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In case you haven’t heard: GIRLS STATE is a new musical comedy TV project written by me and my bestie EllaRose Chary.

In this new series, "All Politics is Vocal" as high school girls campaign, sing and cheer to be elected Governor of their summer camp.    We’re raising money so we can shoot in August.  Help us make that happen.  Learn more and watch our video here:

http://kck.st/1Rnftlx

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Donate for Stephanie - http://www.gofundme.com/ihfhjg

We're celebrating the life of a angel gone too soon. Stephanie Moseley represented the very best in all of us, and always did it in beat and with a smile. The world lost an amazing talent, and heaven gained an angel. Before dancing and the bright lights, Stephanie's passion was always the love she shared with her family. With heavy hearts, we here in her Hit The Floor family thought there'd be no greater tribute to Stephanie than to embrace that love through supporting the celebration of her life and the ones that loved her.  We've set this up to provide her immediate family with the immediate resources they need during this difficult time.

Click the link in my profile to help.

  http://www.gofundme.com/ihfhjg

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Ten Best Sentences

Here be some well sentences to read at. Esp:

"Furniture of our pockets" 

And with analysis: http://www.poynter.org/how-tos/newsgathering-storytelling/writing-tools/245081/why-these-are-the-ten-best-sentences/

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Truth

THE PROS AND CONS OF NATURAL HAIR

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I would watch this show

Please kill me

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Nicely. I have always wondered.

Afternoonified A society word meaning “smart.” Forrester demonstrates the usage: “The goods are not ‘afternoonified’ enough for me.”

Arfarfan’arf A figure of speech used to describe drunken men. “He’s very arf’arf’an’arf,” Forrester writes, “meaning he has had many ‘arfs,’” or half-pints of booze.

Back slang it Thieves used this term to indicate that they wanted “to go out the back way.”

Bags o’ Mystery An 1850 term for sausages, “because no man but the maker knows what is in them. … The ‘bag’ refers to the gut which contained the chopped meat.”

Bang up to the elephant This phrase originated in London in 1882, and means “perfect, complete, unapproachable.”

Batty-fang Low London phrase meaning “to thrash thoroughly,” possibly from the French battre a fin.

Benjo Nineteenth century sailor slang for “A riotous holiday, a noisy day in the streets.”

Bow wow mutton A naval term referring to meat so bad “it might be dog flesh.”

Bricky Brave or fearless. “Adroit after the manner of a brick,” Forrester writes, “said even of the other sex, ‘What a bricky girl she is.’”

Bubble Around A verbal attack, generally made via the press. Forrester cites The Golden Butterfly: “I will back a first-class British subject for bubbling around against all humanity.”

Butter Upon Bacon Extravagance. Too much extravagance. “Are you going to put lace over the feather, isn’t that rather butter upon bacon?”

Cat-lap A London society term for tea and coffee “used scornfully by drinkers of beer and strong waters … in club-life is one of the more ignominious names given to champagne by men who prefer stronger liquors.”

Church-bell A talkative woman.

Chuckaboo A nickname given to a close friend.

Collie shangles Quarrels. A term from Queen Victoria’s journal, More Leaves , published in 1884: “At five minutes to eleven rode off with Beatrice, good Sharp going with us, and having occasional collie shangles (a Scotch word for quarrels or rows, but taken from fights between dogs) with collies when we came near cottages.”

Cop a Mouse To get a black eye. “Cop in this sense is to catch or suffer,” Forrester writers, “while the colour of the obligation at its worst suggests the colour and size of the innocent animal named.”

Daddles A delightful way to refer to your rather boring hands.

Damfino This creative cuss is a contraction of “damned if I know.”

Dizzy Age A phrase meaning “elderly,” because it “makes the spectator giddy to think of the victim’s years.” The term is usually refers to “a maiden or other woman canvassed by other maiden ladies or others.”

Doing the Bear “Courting that involves hugging.”

Don’t sell me a dog Popular until 1870, this phrase meant “Don’t lie to me!” Apparently, people who sold dogs back in the day were prone to trying to pass off mutts as purebreds.

Door-knocker A type of beard “formed by the cheeks and chin being shaved leaving a chain of hair under the chin, and upon each side of mouth forming with moustache something like a door-knocker.”

Enthuzimuzzy “Satirical reference to enthusiasm.” Created by Braham the terror, whoever that is.

Fifteen puzzle Not the game you might be familiar with, but a term meaning complete and absolute confusion.

Fly rink An 1875 term for a polished bald head.

Gal-sneaker An 1870 term for “a man devoted to seduction.”

Gas-Pipes A term for especially tight pants.

Gigglemug “An habitually smiling face.”

Got the morbs Use of this 1880 phrase indicated temporary melancholy.

Half-rats Partially intoxicated.

Jammiest bits of jam “Absolutely perfect young females,” circa 1883.

Kruger-spoof Lying, from 1896.

Mad as Hops Excitable.

Mafficking An excellent word that means getting rowdy in the streets.

Make a stuffed bird laugh “Absolutely preposterous.”

Meater A street term meaning coward.

Mind the Grease When walking or otherwise getting around, you could ask people to let you pass, please. Or you could ask them to mind the grease, which meant the same thing to Victorians.

Mutton Shunter This 1883 term for a policeman is so much better than “pig.”

Nanty Narking A tavern term, popular from 1800 to 1840, that meant great fun.

Nose bagger Someone who takes a day trip to the beach. He brings his own provisions and doesn’t contribute at all to the resort he’s visiting.

Not up to Dick Not well.

Orf chump No appetite.

Parish Pick-Axe A prominent nose.

Podsnappery This term, Forrester writers, describes a person with a “wilful determination to ignore the objectionable or inconvenient, at the same time assuming airs of superior virtue and noble resignation.”

Poked Up Embarrassed.

Powdering Hair An 18th century tavern term that means “getting drunk.”

Rain Napper An umbrella.

Sauce-box The mouth.

Shake a flannin Why say you’re going to fight when you could say you’re going to shake a flannin instead?

Shoot into the brown To fail. According to Forrester, “The phrase takes its rise from rifle practice, where the queer shot misses the black and white target altogether, and shoots into the brown i.e., the earth butt.”

Skilamalink Secret, shady, doubtful.

Smothering a Parrot Drinking a glass of absinthe neat; named for the green color of the booze.

Suggestionize A legal term from 1889 meaning “to prompt.”

Take the Egg To win.

Umble-cum-stumble According to Forrester, this low class phrase means “thoroughly understood.”

Whooperups A term meaning “inferior, noisy singers” that could be used liberally today during karaoke sessions.

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good to know

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http://www.scpr.org/programs/take-two/2013/07/16/32725/tracing-oscar-grants-last-day-in-fruitvale-station/

My mind hasn't stopped buzzing from the Trayvon of it all enough to have a developed thought yet.  But I thought this interview with Ryan Coogler, director of Fruitvale Station was relevant and touching.  

I have noticed one thing.  Topics like this make me sad.  They scare me and give me nightmares and the fact that they keep happening and probably will keep happening just makes me shut down.  The image of an innocent, young, black man being misunderstood and then killed is tragic to me.  Whether it's Trayvon Martin or Oscar Grant or even Wallace from the Wire who's death gave me nightmares for days.  These boys make me think of my brothers, my cousins, my friends, of men who are innocent, but always potential victims in a dangerously inept-at-racial-discourse society. 

Tragedy is overwhelming, it is inescapable.  It's a word we use when something is so big and so wrong that we're helpless against it.  Tragedy is something --the worst thing-- that when it happens, we vow never to let it happen again. Tragedy denotes accidents and accidents are things we learn from so that they don't happen again.  I don't think Oedipus would continue to fall into the same tragic steps if he were given the chance to repeat history.  So even though we call these deaths tragedies, I'm not sure America as a whole considers them tragedies if it's not moved enough by them to keep them from happening again.  And THAT to me is the saddest part.  That's what makes the whole thing pathetic, what makes it feel impossible to deal with.  Not the death itself, but that we're not learning, we don't want to learn from it.  We can't even acknowledge, in a court of law, that there were accidents at all.  People die everyday.  Black people die everyday.  But that's not what gives me nightmares.

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Be gooder than that!  

The FNLesque music will help

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Roman Mars sent me -- not just one -- two notebooks!  I'm gonna need it because everytime I listen to an episode it gives me something to write about.  

#99percentinvisible.org

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Always a good reminder - color helps it stick

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Write

Put one word after another. Find the right word, put it down.

Finish what you’re writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it.

Put it aside. Read it pretending you’ve never read it before. Show it to friends whose opinion you respect and who like the kind of thing that this...

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Notebooks.  And when they're full of thoughts that aren't necessarily a result of an assignment or for working towards a deadline.  Nothing makes me more nostalgic for being a teenager than that.  This image really brings me back.    

Filling a notebook can be sad, but starting a new one is the best thing ever!

A glimpse into the journal of a (quite intelligent) 16 year old girl. Photographed, with permission, in Central Park. 

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Zoe as Nina

Here are some links I read before forming my opinion:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/13/movies/should-zoe-saldana-play-nina-simone-some-say-no.html

http://www.coffeerhetoric.com/2012/08/miscasting-call-erasure-of-nina-simones.html

Here's what I think:  

I definitely acknowledge the value and power in casting an actress that closely resembles Nina.  But I don't agree that Zoe isn't a smart choice.  So, I know that seems contradictory but hear me out:

There are too few roles for women of color for us to pick fights when there is cause for celebration.  Yes, Nina brought forth a beauty that, as TNC says, wasn't considered beauty at all when Nina was born.  But if we fight to take away great roles like this for anyone including Zoe - who let's be honest, is very very lucky and a rarity in that she's is getting so many mainstream roles - then what is she left with?  She can't have the roles that are for white women, because they are based on on popularity and the taste of an audience with money, largely white in the U.S.  But then again she can't have the roles that are meant for women of color of a different shade and look because, when it's a black role race does matter.  So what's an actress of color to do?  Get the short end of the stick because she's a light-skinned actress of color?  Image really is everything in this case - doesn't seem like talent or ability matter.  And that sucks.

I think Zoe's an amazing actress.  And I think if they are serious about bringing the truth of Nina to the screen, Zoe will use her talents to do research and will be trying to find the best way to inhabit the role and bring it forth.  I mean I hope so.  It's a probability that shouldn't be left out of this discussion.  And if she's successful, then we'll have nothing to complain about.  And it's hollywood.  It wouldn't be the first time an actor or actress altered her appearance to resemble the person they are portraying.  Anyone see the Lincoln trailer?  I don't want to minimize the difference between appearance/race in casting between Nina and Lincoln.  Huge gap.  However, I think Zoe can use some tools to become Nina: make up, wardrobe.  And I don't think there's anything wrong or racist about that.  

I disagree with Blay quoted in the NYT article on the point that casting an actress that looks like Nina is important as if it's the only important thing.  I think casting an actress that can authentically bring Nina to life is important.  And I hope that the director's plan is to make that happen.  Because I think everyone agrees that if we 'erase Nina' then all is for naught.  Why are we making a movie?

We've yet to see stills of Zoe in the role - or even confirm if she has the role  If she looks like herself at a red carpet premiere or some other situation where she's romping around like a supermodel then, yeah, that'd be weird.  But I'm pretty sure she's not going to be playing herself.  I think they'll pay her tons of money to dissuade her from that.  But it would be a shame if public outcry lost an actress of color a job.  There just aren't that many opportunities.  

I do wonder what the director sees in Zoe that she doesn't see in an actress that does share more of Nina's features.  I guess I just hope it isn't her more conventional features.  That it's something beyond image.  But who am I kidding.  It's Hollywood so it's all about money.  

God, it's inescapable.  I wonder what it's like to be more than an image.  To actually be seen as a person with a brain and feelings and abilities.  Yet another reason to stick to writing and stay behind the screen.

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I think my favorite is "Tartle."  I tartle all the time, even with people I've known for years. Super awkward.

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I like #8

Ten Rules

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Jad is a genius

Jad Abumrad from radiolab wrote a manifesto or something.  Not sure exactly what the cause was, but it's pretty damn good.

http://transom.org/?p=28787

My favorite parts:

•Section 2 about recognizing change:  "We decide on an experiment, try not to overthink it, then do it. Quickly."

Basically in defense of the vomit draft.  It's trial and error again.  But repetition is your friend, speedy repetition, and many many failures.  Get those out of the way I guess, if you want to get to the gold.  

• The section on the 'adjacent possible.'  I think a lot about how I've chosen my course in life and while I could do that because I'm free to, it also means I'm not free to do a lot of other things that could help me on the course I've chosen aka travel, spend money learning new things.  But sometimes what you have access to, when you're hungry for change and growth, is good enough.

• This line: "We’ve decided that the best way to reimagine yourself is to collaborate promiscuously." 

• The very end when he talks about how when things go wrong and you are maybe about to fail and you get that 'gut wrenching' feeling, those moments that can be the very worst things ever can be twisted into great opportunities if you let them.  The idea that even the thing we fear most isn't that scary if, in the words of James' parents to James in James and the Giant Peach we 'try looking at it another way.' Pretty cool.