P.S.

I hate when I go to the movies and forget what I am about to see because of all the previews. I guess in other cities they don’t do this. Is that right?

I miss you and Pearl Harbor really sucked-parker and stone

If you love excessive product placement and over the top explosions then you’ll love The Island.

Yes, I saw The Island. It was hot and I needed a break from the unpacking that I am now doing. Basically, it was one of the worst movies I have ever seen. In fact I just got done laughing about it a few minutes ago. I don’t really want to waste your time explaining all of the reasons I didn’t like it, I just want to warn you that it is a total waste of $8-$10. I know you have much better things to do with your money. To confess, I had only gone to see it to watch Ewan McGregor run around in tight pants for a couple hours. I hope you can forgive my digression, as a newly single woman sometimes you just need to do a bit of gawking.

In case you were wondering my dear Angelinos in the future there are still Johnny Rocket’s in Los Angeles.

What is up with the Hollywood Machine lately? Is everyone completely out of ideas? Has reality t.v. ruined our ability to think and imagine?

I have seen many articles lately about how box office sales are continuing to plummet and how once dvd sales and rentals used to save lagging profits, but now aren’t. You can blame Chinatown and dvd recorders all you want, but honestly has there been a movie that you have been excited to see lately? It has been a while for me too and I really haven’t seen a preview for anything that I want to see.

Here are the previews that preceded the film:
Carlitos Way prequel that will be shown on television. It kind of seems like it will be a series.
Beautiful people- a new television show.

A movie where beautiful people are killed by the natural elements called The Fog

An Al Pacino movie that looks truly awful called 2 for the Money

A movie with Cillian Murphy being creepy called Red Eye

Walk the line, Which I wouldn’t mind seeing because I am a music addict.

That movie where Reese Witherspoon is a nurse turned ghost that probably has the word heaven in the title Hey it does

Somebody please help me. I used to really like going to the movies. I can forgive the fact that I have to butter my own popcorn, just please someone come out with a movie I want to see.

thank you tsa

Last night I caught the nightly news for a couple minutes. It's all I can take really becasue it is the same news over and over.

Suicide/car bomb in Iraq
Heatwave
Another kid shot by mistake in Minneapolis

One thing that I did catch during my breif minutes of national news watching, was a story about how the tsa or related security organizations think that they are going to start racial profiling to try to deter terrorism.

They are going to start? ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha hah ha ha ha ha ha ha start? ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

Thank you tsa for the biggest laugh I have had in a really long time. You crack me up.

Yo! The Movement Last entry

So the month is almost to a close. My organization of the month Yo! The Movement only has a few more days to shine until it is finally August. I hope you liked this debut feature of Lemon Life’s Organization of the Month. I wish I had a bigger audience to spread to word.

Now is the time that I am going to jump on my soap box. (If you don’t like it please skip to the next paragraph.) I have worked for a nonprofit for quite a few years now and have seen the recent trend in funding and how the economy has effected the way foundations and individuals give. The current administration would really love if you gave all of your money to Christian/faith based organizations. (Let’s just say Christian, you know you will be red flagged if you gave to a Muslim organization- which technically is faith based) The thing is though that there are a lot of really truly great organizations who are really struggling out there and need help. There are tons of ways that you can help the organizations in your neighborhood. I would be happy to help you locate something in your area. My suggestions include looking into your local public schools volunteer program, local charter schools usually have less strict guidelines about curriculum and look for innovative classes for their students (My friends have volunteer/taught dance, hip hop history and graffiti), there is an awesome website called Idealist.org that has tons of opportunities both in the paid and non-paid variety. I wish that there would be a celebrity concert/benefit for our Public School System. I do not want to diminish any of the work that people have done in the wake of the Tsunami or G8 summit, but why does something have to become a pandemic or a celebrity saying that it is cool for anyone to give a flying rats ass about anyone else.

Now that I have that out of my system I am going to let you know that the schedule is now up on the Yo! The Movement website and on the closing day Slick Rick is going to be there. I am going to try to make it, but sister’s wedding trumps any plans I have for that weekend.

As soon as the month ends, my invitation to buy your ticket (1 day or 3 day) also expires. If you are interested you will get a) a 1 or 3 day ticket to the Twin Cities 4th Annual Hip Hop Festival and b) a guest post on Lemon Life.

As always my email is lemonlifemail@yahoo.com.

Every time we say goodbye

Hi. You have reached Lemon Life. I am not able to come to my blog right now because I have moved. I promise to get back to you as soon as possible. If I do not get back to you in a week please don't hate me. You may leave all messages to me at lemonlifemail@yahoo.com.

Thank you.

From Cali to New York

Although it was in my best interest, sometimes I kick myself for not moving to Los Angeles this year. I am especially kicking myself because of the pure an utter lack of decent shows coming to Minneapolis this summer. (I am crossing my fingers for a decent line up at the Hip Hop Festival) If you would like evidence please visit www.pollstar.com and type in a city search for minneapolis. There is a show in L.A. this weekend that I would have killed to see. This would be my one big show of the summer.

Mos Def and Femi Kuti at the Hollywood Bowl!!!!!

I am so jealous of whomever is going. Please Please Please someone email and tell me how it is. I know there are Californians reading my blog. (Thank You Stat Counter)

For anyone who likes the music coming from the Kuti legacy and lives in the NYC area check out Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra . I promise it will be fun and you will leave the show less stressed from all the dancing and and more informed about the world.

Seriously if you are going to the Hollywood Bowl show email me at lemonlifemail@yahoo.com I want to live vicariously through someone who has the chance to see a great show this summer.

YOU HEAR THAT MINNEAPOLIS!!! STEP UP!!!

Yo! The Movement Update

I know a lot of you are probably thinking that I have dropped off the face of the Earth, but I haven't. Moving in 95 degree weather does not make you want to reach for anything that exhudes heat, including your trusty laptop. I apologize.

July Organization of the month:
I spoke to an acquaintance of mine who is a Yo! The Movement staff member and member of local Illuminous 3 this weekend and he gave me the skinny on what is up with the Twin Cities Hip Hop Festival. They are having a bit of a problem with city zoning laws (This years event is at First Avenue and 7th Street Entry of Prince's Purple Rain fame.) So things are a bit tied up with local breuacracy, but he promises that the website will be updated soon with bands, vendors and the like.

I don't know if ya'll are waiting to see who the bands are to take me up on my ticket offer. That is okay, I understand.

If you don't know what I am talking about see my posting called THINK GLOBALLY ACT LOCALLY.

Back to packing....

Dreamy

Song stuck in my head tonight, although unfortunate is:

"Don't go breaking my heart." Sung by Elton John and Kiki (Dee).

This has nothing to do with my previous post. It has everything to do with a school girl crush I have recently developed for a soccer player also named "Kiki"

grrr!

I think the thing I hate the most right now is packing. What a pain in the ass. I suppose it wouldn't be if I weren't such a pack rat.

I am a pack rat mainly because I personify things and become way too nostalgic. I needed to take a break for a minute because I just went through little things that I had kept from my last misadventure in dating. Receipts, a program I made for his play, movie ticket stubs, etc.

What I need right now is for all of you to email me and say:

"He is a fucker don't call him."

You may cut and paste this and put it in the email or come up with some creative version of the afore mentioned statement. To get extra brownie points include how sweet and nice I am and that I really don't deserve to be strung along by a pathological liar.

To anyone who is going through the same situation of a former mate "caught in the anorexic space between love and hate" (-Cannibal Ox) DON'T CALL. DON'T EMAIL. YOU ARE ONLY PREVENTING YOUR OWN HAPPINESS.

(Sorry for the digression. I am usually such a private person when it comes to my extremely personal life, but I am having a bit of a hard time because it is hard for me to be mean. If anyone would like to teach me how to be mean via correspondence I am open.)

As always lemonlifemail@yahoo.com

Movin' on up

I would like to apologize in advance that I probably won't be posting all that much starting next weekend. I am finally moving out of my apartment and on to a much safer neighborhood. I move on with mixed emotions. Sadness, because I love the diversity of the neighborhood and I love my beautiful view of downtown. Ultimately I am very happy and excited for all of the sleep I will be getting. No gun shots, no crackheads fighting in the middle of the street. Yay! My new neighborhood is very cute and filled with mom and pop stores, which I also love to support. By the way, is anyone interested in going as my emissary to the 4th Annual Hip Hop Festival in August? I am serious about buying your ticket. (See think globally act locally)

American Dream

Let me begin this post first by saying that tpt/pbs' show P.O.V. is one of the best things on television. Hands down it is one of the only things that makes me really think, doubt, infuriates me and increases my mental vocabulary by leaps and bounds. If you have the chance, try to catch "Street Fight" a first hand account of the mayoral race between Sharpe James and Corey Booker in Newark, NJ. Never have I seen the United States as such a third world country. (If anyone can tell me what it was like to be there please email me, I would really like to know.)

no bra with that blouse- so necessary (summer 3)

Another thing I like about summer is no bra weekends.

Why is it socially acceptable for a man to wander around outside sans shirt but women have to teather themselves? It is way too hot, it just isn't fair.

THINK GLOBALLY ACT LOCALLY

I decided to start a new feature of my blog called…

LEMON LIFE’S ORGANIZATION OF THE MONTH

The organization I am going to feature for July is Yo! The Movement

What this organization does:
Yo the Movement is a nonprofit that that hosts and promotes safe events and happenings for youth in the Twin Cities.

Why I like it:
It is run by a lot of really great big hearted folks who put on really great events for kids as a positive alternative.

The staff is in various local Hip Hop groups that has helped put Minneapolis on the map as a Hip Hop force to be reckoned with.

The Annual Celebration of Hip Hop is basically put on by a staff of under ten people. I have a lot of respect for people who can do that.


How you can help:
It seems to me that the main source of revenue for this organization is the Annual Celebration of Hip Hop. Information is on their website.

Other:
I am not sure how else you can help. I will keep you updated. I am sure that you can probably just write them a check, but I am not sure if they are a program that has a different fiscal agent. (EXCEPT IF YOU ARE A DOCTOR FROM NIGERIA WHO IS SEEKING ASYLUM AND IN ORDER FOR YOU TO NOT PAY TAXES ON YOUR MONEY YOU MUST DONATE TO AN ORGANIZATION WHICH YOU WILL GIVE A CUT AFTER THEY PAY YOU THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS)


I have been looking forward to going to their Hip Hop festival since last year’s where I saw Jean Grae and Cee-Lo (GREEN MOTHERFUCKER!) Unfortunately my sister is getting married the same weekend. So if you see some girl two feet from the stage in a bridesmaid dress that is me and say hello. I probably won’t be there so if someone would like to go as my emissary I’ll figure out a way to pay for your entrance and if you write a review or what you did and saw there send it to me and I can post it on Lemon Life.

everything will be fine

Sending out positive thoughts to a friend who is havng surgery today.

technical difficulties

i am having some trouble with my links list. i hope to remedy the problem tomorrow. I just can't fix it today and am being confused.

New link!!!!

I have waited long enough to post this link. I waited a bit because it is a relatively new blog and wanted to make sure I waited so that people had a fair representation about how great it is.

Souled On (Music, Art, Politics and Life)

Why I love this blog:
I learn something new every time I read it, I think Saul Williams and Sun Ra are great and underrepresented for their contributions to music and art, it's funny, this blog was one of the only blogs that had the cajones enough to comment on the Michael Jackson trail, and hmm.. I'll let you see for yourself.

Keep writing Souled On because I wait in giddy anticipation for when you have a new post.

PSA

To all of my blogfans and their families and friends

Do not drink and drive

Do not drink and boat

Do not drink and swim

Please be safe and have a happy fourth and a pain free national hangover day on 7/5.