design geekery

MSNBC Reporter SLAMS NYC Police Brutality! • Occupy Wall Street (by TheSecretStore) 

(Warning disturbing video)

That moment when you realize the guy in 300 who made you want to go and live at the gym for the rest of your life is also Magneto.

10 Awesomely Bad Movies

We all know them, those movies that everyone and probably a good portion of their mothers think they are bad. But a part of us thinks, hmmm yeah wasn’t the best movie ever but I still enjoyed it. Now here is my top list of movies, which I’m willing to admit are bad but still enjoyed. Such as Cannibal the Musical. Yes there is such a movie and if you haven’t seen it I suggest you do so, it’s a troma film so beware. The movie in itself is bad, but the music is downright genius.

The Stepford Wives
Why do I love this movie? Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick, Bette Midler, Glenn Close, and the one and only Christopher Walken. I do have to say that this probably the first movie that I’ve seen of Glenn Close where she didn’t look like a crazed mad woman ready to chop off my head or cook my rabbits.

Starship Troopers
A movie I highly enjoyed, it had action, drama, sadness, anger, sex, war, rage, battle cries, aliens, space ships, big bugs, blood, gore, explosions… but no car chase (hmmm might rethink this movie). Plus the irony of seeing bugs rip people apart.

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
This movie is so pretty, I mean in every aspect. It has Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Giovanni Ribisi and Angelina Jolie and a butt load of eye candy visual effects. If you watch it on mute It could possibly be the best movie ever created.

Mannequin
Probably still one of my favorite romantic comedy. The story is so improbable that it’s funny. It’s also a bit odd. What made this movie for me was of course the over the top soundtrack and Hollywood Montrose the most flamboyantly gay character conceived for film. Then there is that awesome closing song “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” by Starship (which got the movie an Oscar nod for Best Original Song). Then there is the fun window displays that the two (Emma and Jonathan) kept making (seriously every time I pass a window display I think of this movie). It also has a young Kim Cattrall in it. Then I go to Macy’s on Chestnut and visualize every scene from the movie (From those who don’t know Mannequin was filmed at the Macy’s in Center City Philadelphia). So maybe this movie isn’t so bad because of all the awesome things in it.

Jurassic Park 3
Let me first say that Jurassic Park was a staple of my childhood. It was the first time that dinosaurs became “real” to me instead of bones in a museum. I liked this 3rd installment mostly because the real hero of the 1st movie Alan Grant returns, but it has the likes of William H. Macy and Téa Leoni in it as well. It added a splice of humor to the action, the dinosaurs looked great and even more believable than before (we’ll just ignore that Spinocrapasaurus thingy). Oh it also had a cameo appearance by Ellie Slater too.

High Spirits
Um I don’t really know what to say with this except it’s about the most sexually driven ghost movie I’ve ever seen. But it has plenty of fun moments and one of the most bizarre twist endings I’ve seen in a movie. By all accounts, it doesn’t make sense.

Godzilla
I love monster movies, especially if they destroy New York (nothing against New York it’s just fun to see it destroyed). I love Matthew Broderick. Put them together and you got a giant monster destroying New York with Matthew Broderick… genius.

District B13 or Banlieue 13 for the french peeps
In a few keywords I’ll describe this movie: Money, Don’t Scratch my Car, Raoul?, Casino, Fight, Fight, Fight, Police, Slums, Drugs, Parkour, Police, Undercover, Fight, Fight, Fight, BOMB!, I’m Scarface, Gun Shots, BOMB!, Politicians, HAHAHA, The End.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Yeah this movie is cheesy, the vampires are cheesy, the dialogue is cheesy, the clothes are cheesy, the attitudes are cheesy. But my favorite part of the movie is the cheer “How Funky is Your Chicken?, How Loose is Your Goose?” totally won me over. Plus I’m a huge sucker for a girl that can kick butt while looking fabulously cheesy.

Howard the Duck
Naked duck with breast in a bathtub… do I need to say more?

Why Netflix is splitting itself in two via The Oatmeal

Invisible Illness Awareness Week

1. The illness I live with is:

• End Stage Renal Disease

2. I was diagnosed with it in the year:

• June 6, 2002

3. But I had symptoms since:

• I suffered from a disease known as IGA Nephropathy, which isn’t detectable by blood or urine test. The only way to discover the disease is by having a kidney biopsy. It takes 10-11 years for the kidney’s to fail due to this disease. So the disease started it’s work when I was around 10 or 11 years old. I didn’t show signs of failure till I was 21. It is usually never caught until the kidney’s fail. The disease also is efficient that if one was to have a kidney transplant the disease will also effect the transplanted kidney and start the process over again.

4. The biggest adjustment I’ve had to make is:

• Being on dialysis 3 times a week. Each treatment is 4 hours long. 
• I have the stupidest diet in the world which prevents me from eating just about everything I love. This is because most things are filtered through the kidneys and mine no longer filter so too much of certain things becomes toxic and can kill me. The major culprits being things high in Potassium and Magnesium.
• I have to watch how much fluids I intake. I rarely pee, maybe once or twice a week. So all that fluid just builds up in my body. This is extremely hard if I want to go out with friends I have to not drink anything all day if I want to have 1 drink that night.

5. Most people assume:

• That I’m ok I “look” healthy. I’m young and relatively in shape.
• So people think I’m grumpy, shy or just quiet. I don’t feel well often, my body is constantly out of sync due to toxin build up. When in fact I just feel sick and it’s hard to pull out of that at times. 

6. The hardest part about mornings are:

• I have to get up at 5:30 am to make my morning dialysis treatment. 
• It’s hard to get out of bed when my body is achy from toxin build up.

7. My favorite medical TV show is:

• Scrubs

8. A gadget I couldn’t live without is:

• My iphone, it saves me during my dialysis treatments

9. The hardest part about nights is:

• Insomnia, nausea, pain. It can be rather hard to get to sleep because I have one or all of these symptoms.

10. Each day I take __ pills & vitamins:

• 6-10 pills 

11. Regarding alternative treatments I:

• There are no alternative treatments. If I don’t receive dialysis I die. You can only live 6-7 days without kidney function.

12. If I had to choose between an invisible illness or visible I would choose:

• I don’t want to choose, they each have their downside. It’s like saying would you rather be stabbed in the front or in the back.

13. Regarding working and career: 

• I currently work freelance. Due to my dialysis schedule it makes it very hard for me to work full time. Not only due to the time constraints but due to I never know how I’m going to feel from day to day. One day I can feel absolutely fine and do many things then the next day I can barely get out of bed to brush my teeth. Thankfully I work as a designer so it’s a career that allows me to work from home.

14. People would be surprised to know:

• I don’t know, maybe that I don’t regret having kidney failure. I think it’s one of the worst things to happen to me, but at the same time one of the best.

15. The hardest thing to accept about my new reality has been:

• I can’t do whatever I want to do. I have to watch what I eat and drink. I have to be careful on exercise. I can’t travel, which is extremely hard being a free spirit. If I was to travel I have to prepare at least a month in advanced and I have to make sure i can receive dialysis treatments where I’m going. I get tired a lot. 

16. Something I never thought I could do with my illness that I did was:

• I went to London and Paris and had the best time of my life.

17. The commercials about my illness:

• None, it’s a disease that doesn’t get much attention even though it’s the 8th leading cause of death. Also with the high rise of diabetes the rate of ESRD will just get higher.

18. Something I really miss doing since I was diagnosed is:

• Road trips

19. It was really hard to have to give up:

• The various foods that I love. Sucks having to read labels all the time.

20. A new hobby I have taken up since my diagnosis is:

• Yoga

21. If I could have one day of feeling normal again I would:

• I don’t know probably eat everything I can’t eat now.

22. My illness has taught me: 

• Patience, everything happens in due time
• Compassion, everyone is hurting in someway. A little compassion goes a long way.
• Appreciation, of everything I have and people in my life.
• Life is precious, I almost lost mine when my kidney’s failed. I want to live life to the fullest because of it. 

23. Want to know a secret? One thing people say that gets under my skin is: 

• It will be okay.
• There are people worse off.
• You don’t look sick.
• I know it said one but there are a lot of these.

24. But I love it when people:

• Take the time to ask how I’m feeling and see what’s going on with me emotionally as well as in my life.
• Spend time with me when I’m not feeling well.

25. My favorite motto, scripture, quote that gets me through tough times is: 

• “If there were no sunrise within, I would have set long ago!” — Rumi

26. When someone is diagnosed I’d like to tell them:

• Things won’t be easy, and I can’t say you’ll be ok. It will be hard. But if you keep pushing forward in the end everything will work out.

27. Something that has surprised me about living with an illness is:

• I have to learn to listen to my body. I’m not superman. I have to make sure I plan out my time and day otherwise I exert myself and I’m not able to do anything for the next couple of days.

28. The nicest thing someone did for me when I wasn’t feeling well was:

• They just sat with me and held my hand. It was the simplest and kindest thing anyone could do. 

29. I’m involved with Invisible Illness Week because:

• Because people don’t know. They are afraid to ask. Sometimes it takes those living with the disease to open the eyes of those living without.

30. The fact that you read this list makes me feel:

• Happy, and impressed you got this far. I hope it’s a little more insightful into those living with Kidney disease. I think a lot of us are really good at faking how we feel. If you do encounter someone with ESRD just know that they are trying really hard to love a normal life.

http://invisibleillnessweek.com/

Themesong: Cover Me

Crazy In Love - The Puppini Sisters

I love covers, I really do. Especially when they are done well. I particularly love when a band takes a unique spin on a cover by adding their own style to it. Such is the case for The Puppini Sisters’ cover of Crazy in Love originally performed by Beyonce. It’s fun and done so well that for a split second it makes you wonder if this is not the original version. 

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Learn more about themesong or join in

I remember

Never forget… I hate that term.

How could you forget? Unless you weren’t born or have some mental disability it’s impossible to forget. Those images are seared into your memory. Most people do not have anything majorly significant happen to them during their lives. Sure you might graduate from college, get a job, or start a family… and those are significant in their own right. But hardly world changing events. You grow up and you’re told that you’re invincible “the world is your oyster,” you can do anything that you set your mind to. For the most part you’ll believe that. You don’t have anything to fear… well not anything real at least. Then suddenly in one day that all changed.

The boogieman is real, he has a face, and he is scary. Death became very real to everyone that day. We were faced not just with tragedy but our own mortality. Because deep down we all knew that morning 3000 people got up, and the world was their oyster, they believed they could achieve their dreams. They got up and started their days like they normally would. They had no fear of the day or of what would happen. Why would they?

I remember. I remember being careless. I remember taking my life for granted. I remember that morning where it all changed.

I got up that morning a little before 9am and turned on the morning news. They were talking about how a plane accidentally crashed into one of the towers. It took me a few seconds to comprehend what I was seeing. It didn’t make sense. Not once did I think terrorist, but I thought it didn’t make sense. Then I watched in horror as the second hit. Then i knew at the moment, this wasn’t an accident… and that everything changes. So I watched in disbelief of what was happening. My best friend called me and while on the phone we both watched the towers fall.

I remember my words clearly… because they were spoken in such calm disbelief. The towers were gone.

I remember that image? I remember crying. 

It was shortly after that the news began to report that another plane went down in Pittsburgh. This news prompted my phone to immediately explode as I was living in Pittsburgh at the time. Frantic friends and family members calling to see if I was ok and what was going on. I told them I didn’t know… everyone in the city was was scrambling to figure out what was going on. In the bittersweetness of the situation the plane crashed just south of the city about 45 minutes from where I lived at the time. 

I remember how quiet and empty the city was that day.

In one day, the world changed. Life was more precious. People stopped being blurs in our lives. We all knew that any moment everything we hold dear could be taken away. So many people said goodbye to their loved ones that day… thinking that in 8 or 9 hours they would be home. 3000 people… never got to go home that day.

I remember wrapping my arms around strangers as they weeped. I remember being hugged by old friends as I weeped. 

I remember… because how could I forget?