So, I get the whole advertising thing. You have a product and you want to trade that product for my dollars. Cool, you show me your product and I decide. Then someone has a similar product and so the two of you must convince me that one product is superior over the other.
There’s a pretty good system in place where a company with a product pays to show its product to me. This money helps to subsidize small crochet oriented magazines and Hollywood’s blistering cocaine habit. I’m still with this. I understand and accept that in order to keep the cost of my magazines reasonable there will be some advertising in the magazine and that advertising will be directed towards my interests (like yarn stores and bongs and hippo leashes).
Also, the ads are clearly labeled as such. When I flip through my magazine it is clear to me what part is an article and what part is advertising. And, if the magazine is good and pure, they will discuss products from a neutral point of view and not as thinly veiled corporate whores.
Stick with me, I’m going somewhere with this.
Now, mostly I’m talking about magazines because I don’t watch tv and the few times that I do happen to see tv I end up yelling at it (or yelling at the person next to me to turn the Puppy Bowl back on or I will disembowel them). I’m not really in a position to write about tv advertising (except that it pisses me the fuck off and I can’t stand it and it makes me want to people).
To recap, I’m not opposed to advertising so long as it is clearly labeled as such and it helps to subsidize a related product that I want to purchase, like a magazine.
What I am really opposed to is blatant product placement in movies! Look, it’s obviously not subsidizing the movie or I wouldn’t have to pay 8.2 billion dollars just to get in (and this doesn’t count popcorn and Icees!). Yesterday we took my cousin Rosalie to see the Get Smart movie (my review…meh). 110 minutes of ads for Post-it notes, Vino scooters, GMC SUVS (one minute they’re in a Yukon, the next they’re in a Denali. Each shot requires the camera to linger on the nameplate of the car) and Chanel. Man, fuck ass. I already paid to see the movie, I didn’t get any sort of discount or break and I have to sit here and watch commercials.
Commercials that aren’t even labeled as such. Jackasses. Of course as part of their partnership or whoredom or brimstonic pact with Baphomet they are required to show the product over and over again in various panning shots.
and y’all wonder why I’m so damned crabby all the time!
On a completely unrelated note:
There’s a repair dude in the other side of the duplex and whenever he talks he sounds like a toothless with a mouth full of mushrooms trying to tell us that Timmy fell down the well. Jesus! Be quiet man! His tone and pitch are so weird I picture him stumbling around in his white painter’s pants and talking on his Nextel Wiener450 Super Beep Phone. To complete the picture, he’s listening to “oldies”. Why is it that in the almost 3 decades since the 70’s ended they haven’t managed to add to this “oldies” array?

It finally happened! April got married!!

We could not have asked for a better weekend. The weather cooperated!
Saturday we had the open house at my dad’s house. All friends and all family were welcome to join us in casually celebrating April and Keith. I ran David and Anna just ragged helping me cater the event. Oh, and Sky, I just thought you would want to know that I served the maple pecan salmon on crostini with orange ricotta. Lovely. There was also artichoke dip, stuffed baby sweet peppers, mushrooms stuffed with bitter greens and feta, also mushrooms stuffed with faux sausage, and probably a few other this and that.
Sunday, the wedding proper, it was perfect. April was literally glowing as the bride. I was so proud of her and happy for her. I love her so dearly and I am nothing but thrilled to know that she is sharing her life with Keith.
The wedding was mostly problem free and the few issues that came up we dealt with quickly. We decided we got to choose to be upset or happy and we didn’t want to be upset.
For the most part people behaved themselves. Some seemed tempted to make a scene but they mostly restrained themselves to one on one kvetching. If there’s one thing I learned from this whole experience (besides to just elope) is that no matter what you choose, there will always be someone that believes they are entitled to more.
It hurt my heart a little to know that there were people close to April who felt that way. But those people get what they give and I will let life take care of that.
More importantly, there are pictures!
These were taken on the best man’s camera, mostly by my stepbrother.
These were taken by my stepmom and show both the open house and the wedding ceremony.
I’m easy to pick out, I’m the freaky fairy princess!
Congratulations April and Keith! You are awesome!

I LIVE!!
There is a lot of BIG STUFF happening right now and I am afraid that if I talk about it I will jinx it!
soon soon soon!