The Useless Critic 2.0

Song of the Day I miss this band.  Sorry I let you down this month, kids. I love October, it's not been fun for me to miss out on one of my favorite months. I'll be visiting my kin in Erie soon, but plane tickets are expensive, so I might be taking a four-day bus trip. I'm calling it "Kerouac" and hoping I am not Britt-napped, as tends to nearly happen every now and then.  love, Britt p.s. Kate never replied to my interview request. :(

So I went to the State Store (Liquor Store for all you non PA residents) today to pick up a bottle of wine and was met with a sign on the door.  “The Store is closed due to a Weather Emergency declared by the Governor.”  I get that it is a Hurricane. And I get that Hurricanes are bad. What I don’t get is why we are making a big deal about it. Especially in Erie. Dreary-Erie Pennsylvania. WHERE WE GET HIT WITH 88.8 INCHES OF SNOWFALL, AND 42.77 INCHES OF RAIN FALL EVERY FUCKING YEAR. We are experiencing nothing special. Nothing different than any other rain storm we have had so far this year and nothing different than any other rain storm we will have for the rest of the year. People are rushing to stores and clearing shelves in a panic...   They are stocking up on dry food and batteries...  Because god forbid the power goes out and you have to eat everything in the Fridge...   Right now in Erie it is 45 degrees with 40 mph winds coming in

Episode 5: Swim Deep How about that hurricane? Hopefully all my fellow East-coasters are all safe and sound with plenty of candles, flashlights, books and lube. On this installment of Dexter , they cover up a lot of shit, exhume some different shit, and things just don’t go the way that Dex had planned. Hate when that happens, amirite? Also , this one was a real annoyance to wright about. But I got through it, because I care about you.

Hurricane Sandy is set to wreak havoc on the East Coast. Naturally, I am concerned for my friends and family there, which is 90 percent of them. Perhaps 80 percent.  Keep safe kids, from your friends at the UC! Here are some resources to use if you haven't started preparing yet- and I hope you have! http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/life-lines-where-readers-write/2012/oct/28/hurricane-sandy-eight-tips-how-cope-frankenstorm http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/tips-on-preparing-for-the-superstorm-forecast-to-bring-destruction-to-east-coast/2012/10/28/8a4c3400-2113-11e2-92f8-7f9c4daf276a_story.html http://www.ready.gov/hurricanes I honestly hope someone tells me it's all hype and they opened their door in the middle of the storm to Olivia Newton John saying "hey, STUD." Man oh man. End times? Schmend mimes! 

Song of the Day This song is just gorgeous. 

Reasons (in no particular order) to see Cloud Atlas :

Song of the Day So catchy that it is spooky! and also, Video of the Day These boys are hilarious. I watched every video of theirs last night. So good. I always though Aniston was a bit of a stoner. "I don't want your candy. Can I SMOKE it?"

sun was high ......... I was sober No Doubt is actually playing with some good bands this time around, too! Primarily:  Best Coast (she will be baked like a cake mark my words), and Fitz and the Tantrums.  I can't go to any of these late November/early December shows because they are super-expensive. :( 11/24/12 @ Gibson Amphitheatre with Grouplove and Nico Vega 11/26/12 @ Gibson Amphitheatre with Grouplove and Io Echo 11/28/12 @ Gibson Amphitheatre with Grouplove and Blaqk Audio 11/30/12 @ Gibson Amphitheatre with Fitz And The Tantrums and The Aggrolites 12/2/12 @ Gibson Amphitheatre with Fitz And The Tantrums and Noise of Rumors 12/4/12 @ Gibson Amphitheatre with Best Coast and Kitten 12/6/12 @ Gibson Amphitheatre with Best Coast and JJAMZ Source:  Beacon Street Wow, and yet I had to see them with Paramore. Thanks so much, guys. (You know who Grouplove is, right? "TAKE ME TO YOUR BEST FRIEND'S HOUSE..." oh it's on a car commercia

Song of the Day So, today in things you really care about, I do not hate "The Haunted Man" anymore. It's actually quite good- THIS song, however. I have a theory- the song is about this: HMMMMMMMM you are welcome! 

The wonderful world of the world wide web can prove to be a creepy place. As someone who meets her dates online I can tell you this is a fact I have observed first hand. But over the years I have refined my technique and managed to weed out the (majority of) weirdos. "Internet dating” will not be the topic of this rant. Today. Soon E-Harm. Soon... I have a tendency, when it comes to social networking, to "friend" people I don’t necessarily know. If a person sends me a request and we have a number of friends in common I’ll add them no questions asked. In some instances the person and I will have no friends in common but if they are genuinely interesting I'll still add them. After all, it’s social networking and I have a bit of an Ego.  IMA LETCHU FINISH ... I’m starting to realize this may not be the best approach. In the past few months I have been receiving messages from some of these people. Most of the time it’s a harmless, “how are yo

Song of the Day I wish I had appreciated Amy more when she was alive. This also serves as a "dead person of the day." 

It's almost November, and that means for us writerly types, that means it's National Novel Writing Month . If you're not familiar with NaNoWriMo, it's a month of crazy amounts of writing. The goal is to get to 50,00 words of a completely original novel. No editing, no filters, just writing all month long till you get to the goal. I've participated the past two years, actually getting to 50,000 in my first year (humble brag be damned). Last year was...not as good. Long story short, I flamed out about halfway through. I did get some good material, but I just wasn't as committed as the previous year. Bitch knows how to make an entrance. I'm looking to change that. For this year, I'm sticking with my theme of reinventing a character from classic mythology. This time I've chosen Eos, the goddess of the dawn. She's an odd one, for sure, and that's why I was drawn to her.  In the research I've been doing, one of the strangest things

You may know Diamond Rings . I first heard him in Toronto, oddly:  his homebase. Or you may not know him, but you should. Also, I know I promised not to do a lot this week, because I need to focus my energy elsewhere, but this is a special circumstance!  I honestly didn't expect this to come back so fast, but here we go- a few questions with the extremely unique Canadian singer-songwriter, aka John O'Regan: UC: What was your impetus behind your new album? John:  "Free Dimensional" is about embracing my own diversity as a person and artist through the medium of music. UC:  You were/are touring with fellow Canadians Stars. How did that go? John:  Great! We played some really classy venues and had some really enlightening conversations with the band about music and life. They're now really good friends. UC:  How does color figure into your work? It seems like a strong theme for you. John:  Colour is not as important to me now as it was in the past. No

Song of the Day So "Red" has already come out or something and I need to OWN IT ASAP. 

Now it's not that I find Adele untalented and it certainly has nothing to do with her size, kids. I'm just so sick of her. Dear God, "Someone Like You." I finally just escaped that menace.  she actually is attractive....too bad her music was designed for Lamaze classes and elevators and ,Marshall's. well, congrats to her and Simon Konecki on their beautiful baby boy (so I assume, newborns are kinda ugly) that they welcomed into this world today. I wish them the best; I'd send them a basket of pears, but. You know. And, for the record, should I die and never hear "Someone Like You" again, my last words will be quoting Kurt Vonnegut:   "Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt." 

Song of the Day It's been described as Lykke Li meets Santigold, which is true. It's also been described as (on last.fm) as a song they play at H&M, which is equally true.

Song of the Day I wish I could wish I could force everyone to listen to Maps. He's great and this song is exhilarating.  have a great weekend UC readers! I appreciate the fact you've all been...beyond awesome. thanks. 

People love being jerks online. This is a reality. It's easy and also cowardly, you know? And no place is this more prominent than YOUTUBE.  Well, check out this piece of historical footage (concerning a man who witnessed the assasination of Abraham Lincoln; he was the last living witness to that event.  what I love about this? how respectful the comments are. Not one nasty thing I can see. I mean, I'm genuinely impressed, because even on video clips where I thought no one could manage to sink low- I've been shocked to read some things people will write! This is some rare internet business, friends, but I'm happy to see it.  (also, it totally blows my mind this guy managed to see Lincoln shot. I'm always fascinated by people who have seen so much history in their lifetime). 

John Wayne, one of the most revered actors ever gets the honor today. this is for you Sean! things I know and understand about John Wayne: - he did chiefly Westerns. - men like him. - he was my grandfather's favorite actor. And he was in the film "The Searchers" with Natalie Wood.  Telemachus, they say? Why aren't Westerns still a thing? ...

The diner is crowded with sweaty customers who just came from the Brooklyn Midnight Ride. "I smell diner success!" Han exclaims. "Really? 'Cause I smell baked crotch. Can balls fart? Because I feel like I'm smelling that too," Max says. Since Oleg is too busy smoking weed (he claims it's medicinal and it helps with his "chronic erection") in the kitchen, Max and Caroline decide to take care of the orders themselves. "You do plates, buns, coleslaw. I'll do burgers, fries, and any guy who has no future," Max instructs Caroline. After Caroline goes out to serve the customers, Max asks Oleg for the herb so she can get a hit, but he's too high to even remember where he put it. All of a sudden, a very stoned Earl comes out of the freezer. Case solved. Max shows us the many ways to take a hit Max goes up to a table to serve a couple (the guy is really, really hot, by the way) and takes the opportunity to suggest a Max's Hom