Happy New Year!! So I'm a little late with the celebration, what can I say, life gets in the way sometimes. I offer you no good excuse. I have a bunch of little excuses which I always use, but who really cares. A lot has happened in the world since the last update. Presidential nominations, Janet Jackson's now infamous nipple, no intel on WMD's, a new haircut, you know, all the important stuff in the world in which we live.

Let's get down to the most popular topic: Janet Jackson's nipple. I refuse to call it "Nipplegate" or "Boobgate" or whatever the going "____gate" is at the moment. First, if for one second you believed the breast outing to be on accident stop reading this and go out and get yourself a clue. This is the music business of the 21st century, where accidents aren't really accidents, and musicians aren't really musicians. They are more like puppets and pawns in a ridiculous game that we, the consuming public, perpetuate by talking about it, by buying their albums, by feeding the beast! But we have an overwhelming need to be entertained. This is why we reward actors and athletes with multi-million dollar contracts and advertising deals.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not assigning guilt or innocence to anyone. I'm as much a part of the cycle as anyone! I watch the shows, I buy the albums, I buy the product, I consume. Every now and again we get a glimpse at the true state of affairs in our society, and Janet Jackson's nipple bursting out of her clothing in front of 90 million people is an indicator of the America we live in.

Is anyone else confused and somewhat uninterested in the democratic presidential nominations? The media has made SUCH a hoopla over the event. Every week a new nominee is dominating the headlines. First it was Dean, now it's Kerry. All the while I thought Clark was cool - a retired general NOT in favor of the war in Iraq, that's special. And I always thought John Edwards was that creepy psychic guy who talks to dead people.
The issues I care most deeply about, gay rights and the wars, don't differentiate between the candidates. So I've decided to let it play itself out while I watch on the sidelines. My opinion is that whoever has the best chance of beating Bush is who I'm voting for. My motto for 2004 is "ANYBODY BUT BUSH."

To learn more about the candidates check out the following websites:
- www.vote-smart.org
- www.ontheissues.org

It's no secret that I despise President Bush. I could rant about that little twerp for days and still have plenty to rage on about. This time I am choosing to bitch about going to war without the proper intel on whether or not Saddam had nuclear and/or biological weapons. We live in an era where it is decided for us what we should or shouldn't know. Meaning someone (Bush) knew there would be no wmd's found, and decided to 1) not tell the American public, and 2) go to war anyway. I don't believe for a second that he didn't know we wouldn't find anything. He knew. And now he's putting together a panel to search for a scapegoat for HIS power-thirsty invasion of Iraq. And now our troops are in this foreign country on his order, being told they are defending OUR freedom, when really they are protecting Bush's reputation. I hope to all that's right in this world that we have the ability to see through the mockery that is George W. Bush and vote him out of office come this November. He did NOT win a majority of the popular vote in 2000, that should speak volumes. ANYONE BUT BUSH, say it with me now!!

Hair is a defining characteristic of our physical appearance. We often draw our confidence from how we feel about our hair, and to go and change that in a drastic way is quite nerve racking. When I was a kid I wore my hair short for the most part. I didn't want to mess with it, and that's been my attitude about my hair all my life. I grew it out in the seventh grade and haven't changed it. Therefore, I've had the same hair since seventh grade! That's 12 years!!
So I decided to make a change . I wanted it shorter and low maintenance. Spending a lot of time on my hair is not a fun way to spend my time, especially in the morning when I'm half awake. The day I got it cut I loved it, it was styled and I was STYLIN! Then I took a shower, brushed it back, and let it air dry. Oh man what a mistake! I looked like Conan O'Brien! It was poofing out all over the place! I didn't freak out till Sunday morning when I was talking to my sister. She has the power of truth on me, I can't even lie to myself when I talk to her. My sister, being the concerned and caring person that she is, came over and showed me how to style it. What a relief!!!
I actually went out and bought a hairdryer today. The last hairdryer I owned was given to me as a gift when I was ten years old...believe it! Click HERE to see pics of the new doo. This is the flat, end-of-the-day style.

This is just a reminder for you all to watch out for the new video by Joss Stone on MTV. They've been showing clips after TV shows as "Buzzworthy." The video is for "Fell In Love With A Boy." and it's my favorite song on the album, Soul Sessions. If you haven't checked out this album yet you really really need to. This girl is something special. This album was intended as a side project while she was working on original material. Now she's blowing up all over the place. It's awesome! Check out her site at www.jossstone.com