... yeah, okay.

[apocalypsos]

"I don't know who Justin Bieber is. I only know his name because it keeps being brought up to me. I listen to Led Zeppelin and The Beatles, so I have no idea who he is. That's not a diss, I just don't know [who he is]." -- Taylor Momsen

Oh, my God, you are such a teenager.

And yet, I come at this from two fronts. Because I know that she's trying to be Rebellious!OMG by saying it, but ... seriously, *I* was trying to be Rebellious!OMG in high school. And I still knew enough about the New Kids On The Block because I didn't, I couldn't make fun of them.

And also, I don't know how well your band is going to do with a frontwoman who proudly tells people she's so out of touch with the music business she doesn't know who the hell one of the biggest pop stars currently putting out music is. (Nobody says you have to like the guy. Sheesh.)

Yeah, I don't know. Taylor Momsen pings all of my annoying-teenage-girl hate-ons. It's not that I don't LIKE her, it's just that she's doing the exact same I'm Sooo Much Cooler (And Therefore Smarter And More Worldly And Somehow More Highly Educated) Than You thing that Hipster Racist Cousin does. It's the attitude that you just know that ten years down the line, she's going to look at pictures of herself now and say, "Oh, my God, what the HELL was wrong with me?!"

*

Speaking of Hipster Racist Cousin, did I mention that she and her brother are coming with me and Bryan to Hershey Park this Saturday? Hopefully she can manage not to be completely snide and insufferable for one whole day. She did okay at my parents' summer party a few weeks back, so I'm crossing my fingers. The last thing I want is her dropping the N-bomb in the middle of Hershey Park. Or anywhere, for that matter, although even if she did she'd still only tie for the most annoying teenager I've ever seen there with some kid I saw the last time I was there who was wearing a T-shirt that said "ABORTION IS MURDER" in huge lettering.

The one thing I've got going for me for the trip is that her brother is basically Bryan 2.0. Same haircut and facial scruff, same laidback "whatever" attitude ... it'll be like I'm leading a miniature Shaggy-from-"Scooby-Doo" impersonators parade through the park.

*

Hey, anybody got some tips for saving money on our DC trip? We're already going to be picking up a lot of cheap microwavable stuff and cases of soda before we leave so we can save on food, and God knows the majority of the stuff we're doing down there costs nothing or is already paid for -- only the aquarium and the spy museum have entry fees -- but I'm kinda blanking on other ways to cut corners.

Comments

[etoilepb.livejournal.com]

The Spy Museum is definitely worth the money, we had an event there the night before our wedding and it was awesometacular. (Sort of a combined bachelor/ette party using Operation Spy. With our friends it was a huge hit.) That's also how I learned that their bar's not actually bad.

Bring water bottles with you and refill them in cheap or free ways. Even better, get one of those portable Brita bottles. DC tap water isn't great (chloriney) but the bottled water around on the streets and stuff is super pricey.

[theliel.livejournal.com]

also keep track of which museums don't allow drinks. Not all of the smisonian's have the same rules. *glare at natural history museum*

at least that is what i recall from last labour day.

[jrho.livejournal.com]

If you are planning to tour the Capitol, they do not allow any food or drink (including water bottles) in the building. You will have to throw away anything you are carrying with you.

If you want to buy a day pass for the Metro, be aware that they start working after 9:30. If you plan to travel on the Metro before 9:30, a day pass probably won't be worth it. Metro travel is more expensive during rush hours, 7:00-9:30 and 4:00-6:30, and even more expensive during peak-of-peak, 4:30-6:30.

If you or someone you know has a Smithsonian membership card, you can use that to get 10% discount on food and souveniers bought in a Smithsonian museum. If you or someone you know has a FONZ membership card, you can use that to get 10% (maybe 20% for food) off food and souveniers bought in the zoo, and you can park for free.

Many of the Smithsonians have lockers for you to leave stuff you don't feel like carrying around. You have to put in quarters to get the key for the locker. I think you get the quarters back when you unlock the locker, but I'm not 100% certain.

[jim-smith.livejournal.com]

It's the attitude that you just know that ten years down the line, she's going to look at pictures of herself now and say, "Oh, my God, what the HELL was wrong with me?!"

In ten years she's going to look back, realize she was right not to care who Justin Bieber is, and wonder why anyone ever cared whether she did.

On a related note, who the hell is Taylor Momsen?

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

In ten years she's going to look back, realize she was right not to care who Justin Bieber is, and wonder why anyone ever cared whether she did.

I meant more along the lines of her behavior in general, not her pretending she doesn't know who Justin Bieber is. (She's sixteen, a girl, in the entertainment industry, and has a band. There's no possible way she doesn't know who he is unless when she says she listens to Led Zep and the Beatles, that's literally all she does, all day long, without leaving her room or interacting with anyone.)

She's on Gossip Girl and has a band nobody's heard of. Mostly she spends a lot of time walking around in knee-high tights and a button-down shirts and no pants, and giving interviews where she makes snide insufferable comments about how much better she is than anything that's more popular than she is.

[dragonsinger.livejournal.com]

So, who's Taylor Momsen? I must be getting old.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

She's on Gossip Girl, and she was the little girl in the live-action Grinch.

[dragonsinger.livejournal.com]

Ahhh...I am old.:)

[azurelunatic]

Oh, Gossip Girl, that's why I don't know her. (One of my local friends likes it, but just from the description it hits several of my squicks and a few of my nerves.)

[lots42.livejournal.com]

Road trip? Bring shitloads of water and paper towel. You will need it.

[florahart]

Not Bieber, but:

She never says hey, or, remembers his name, but, it's probably cos, she thinks she's cooler than him?

[misty-writes.livejournal.com]

As obsessed as I am with Taylor Momsen, a lot of her comments bug me. -_- It REALLY makes me sad that she's not in touch with her musical peers! She's missing out on a lot of good music from people who are just as passionate about music as she is. GRAHHH TAYLOR.

[laughingrat.livejournal.com]

All I know about Justin Bieber is that he's a pop star. I mean, literally, that's all I know about the guy. As a teenager I think I'd've known even less about him. 0_o

[dargie.livejournal.com]

I don't really know who he is either but then I'm almost sixty.

[luvmax1.livejournal.com]

I know I'm getting old, because everytime I see a picture of Taylor Momsen and her raccoon eyes and no pants, I always think "how can her mother let her out of the house like that?"

I loved New Kids on the Block. I went to two concerts, and worshipped Jordan Knight rabidly. I fully admit it.

[shibbyfangirl.livejournal.com]

Well, I don't know who Taylor Momsen is. :P

[azurelunatic]

Tire pressure and oil can improve gas mileage.

[audrey1nd.livejournal.com]

I mean, I watch the Disney channel and while I knew the name and that he was some new little pop star, that's all I knew. I've heard one song because a friend played it and I can't even remember it. Also, the Disney channel makes fun of him, which is great. I'm not exposed to him through my interests, so other than him coming up on my yahoo news and people mentioning him, I too have no idea who he is.
I do get what you mean about her, but then again, isn't everyone allowed to go through that "I am a teenager and I think I'm too cool to know anything about popular things" phase? Just because she's a celebrity doesn't mean she can't go through it.

[madripoor-rose.livejournal.com]

The restaurant thing you were gonna spring on your brother...try to find one with a recently updated website with a menu, and pick out what you'll eat and stick to it.

(And I assume the usual restaurant tricks apply, like having a late lunch instead of dinner...that's usually a little cheaper.)

[lilacsigil.livejournal.com]

Now, I was really that out of touch as a teenager - no channels that showed music videos, only one radio station and that mostly played 70s and early 80s music. And "We Built This City", over and over. But no kid with internet or cable TV, let alone a band and TV show, could be that out of touch!