The Why is the Weather Bipolar? Song / What is Politically Correct?

I was really nervous about offending people with this song. Like reeeeally nervous. I thought I was gonna getting flamming comments from people saying things like "how dare you mock this serious condition?!" or "it is very irresponsible to perpetuate offensive stereotypes" or "I hate u! die! die! die! yur ugly" I was so nervous I even wrote a disclaimer into the song.

In fact, I debated long and hard whether even make this video at all.

In retrospect, I think I may have worried a bit too much; the song is very tame. I think my anxiety was the product of my enviroment. I live in Berkeley, CA possibly the most PC place on earth, where from a young age you get so straddled into saying the politically correct thing, you learn no other way. The other day I got an intense lecture from a stranger when the word "gypsy" slipped from my mouth (I was discussing that movie about chocolate with johnny depp). We were on the bus and I only escaped when I reached my stop (she coul've gone on for hours). The truth is, I go through life thinking, "everyone has their buttons, and I don't want to push them" and it's hard to break out of that bubble.

Note: this whole situation is very ironic considering Berkeley was the home of the Free Speech movement of the sixties, but I digress.

But the more relevent factor that contributed to my anxiety is the fact that several of my close family members are Bipolar, and I really, really didn't want to offend them. I wanted them to see that I was just poking fun, that I had a right to poke fun even, but I was very worried they wouldn't. Turns out all of those worries were unwarranted, they liked the song.

And it seems ya'll liked it too! Which is what really matters. Hopefully, I'll never almost self-censor again. Hopefully someday I'll produce something so offensive and reprehensible you will all unsubscribe. Then my work will be done.

wait, actually, no, scratch that, ignore what I just said.. err...

-abby

The Day After Halloween Song

The idea for this song struck me on Nov. 1st, as I walked by a Halloween Store. Even with the whole store marked down, that shit was still overpriced! Anyway, that's why this song is so short, I just wanted to punch it out on Nov 1st (and before it got too late in the night) so that it was still relevent).

My thoughts on earthquakes:
Anyone living within a hundred mile radius of San Francisco can tell you that "The Big One" is always a hot topic of conversation. It never goes out of style. Everyone always has there two cents to give, particullarly after a minor quake hits (like this one about a month ago). Then the nightly news always does a scare piece on whether or not we're prepaired for such a disaster. Or they interview an '89 survivor.

But on top of the anecdotal musings, and the periodic post-quake scares, an aura of 'it-could-happen-any-second' caution is ever present. In class, I will often avoid sitting under precarious light fixtures. I spend lots of time in an old theater that most certainly won't hold up in a hefty quake and often find myself looking up at its high ceilings and thinking "could it happen right now?" To add to my paranoia, a friend recently informed me that some experts believe that the Bart (Bay Area Rapid Transport) tunnel that goes under the bay to connect SF to Oakland won't last through the big one. As we zoomed along under water he mused on the way we would die, should the quake wish to strike then. "Well, we would either die from the intense pressure change as water enters the tunnel, or if that doesn't get us, we'll drown, or maybe the train and tunnel will collapes into itself and we'll be crushed to death." Thanks, Will.

But even more morbid than Will's tunnel disaster scenarios, is this notion the rests in the back of my mind: "I hope I don't miss it."

Let me explain.

Let's say I move, to NYC, as I hope to soon, and then a year or two later the big one happens. For the rest of my life I will go through the world telling people I am from SF and they will ask all about the quake and I will nothing to say. I know, that's horrible! I should be praying that the day the big one strikes me and everyone I love is on a jumbo jet to Hawaii! But it's almost as if living in the bay my whole life has made 'the big one' an integral and inevitable part of my existence. A life experience I'm sure to have. College, Marraige, Children, Earthquake. It hasn't happened yet, but it still defines me.

And until it does happen, all we can do is wait, avoid light fixtures, and chit-chat casualy about the quake, because someday it won't be a casual topic at all.

-abby

The Scrabble Song

Oh, I-ee-I Love scrabble! Online scrabble to be precise, it's the best thing since sliced bread. Hey scrabble Junkies, check out scrabulous.com, it's far and away the best scrabble site online.

Thanks to everyone who saw and commented on this video on youtube, the number of hits amazes me!!

That's all I gotta say for now,
peace,
abby

Stop Motion: Eating an Apple at Sunset

This was my first ever stop motion. Quite simple but still very time consuming. Presumably the apple is being eaten by the ominous shadow looming in the background. Hope you enjoy!