The music video I made together with Mariette Hansson has skyrocketed past 10,000 hits now on Youtube, and it's thanks to all of you lovelies! Thanks for your support, for watching and for rating it! Keep passing it around to your friends, especially if they're record label executives, etc. ;) For another look, you can watch it AGAIN here.
After last night's nail-biter on Swedish Idol, there was a record number of votes recorded to help push out girl onto the next round. Never have I ever been so emotionally invested in reality tv. It's appalling in one way, but in another, I couldn't be more proud! Heja Jettan!
so i took an awesome core training class last night with magnus... which is only good news, since i haven't trained in more than 6 months! whoa! so today, i feel a strange and wonderful combination of being energized while also feeling like i've been hit by a train. bizarre...
to our delight, magnus popped (literally) by this morning too, to hang for a few moments before he takes off (literally) again to another convention abroad. he's just such a pleasure to be around, it really helped the day start off right. combine that with fresh bread and breakfast, supplied by jenny, this has the makings of being a wonderful thursday!
Documentaries are so undervalued these days, I feel. Most people are interested in blockbusters, the newest installment in the Saw gore-ology, or worse, something of the Zach Efron variety.
I might be considered a hypocrite because I earn my bread and butter by selling out and doing the bidding of corporations, but I still do my best to stay true to myself. I even throw in the odd music video or artsy fartsy gig here and there, when time permits. And I still WRITE. And my aspirations lie far beyond next month's rent... I have plans, people.
But I digress.
Tonight, I flew solo (nurses gotta work, y'all) and went to see a doc about Nicaraguan banana workers and their fight in and American courtroom for damages, claiming that they were rendered infertile from using a pesticide over 30 years ago while working for Standard Foods (Dole). Phew.
The man on the case was a Cuban-American shark named Juan Dominguez. Before this law suit, he was a respected and successful class action lawyer, operating out of LA, earning mucho deneros defending people who were hit by buses, ambulances, horse carriages, etc.
Long story short, all the plaintiffs were awarded with something. I think the total damages to be collected from Dole was around 5 Million USD. But the sad part is that Dole launched a counter suit and sued Dominguez for fraud and accused him of fabricating evidence.
You have to see this movie. Now that I've just told you what happens... it doesn't matter. The shit these lawyers from Dole try to say to weasel their way out of paying for their negligence is just unreal.
On a brighter note: I had amazing root vegetable soup at the movie theater before the show. The wonders of independent cinemas in this town; they serve real food and its all organic and mostly veggie too. amazing. come visit, you'll love it!
so, i popped into my favorite coffee/lunch place Delitalia which is right around the corner from our apartment.
when we (i) lost the second set of keys, i used to leave our only set there for jenny, by the good grace of the kind baristas, so she could get into our place after work.
whenever i want to have a creatively injected business meeting, i always choose this cafe. i think the food and coffee is amazing, and the atmosphere makes me feel like i'm back in a tiny tuscan village, soaking up the sun and olive oil with some focaccia in hand.
anyway.
i went in there today to give myself a well deserved caffeine boost, as i will spend the day at home going through my books (barf) and cleaning. real domestic bliss.
usually they are playing tunes by eros ramazotti, of which i am not a huge fan. but today, they were blasting this extra upbeat remix of "you to me are everything" by the real thing.
the conversation that unfolded over the next 30 seconds went something like this:
alana: is this in italian? barista: yes, i think so. helene is this in italian? helene (from the back room): yes, it is. barista: but i know this song...where do i know this song from? helene (from the back room): that girl, with the hair, sang it on idol last friday... barista: oh right! she totally kicks ass, i hope she wins the whole thing. helene (from the back room): of course she will. [the barista pauses, looking to me, as i am silently smiling to myself waiting for my latte] barista: wait... weren't you...in the audience? i thought i saw you... [i burst out laughing, i can't help it, it's so ridiculous] alana: ...yes, you might have seen me one day a few weeks ago, but not recently. barista: yes! it WAS you! and you had a HUGE white SIGN! so funny!
maybe from now on i'll get free coffee? i hope so, i honestly can't afford my habit!
