Y'all, I just saw the trailer for the movie "2081" and immediately recognized it as based on the short story "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut. How the FUCK are they going to stretch that out to 2 hours? The trailer basically contains THE ENTIRE STORY. Fuck, the tag line is the entire first sentence. [www.finallyequal.com]
@Zombie Ms. Skittles: Also, it's apparently the tale of a "tragic act of defiance that changes everything!" Oh no it bloody isn't! That's the entire fucking POINT OF THE STORY is that everyone forgets immediately after it happens.
@sarasasa: Behaving is not a requirement! And, Yes! The two people I went with to Imogen, a married couple, were fighting and made the night kind of suck, I ended up tuning them out.
@hovy: She's doing a small tour this winter, followed by a bigger stage show in the spring. If you happen to see the smaller tour, show up an hour late because her opening acts (yes two) sucks worse than the current Pope.
@meritxell: an erotic life: "Hail to the guardians of the watchtowers of the east by the power of mother and earth I invoke thee. I invoke thee Manon. I invoke thee Manon. I invoke thee!"
Okay, so I am officially a loser. My plans for tomorrow?
Finish my Spanish lab, knit my grandma a scarf for Christmas, go to Burger King with Girl from Karate, acquire Burger Shots combo meal + "Twilight Fan Pack," attend screening of New Moon, ogle.
@Zombie Ms. Skittles: How? It makes me feel better, actually, because aside from the Twilight stuff, that's like any given kid-free Saturday for me. I always imagine other people have these really cool plans, but I'm just there with my needlework and my TV shows and maybe lunch out while antiquing or going to the outlets. Plus school lectures, which I'm doing tomorrow. Please.
@Zombie Ms. Skittles: Its way too easy! My friend in high school taught me within two seconds and I was busting out scarves and blankets like it was my god-given duty.
@sarasasa: Yes, it's awful. The ladies are psychos who just want a relationship, and do all sort of stupid things to "snag a man" whereas the men are cool and free... I hate that kind of thing.
I keep waiting for a Thanksgiving food thread, but this'll do. I'm usually the one that makes the dinner at my house, but the last couple of years have been blah. I'm thinking about brining the turkey, but worry that it'll turn out too salty. Has anyone tried this that can give me some tips?
@girlnamedblue: I've always wondered about this too- I know you have to rinse off the turkey really well after you take it out of the brine. Maybe that takes off the excess salt?
@girlnamedblue: Brine, brine away! You will never look back with the white meats. So tender and juicy. You have to use quite a bit of salt so it gets pulled into the center of the meat, which seems scary but give it a try. The technique is especially good for pork tenderloin, which tends to dry out no matter how you cook it.
Here are instructions from Joy of Cooking for brined turkey: [tinyurl.com]
@ardentlilac: @winner: Thanks, guys!
I would try the duck fat recipe but I have no idea where to get duck fat, as I don't live in NY/near gourmet stores.
I want to try the brining mostly because I want to simplify day-of prep. Hopefully it won't be a disaster.
So last week, I talked at length about my love of Hitchcock. But I wanted to say also that recently, we've been discovering the joys of silent film. Over Halloween, we saw The Mummy, Nosferatu, and The Lodger, and this week, I saw The Lost World. Thought it was really cool, actually, considering how new their camera technology was, and what they probably had to work with in terms of effects. I never would have guessed that silent films could be so absorbing. I grew up with far more bells and whistles in film. How is it that CGI can be not only realistic but ultra-realistic? It's too real! Why should I complain about this? And yet...
Anyhow, yes. The Lost World, 1925. Highly recommended. You can see it on Netflix Instant. And Lloyd Hughes is perfectly adorable.
I watched it a month or so ago for my film class and it really did freak me out. Particularly the part where nosferatu sneaks up on the dude in the bed.
I think for extra credit I'm going to write a paper comparing both Nosferatu, The Mummy (original) to Coppola's Dracula which I've seen a few times due to my love for Gary Oldman.
I'll have to check out The Lost World. I'm glad that you can watch all of the aforementioned films (except for the Coppola) online on Netflix. It makes everything so easy.
@Mechanical Orange: Back at you! I know, I was really surprised by how scary it was! We both were! It was something about the way he'd rise so smoothly and silently from his coffin. Nothing about the movie felt like a cheap scare, either. I was freaked out in the dark for a week after I saw it. The teeth! The claws! Gaaah!
Tell me more about your film class. Are you an undergrad? I took film as an undergrad and a grad student, even though it was never my field, and those are some of my best memories of school. Just love. I teach first-year writing, and I show two films in the fall semester every year, just because I love it.
@TheFormerJuneBronson: Oooh, The Lodger is excellent. I'm a bit Hitchcock obsessed, myself. Which is your favorite? I know, it's SO HARD to pick. Mine is actually not The Birds OR Marnie, surprisingly!
@TheFormerJuneBronson: If you like silent films you should check out Mary Pickford. My Best Girl is particularly awesome. Also you can never go wrong with Buster Keaton, or Charlie Chaplin. I'm not sure if they still have it, but Turner Classic Movies used to have Silent Sunday Nights. It's (was?) an awesome way to get introduced to those early classics. Silent films are awesome because you get to see the true innovation of the art. D.W. Griffith is awesome if you like that kind of stuff. Look for his shorts, or Broken Blossoms, but I'd shy away from Birth of a Nation, or Intolerance unless you're a die hard.
@Tippi Hedren: Spellbound! It's so many things--my girl crush on Ingrid Bergman, how hot Gregory Peck is, my enjoyment of Leo G. Carroll, the music, the Dali sequence, trains, snow, Vermont...I don't know. I just know I never tire of it. It's not technically his best, but it's the one to which I have the most honest emotional response. I just love it.
But I love so many of the others. And I love them more every time I see them. Rear Window, NxNW, Frenzy, The Lady Vanishes, and The 39 Steps come immediately to mind.
@TheFormerJuneBronson: Nosferatu is amazing and I encourage you to explore some more works of early German cinema. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Metropolis are truly haunting classics.
@AgnesGrep: Awesome. I'll put those in my queue right away. I didn't really know of many others, but usually I just start randomly watching whatever looks good, that they suggest to me.
@TheFormerJuneBronson: Right now I'm an undergrad, creative writing major and film minor. I'm taking History of Film until 1950 and then next semester I'm taking it up until the present. I LOVE it. We have a film screening every week where we've been watching films on 35 mm. This past week it was Citizen Kane, unfortunately the projector wasn't working and it was canceled.
But the best part? My film prof is exactly like House. I could sit there and listen to him lecture all day.
@cinematheques: Thank you so much for reminding me about Dr. Caligari. I meant to put that up last weekend and totally forgot. Metropolis is another one, I think is already in my queue, that I've heard so much about and haven't seen yet. I've seen M, though, so know the awesomeness of Fritz Lang. This winter vacation is going to be so great!
@Mechanical Orange: LOL! That's so great. I've had a few good ones and one memorably bad one. My film theory prof in grad school was so enthusiastic and so knowledgeable, but nigh incomprehensible! I could never follow his lectures. I think he gave me good grades out of sheer pity. I wrote a pretty good paper for him on Rope, though.
@TheFormerJuneBronson: Yeah, I took a theory class last semester and I could never get through the readings. I was really surprised that I got a B. Our prof was lenient.
@TheFormerJuneBronson: Rope! I wrote a paper on the auteurism of Hitchcock, and I couldn't recall the last time I was that enthused to write a 13 page paper! My favorite Hitchcock film may have to be Rebecca, though. It was my first Hitchcock film and I can never get over my first love.
@cinematheques: It's so good, too. I just scored a secondhand Criterion disc set--waited years to find one I could afford! It went out of print when I was still building my collection. I just found out that Criterion Spellbound is out of print too, and it's too bad, because my disc was getting pretty worn.
@cinematheques: I love The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Metropolis, always have. But I'd also recommend The American Astronaut; contemporary, crazy, cult B&W.
@TheFormerJuneBronson: Lucky you! I actually happened to stumble upon a great collection of Hitchcock films a couple years ago in the walmart value bin of all places. For $5, I got 20 films including The Lady Vanishes, The 39 Steps, Sabotage, The Man Who Knew Too Much, etc. Best day of my life!
@TheFormerJuneBronson: MGM released new editions of Spellbound, Notorious and Rebecca earlier this year. Just as good as the Criterion editions, picture and sound quality wise. (Though I absolutely loved the Criterion cover for Notorious.)
@cinematheques: Oh, thanks! I rarely get to gush about him like I want to, and I think after two OTs, I've worn out the topic, but it's always a pleasure.
I hate whenever I geek out about something, and feel silly afterwards. I was standing on line to see a dance show, and got into a small chat with a woman standing next to me. I asked if she knew anyone in the show, and she said yes, her two friends. Then I went on about how I didn't know that the choreographer was this famous dance critic, and mentioned previous shows I had seen. When I get into talking about something I like, I sound nerdy and forget to ask the person more about themselves. She had said, "That's very nice," and I took that as a cue to shut up, so I went back to the book I had with me. I've worked a lot on my social faux pas and innate geekiness, but still slip once in a while. I don't really care too much, I just know that it's an occasional slip that luckily is getting more rare.
@beatrice2000: I really like that quality in a person, so I don't know what her problem was. But I've been there before. I geek out too, and often feel like I make a jerk of myself, and alienate people or look like a fool. I'm too embarrassed to tell you the last time I did it, but suffice it to say that not being able to read that room is something that still makes me cringe.
But it's who you are! People who can't have that level of enthusiasm for anything are so boring. Just always have fun and don't mind the jerks.
@TheFormerJuneBronson: I just felt dumb. I didn't ask more about her, I just chatted on about the shows and was excited and happy, but realized I came off as a nerd, and she might've thought I was weird. So I just backed off and went to my book so I didn't say anything else nerdy. She didn't engage me in conversation, I just started talking just for fun, and didn't expect anything.
I'm kind of scared. I have to talk to my boss on Monday about their expectations, and I'm getting kind of sick with worry. I have a 3 month contract. A position might open up soon, and I would have to apply for that. The thing is, I don't know if they want me to apply for it or not. I keep on thinking that they will fire me. I've only been there for 7 weeks and it's been very anxiety provoking and stressful. I keep thinking they'll fire me before three months and they won't want me to apply for the position. I get very nervous around my boss and I kind of blank out a lot. I have tried to follow all her suggestions and to meet all of her targets. I think I'm doing OK, but it's kind of hard to know sometimes. I don't think she likes me. I'm also working at a customer service job, which I guess I could work at full time again, but I have all of these bills and I'd really like the 3 month job, and what IF THEY FIRE ME? oh MY GOD! i'M SO STRESSED!
This is all that I think about. Argh. Please help, if you've read this far. Have you ever had a temporary job? What do you do?
@coffeeandtv: They're not going to fire you from a temp job. You'll be fine. Perhaps after you've been there a bit longer you won't be so nervous about the full time position.
Also, I know it's easier said than done, but try not to be so worried! When I freak out about stuff, I know I'm prone to mess up more than I normally would. Good luck!
Y'all, I think I found the most unattractive porno ever! First, it's Russian. But the only talking is a few words at the start. It's 21 minutes long and over half of it is the dullest blow job I've ever seen in my life. Everyone has ass zits and razor burn, and if the third person doesn't show up until 16 minutes into a 21 minute video, I think you lose the right to call your movie a threesome, groupsex, OR an orgy. And for fuck's sake, dude, take off your god damn hiking sandals if you're going to be in a porno! People are trying to jack it to this.
@Zombie Ms. Skittles: bwahaha! This so reminds me of freshmen year of college when my dorm buddies and I rented a dubbed porno on accident. It was the worst thing ever. Major let down.
@HM: Seriously, these people didn't even look like they were having a good time. Well, the girl did when the camera was looking at her face, but the two dudes just seemed bored by the whole thing. Seriously, if you actually get BORED while starring in a porno then you need to reevaluate your life choices.
@Zombie Ms. Skittles: Russian porn sucks, I also heard that it is illegal to make porn there. go figure...that might explain a lot. Even my husband who is from Belarus hates it.
@envirodesigner: It seemed so promising from the description! But yeah, I mean, there's a reason that the average blow job in an American movie is about 5 minutes long and usually involves some other stuff. This was 10 solid minutes of in-out-in-out-play with her hair-in-out-in-out-break-in-out-deep throat-out...I was like, FUCK SOMEONE HAVE AN ORGASM ALREADY. Jesus Christ...
@Zombie Ms. Skittles: I remember going to the adult video store on my 18th birthday and buying the most ridiculous porn I could find (within my budget (?(?))) and ended up with Trailer Trash Nurses 2. I ended up watching it drunk with seven guys and all of them umcomf and commenting on how bad the lighting was and "That doctor is just not that convincing". And the nurses kept their squeaky clean white tennis shoes on!
@envirodesigner: TWO PEOPLE were wearing socks in this movie! And one was wearing those dorky hiking sandals much beloved by hippies and camp counselors! The ones with the velcro straps!
NOTHING kills a boner like a naked Russian man wearing camp counselor sandals!
@cinematheques: This is TOTALLY off topic, but your avatar always makes me think you're Latoya for some reason. When I'm scrolling really fast, your avatar and hers have similar colors in similar spaces.
@Zombie Ms. Skittles: yes, that's actually my old one and for some reason it won't go away. I uploaded a different one awhile ago yet my old one sporadically shows up every now and then. Do you know why that is??
@cinematheques: Nah, it happened to me though. I changed from a scary doll head to my current fashionista kitty and for like, 6 weeks I would get the old one show up half the time. It was REALLY annoying.
I'm watching the 20/20 interview with Sarah Palin (Mom has control of the remote control) and I'm not bothering to refrain from the eye rolls. I do have to agree with my mom on one thing, all her children are lovely.
Okay! Sorry to bring some srs bzness into the open thread fun, but I have a question.
Where do you differentiate between "having a drinking problem" and simply "being a college student"? I ask because that post about college students being more likely to drink (duh) sparked my interest.
For example, I consider myself to be a moderate-to-heavy drinker. As part of a nighttime-unwinding process I'll often have a few glasses of wine or what have you, and I will admit that most of my weekend evenings involve some amount (read: lots) of drunken revelry. Sometimes, I will overindulge and spend the next day regretting it.
However, I've never done anything dangerous while drunk, I can go for days/weeks of not drinking without feeling any "withdrawal"-type symptoms, and I don't feel that my drinking has interfered with my ability to function normally (i.e. get good grades, go to work, carry on good relationships). And--perhaps the most telling aspect of this--I am a college student, living in an environment where drinking culture is the norm, and getting wasted is What People Do. So there is always someone I can point to as That Guy Who Drinks Way More Than I Do.
Thoughts? What amount of alcohol consumption/indulgence do you think is normal or healthy for a college student? Do you think college drinking culture has any major effects on people's habits after graduating?
@Helen Valentine: I always have thought that "alcohol abuse" and "alcohol addiction" were two different things. I've definitely abused alcohol before - blacked out a few too many times, got drunk early in the day, drank way more than was healthy. But I'm not addicted, because I go weeks at a time without it sometimes, and because as I got older, I was able to stop abusing it.
So, while you probably are abusing alcohol, you're probably not an alcoholic. Which I think is an important distinction.
@Helen Valentine: wow, this is a really difficult subject to fully unpack. mostly because it naturally varies wildly from person to person.
i didn't drink at all in high school. my first 2 years of college (who am i kidding, pretty much on and off the last 2 as well), i was a messy drinker. i had no sense of my limits- i can say with absolute certainty that if i tried to drink the way i drank in college today (i'm in my mid-twenties), i would wind up in the hospital. knowing my limits was a long learning process, and it still gets tested to this day.
my parents are big wine drinkers, but my mom has always been really adamant about taking breaks from alcohol. like if she starts notice she's drinking a couple of glasses of wine a night for a few days, she will purposefully stop drinking for a week. it's about maintaining control.
i feel like that was a ramble (i've had a couple of beers), and maybe i could elaborate on more specific questions, but generally i think it's about being self-aware and understanding why you are drinking and working to constantly be in control of it.
@heavymetalkarma: Yeah, it's comforting to make that distinction. I feel like it's something unique to the college mindset (alcohol is hard to come by but everyone somehow drinks OMG ALL THE TIME), and I really don't see myself continuing in the same vein later in life. I just worry sometimes, because I am a worrywart. Thanks. :)
@Helen Valentine: I drank a lot in college, like 5 nights a week to the point of being Very Drunk, and the prevailing notion seemed to be that you didn't have a drinking problem if you didn't drink before class, and if you didn't black out every night. That said, I drank way more than was probably wise, but now, 10 years after graduation (...seriously?) I am a very casual and infrequent drinker. My alcohol consumption dropped dramatically after I was out of school, mostly because the drunk culture doesn't exist in the world I inhabit, at least not to the extent it did. I think each person knows what's "too much" for them, and if you think you're pushing the limits of that, you probably are and you may want to cut back a little, if for no other reason than to prove to yourself that you can.
@pileofmonkeys: Yeah, that's what I'm trying to distinguish--what part of the drinking is me wanting to drink, and what part of it is just the environment I'm in.
I'm considering doing a thesis on something along these lines, but I'm trying to work out the details. Thanks for your input.
@curiousgeorgiana: This is the worst time of the semester. There's too much to do gearing up for finals AND regular life stuff starts piling up thanks to the holidays.
I decided to say fuck studying tonight too and got myself a copy of People's sexiest men.
@pileofmonkeys: I loved the class portrayals-- the way family relationships differ between the aristocrat and plebeian ranks. How they didn't shrink from the complex politics. And the nuanced characters. I'm so psyched about the movie. Oh man.
11/21/09
I've just flirted with the waiter, I'm incorrigible
11/21/09
[www.finallyequal.com]
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Gaaargh blah grrr stabby rarrl!
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[en.wikipedia.org])
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Next time take me with you. :p
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#groupthink
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#groupthink
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i yelled out my window to shut up. i hope this was justified/not too crazy
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@Zombie Ms. Skittles: if it weren't for all the giggles, i would have thought they were doing an impromptu homage to this great:
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Hearted for the *intent* to commit an act of awesomeness.
11/20/09
Finish my Spanish lab, knit my grandma a scarf for Christmas, go to Burger King with Girl from Karate, acquire Burger Shots combo meal + "Twilight Fan Pack," attend screening of New Moon, ogle.
This I think might make me a gigantic dork.
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*no sarcasm there, seriously.
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#tips
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* I can't believe I type "hit me up" I'm leaving it as a warning sign of pending Douche Baggery.
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#tips
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11/20/09
I got together with some friends, ate more than our fair share and watched He's not that into you so we could laugh and criticise.
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11/21/09
Is that movie as bad as I think it is?
11/21/09
Also Jennifer Aniston looked so puffy, like he had had botox a minute before they started filming.
#groupthink
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#tips
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#tips
11/20/09
Best turkey EVER: [nymag.com]
I made it last year and am doing it again this year. SO GOOD. I promise you won't regret it.
11/21/09
Here are instructions from Joy of Cooking for brined turkey:
[tinyurl.com]
11/21/09
I would try the duck fat recipe but I have no idea where to get duck fat, as I don't live in NY/near gourmet stores.
I want to try the brining mostly because I want to simplify day-of prep. Hopefully it won't be a disaster.
11/20/09
Anyhow, yes. The Lost World, 1925. Highly recommended. You can see it on Netflix Instant. And Lloyd Hughes is perfectly adorable.
11/20/09
I watched it a month or so ago for my film class and it really did freak me out. Particularly the part where nosferatu sneaks up on the dude in the bed.
I think for extra credit I'm going to write a paper comparing both Nosferatu, The Mummy (original) to Coppola's Dracula which I've seen a few times due to my love for Gary Oldman.
I'll have to check out The Lost World. I'm glad that you can watch all of the aforementioned films (except for the Coppola) online on Netflix. It makes everything so easy.
Oh and hearted for Nosferatu love!
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Tell me more about your film class. Are you an undergrad? I took film as an undergrad and a grad student, even though it was never my field, and those are some of my best memories of school. Just love. I teach first-year writing, and I show two films in the fall semester every year, just because I love it.
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But I love so many of the others. And I love them more every time I see them. Rear Window, NxNW, Frenzy, The Lady Vanishes, and The 39 Steps come immediately to mind.
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But the best part? My film prof is exactly like House. I could sit there and listen to him lecture all day.
11/21/09
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#tips
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I am slightly in love with him.
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[amzn.com]
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But it's who you are! People who can't have that level of enthusiasm for anything are so boring. Just always have fun and don't mind the jerks.
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This is all that I think about. Argh. Please help, if you've read this far. Have you ever had a temporary job? What do you do?
11/20/09
Also, I know it's easier said than done, but try not to be so worried! When I freak out about stuff, I know I'm prone to mess up more than I normally would. Good luck!
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NOTHING kills a boner like a naked Russian man wearing camp counselor sandals!
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Where do you differentiate between "having a drinking problem" and simply "being a college student"? I ask because that post about college students being more likely to drink (duh) sparked my interest.
For example, I consider myself to be a moderate-to-heavy drinker. As part of a nighttime-unwinding process I'll often have a few glasses of wine or what have you, and I will admit that most of my weekend evenings involve some amount (read: lots) of drunken revelry. Sometimes, I will overindulge and spend the next day regretting it.
However, I've never done anything dangerous while drunk, I can go for days/weeks of not drinking without feeling any "withdrawal"-type symptoms, and I don't feel that my drinking has interfered with my ability to function normally (i.e. get good grades, go to work, carry on good relationships). And--perhaps the most telling aspect of this--I am a college student, living in an environment where drinking culture is the norm, and getting wasted is What People Do. So there is always someone I can point to as That Guy Who Drinks Way More Than I Do.
Thoughts? What amount of alcohol consumption/indulgence do you think is normal or healthy for a college student? Do you think college drinking culture has any major effects on people's habits after graduating?
11/20/09
So, while you probably are abusing alcohol, you're probably not an alcoholic. Which I think is an important distinction.
11/20/09
i didn't drink at all in high school. my first 2 years of college (who am i kidding, pretty much on and off the last 2 as well), i was a messy drinker. i had no sense of my limits- i can say with absolute certainty that if i tried to drink the way i drank in college today (i'm in my mid-twenties), i would wind up in the hospital. knowing my limits was a long learning process, and it still gets tested to this day.
my parents are big wine drinkers, but my mom has always been really adamant about taking breaks from alcohol. like if she starts notice she's drinking a couple of glasses of wine a night for a few days, she will purposefully stop drinking for a week. it's about maintaining control.
i feel like that was a ramble (i've had a couple of beers), and maybe i could elaborate on more specific questions, but generally i think it's about being self-aware and understanding why you are drinking and working to constantly be in control of it.
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I'm considering doing a thesis on something along these lines, but I'm trying to work out the details. Thanks for your input.
11/20/09
Fuck studying. I have just poured a large glass of Frangelico and put on a mini Rome marathon.
Antony? HOT. Gawd, the things I would let this man do to me....
11/20/09
So damn hot. It's like Rome: The College Years.
11/20/09
I decided to say fuck studying tonight too and got myself a copy of People's sexiest men.
11/20/09
11/20/09
I started laughing/ crying-- had been 48 hours without sleep and was losing it. "Mom, you'll be lucky if I shower."
Night of hot men-- great cure for the stress.
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