did even more outlandish things and they still managed to turn to gold. This, my friends, is how we ended up with Bianca Jagger being lead through the doorways of Studio 54 on a white horse.

Entry Level - 2 yrs Exp. Required (F#$% My Life!)

Lost my job last week. Sucks, I know. I had just caught up when this happened so it feels like I am right back where I started. Losing your job can make you feel like you are losing your independence. It can make you feel worthless and devalue you as a person.

I am glad I started school two years ago. School is one of the things that has kept me moving forward over the last few years. Thank God for the stimulus and the fact that I was able to get Pell Grants to help me through Broward College debt-free.

Once I finish this semester, I will have my AA. An AA is about as useless as a high school diploma, so I am still focused on completing my Bachelor's and Master's in Computer Science (hopefully at Nova Southeastern University).

Even if I finish school though, what chance is there that I will ever find a job in my field? My sister has everything a corporation could want. She is detail-oriented, project-driven, geared for success -and- flexible. To top it off, she doesn't even drink AND has good credit!

She has her AA in Accounting. She has eight years of experience; it just happens not to be in Accounting. So, she invests all of this time and energy into learning how to become an accountant, but to get a job she has to have experience being an accountant.

How in the hell does one break into the industry if they have to have experience before they can? This gives me absolutely no confidence that I will ever be able to find the right job and makes me fearful that after I get my Bachelor's, I might end up still being a bartender.

Watch Out Republicans.. Here Comes Isaac!

So.. as a native Floridian, I was sick to my stomach that I found out the RNC convention is going to be held in Tampa. With the 2000 elections, Rick Scott, Allen West, and losing Alan Greyspan, this was just the icing on the cake to make my state look completely and utterly dysfunctional.

This isn't to say that I dislike all Republicans; just most. I felt Jeb Bush did a good job as Governor. I really supported his stance on education. While I disagreed with his FCAT policy, he did succeed in creating some amazing charter schools. His policy on preventing federal drilling for oil off the coast and protecting the Everglades made me proud to be a Floridian.

I voted for Charlie Crist for Senate. For the first time in my life, I was torn between voting for someone other than the Democrat on the ticket. However, I felt Crist could accomplish more and would stand up for gay rights in the state.

But the rest of the Republican slime in the state? Allen West is so disliked in Florida, his own state party redrew him out of his district so he would lose. And Rick Scott.. the Defrauder-in-Chief now boasts the title of Governor of the largest Medicare recipient state. And to top it off, since he has been Governor, 126 Florida Panthers have died because of his deregulation of the Everglades to create a highway interchange to nowhere.

Ivy League schooling.. for FREE?!!?!

So... My sister just called me and told me about something she had heard online in a TED talk by Daphne Koller. She said that there was a website out there that was a collaboration of Ivy League schools that partnered together to offer free (Yes, you heard me right.. free) online classes ranging from biology and mathematics, to computer science and business.

The school is called Coursera ( www.coursera.com ). I went through the listings and found classes ranging from Game Design to Computational Nueroscience to Fantasy and Science Fiction. I went through the list, wanting to pick out tons of different classes, but I stuck with just one. I chose to enroll in the Game Theory course. I would also have picked the Science Fiction an Fantasy course, but I am already enrolled full-time at Broward College and I did not want to over extend myself.

I hope this ends up being as good as it sounds. The class syllabuses looked very thorough and the website itself looks amazing. The Game Theory class only requires about five hours a week of work so hopefully it won't interfere to much with my school.

Anyways, wish me luck!

Twilight vs The Hunger Games: What They Say About Us

I am sure that I am not the first and definitely won't be the last to compare these two movies. When I saw these two films, I was struck by the fact that they targeted the same audience to try and convey many of the same themes but managed to affect people in hugely different ways.

With the Twilight Saga, you have a story that revolves around a young woman who can't make up her mind about who she loves, has no idea who she is and couldn't know less about what she wants.

The Hunger Games Movie The District 12 Strategy Game (Google Affiliate Ad)

With the Hunger Games, you have a story that revolves around a young woman who always puts her family above herself, who puts the needs of others above her own and will fight to the death for what she believes is right.. and is willing to kill herself before doing what she thinks is wrong.

Why are these two movies so often compared by the media and reviewers? I think it is more than the fact that they are both aimed at a teen (read: teeny-bopper) audience. The stories really are similar to one another. Both feature a female lead, a love triangle, unnatural situations and exploring the ego. Where they genuinely differ is in how the characters react to the situations and what they are willing to do for what they think is right.

In my opinion, Twilight is everything that is wrong with modern American society. Bella has everything handed to her on a silver platter. She has two men who love her and two worlds ready to take her in as their own. And what does she do? She tries her best to have the best of both worlds so she does not have to make the hard decisions that we all must make. It is unfair to create a generation of people who think that it is OK to pussyfoot around issues like this.

On top of that, whoever heard of glittering vampires who go to high school? I mean, vampires in the daylight are one thing, but vampires that glitter are something else entirely.

Halloween Hunger Games Movie Jacket Costume (Google Affiliate Ad)

However, watching the Hunger Games was an entirely different experience for me. There were a number of scenes that actually made my heart race and disturbed me. At the start of the race, when many of the first contestants died running towards the Cornucopia, I hand my hand over my mouth. And the scene where she is forced to drop a hive of trackerjackers on the children below her (or die) that results in the death of one of the other tributes was also extremely disturbing.

I think the real difference in this movie is about the motivations of the characters and the choices they make. While Bella can afford to be an emotional teen, Katniss never had that chance. While Bella can afford to lead two men on (when she already knows who she will choose), Katniss definitely never, ever had that chance.

I think it is great that we, as a society, as Americans, have the freedom to make the choices we want. But with that freedom comes the responsibility to commit to our choices. It is not fair to have a 'backup', in case something happens to the person you love. It is not fair to always put your own emotions and desires before everyone else, especially your closest friends and family.

I think that is why I connected so much with Katniss and the Hunger Games. Despite all of the pomp and foppishness of the people who live in the Capitol, Katniss' world is hard and unforgiving. So too is our own. While Bella was willing to die to gain immortality for herself, Katniss was willing to die for her family and her friends.

In the end, I think that Twilight is everything that is wrong with America and the Hunger Games is everything that is great about this country. I think having the values of committing to what the world has given you and fighting for your own destiny are amazing ideals we should all relish. Being willing to give up everything for what you know to be right is something that to many in this world do not have the strength to do.

Halloween Hunger Games Movie Prop District 12 Training Shirt Costume (Google Affiliate Ad)