Letter Meme
Stolen from letsgokomets, who gave me the letter B. Which was strangely harder than I thought it would be (curse you!)
You comment if you want a letter, I give you one, you find ten things you like that start with that letter. Easy peasy pumpkin pie.
B -
1. Books
I spent most of my adult life so far working in a bookstore. It paid almost nothing and I had almost no hours, but it was worth it because I got to spend every day around books. There are so many types, so many different genres and authors and treatments of familiar plotlines and tropes that I find it inconceivable that anyone could become bored with books or reading. One of my greatest regrets is that I’m not surrounded by the new and upcoming like I used to be, and my reading sphere has narrowed without that exposure.
2. Briere
Sue me. He’s the sort of player I find myself admiring, a little on the small side and still willing to mix it up because he’s apparently got a death wish or just an ego problem. His play really is entertaining for me to watch, in that way where it’s not really revolutionary, but it’s steady and it gets things done. And the way he lights it up in the playoffs reminds me a tiny bit of Patrick Roy - that understanding that this is where it counts, and this is the moment to lay it all out there. Also, watching him try to justify crosschecking people will never not be hilarious and deeply uncomfortable.
3. French Bulldogs
My little lady’s a Frenchie, and I really love this breed. While I advocate for shelter adoptions wherever I can, there’s no denying that for me my personal preference is with Frenchies. From their ridiculously oversized ears to the muzzled up little faces to the way that their eyes are just huge, black marbles, there’s almost nothing I don’t love about them. Nikita’s temperament and personality is absolutely classic Frenchie, and exactly what I always hoped I would have.
4. Boba Fett
He’s basically the reason I still care about Star Wars. For all that the character is a massive failure in the movies (a blind Han? Really?) there’s something about the unseen back story that really fascinates me. In a space western he’s like the John Wayne character - silent, mostly unseen, absolutely efficient and deadly. RotJ pretty much ruined what ESB built up, and the prequels screwed it over but good, but the image of Fett from Empire is still the classic image that drew me to the character and for some reason excuses all the shit Lucas put him through later.
5. Brody Dalle
Oh god, like most perfect woman ever? Even when she’s in her heroin chic phase there’s nothing about her that isn’t absolutely attractive. And not necessarily just in the physical way - she has a sort of sneering, maladjusted public image that gradually gave way to an extremely intelligent branch of punk rock (Dionysian night/vitriolic twilight anyone?) that was always rooted in something unmistakably feminine. The fact that she’s also the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen doesn’t hurt.
6. Blue and Burgundy
You had to know this was coming :D The Avalanche are the team of my heart, mainly because they stole me when I was a kid and apparently things that impact me as a kid never quite let me go. At the time all my favorite players were Avalanche, and as I got older I realized I liked them because they were Avalanche, but also because they were really, extremely talented. The management has fucked the team over plenty of times, a lack of spending is resulting in a pretty pisspoor showing and sometimes they’re far too satisfied with very little, but when it comes down to it there’s both history and potential, and I can’t think of two better things for a team to have.
7. Boxing
I never thought I’d say this, but I love it. Not so much the sport on pay-per-view, because I’m just not that interested in watching it, but the participation is amazing. I’m not good by any means, but it’s something I took a shot on and it clicked. There’s a moment when you’re beating the shit out of a heavy bag, and your knuckles are all busted up and you’re tired and sore when it just suddenly clicks, like everything falls apart and it’s just you and breathing and focus and it’s probably the most awesome thing. Also, pounding on other people can be a real stress reliever.
8. Box Car Racer
Okay, I love Angels and Airwaves. But Box Car Racer has the advantage of being a little tongue-in-cheek. Before Tom DeLonge developed a messiah complex and lost his sense of irony Box Car Racer was just fun. It wasn’t blink, which is good because I hate blink-182, but it brought a similar sense of irreverence and dickery to a weird mix of hardcore and pop that still resonates with me. There Is is still one of the best songs to listen to when you feel alone, and the fact that it came from Tom without any big announcements about how it was going to change your life just makes it a little more powerful than anything AvA can do.
9. Baskin Robbins
Daiquiri Ice. Please and thank you.
10. Big Bang Theory
I’m so embarrassed it took me this long to get into the show because there are moments where I pretty much scream “THAT’S ME!” at the screen and high five my Weta Limited Edition Legolas figurine. The show does a lot of things wrong, but it gets a lot of things right, too. The sense of alienation that comes with being a nerd is spot on, and the unapologetic way the lead characters revel in it is really refreshing and was mostly unique at the time when it first came out. Also, it’s hilarious.
You comment if you want a letter, I give you one, you find ten things you like that start with that letter. Easy peasy pumpkin pie.
B -
1. Books
I spent most of my adult life so far working in a bookstore. It paid almost nothing and I had almost no hours, but it was worth it because I got to spend every day around books. There are so many types, so many different genres and authors and treatments of familiar plotlines and tropes that I find it inconceivable that anyone could become bored with books or reading. One of my greatest regrets is that I’m not surrounded by the new and upcoming like I used to be, and my reading sphere has narrowed without that exposure.
2. Briere
Sue me. He’s the sort of player I find myself admiring, a little on the small side and still willing to mix it up because he’s apparently got a death wish or just an ego problem. His play really is entertaining for me to watch, in that way where it’s not really revolutionary, but it’s steady and it gets things done. And the way he lights it up in the playoffs reminds me a tiny bit of Patrick Roy - that understanding that this is where it counts, and this is the moment to lay it all out there. Also, watching him try to justify crosschecking people will never not be hilarious and deeply uncomfortable.
3. French Bulldogs
My little lady’s a Frenchie, and I really love this breed. While I advocate for shelter adoptions wherever I can, there’s no denying that for me my personal preference is with Frenchies. From their ridiculously oversized ears to the muzzled up little faces to the way that their eyes are just huge, black marbles, there’s almost nothing I don’t love about them. Nikita’s temperament and personality is absolutely classic Frenchie, and exactly what I always hoped I would have.
4. Boba Fett
He’s basically the reason I still care about Star Wars. For all that the character is a massive failure in the movies (a blind Han? Really?) there’s something about the unseen back story that really fascinates me. In a space western he’s like the John Wayne character - silent, mostly unseen, absolutely efficient and deadly. RotJ pretty much ruined what ESB built up, and the prequels screwed it over but good, but the image of Fett from Empire is still the classic image that drew me to the character and for some reason excuses all the shit Lucas put him through later.
5. Brody Dalle
Oh god, like most perfect woman ever? Even when she’s in her heroin chic phase there’s nothing about her that isn’t absolutely attractive. And not necessarily just in the physical way - she has a sort of sneering, maladjusted public image that gradually gave way to an extremely intelligent branch of punk rock (Dionysian night/vitriolic twilight anyone?) that was always rooted in something unmistakably feminine. The fact that she’s also the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen doesn’t hurt.
6. Blue and Burgundy
You had to know this was coming :D The Avalanche are the team of my heart, mainly because they stole me when I was a kid and apparently things that impact me as a kid never quite let me go. At the time all my favorite players were Avalanche, and as I got older I realized I liked them because they were Avalanche, but also because they were really, extremely talented. The management has fucked the team over plenty of times, a lack of spending is resulting in a pretty pisspoor showing and sometimes they’re far too satisfied with very little, but when it comes down to it there’s both history and potential, and I can’t think of two better things for a team to have.
7. Boxing
I never thought I’d say this, but I love it. Not so much the sport on pay-per-view, because I’m just not that interested in watching it, but the participation is amazing. I’m not good by any means, but it’s something I took a shot on and it clicked. There’s a moment when you’re beating the shit out of a heavy bag, and your knuckles are all busted up and you’re tired and sore when it just suddenly clicks, like everything falls apart and it’s just you and breathing and focus and it’s probably the most awesome thing. Also, pounding on other people can be a real stress reliever.
8. Box Car Racer
Okay, I love Angels and Airwaves. But Box Car Racer has the advantage of being a little tongue-in-cheek. Before Tom DeLonge developed a messiah complex and lost his sense of irony Box Car Racer was just fun. It wasn’t blink, which is good because I hate blink-182, but it brought a similar sense of irreverence and dickery to a weird mix of hardcore and pop that still resonates with me. There Is is still one of the best songs to listen to when you feel alone, and the fact that it came from Tom without any big announcements about how it was going to change your life just makes it a little more powerful than anything AvA can do.
9. Baskin Robbins
Daiquiri Ice. Please and thank you.
10. Big Bang Theory
I’m so embarrassed it took me this long to get into the show because there are moments where I pretty much scream “THAT’S ME!” at the screen and high five my Weta Limited Edition Legolas figurine. The show does a lot of things wrong, but it gets a lot of things right, too. The sense of alienation that comes with being a nerd is spot on, and the unapologetic way the lead characters revel in it is really refreshing and was mostly unique at the time when it first came out. Also, it’s hilarious.