Like a lion kills an antelope...

Any of you lovlies on facebook and want to be my friend should add me: Amy Sammartino is my name. I'm on quite a bit and if you want to chat or catch up with me, that would be the best place these days. XOXO

The holidaze were just that - a whirlwind of visitors and food and bright lights! My mom came out for Christmas, and it was a mixture of fun, awesomeness and horror. What is it about parents, mom's especially, as they get older, they get...so...helpless? I was sad and relieved to see her go. As for New Year's, my friend, Nate, came into town. If the balance of the universe holds there is a chance he could be moving out here in a few months, which would be amazing on so many levels. Otherwise I'm doing good and feeling fine.

Found this video via a connection through a Facebook group:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?…

It's old Midwest rave footage. At 9:35 you see my brother dancing. I've decided this video is my generation's Heavy Metal Parking Lot. Watching it now I know why the cops were so determined to stop this shit. We were out of control! I sure do miss that music though - techno and house has gotten so slow - where did the fast, hard stuff go?

I give you GO WEST!



Give into the gayness. No on 8!

All I can say is that if Obama wins and Prop. 8 fails miserably I will officially give up my human-hatin' ways and party like it's 1999 forevermore! Want to join me, I'm buying the coctails!

In the meantime, let there be TACO!

Well, my grandmother is still in the hospital. Life is still stressing me out. I've found myself being very withdrawn. I'm not returning phone calls. I've been pullling back from Alex and in a weird way from myself. Finished up some mosaic projects, which felt good. In the big picture I have nothing to complain about - my life is pretty sweet. But I just feel sort of down right now. A funk I can't quite put my finger on, but I'm giving myself the space to let it do it's thing and let it pass. I'm listening to a lot of Kool & The Gang, The Gap Band and Cameo these days in a desperate attempt to cheer me up. It may be working.

Thought I'd share this little picture from my Hawaii trip. Sad to think the authorities thought they had to remind the ladies not to drink out of the toilet at the state park. There was no such sign put in the men's room. Thanks to Christine for pointing this out. I miss you, girl.

My great aunt died this weekend (the sister of my father's father) at 92 from a stroke. Not totally unexpected as I saw her at Christmastime and she was so frail. But goddammit, do I come from hearty stock, as this woman could barely walk but still she rocked it in three inch spiked heels! I am already going to Chicago this weekend to see my grandmother, who is also 92, and seems to be on the decline as well. So I will be at the funeral. You do not blow off an Italian funeral, because EVERYONE in the family will talk shit about you for years. EVERYONE pays attention. But man, do I hate funerals, especially the creepy open casket, poke-a-dead-body types, which this one is SURE to be.

Overall I feel pretty numb to all of it. I've rationalized death to being nothing more than a formality, and the fact that both have lived full lives comforts me. What worries me is the nutbaskets my mother (who is caring for my grandmother) and my father (who sees his own mortality in all of this) have became. I also realize as I get older how much more I've warmed up to the idea of family, as I remember spending most of my younger days doing anything to avoid it.

But the whole mess has left me drained. I'm taking this trip at one of the worst times for me at work, so I've been stressed to the gills. But then little things give me hope. The sun and warmer weather poking through my office window. A fellow I talked to today who told me stories of being a spy for the Canadians during the cold war, and how he spent two years living in the Artic (complete with a telling of the beauty of the Northern Lights and the fear of having wolves running, barking at your feet in the dark). Watching Mimi (one of my cats) lay across Alex as he naps on the couch. Reading stories about people who hoarde and thus feeling better about my life and living space.

I'm reading fairy tales and Norse myths. I'm discovering some new wave albums I've never heard before: John Foxx's "Metamatic" (as good as anything by Ultravox), Landscape (especially the song "Norman Bates") and Kim Wilde (digging deeper than "Kids In America" which everyone knows - she's great).

I've found sometimes it's better to order music from Amazon UK than Amazon US as the same CD will be a fraction of the cost even with the international shipping. I found a Scars CD reissue, which appears to be reissued by the band themselves, there, but it's nowhere to be found here in the states. I'm also getting my own copy of Metamatic for 4.98 pounds vs. $21 plus on the US site. Sure, that's essentially $10 plus shipping, but it's still at least $6 dollars cheaper than buying it on the U.S. site. I am also getting Adam Ant's autobiography, which the paperback doesn't seem to exist here either.

I remember ordering an Edith Nylon CD on the Amazon French site a few years ago. It was funny trying to order as I know NO FRENCH. I had to keep going back to the U.S. site to figure it out. So silly. At least with the UK site, there are no language problems.

Also, I got to admit Skinny Puppy's "Dig It' is and will always be one amazing song. I've been thinking about songs I loved in high school that still have "it" and "Dig It" is totally one of them. What are yours?

Also, Chicago types: I will be at Neo on Friday night for sure. I am planning it out with a friend. I cannot wait to experience a smoke-free Chicago bar scene. I've been told the huddling goths smoking in the cold is quite comical! And I really need some laughs right now.

I leave for Maui tomorrow. Back to packing...

Today is the 10th year anniversary of the untimely death of New Wave/Euro Pop legend: Falco. (Anyone who needs reminding of Falco's awesomeness should check out the Wiener Blut video). It looks like a biopic is coming out in Europe this summer, but at this point it may not be released in the states (I can't remember where I saw the trailer - it may have been on youtube - movie is called, Falco: Verdammt, Wir Leben Noch!).

Here are a few pics from his gravesite in Vienna. Seriously, having a glass (or maybe it is acrylic) image of yourself, along with titles of your songs, spewing forth from the grave is pretty damn awesome. Even in death, Falco defines cool.

My dear chrisomatic tagged me on this one:

Pick 5 songs you'd like to hear covered and who you want to cover it. Say a bit about the kind of style you'd like the cover to be. When you are done tag 5 people who you'd like to answer this poll.

I'm not going to tag anyone, but would love to hear from anyone who would be interested in doing their own. Post or comment please!

My picks:

1. "Food Fight" done by The Briefs - originally by The Village People - The Briefs are definitely my favorite now-time punk band, and put on a fun, fast-paced show. The original of this song is off the Village People's disastrous "new wave" album Renaissance, which for the most part is a mixed bag, and was a total commercial flop. "Food Fight", however, is a perfect slice of synth punk about, well, starting a food fight at your school (which shares album space with a song about eating a Big Mac AND a song about how you need to go on a diet!). To be honest, I wouldn't have The Briefs change a thing, except to take out the synths and add in more guitar. The tempo should totally remain the same.

2. "The Window" done by Adult. - originally by The Flying Lizards - This song is basically about a girl wondering if the person outside her door is a vampire. The Flying Lizards version is somewhere between cutesy and scary. I think Adult., especially considering how dark and disjointed their last album was, could smoke this song. I would speed up the tempo, and also change the synths to make them more foreboding, but at the same time make them more dancable. The original is slow and hypnotic, but I would not want Adult.'s version to be. It should be a dance song!

3. "The Wedding List" done by Kristin Hersh - originally by Kate Bush - This is my favorite Kate Bush song, hands down. It's about hatred and revenge, and of course, Kate's vocals are flawless. Kristin's version would be very stripped down. Sometimes I think she is at her best with only a guitar and her voice. I can hear her softly growling "And I'm coming for you", and it's glorious.

4. "Because You're Frightened" done by Erase Errata - originally by Magazine - I've only recently dived into Magazine's catalog, and have totally fallen in love. This song has great lyrics about being afraid and only doing things because you are afraid not to. The chorus is "look what fear's done to my body" with the following of an awesome guitar riff. Given how awesome Erase Errata's "Nightlife" album was, I know they could do this song justice. I would have them add more pronounced bass lines to the song (since their bassist is the shit), along with making the drums sound harder, but other than that keep the overall tempo the same.

5. "Nightshift" done by Amy Winehouse - originally by Siouxsie & The Banshees - This is a song about necrophilia (god, I love them!), with a very strong chorus of "fuck the mothers, kill the others". This may be a little out there even for Amy, but a lounged up version of this song (complete with brass band) with her smokey, smokey voice would be amazing.

For more AFOS awesomeness, check out the It's Not Me Talking video on youtube. I would post it here, but youtube is a restricted site here at work. It's pretty damn amazing!!!