The City Cancelled?

Today on Fashionista.com, Lauren reported that there is a rumour floating around that MTV's The City will not be returning next season.  Normally, I would not address any rumours or news about reality TV, as I think most often it is a contributing fact to the decline of high-culture, but I kind of like The City, so this rumour is a disappointing one.

Unlike the first season of The City, this season has been a lot more focused on the budding careers of the four protagonists, Whitney Port, Roxy Olin, Erin Kaplan, and Olivia Palermo.  And while most of the careers are rather unbelievable (I would say all of them are reality TV based except Kaplan's), it was nice to have a show focused around women in the workplace as opposed to women in romance and friendships.

I know that The Hills had some focus on Lauren Conrad's career, but let's be perfectly honest, that show was about relationships, friendships, and drama.  And while The City isn't without any of those factors, it stood above the rest as being a show that could have a potential positive effect on the younger generations watching it.

But such is the world of MTV.  I think it's time for me to face reality...MTV has went from being a place of subversive alternative culture and programming to one of declasse consumerist filth.  The City (although still ridiculously consumerist and superficial) gave me some hope amongst a sea of My Super Sweet 16 and The Hills. 

Welcome to the Big City....aka- 24 is the worst year

Normally I stray from posting anything too personal on my blog.  I try to keep things decently lighthearted, pop culture related, and fun, but I feel as though I need an outlet to tell my story and that there is no better place than my blog right now.

Let me first say that there have been very few times that I have ever felt unsafe in this city.  I love New York, I make choices to stay in "good" neighborhoods, and I choose to surround myself with upstanding citizens.  Apparently, sometimes none of that matters.

Last night, my life as a bartender took a turn for the worst.  Around 2 AM, I was enjoying a post-work glass of wine with one of my regulars when two men in masks, with guns came in and held us at gunpoint.  We were forced onto our stomachs on the ground, empty our pockets, and robbed.  Aside from me being bruised where the assailants stepped on my thighs and back, nobody got hurt.

To quote Clueless, "when you're about to die, your mind sort of gets very clear."  It's totally true.  Through all of the terror and trauma of being held at gunpoint, my mind sorted itself out into very few categories.  The first was my fear of never seeing my family again, and right behind that was the thought of someone who used to be in my life and no longer is.

I'm still not at all clear about it.  My head is fuzzy, I'm just retelling the same story over and over, and have yet to decide if I'll even be able to go into work today.  I consider myself lucky that nobody got hurt, lucky that I was not alone at the time, and luckier still that I have the most amazingly supportive friends and family to help me deal with everything.

Summer Reading List

I am quite the librophile when I choose to be, and while it has it's ups and downs, there is nothing I enjoy more than sitting in my backyard enjoying a book and beverage on a hot summer afternoon.  I feel as though in the summertime there is absolutely no better way to spend my time, so at the beginning of every summer I compile my summer reading list, and this years list is intense.

The Classics- I didn't take standard English classes in high school, so while everyone else was reading the classics, I was in my creative writing classes, and now, I've fallen behind on standard literature.

• The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.  With the new Emma Stone movie coming out, I figure there is no time like the present to catch up on this novel.
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  I'm kind of obsessed New York of the past and the cultural effect that Zelda and F. Scott had in this city amazes me.
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain.  I should probably read some Mark Twain at some point in my life.
• Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.  This is an ambitious one, but the movie is supposed to come out next year, and I always love reading the book before watching the movie.

Contemporary- I rarely read any contemporary fiction, mostly because I've read everything by my favourite contemporary authors, but I've managed to scrounge up a few books for this summer.

• Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuk.  It's the only book of his I haven't read, it'll probably take me a day.
• Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney.  He was the 80s rival and contemporary of Bret Easton Ellis, this book was made into a movie later on that I've avoided seeing until I get the chance to read the book.

Non-Fiction- I'm obsessed with non-fiction books, especially anything having to do with food politics, and biographies.  I'm sure this section of this list will expand by the end of June!

• Mapplethorpe by Patricia Morrisroe.  I'm kind of obsessed with Robert Mapplethorpe, but know nothing about him.  I'm setting out to change that.
• Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer.  Vegetarian, I am not, but I like to learn about the meat industry, and what animals go through so that I can gain a deeper respect for what I'm putting in my mouth.  
• Food Rules: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan.  Pollan's previous book, The Omnivore's Dilemma changed my life.  Hopefully this one will do the same!

So there's the beginning of my summer reading list.  It seems quite ambitious and I'm sure there will be many a times where I will get off track and something new will inspire me!

My High Fidelity Inspired Life

What came first?  The music or the misery?

Sometimes, you can watch a movie a thousand times, and only during a certain point in your life will it ever really start to mean anything to you.  Yesterday, this happened to me with High Fidelity.  For those unfamiliar with the John Cusack work, it is based on Nick Hornby's book about an audiophile who rehashes past relationships through his relationship with music (this is a very simplified version of the plot, obviously).

I think I didn't really realize why I loved this movie so much until I realized that every relationship and friendship I have ever had can be defined by certain musical works.  There are friends of mine from high school that I have lost touch with, but every time I hear "The Next Episode," or "Fever for the Flava," my memories are instantly transported to being in my '93 Suburu Impreza on the way to a keg party in the woods.

Or how about those relationships where you share bands whose lyrics break your heart and beats get stuck in your head.  At the time it makes so much sense to share that love of music with that person, but you know the minute you break-up with someone you'll never be able to listen to those songs without that painful memory, feeling of loss, and sense of nostalgia.

So in honor of Cusack's character, Rob Gordon, here are my Top 5 Ex-Nostalgia Songs (some are stranger than others):

• "Africa" by Toto-  Yes, this one is a strange song to include on the list, but my high-school sweetheart went through a period of being obsessed with this song, and to this day I cannot hear it without sending him a text to see how he's doing.  In fact, I sent him one on Monday when I was out dancing and heard it.  
• "Only One" by Yellowcard- This song came out at a pivotal point in my young relationships.  Enough said. 
• "1901" by Phoenix- Prior to it being in a commercial, it was a favourite song of someone I was once close to.  Every time the commercial comes on I roll my eyes and heavily sigh (which is a step up from when I used to turn the channel)
• "Fireflies" by Owl City- The last time I saw this person I heard this song for the first time.  I thought it was the worst song I had heard in ages and couldn't believe he liked it.  It made me want to punch babies, but now it's one of my favorite memories.
• "Dragon's Lair" by Sunset Rubdown- Off my favourite album by my favourite band.  Sometimes there are things better kept to yourself.  

It's a good thing I'm so young.  This list is sad, there will be time for it to grow.