the american public strikes again

I'm a little behind on my So You Think You Can Dance episodes, so I didn't see who was voted off last week until today.

Nathan is gone and I am sad.

I hate Mollee, she is so annoying and she needs to go. Like yesterday. She and Nathan never should have been paired together, and Nathan got voted off because he didn't get much of a chance to show his stuff with a better partner. He also seemed like kind of a douche, so maybe that's why people didn't vote for him, but he's still an amazing dancer.

Okay, the real reason I like him is because he danced his LA audition to Made Up Lovesong #43. Guillemots are <3 and so is this song.

Nathan was really only my third fave guy (go Jakob and Russell!) so I'm not too cut up about it, but the fact that he got voted off before Mollee is just stupid. And I liked Noelle too! Ugh, just total voting public fail.

Last thought: I freaking love Sonya Tayeh's choreography. Almost as much as Travis Wall and Tabitha and Napoleon.


I had the exact same thought as Adam while watching that routine; it reminded me a lot of The Garden with Courtney and Mark from season 4, and I loved that one just as much.

Yay dance.

this is a rage post.

I've been ranting about this to various people since I found out about it yesterday, so I figured I'd post a general rant on here for everyone to read. This place is seriously turning into a "Sarah bitches about football" page. I know you love it...

So Tottenham Hotspur. I hate them. This is no surprise, as I am an Arsenal fan, but lately I've been hating them for a very different reason. 'ARRY KEEPS SIGNING PLAYERS I LIKE!

In the same way that Arsenal are the France of the Premier League and Liverpool are (or used to be) the Spain, Spurs are becoming the Croatia of English football.

I am not okay with this.

Luka Modric went, and I was sad because he's awesome. Then Vedran Corluka went, and it wasn't super surprising because he follows Luka everywhere, but it was very sad because he's hot and I don't like lusting over the opposition.

Nice manbag, Charlie.

Now it turns out they signed Niko Kranjcar and I just don't know how to deal. I love Niko. Niko is hot like Charlie, but his personality is a little more complex. He's a smart cookie and seems like a genuinely sweet guy. I know Arsenal don't need a player in his position, so I guess I can't really complain, but from a selfish standpoint I'd rather see him on a sinking Pompey ship than with the North London Scum. (Sorry Ven!)

Jay kay. Real hottie picture here.

I hate that I like so many of their players now, because logically that should mean I should hate them less, but it just makes me more annoyed at them because it's Tottenham. I'm so confused! Vanilla Bear says I should dispense with the hatred a little and learn to accept, but I'm pretty sure I can't do that.

So...other opinions?

he's a cheat!

[Somewhat unrelated note: I typed Eduardo da Silva in google image search to look for a picture to accompany this rant. I need to not do that ever again. I am now equal parts saddened and disgusted.]

Diving is bad. No two ways about it, it just is. And it depresses and embarrasses me when players I like engage in such "simulation". Yes, I'm looking at you Eduardo. I even wore your shirt yesterday! I thought you were better than that. Please don't make a habit of it.

That being said, the media hype that's surrounded this is ridiculous. He is not the only player to have ever attempted to gain a penalty that wasn't deserved, and he won't be the last. He's not a serial diver, and I don't believe he will ever become so. At least I hope not. And even if the penalty hadn't been given, we still would have won 4-1 on aggregate. WHAT IS THE BIG FUCKING DEAL? The media don't get this worked up when Drogba dives in every single Chelsea match he plays in. The media don't make a peep when an English hero like Stevie G happens to fall easily. Eduardo is not a bad guy, and while he shouldn't have done what he did, it's not the end of the world. All I'm asking for is a little consistency here!

Also, if I were Eduardo I'd be extremely wary of going up against any challenge, let alone crazy Artur Boruc. He probably was trying for the penalty, but I wouldn't be surprised if he had gone down just to avoid getting run into again.

Lastly, I'd just like to point out that every Arsenal fan I've talked to and comment I've seen online have all agreed that it was a dive and it shouldn't have been a penalty. Even "I didn't see it" Wenger said it! I can't remember hearing the same honesty from most Chelsea fans about the Anelka dive in the Champions League semifinal or Man United fans every time Cristiano Ronaldo made like a swan. Yes, I may have a massive sense of entitlement here, but Arsenal fans rock. That's all I'm saying. The end.

americans are stupid.

How did they vote this guy off??


Evan and Melissa needed to go, and they're both still here. It's all Tyce's fault for doing that stupid cancer dance. No one wanted to vote Melissa and Ade off after that, and while I didn't want Ade voted off, I did really want Melissa to go. I love ballerinas normally, but she's too one-dimensional and also kind of annoying. I used to love Evan, but he's long overstayed his welcome. Kupono was better than him, and Jason was better than all of the boys. My mom and I have decided that maybe we should actually start voting in these stupid things if we really care that much.

But seriously, what the fuck America? How can you not like a guy that looks like a cross between Eduardo da Silva, Goomba (haha thanks Ali), and a puppy dog? I am most seriously displeased.

do you have swine flu?

You better check.

highs and lows of european travel

To the little punk in the Valencia park who stole my iPod out of my hands while I was listening to it: Fuck you. I've had to sit on five long trains with nothing to do, and am looking at two more full days of train travel bored out of my mind because you couldn't keep your stupid thief hands to yourself. Replacing it when I get back to London is not a problem; the problem is I want to use it now!! I die without my music. I highly doubt you die without my music. You probably can't even understand it and are deleting my library at this very moment. In which case: Fuck you doubly. How dare you delete my music to make room for your crap?!? I have fucking amazing music. You don't deserve it, you bastardo hijo de puta. I hope you accidentally turn the volume up too loud and blow out your eardrums, never to hear again.


God. You always hear "watch out for pickpockets", but you never hear "watch out for people who come up to you face to face, talk to you, then steal shit right in front of you and run away". I mean, I had my headphones in! He actually unplugged them. I was in such a state of shock that I didn't react quickly enough. I felt so violated. I've been passively mugged. I gave chase for a while, but then I realized that in my surprise I had left my bag on the bench. I had a split second of terror where I thought maybe while bastardo numero uno was distracting me, another buddy of his was off stealing my purse--with my passport, money, train tickets, oranges (because those are v. important of course), etc. It was still there, thank god, but I figured that it was more important to go back and guard the bag than run after my poor kidnapped iPod.

Other than that Valencia was great. And I absolutely loved Barcelona too. Am in Florence right now, and I'm kind of in city love again. Ate the biggest pizza imaginable today, then walked it off up a mountain to see the gorgeous view from above. Going to have gelato for dinner.

Thieves aside, seriously, can I never leave Europe please?

Oh yeah, no song of the week this week. I have no music in my life anymore. :(

a warning to all travelers

The Curse Of Mallorca, or Get Me The Hell Off Of This Godforsaken Island

Past the white sandy beaches of a small island in the Mediterranean, through the narrow winding forest paths, in a hidden cave high up on the tallest mountain, an ancient tale was written on a forgotten stone wall. It is a tale of the horrors that befall wayward travelers in the few months known as Spring, when the evil spirits of the night come out to play...and to prey.

These zombie-like creatures are of the species Britannius Inebrius, and they thrive in dismal rainy weather and feed off of greasy chips, alcohol, and the sheer exhaustion of others. It is written that when unsuspecting foreigners come across these spirits, they will not be left alone until the zombies' appetites for doom and destruction have been satiated. Do not make the mistake of thinking that since they are the devil's minions that they are therefore insubstantial; they are very much flesh and blood and they can do enormous amounts of damage if given free reign.

If you ever find yourself in the company of these spirits, traveler, I beg you: do not make eye contact, for they will drench you with water. Do not stop to chat because that will only encourage them. And most of all, do not give them your name, for they will alter it into a ridiculous nickname and call it out all night long down the streets and hallways. You must also never invite them inside, for they will eat your food, listen to your music, and refuse to leave you in peace. And even if you let them know where you reside, they will wail, bang on the walls, and buzz deafeningly outside until you go insane.

The terror that you feel in the midnight hours when you are awoken by screaming, chanting, and horrible crashes is indescribable; you feel as if there is no escape and you will surely die. It may be possible to keep them at bay with spades, mops, and brooms, although it is probably best if you just don't open your door, because it is very likely that you will be consumed and reduced to a pile of pink powder. Their overall aim is to turn you into a night-prowling devilish zombie like themselves. Again, I urge you to be inconspicuous; do not stand out by letting it be known that you are not of the Britannius species, because drawing attention to yourself is the quickest way to destruction.

Traveler, you have been warned. Do not awaken the drunken spirits, for they will destroy you. Or your holiday. And perhaps your balcony furniture.

We, the undersigned, urge you not to take this warning lightly.

Vicky, Bobby, Sandy, and Fernando

sick of this shit

Arsene is not impressed.

Why the hell is it so hard to win a flipping league game, Arsenal? Scratch that, why the hell is it so hard to score a flipping goal? This is our fifth consecutive league draw, the last four of which have been nil-nil.

Yes, we are missing lots of players. Fabregas, Eduardo, Adebayor, Rosicky (who?), Walcott...all very important, and I have no doubt that the team will improve when they return. However, there comes a time when complaining about injuries just isn't enough. The problem is that the team we're fielding at the moment should be good enough to beat Fulham at home. I mean, give credit to Fulham, because they're very good defensively this season, and they played well and deserved to get a point from the match.

But that's the problem, isn't it? We didn't deserve to win. Our finishing was shocking, and it wasn't limited to one specific player. It's like the team is going through a communal slump in form, and it's freaking annoying. Is it really so difficult, as a professional football player, to find the back of the net?

I guess some people would tell me to stop complaining. At least we're not losing, right? Yes, I know that there are many teams that are worse off than us. But the big four are held to a higher standard, and when they aren't performing up to their potential, then it is disappointing to the fans. And being one of the "big four" and not actually being in the top four is definitely disappointing. Not playing Champions League football next season will be disappointing.

One of the announcers during the game kept going on about how Arsenal fans were some of the most "unforgiving" of all Premier League teams. All I can say is that right now, we seem to have just cause. You can't tell me that Man United fans would act any differently if they were in our position. Actually, they'd probably jump ship and go support Chelsea or something. Fucking glory hunters.

I don't mean to be a bitch though, really, I'm just frustrated. Get it together, guys! Make me happy again.

the ski trip that wasn't, part one: murphy's law in action

As I wrote previously, I had a ski trip to Oslo, Norway scheduled for the past few days. As it turns out, we didn't actually go. So here's what happened.

We were scheduled to fly out of Stansted on Ryanair at 6:30 am Sunday, but getting to the airport was a bit of a hassle. We took a minibus from Egham to London in the middle of the night, and from there were supposed to hop a coach from Liverpool Street Station to Stansted. But our minibus driver got lost so we were driving around the dark streets of London in circles for absolute ages. When we finally got to the station we had missed our scheduled coach, so we had to take a later one (which didn't even leave on time), and by the time we got to the airport we had about a half hour before our flight left. But because it was Ryanair, check-in was an absolute nightmare and not everyone got their boarding passes. Even for those of us that did get our passes, by the time we cleared security and bolted across the airport, we had missed our flight. So we had to walk all the way back through security and get in this huge queue to try to buy new tickets...which turned out to be £200 at the cheapest.

By this time, we were exhausted from running across the airport, sleep deprived since we had stayed up all night, and bummed about missing our trip. We sat in Costa for a while, eating breakfast and trying to figure out what to do. Half of our group decided to go straight back to Egham, while seven of us figured that we'd stay in London for the day. One of the girls has an aunt that owns a hotel in Sussex Gardens, so she got us a reduced rate there and we decided to stay the night since we had our bags already packed and all. So we dropped our stuff off, then had a child-like regression therapy day in Piccadilly Circus: Burgers and milkshakes at Ed's Diner, hugging giant teddy bears at Hamley's toy shop, and a night at the Trocadero Centre arcade. Then we went back to the hotel, ate chocolate, listened to music, and planned what to do next.

Stay tuned for part two...

this week in things that annoy the crap out of me...

People who insist on blasting their heavy metal music AND DRUMMING ALONG WITH IT in the middle of the night when I'm trying to go to sleep because I have to get up at 6 am the next day for my stupid philosophy final exam!!!!

I hate people. People suck.

I'm tired and incoherent and want to go to bed.

traffic makes me want to kill myself

I made a post last month about how slow-walking people were the most annoying thing in the world. I lied.

It's traffic.

I left my house at 1:30 pm, to drive back to school. It should have taken 3 1/2 hours; 4 if you drive slowly (which I don't). But no, I just got here. It is now almost 8:30. That's a good (or bad, I should say) 7 hours of driving.

It took me a full THREE HOURS LONGER THAN IT SHOULD HAVE.

derby day disappointment

Sometimes I hate life's little surprises.




WTF Arsenal?

sunday night football roundup

For some reason I don't write very often about football (the soccer kind) on here, despite it being my all-time favorite sport forever and ever etc. etc. I think it's because I don't get to watch it on teevee, as the stupid effing cable company in Blacksburg decided to stop giving me the soccer channels. So now I have to make do with shitty internet feeds. I look forward to school breaks even more now just because I can actually watch footie on a real HD TV at home. My whole family thinks that I do nothing but watch soccer and hockey, because that's pretty much all I do when I'm at home. But it's just because I have so much to catch up on!

Anyhoo, so yeah I don't talk about footie much because it's pretty difficult for me to make an accurate analysis of a game from watching it on a blurry three inch screen with commentators yelling things at me in different languages. From what I could tell today, Arsenal didn't play all that fabulously: we won 2-0 but both goals came late in the second half and the first one was an OG. But a win's a win, and I consider any game where RVP isn't injured a success. He was knocked down, but was up and about a few minutes later with no apparent lasting effects.

Random Arsenal notes:
1) Dudu is supposedly only a few weeks from returning to full training. I can't wait to see our little Crozilian play again!
2) Iceman wants to come back to Arsenal to coach! Uh-mazing.
3) Arsène, can we get a new captain, s'il vous plaît?

In other news:
1) Liverpool broke Chelsea's million-years-without-a-defeat-at-Stamford-Bridge record or whatev. Good on them.
2) Tottenham got their first win today after stealing 'Arry away from Portsmouth in a midnight raid, meaning no more Spurs triangle jokes. :*( Ah well, at least they're still bottom of the league.
3) With Redknapp's disappearing act leaving Pompey managerless, Tony Adams has taken over as the head coach, at least for the time being. You go, Tony! Make us proud.
4) Speaking of Portsmouth, Niko Kranjcar seems to be fully recovered as he played for a few minutes at the end of their game. The team is officially that much prettier again. Hallelujah and amen.

florida = worst state ever.

Florida State just injured both our first and second string quarterbacks. Sean Glennon I don't care so much about, but Tyrod? Really? I'm heartbroken. If it's serious I'm gonna go down there and kick some Florida butt. We don't even have a third string QB.


Also, this crazy woman comes from Florida:



"Are you joking? Is this a joke? Is that a real question?"

Oh, Joe the Biden. You crack me up.

rant of the day

The most annoying thing in the world: people who walk slowly in front of me.

My legs are pretty long, which naturally means I have a long stride. And it's freaking annoying to be forced to take tiny steps because the guy in front of me thinks it's cool to walk slow. Here's a tip: it's not. And this is not a fluffy little pet peeve. This is a huge monster-under-the-bed peeve. I hate these people. I wish death upon these people.

Of course, this doesn't include people who have legit reasons for walking slow. No, I'm talking about the ones who amble along in large groups, taking up the whole pathway, and occasionally stopping to talk to their equally annoying friends traveling just as slowly in the opposite direction.

To these people: may your sports teams never win and your cars never run. May your hair fall flat and your pillows be lumpy. May you always be called out in class when you don't know the answer and may your coffee spill on your new white shirts.