The Bold Font

2012: It's Been a Long and Uneventful Journey

2012-01-02T16:38:00.000-08:00

Hi Friends (hopefully we still have some),

It's been a while since any of the publishers wrote anything for the Bold Font, but do not fear! Like all of you, we have new year resolutions, too. And at least for Bella and I, it is to write more for our blog. So here you go.

Update on myself:

Graduating university in June with a B.A. in English and emphasis in Creative Writing

Been working at an office/horse ranch/camp

Writing a spoof on Max Brook's "The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Walking Dead"...mine is called "The Hipster Survival Guide: Complete Repulsion from the Walking Douche"...should be good

Applying to grad schools to complete my Master's Degree in Creative Writing

Currently listening to "One More Round" by The J Band-interesting use of the steel drums, but it doesn't work. Sometimes Pandora has really bad taste. That's it! My next article will be on Pandora. Stayed tuned.

Love,

Ambrella

Salò

2010-05-07T13:11:00.000-07:00

About a week ago I came across a link on facebook depicting 15 of the most disturbing movies ever made. I made it a point to put all of these movies in my netflix queue so that I have the opportunity to watch these films and see how much of it I could stomach. As of now I have only seen one of these films.

At first I thought, "Thistle be a piece of cake!" I misinterpreted the word disturbing. To me disturbing meant an over-the-top horror/thriller movie, but in all actuality it meant a sick twisted plot and characters. Before I saw this movie I would have put The Ring under my own personal disturbing movies list (if I had one).

I started with the movie Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom. Originally based off of a book titled, The 120 Days of Sodom by the Marquis de Sade. The director Pier Paolo Pasolini was assassinated prior to its release of the film because of its gruesome nature. It has even been banned in several countries. For being a film released release in 1975, I would say that this film still remains on the top of the list of disturbing/controversial films.

"The film is noted for exploring the themes of political corruption, abuse of power, sadism, perversion, sexuality, and fascism."

The movie takes place in 1944 in Fascist Italy where four men abuse their wealth and power by kidnapping 18 teenagers and performing lewd-tortuous acts towards them throughout the film. After the 20 minute mark there wasn't a scene that didn't deal with torture, defecating, and other sadistic themes.

It was very hard to watch and I seriously felt like vomiting. My heart was pounding from the disgust and shock. I was caught me off guard because I started watching the film without any background knowledge. If I knew what I was getting to maybe I would have been a little more prepared to watch it.

A lot of people praise this film for its brilliance in exposing how corrupt and evil these fascists men were while others call it the sickest most disturbing film that they had ever seen. Personally I agree with both viewpoints. It's an interesting eye opener in its own sick twisted way. If you're like me and would like to test your stomach I recommend this film for you. If not, then I do not recommend this movie for you. Watching this film is a one time thing for me and it was not a pleasurable experience.

A Different Kind of Murderer

2010-02-07T11:59:00.000-08:00

The Dark Defender.
His name is Dexter. And he doesn't own a laboratory, nor is he too short that he can't even reach the couch in his house.
This Dexter, is a forensic scientist who specialises in blood splatter. He works for the Miami P.D. and juggles all this with a wife and children.
Oh, and he's a murderer.
Dexter killing dozens of people under the eye of his own police department. Within this department are his colleagues, people who trust him, along with people who suspect him, also, with his sister.
She shares with him daddy issues: Harry, their father, understood the darkness within Dexter and led him down a road of murdering safely, while ignoring Debra. Dexter has a set of rules that Harry set for him; two of the main ones being: 1) Don't Get Caught and 2) Make Sure They Deserve It.
So, is Dexter a murderer? Or is he the Dark Defender, saving Miami from the other murderers and bag guys?
My opinion, he's a superhero, with some slight daddy issues and confused mindset. But he kills people! But he saves them, too! I'll let you decide whether he's good or bad because it definitely isn't a job for a non-viewer.
The show, Dexter, is seen on Showtime and has recently finished its fourth and CRAZY season. Keep a look-out for the fifth season and for DVD box sets at your local book stores!

Love,
Ambrella

Zen and the Art of Watching Television

2010-02-03T11:10:00.000-08:00

Can your TV bestow patience? Can it make you Zen? The answer is yes! Recently my Television has been acting insane. I shouldn't say insane, it just takes a really, really long time to start up. It will click on and off trying to summon enough strength to boot up. At first this was an annoyance, and it still is but slowly I have learned to appreciate it.It takes patience to turn it on. Now every time I pass by the TV I give it a second thought. “Do I really want to watch it?”, my mind says. Now when I turn on the tube it is because of a concerted effort to actually watch something that I actually want to watch. It has created a Zen patience that I never had before.

Parry Gripp: Silly Song Maître

2010-01-18T11:49:00.001-08:00

Parry Gripp

For any of us who watch G4, and have seen any of the shows during 'Junk Food TV', you've heard the catchy 'Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom' song. You may also have seen the music video featuring Olivia Munn and Kevin Pereira from ATOS in "The Girl At The Video Game Store." In case you may be wondering who is behind these songs, there is a pretty hilarious musician in the works. His name is Parry Gripp. He has a website, self entitled, (click here for website), where he posts a new song every week.

Most of them are shortish, from :50 to 1:30, and some are full length, like the above mentioned music video. All of his songs are available for free at the website. (You just right click on the blue links next to every song.) Most of them have animal references, and don't get me wrong

. They're silly. No way major top ten modern stuff. But the songs always catch me, make me laugh on a bad day. I check it daily to see if this week's song is out yet. You should too. :D

[Trey]

Mi Diez

2010-01-15T23:03:00.000-08:00

I blog on more than one blog, and a fellow blogger that goes by the name elgaberino, is hosting this "Best 10 Albums of the Decade" where people from the Xanga blogging community would share their top 10 favorite albums from the last decade. Which is basically anything between January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2009. Here is a list of mine. Let me tell you though, this list was really hard to come up with. I don't think it justifies the kind of music I listen to, I guess if I had to limit it this would have to be it.

1.   CocoRosie - The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn
2.   Moulin Rouge - Soundtrack
3.   Libera - Angel Voices
4.   Usher - Here I Stand
5.   Linkin Park - Meteora
6.   Yellowcard - Ocean Avenue
7.   Selmasongs - Soundtrack Dancer in the Dark (Björk)
8.   Frou Frou - Details
9.   Jack Johnson - In Between Dreams
10. Interpol - Turn on The Bright Lights

I was going to go as far and explain why I liked each album, but it would have made this post longer than it needs to be. So here's my 10 top albums from the past decade. I still feel like there's a lot of artists missing on this list and they need to be on here! To just limit it to 10 is just impossible! Well I did it, but there's still more artists with great albums that deserve to be on here.

-Bella

A Very Potter Musical: HAHAHAHA.

2010-01-11T20:13:00.000-08:00

Okay. First of all....if you haven't seen this mockingly brilliant adaptation of the Harry Potter series, please go here!!
I seriously haven't been as happy and amused as I was while watching this musical. Well, I am a Harry Potter freak. Okay. I am in love with Harry Potter. SOOOO MUCH. I'm even the Gryffindor Prefect at my university. Okay. Enough about my dorkiness, it just had to be bragged.
This musical is a short version of the series, ad-libing and satirising each character....making it totally awesome!!" (it's the opening song lyrics!)
The same themes are represented, though...love and defeating evil. All that cool stuff. But new love is brought out and characters seem a lot different that you remember reading.
I have to say....Voldemort is so bloody hot. I want to chew off his pecks. He's wonderful. All of the actors are wonderful! Each character that they portray has a memorable personality and air. Yeah, the props and stage are definately matching to a college scene, but the actors/resses make the the musical.
My favourite thing about it is that Malfoy is played by a girl....and I love how she portrays him. It's classically hilarious.
BUT. Enough with that. I figure you'll spend the next two/three hours not studying and refusing to sleep to watch this wicked awesome waste of time.
Also! HERE are some icons with the funniest moments from the musical!
Well, go watch!
Ambrella out, bitches! (another reference)

Everything is Illuminated

2010-01-05T01:00:00.000-08:00

Once as I was randomly looking for an instant movie to watch on Netflix, I came across the awesome cover art for the movie Everything is Illuminated, and that was what instantly pulled me in.

Normally I'm not one to pick good movies, but this time I managed to pick a movie that was a comedy, a drama, and even heart warming. This movie is based on a novel by Jonathan Safran Foer. As of now this is only a review on the movie, but I plan on reading the book as well. When that happens I'll come back to share my opinion.

The movie is about the young Jonathan Safran Foer, a collector of things. A collector of family heirlooms. There's one family member in particular that he doesn't have a record on, and it's his grandfather. He than begins a quest to learn about his grandfather by traveling to Ukraine to learn about his escape from the Nazi invasion. If I keep talking I'll spoil it!

Anyways, throughout the whole movie there were plenty of "LOL" moments like when the narrator referred to the dog as the "seeing-eye bitch", the language barrier, or even the culture differences between the American Jew and the Ukrainian Jews. Towards the end of the film there was an emotional whirlwind that turned me into a crybaby. This movie may not effect you like it effected me, I showed it to my sister after watching it thinking she was also going to cry like a baby and it didn't work... She was wondering why it made me cry so much, but that was just my response. Maybe you'll tear a little, maybe you'll cry, maybe you won't even shed a tear. But nonetheless, it was a awesome movie, and definitely recommend it.

If you have Netflix, this is a must have, and a movie you should instantly watch.

daz es ze end.

Music Of 2009, In Review.

2009-12-31T11:20:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEARS! well almost..

Today is the last day of the year, and the decade. We have seen good and bad this year in modern mainstream music. Lets take a ride down memory lane and look at the good, the bad and the ugly.

The Good

It's funny that the word pop is hidden in popular, because a hell of a lot of music that is popular is stuff that's poppy. Pop, Alternative, Rap, etc. There's tons of Indie music that could trounce Lady GaGa or Miley Cirus, but since it's not popular, nobody hears it.

So here's a different view on what I would say was successful music this year, without using anything that you would hear on the radio ten times an hour. And I may seem biased toward rock/jazz/country. because that is the music I listen to.

(This isn't a Top 15. These aren't in a 1-best 15-worst order. just 15 songs i loved this year.)

1. Show Me What I'm Looking For, Carolina Liar

2. She Is Love, Parachute

3. Scream With Me, Mudvayne

4. Uprising, Muse

5. 18 Days, Saving Abel

6. 1234, Plain White T's

7. You Found Me, The Fray

8. Second Chance, Shinedown

9. Sweet Thing, Keith Urban

10. Not Meant To Be, Theory Of A DeadMan

11. Beautiful, Eminem

12. No Surprise, Daughtry

13. That's Not My Name, Ting Tings

14. Love Drunk, Boys Like Girls

15. If Today Was Your Last Day, Nickelback

That's just a small selection of songs I liked this year

Comment Lists of your own!

The Bad

I have to be fair, I like different types of music then the average person. AOL's top 10 songs of 2009 <- (Clickable) would be closer to my lesser favorites, but I'll show what they say first:

1. You Belong With Me, Taylor Swift

2. Down, Jay Sean

3. Replay, Iyaz

4. Poker Face, Lady GaGa :( :( :(

5. I Gotta Feeling, Black Eyed Peas

6. Use Somebody, Kings Of Leon

7. My Life Would Suck Without You, Kelly Clarkson

8. Right Round, Flo Rida

9. Fireflies, Owl City

10. Watcha Say, Jason Derulo

*****I'm not saying all of these songs are bad.*****

Now, I feel that alot of music listeners, and radio stations are pretty fickle and play a 'popular' artist's song like a hundred times a day, so then that's all that people hear on the radio. Now lets be honest, these days with iPods, computers, and other portable music devices, radio is on average only heard in the car, or when other sources are unavailable. At least, that's how I see it. So for that 10 minute drive to work or school, or that hour long drive to your in-laws, given you don't hook up some other device to the car and listen to that, you'll listen to the radio. And the music that you will hear, on most stations, will be the 'popular' music.

The Ugly

'nuff said

-Jimmy (Trey)

The Genius Behind "Juno"

2009-12-29T14:31:00.000-08:00

Woah!
It's the indie kid movement, started with such movies as Napoleon Dynamite", "Superbad", and "Juno".
"Juno" follows a pregnant teen, but that's not why we're here....we'd watch Maury if we were really interested in that.
What I really care about is the musical genius behind that. After acquiring the soundtrack to "Juno", I was opened into the world of folk rock. I listed to Buddy Holly, Belle and Sebastian, and (now one of my favourite artists) Kimya Dawson
KIMYA DAWSON!!

She was a member of the Moldy Peaches, remember them? She rocks out on the guitar, and even though she doesn't have the traditional 'pretty' voice, her raspy and unfamiliar vocals sings inspiration into the ears and hearts of her followers. This give me inspiration to sing, since I have the voice of rat. A diseased rat.
She's married to another singer, Angelo Spencer, a French grunge musician who, together, have a baby girl, Panda. Yes, Panda. They live in Olympia, Washington where they live a happy life.

"So if you wanna burn yourself, remember that I LOVE YOU
and if you wanna cut yourself, remember that I LOVE YOU
and if you wanna kill yourself, remember that I LOVE YOU
call me up before your dead, we can make some plans instead
send me an IM, I'll be your friend!"

Love,
Ambrella

Mein Kampf (My Struggle)

2009-12-27T19:12:00.000-08:00

December 24th, 2009 Christmas Eve. An odd time at best to start reading Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf. Large and thick with pages Mein Kampf is nearly as intimidating as War and Peace. Even Mussolini remarked that it was "a boring tome that I have never been able to read." It's sad that many uneducated people would call you a Nazi if you read Mein Kampf, in fact entire countries have banned it. Banning a book however, is not the solution to defeating Neo-Nazism nor is accusing someone of being a Fascist. I'm glad that I live in a country where I am still allowed to read and understand a book that contains some of the most hateful rhetoric of our century. I will keep you updated as I continue to read the dated tome.

Valente

2009-12-26T16:41:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time when Myspace was the IT social network, I was very addicted and would browse the music section all the time. At one point I made a Music Myspace and added a ton of artists to my friends list. One day I came across the singer/song writer Valente.

Right now he has three songs on his Myspace page and they haven't been updated in a while. *sad face* But that may very well be because he's working on a full length album. I would say his genre of music would be easy listening/ lounge music, and it's great for anyone who just likes to relax. Hopefully sometime in the near future we'll hear from him and his full length album.

Click the image to find his music on Itunes and get it on your Ipod!

Micah Jayne, Salisbury's Pride And Joy

2009-12-24T10:13:00.000-08:00

an overall entertainer.

Micah Jayne, residing in my home city of Salisbury, MD, is an amazing musician, hilarious video man, and is also an arteest. His hub website, micahjayne.com has a cool simplistic design all in it's own. From the website you can reach his music project, The Umbrella Project; his video, TMProductionss, Camo Plaid Revolution 2, and Kingdumb Productions; his Flickr and DeviantArt accounts; his countless profile websites; some cool stuff, and contact info.

Micah is very talented in my opinion for a number of reasons.

First of all he is diverse. Jayne has delved into quite a few media areas, including audio, video, and art. He is excellent in all three areas, past what I could imagine myself doing. Of all three categories, I enjoy his music most of all, although I get busted guts at some of the videos I see. He is a well rounded entertainer.

Secondly, within his music, he is multi talented. He plays a few different types of music, from piano classical, to electronica, to light alternative. If you give his music a listen, there's no way you can't at least recognize the ability of this artist.

I see a large career coming for this local talent, and I hope it comes to him, because the commitment that I see simply off of what is on his website it astounding.

-JIMMY! (Trey)

♪♫♪♫♪♫♪

*I have requested an interview with Micah, and his answer is pending. To be edited*

♪ Make Some Noise! ♫

2009-12-24T09:41:00.000-08:00

As many people as there are in this world, there are a few things that link us all together. And one of those things is music. Music is in all of our lives, in direct or indirect ways. From the sad child alone in Africa chanting with the others in his tribe, to the world wide pop star sensations, we all are touched by music. So, for people who don't think that they are doing anything for other people, one thing you can do is make some bad-ass music, and you'll be bringing peoples spirits up. If that makes any sense... 0.0

Merriam Webster defines an instrument as:

iinstrument (n): a device used to produce music.

I like to consider it a happy machine. And also things that can make music that makes you hurt it's so amazing.

A lot of people feel that they can't play an instrument without natural talent. This is false. If you are anything like me, you love to make music. Be it in your band, in you bedroom, or in your sleep. My instruments of choice would be Drums, Bass, and occasionally Upright Bass. I was born with percussive talent, starting drums around age 6 or 7. This instrument, I had natural talent with.

When the economic crisis of 2008 struck, I was forced to sell my drumset, to help the family finances. Bored daily, I could no longer make music how I had always done. Luckily, one of my sisters and her fiancée were living with my mother and I. He had been a musician for longer than I was old. He showed me an instrument that I had never seen before, a bass guitar. I had always looked at guitarist with awe, crumbling under their might. He said he

wanted me to learn bass. I looked at him, and laughed.

He gave me his bass to mess around with, and that's when I taught myself music theory with the

magical powers of the 'internet'. I messed with his bass for over a year, when I made the leap and bought one of my own. And by today, 12/24/09, (Merry Christmas Eve btw) I know have won awards for bass playing, and drumming. I'm in two bands, and make a small living off of it.

So, if my story showed you that it is possible to learn an instrument, without devout talent, please read on. If you want to have fun, make good music, and help people out of the bad music era that we are suffering, with the crazy and useless poppy electronic 'Lady GaGa' and 'Miley Cirus' crap, then take up an instrument. Give it some practice, and if you really devote yourself, you can make out like I did. Be it guitar, bass, drums, or if you're into jazz bands, trumpet, upright, etc, it doesn't matter. Just get out there, and be musical!

-JIMMY! (Trey)

♪♫♪♫♪♫♪

this is the POLICE

2009-12-21T11:17:00.000-08:00

No, not really... Just a really awesome band named Interpol (if you don't understand my police
reference maybe you should look at this). In the picture from left to right includes Sam Fogarino (drums), Paul Banks (vocals, guitar), Daniel Kessler (guitar, vocals), and Carlos Dengler (bass guitar, keyboards).

The band formed in 1997 with three of the original members plus a drummer by the name of Greg Drudy. He left the band in 2000 and was replaced by Sam Fogarino. Finally in 2002 the band was signed to Matador Records. Matador Records is an "independent record label, with a roster of indie rock artists and bands." It's a really good place to start for any band. Interpol then went on to produce two studio-produced albums with Matador, which include Turn On the Bright Lights (2002) and Antics (2004). These albums had sufficient success, which led to their switch to Capital Records. Our Love to Admire (2007) is their current album out and they're currently working on their fourth album as I type. Their message from the website reads, "We find ourselves marveling at the tremendous focus that has defined our early rehearsals for this, our fourth effort". I can't wait to hear another amazing album from this group.

With as much success they have had, I still feel like there hasn't been a change in their music. They're still making their music the way they want not letting anyone influence how they make/perform their music. There also isn't any single individual who contributes all the work, as Daniel Kessler says, "...We're four guys who all contribute separate parts to complete the picture". Also when listening to the lyrics of the band you have to interpret them as you understand, because they are all so out there but amazing at the same time. Just look at these lines.

          I feel like love is in the kitchen with a culinary eye
          think he's making something special
          And I'm smart enough to try

What does that even mean? This is what I mean to interpret and understand their lyrics as they relate to you.

Even though the band takes long breaks after each album, they're all doing creative side projects. Paul Banks made a solo album, Julian Plenti is... Skyscraper which was released August 4, 2009. Sam Fogarino released an album with his other band, Magnetic Morning. Carlos Dengler has a lot things going for him, he recently he produced a film titled My Friends Told Me About You.

With that being said, keep an eye out for Interpol's new album and if you haven't taken a listen yet take one! You're missing out on the art that is Interpol.

Push play to listen to the tracks

Music provided by playlist.com

*Everything underlined is linked and a source for this blog entry

We'll See You On Avenue Q

2009-12-20T19:26:00.000-08:00

Have you ever pondered on your purpose in life? Most of us have, including an eager, little puppet named Princeton. Princeton has earned a B.A. in English and moves to Avenue Q in New York. Here, he meets a variety of characters like Gary Coleman(the handyman for Avenue Q) or Trekkie Monster(a savage-like monster who invests all his money on internet porn)...all of whom help him realise his purpose in life: to write a musical about finding your purpose (metatheatre, anyone?)

Princeton falls in love with Kate Monster, whom he helps achieve her dream to open up a school just for little monsters. His neighbors are two best friends, one of whom is in love with the other, the other ignorant of his crush, an interracial couple (played by real people, as all the others are played as puppets(except the character of Gary Coleman)), and many others. They quickly welcome him as one of their own in no time.

Avenue Q the Musical is like the Muppets on crack. Instead of instilling morals in their audience, this group sings songs like "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist", "The Internet if For Porn", "I'm Not Wearing Underwear Today", "If You Were Gay", and "It Sucks to be Me". A popular song that anyone knows if they are familiar with Avenue Q, is "Schadenfreude", a song about pleasure from causing pain in others. "Special" is about a hooker that will rock you so hard, you'll forget your own identity. "You Can Be as Loud as the Hell You Want (When You're Makin' Love)" is its own puppet porno. And "For Now" claims that it's all going to be okay because "George Bush is only for now".

Avenue Q touches on many topics, never un-tastefully and although being exactly opposite from what you'd expect from those cute little puppet faces, this musical actually teaches worthwhile lessons like to chase after what you want in life, whether it be love or your purpose in life.

This is the Royal Variety Show performance of three songs from Avenue Q, which is, in my opinion, the best video: check it out HERE!!!

A Victory Rose

2009-12-19T12:55:00.000-08:00

One of the most prolific, interesting and artistic bands of the decade is Sigur Ros (pronounced See-ur Ross). Hailing from the moody and mystical landscape of Iceland. The band consists of Jonsi, Goggi, Orri, and Kjarri. Their last names are rather tedious to write, check out the link to see for yourself. Every time I listen to their music I am suddenly swept away to the moors and glaciers of Iceland where trolls and elves still lurk.

The band was first formed in 1994 on the same day that day that Jonsi's little sister Siggurros was born, hence the name. Sigur Ros literally translates into "Victory Rose" in English. The band's sense of sentimentality can also be seen in their movie/concert/album Heima. Heima means home and that's exactly where they went after years of touring the world. In the film the band travels all over Iceland giving free unannounced shows for the small towns and villages of their home country.

Over the years many people have been confused over whether the song lyrics are actually icelandic. The answer is both yes and no. Some songs feature a pretend language called hopelandic. Interestingly the band included pieces of tissue paper in some albums so that fans could write and share their own lyrics but enough of me talking, to fully appreciate their music you have to listen for yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EyI4p0yjDQ

http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/

Being Personal

2009-12-18T21:47:00.001-08:00

How often is it that you get a response from the direct source?
Not very often. When I was writing my entry about Musica Nuda I couldn't find an English biography page. I then turned to their guestbook page on the official website and asked if I could be directed to an English biography page.

I initially left the comment on the 14th of December, and just three days later I received an email from Ferruccio Spinetti himself, the bassist of the duo.

I just thought it was nice to get a direct message from one of the performers. Personally, I wasn't even expecting a response, but I got one.I think it's nice when an artist does that, either if its though twitter or email, that personal connection with fans is a must have. It just shows that the artist is greatful for their support and is thankful for all of his or her fans. They're doing what they love for a living, and without their fans they're nothing. So it's nice when an artist is personal, it's a good thing and it is definitely valued by their fans.

Let's Camp with Los Campesinos!

2009-12-17T23:17:00.000-08:00

Los Campesinos!

They're a seven-piece indie-pop band from Cardiff, Wales. Funny, though...none of the seven members are actually Welsh, but they have wicked awesome British accents!
This band rocks out their own form of indie rock, portraying seemingly heart-broken themes with their lyrics. Their literature is more of the "I'm sad, but I'm gonna move on 'cause nothing's gonna change the way yeh made me feel, not even moping 'round 'bout it" tone....

WOW! They're extremely modest, too, only portraying their names as:
-Ellen Campesinos!
-Gareth Campesinos!
-Harriet Campesinos!
-Neil Campesinos!
-Ollie Campesinos!
-Tom Campesinos! and
-Kim Campesinos!

What I've heard from a reliable source, they will be in the states for a little while, mainly at the Glass House in Pomona, California (don't quote me on this). You'll be seeing me at the shows, hope to see you there, too!!

Yours,
Ambrella

My Garment of Choice

2009-12-16T08:43:00.000-08:00

Scrubs! The garment of choice for doctors, nurses, interns and all others of the medical profession. That is until now. I, Andrew McMillan am here to set scrubs free. That’s right I said set them free. Greedily healthcare workers have kept these comfortable, breathable and light fabrics to themselves. In the next few sentences I will tell you where scrubs came from, and why you should own a pair.

Before the early 1950’s standardized medical clothing was not really common. Sanitation while known was not fully implemented. Doctors and surgeons would wear butchers aprons so blood would not stain their street clothes. However many doctors would never change their aprons as having many stains was a sign of a busy and industrious professional. All of that changed in the coming decades, and by the 1970s scrubs had completed their final transformation. Originally they were called surgical greens because of their color. Today they are known as scrubs due to the “scrubbed environment” in which they reside. As you can see safe and sanitary clothing has come a long way since the 1950’s.

Scrubs are both practical and comfortable, which are just two of the reasons why you should own a pair. Made out of a tightly woven blend of cotton and polyester, scrubs are strong but breathable. You may think that scrubs because of their lightness are cold. This is not the case. The first time I wore my scrubs outside I thought that I would freeze, but the finely woven material repelled all cold. The coldest part of my body ended up being in my shoes! Originally I got my scrubs for a part in a play, but they are now recycled as a great alternative to sweatpants. Like me many people use scrubs outside of their intended use. Some use theirs for pajamas, or gym clothes, while many extreme backpackers wear theirs to reduce extra weight. Indubitably scrubs are some of the most versatile articles of clothing around which is why you should own a pair.

In closing scrubs are both sanitary and utilitarian, but comfortable, and light. Certainly their cleanliness has saved lives. They have come a long way in fifty years since the archaic butcher’s apron, and as stated above they are a versatile and cool alternative to ugly sweats. These are but a few reasons why scrubs are my garment of choice. So set your scrubs free!

Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrubs_(clothing)

http://www.scrubsgallery.com/surgical-attire.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27605656@N08/4130520873/ <-- Me in my scrubs!

Degrassi: Canadians that Teach Lessons

2009-12-15T23:43:00.000-08:00

Have you ever seen Degrassi?
Probably not, but it is worth-while to go online and watch the series, at least in my opinion.

Degrassi is a spin off from earlier Degrassis from the eighties and it originally aired in the nineties, but is still playing today....remember those times? The most recent spin-off from Degrassi is Degrassi: The Next Generation. This series follows a group of teenagers who attend Degrassi High School, near Degrassi Street in Toronto, Canada.

The first episode follows Emma Neilson, the daughter of a character(Spike) in one of the earlier Degrassis. Throughout the serires, we're introduced to many other characters including those representing the stereotypical high school roles:

-The Jock
-The Badboy
-The Environmentalist
-The Heart Throb
-The Popular Girl
-The Black Girl
-The Fat Girl
-The Lost Case
-The Goth
-The Goodie Two-Shoes
-The Gay Guy
-The Class Clown
-The Nerd
-The Best Friend

As the series progresses(they are now in their ninth season, congrats!!), we see more characters become introduced and evolve. More characters arrive, and those that seem normal trick us all with their shenanigans.

The great thing that this series provides its viewers is the acknowledgment of peers. It is one thing for children and teenagers to be affected by their home lives, but to see on a television program, that these kinds of things are happening to others and seeing how they react and deal with it, might motivate and inspire them to react accordingly. It eliminates fear and instills hope and understanding.

For example, the topics that Degrassi: the Next Generation touches on include love, homosexuality, STDs(STIs), pregnancy, drugs, bullying, death, gang riots, disappointment, self-mutilation, illness, child abuse, etc. The series discusses a LOT more than this, which only extends the 'self-medicating' television series.

Unfortunately, this series airs in Canada, and can only be viewed on certain extended channels (if you have wicked-awesome cable).

However, I have a solution!! You can view close to every episode of Degrassi online at AOL VIDEO. All you have to do is input the episode name (which you can find on Wikipedia) and watch and learn your heart out!!

The theme song ends with, "I know I can make it through..."

Take a gander!!

'Til next time,
Ambrella

Musica Nuda

2009-12-14T11:50:00.000-08:00

Instead of using technology to discover new artists I usually just let the music come to me. Whether it is the random order of music on pandora.com or even going as far as purchasing random various artist CDs. Not knowing which tracks come next and listening to something new is always refreshing, therefore a way of music coming to me. Anyways, recently about six months ago I got a hold the "Intelligent Music Favorites Vol. 3" CD album. This collection of music featured about 60 different artists each having a great songs to relax to. I recommend this for anyone who enjoys lounge or easy-listening music.

On this album there was a few artists who caught my attention, one of them being Musica Nuda. The song on the CD was a cover of the Beatles - Come Together track. It was performed in a whole new light and I immediately fell in love with their music.

Musica Nuda which translates to "Naked Music" consists of singer Petra Magonia and bassist Ferruccio Spinetti. Besides Musica Nuda the pair has their own music projects on the side. I think even Musica Nuda is a side project (but I'm not sure). The duo is from Italy and was founded in 2003. Their first album, a self titled album that came out in 2004. Their most recent work is titled 55/21 that came out in 2008. They're very successful in "Italy, France, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg and Switzerland" so let's bring them to the United States. Their music consist of cover songs and Italian songs (which also may be covers but I'm not exactly sure). Even though the song does not belong to them they are able to embrace it and make it their own. They really do have a special talent for music. Just listen to the Come Together cover youtube video I posted. Currently they have five albums out, which can be found on their wikipidia page. To hear more of their music visit their official website and Myspace music page. I found their music by chance, and hopefully you found them by chance with this blog entry too.

Sources: Musica Nuda, Myspace music page, wikipidia page, Petra Magonia, Ferruccio Spinetti, Beatles - Come Together, Musica Nuda - Come Together, and as for the pictures I used google images.
Also a thanks to Google Translator for translating the Wikipedia pages

-Gabriella

Another Wicked-Ass Cartoonist: Sam Brown

2009-12-13T18:46:00.000-08:00

Hey hip kids!!
My name is Ambrella and I guess an introduction is necessary. I am aspiring writer and artist. I play silly songs on my cello and even sillier ones on my harmonica. I am super stoked to be writing this blog with two of my favourite people in the world, Gabriella and Mountain Mike. Cheers!!

Meet Sam Brown:
His real name is Adam Culbert.
He has brought me, and millions of other lonely kids inspiration from silly drawings.
He is the creator of Explodingdog cartoons.

Clearly, from the name of his site, he is weird and awesome. The title doesn't make any sense, and to first-time viewers of his site, neither does his drawings. His gimmick is input from his fans! They send him statements and he draws cartoons to match them. So, there is no story line, but this gimmick has taken him far as a cartoonist.

He established this project in 2000 and has since then, become MUCH more than a hobby. He sells books and t-shirts with his friendly little fellows on them and even prints of his artwork. He is about to reach his decade marker for his public cartooning, so let's give him a round of high-fives!! Woo!!!

Within Explodingdog, there are reoccurring characters that are main stars in these twisted little cartoons. The main ones that I have observed are:

-Stick Figures
-Dogs
-Robots
-Fish
-Ducks
-Snakes
-Monsters

His major themes include those of everyday emotion:
-Love
-Fear
-Loss
-Happiness
-and Confusion

(hey! Sounds like my Sunday afternoons!!)

I personally discovered Sam's drawings when I was in intermediate school, a year after he created it and I have enjoyed seeing him progress as an artist and my mentor.
If you're interested in seeing more of his art, go to: http://www.explodingdog.com
or you can follow him on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/explodingdog.

I promise, a Sunday afternoon spent looking through as many Explodingdog cartoons as possible is NOT a afternoon wasted. I've included my favourite (new) cartoons by Sam Brown, so, click read more, to view them!!

'Til next time,

Ambrella

Here are a few of my favourite (new) Explodingdog cartoons:

Charlie the Buddhist By Michael Pahaar

2009-12-12T13:25:00.000-08:00

Hello my name is Andrew, also known as Mountain Mike. As you can obviously see I'm the latest addition to The Bold Font. I enjoy writing very much and i keep a black journal that contains some of my most spontaneous work. This story was written for my speech class. We had to interpret a children's story but I found most children stories boring; So I decided to make my own under the pen name Michael Pahaar. Pahaar is the Hindi word for mountain. I'm sure Bella and Amberella can see the humor in this. Anyways this is my story which is better when performed by me but you get the picture.

Once upon a time there was a beautiful unicorn named Stardust. Stardust was the self proclaimed bestest unicorn in the whole universe. Everyday Stardust would dance with the sugar plum fairies and sing by the light of the magnificent moon pool and when the day was over Stardust would fly back to his cloud bed and sigh before journeying of to dreamland where he would sigh. And sigh some more and after sigh sighing he would sigh like a snake which is really more of a ssss’ than a sigh but none of that is important. What is important is that this story has absolutely nothing to do with Stardust the unicorn whatsoever. This is the story of Charlie. Charlie the Buddhist as the other kids in town would mockingly call him. It was true Charlie was Buddhist, but he was also good boy. He lived with his grandmother on a strange street in a strange town where some very strange characters lived indeed.

Charlie’s grandmother was the oldest crankiest and wrinkliest woman in the whole wide world or at least that’s what Charlie thought. Every morning she would wake him up by slapping his face with a freezing cold slice of American cheese and then she would say, “Get up boy when I was your age we didn’t have American cheese to wake us up in the morning. You know what we had make do with? Goat cheese! How do you think that felt eh? It wasn’t even pasteurized. You’d get horrible infections sometimes. That’s how your uncle lost his see. A bit o’ cheese got in there and then poof infection. Doctor had to pluck his whole eye out, he kept it as a souvenir for a coupla’ days. Smelled god awful, but came in handy if you ever needed keep a look out for something.”

It was like this every morning for Charlie. Always listening to his grandmother’s ramblings. He found solace in two things: Indian food and a library book called Buddhism for Complete and Utter Morons by John J. Winklestein. He checked out that book as often as he could, so often that he practically owned it. Never the less he had to return it occasionally. Today was one of those return days. Charlie strode over to where he usually kept the book, but it wasn’t there. He panicked.

“Where did I put it now?”, thought Charlie.

He checked under his bed, on top of the book case and in the fish tank and even on the stand where his grandmother kept her dentures but it was nowhere to be found. He asked his grandmother if she had seen it. She just said.

“We’ll things are always in the last place you look so I’d suggest looking in the last place first and first place last. If that doesn’t work then try the next to last place you’d look. Reminds me of the time your uncle lost his eyeball never could find that thing. Even to this day he still says. Keep an eye out for that eyeball could turn up anywhere you know what kind of trouble eyeballs are getting into.”

“I’ll just have to look for it elsewhere,” muttered Charlie.

He decided to check the Indian restaurant down the street to see if it was there. Manohman the blind Indian owned the restaurant and he knew Charlie very well. Charlie walked in.

“Ah Charlie good to hear you. What can I do for you my friend?”

“I’ve lost a book have you seen it anywhere?”

“Seen it anywhere are you crazy? I’m a blind Indian you nut job and the people think I’m crazy for keeping a goat in the back of the restaurant. They say Manoman you keep a goat in the restaurant? And I’m like of course I keep a goat in the restaurant.”

“You keep a goat in the restaurant?”

“Yeah whats your problem? His name is kebab and I will keep him and love him forever. No matter what those cruel health inspectors say.”

Ohhh, okay Manoman I’m going to have to look for that book elsewhere bye.”

Next Charlie decided to check the local flower shop because that’s where his grandmother sent him all the time.

“Hello Eloise have you seen a book of mine here?”

Oh Charlie I haven’t seen you in the longest time! How’s my little Buddha wuddha doing? It’s like I always say a journey of a thousand mile starts with a single step but you still shouldn’t throw stones. I’m always telling you grandmother to come down here and visit but she never does. It’s nice to have a cup of tea with someone other than your fish but then again that’s life as I always say the early bird gathers no moss.”

It went on like this the whole day for Charlie. Checking shops and crazy neighbors to see if they had the book. He never found it though. Glumly he went home. As he opened the door his grandmother shouted at him. Charlie just to let you know I used one of your books to prop up the washing machine I hope you don’t mind. Charlie felt a wave of relief. He could now practice Buddhism again and as he read that book he knew the moral to the story. Never leave your books in sight of crazy grandmothers. The End

Our Lovely Friend, Edward Gorey

2009-12-11T23:03:00.000-08:00

Hey!

"What's the difference between a hamburger and a baby?

I don't have sex with my hamburger before I eat it."

If you laughed, you haven't seen the best yet. This dead baby joke is nothing compared to the wonderful "The Edward Gorey Alphabet". This isn't about stupid babies dying. It's about twenty-six fully functional and sentience-filled children who meet their untimely and awesome deaths.
Oh, and for those who didn't laugh, you probably won't like Mr. Gorey's work and should go check out the unicorn blog instead (they posted some new pictures of rain-a-corns about fifteen minutes ago....pretty friggin' awesome if you ask me, but still no Edward Gorey).

So. This is "The Gashlycrumb Tinies" written 1963: E.Gorey's own abecedarian book.

A mini-biography of E.G.:
He was asexual and had no children, which makes it funnier that he wrote a book about children dying (he also has a work about this baby that no one likes and doesn't have a name because everyone hates him...this is called "The Beastly Baby"). He was mainly self-taught with his art, but did attend The School of The Art Institute of Chicago. We won a Tony for costume design (um...okay). He was also a writer!! Sadly enough, he died in 2000 at age 75 from a heart attack, although I know it must have been something much more tragic, like vampire ants reproduced inside the lining of his aorta and he ran out of blood, or something like that.
His other famous works include:
* The Unstrung Harp, Brown and Company, 1953
* The Listing Attic, Brown and Company, 1954
* The Doubtful Guest, Doubleday, 1957
* The Object Lesson, Doubleday, 1958
* The Bug Book, Looking Glass Library, 1959
* The Fatal Lozenge: An Alphabet, Obolensky, 1960
* The Curious Sofa: A Pornographic Tale by Ogdred Weary, Astor-Honor, 1961
* The Hapless Child, Obolensky, 1961
* The Willowdale Handcar: Or, the Return of the Black Doll, Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1962
* The Beastly Baby, Fantod Press, 1962
* The Vinegar Works: Three Volumes of Moral Instruction, Simon and Schuster, 1963
o The Gashlycrumb Tinies
o The Insect God
o The West Wing
* The Wuggly Ump, Lippincott, 1963
* The Nursery Frieze, Fantod Press, 1964
* The Sinking Spell, Obolensky, 1964
* The Remembered Visit: A Story Taken From Life, Simon and Schuster, 1965
* Three Books From Fantod Press (1), Fantod Press, 1966
o The Evil Garden
o The Inanimate Tragedy
o The Pious Infant
* The Gilded Bat, Cape, 1967
* The Utter Zoo, Meredith Press, 1967
* The Other Statue, Simon and Schuster, 1968
* The Blue Aspic, Meredith Press, 1968
* The Epiplectic Bicycle, Dodd and Mead, 1969
* The Iron Tonic: Or, A Winter Afternoon in Lonely Valley, Albondocani Press, 1969
* Three Books From The Fantod Press (2), Fantod Press, 1970
o The Chinese Obelisks: Fourth Alphabet
o Donald Has A Difficulty
o The Osbick Bird
* The Sopping Thursday, Gotham Book Mart, 1970
* Three Books From The Fantod Press (3), Fantod Press, 1971
o The Deranged Cousins
o The Eleventh Episode
o The Untitled Book
* The Awdrey-Gore Legacy, 1972
* Leaves From A Mislaid Album, Gotham Book Mart, 1972
* The Abandoned Sock, Fantod Press, 1972
* A Limerick, Salt-Works Press, 1973
* The Lost Lions, Fantod Press, 1973
* The Green Beads, Albondocani Press, 1978
* The Glorious Nosebleed: Fifth Alphabet, Mead, 1975
* The Grand Passion: A Novel, Fantod Press, 1976
* The Broken Spoke, Mead, 1976
* The Loathsome Couple, Mead, 1977
* Dancing Cats And Neglected Murderesses, Workman, 1980
* The Water Flowers, Congdon & Weed, 1982
* The Dwindling Party, Random House, 1982
* The Prune People, Albondocani Press, 1983
* Gorey Stories, 1983
* The Tunnel Calamity, Putnam's Sons, 1984
* The Eclectic Abecedarium, Adama Books, 1985
* The Prune People II, Albondocani Press, 1985
* The Improvable Landscape, Albondocani Press, 1986
* The Raging Tide: Or, The Black Doll's Imbroglio, Beaufort Books, 1987
* Q. R. V. (later retitled The Universal Solvent), Anne & David Bromer, 1989
* The Stupid Joke, Fantod Press, 1990
* The Fraught Settee, Fantod Press, 1990
* The Doleful Domesticity; Another Novel, Fantod Press, 1991
* The Retrieved Locket, Fantod Press, 1994
* The Unknown Vegetable, Fantod Press, 1995
* The Just Dessert: Thoughtful Alphabet XI, Fantod Press, 1997
* Deadly Blotter: Thoughtful Alphabet XVII, Fantod Press, 1997
* The Haunted Tea-Cosy: A Dispirited and Distasteful Diversion for Christmas, Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1998
* The Headless Bust: A Melancholy Meditation on the False Millennium, Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1999

And even more than that!! woah. Talk about one awesome son of a bitch!!! Amma right??!

Well, that's it for now, have fun being educated on the best macabre art and stories out there.

Oh! Happy Hanukkah for all my Jews out there!! I got the gift of giving you Eddy tonight!! Woo!! (That is coincidentally my cat's, Edindger, nickname. If only my cat was a reincarnation of Eddy Gorey....that would explain her love of stealing my drawing pencils.

“Life is intrinsically, well, boring and dangerous at the same time. At any given moment the floor may open up. Of course, it almost never does; that's what makes it so boring.”

P.S. Thanks, Wikipedia, for all the information I borrowed from you.

Love,
Ambrella

An Introduction

2009-12-10T20:00:00.001-08:00

Why hello there! I didn’t fancy seeing you here.
Anyways, welcome to The Bold Font. As of now we’re two dorky 19-year-olds that go by the names Gabriella (me) and Ambrella (ze friend). We also happen to be best friends as well, pshhhh-YEaH. You’re jealous, no not really… I’m trying to be funny, and I know it’s not working. So I apologize in advance. Something we look forward to having is more contributors in the future.
What we want to do here is write about our interests which involve music we hear/make, art we see/make, and other topics that may come our way.
This should be a fun.
Aloha for now!

Art by José Manuel Merello