You know how when you think you've escaped some stressful stupid crap by moving several states away and engaging in Zen-like behavior and conscientious workmanship? And then, it comes back to bite you through this horrid thing we call the Internet. Maybe blogging is a stupid idea. You want to send something out into the cosmic void so you know your voice is being heard by somebody, but UNFORTUNATELY, there are alot of voices in that void, and they're all screaming, and God forbid one of these Google geniuses could have come up with a filter. Wouldn't it be nice if Gmail just refused to send you angry emails, including your own, the ones you're likely to regret later anyway? Granted that would be censorship and privacy infringement and a whole other mess of bad stuff, but I wouldn't mind. Because people blow. Lots and lots of people. Blow. Including me. And I can't erase history. I can't even erase my friggin' online history. I have to think about my future every time I write down a Goddamn thing. In what light will this post throw me in 2027? Do I really want to meditate upon the worst possible swear word? Do I really want to call (insert name of bad actor here) a douchebag? What if he becomes president someday? Could I be tossed in jail under the Patriot Act?
Stupid, stupid, stupid. People are so nasty to each other. Why can't we all just get along? Huh? Why? Don't roll your eyes when I'm talking to you! Come back here! Come back here! Fine, I didn't want to hear what you had to say anyway. Bitch.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Page 134 -- Hoorah!
Hey, sports fans*,
So I'll be driving the majority of the Eastern Seaboard thrice in the next month or so, once with my g-rents, and once round-trip with my mother and sister, so here's a question: what would you recommend taking a looky-loo at during our great journey North (and then South, and then North again). I'm talking spots unheralded in your typical tourist book. My sister and I are avid photogs, so we'd be terribly grateful for any suggestions of strikingly weird places.
Also, good news, a prosy poem I wrote entitled "Palms" is going to be published in a snazzy little online journal come summer. I'll give you the details when it gets closer to that fine June day.
As a gift, to celebrate the Ides of March, I'd like to leave you with this awesome Halloween picture of my mother and stepfather to relish. How my sister managed to keep the camera from shaking with laughter remains a mystery to me.
*Yes, I'm quoting Champ Bear from The Carebears. What's your point?
So I'll be driving the majority of the Eastern Seaboard thrice in the next month or so, once with my g-rents, and once round-trip with my mother and sister, so here's a question: what would you recommend taking a looky-loo at during our great journey North (and then South, and then North again). I'm talking spots unheralded in your typical tourist book. My sister and I are avid photogs, so we'd be terribly grateful for any suggestions of strikingly weird places.
Also, good news, a prosy poem I wrote entitled "Palms" is going to be published in a snazzy little online journal come summer. I'll give you the details when it gets closer to that fine June day.
As a gift, to celebrate the Ides of March, I'd like to leave you with this awesome Halloween picture of my mother and stepfather to relish. How my sister managed to keep the camera from shaking with laughter remains a mystery to me.
*Yes, I'm quoting Champ Bear from The Carebears. What's your point?
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
300
OK, so you knew I was going to see this movie despite the critical drubbing, out of love for Gerard Butler. And I did go see it last night, nauseous with trepidation.
Before we go into the movie's flaws (of which I don't think many of the critics were clear), I would like to point out the good parts. Gerard Butler is, of course, hot. So are all the Spartans. Michael Fassbender, I don't remember you in Band of Brothers, but you better believe I'm going to go rewatch it now because you were absolutely fantastic. The funny thing is that it's kind of a long music video, so when they stop for dialogue that isn't screamed, THAT feels out of place. Still, the dialogue that isn't "a civics lesson" as Newsweek so aptly described it is pretty good and funny, mostly the stuff cribbed from Herodotus, who is a great read. I recommend The Histories to anyone, just because Herodotus is the most readable and entertaining of the ancient prose writers. The fight scenes are very good, as is the music. Lena Headey's dresses are also quite nice.
Problems:
the voice-over/storytelling aspect is too much -- waaaay too much
Rodrigo Santoro, who is so dull and misused on Lost, is unrecognizable, extremely tall, and very weird as Xerxes. I'm not saying he didn't nail Xerxes as a character, but the character itself is very weird
a crippled hunchback seeking revenge is the downfall of the 300 -- that makes me uncomfortable; Dominic West plays an asshole and does it well -- that makes me more
uncomfortable
the political overtones: sure, Leonidas and his men are bitchin' soldiers who know how to fight, are defending freedom, and all that crap, but they're also completely insane and Leonidas, while brave, is also extremely proud, so proud that he's willing to die and let all of his soldiers die rather than bow down to Xerxes -- and then there are the other Greeks, who go along with the Spartans, except they're not as good soldiers (they have lives, you know, and real jobs) and they also care about their lives -- they're killed faster, but they also get the hell out of there when they realize they're doomed; there's no shame in living to fight another day, but try and tell Leonidas that
what metaphors one takes away from that are up to the audience, though it doesn't help that the one voice of Spartan reason against war on Xerxes also happens to be a traitor (if that was supposed to inspire liberal guilt, it sure worked), and the black-and-white, Leonidas is right, Xerxes is evil, the government needs to support its soldiers, no questions asked, and the rest of the Greeks are kind of wusses... it's hard not to feel the pinch
however, this isn't then, and America isn't exactly an underdog... of all people, the Iranians shouldn't be offended by the movie -- they should just ignore it; it's silly and has nothing to do with them now
it's silly -- the movie is very melodramatic and very silly
I would say, if you like Gerard Butler, go see it. If you can ignore the voice-over and the lame "freedom at all costs" propaganda, you'll have a good time.
Before we go into the movie's flaws (of which I don't think many of the critics were clear), I would like to point out the good parts. Gerard Butler is, of course, hot. So are all the Spartans. Michael Fassbender, I don't remember you in Band of Brothers, but you better believe I'm going to go rewatch it now because you were absolutely fantastic. The funny thing is that it's kind of a long music video, so when they stop for dialogue that isn't screamed, THAT feels out of place. Still, the dialogue that isn't "a civics lesson" as Newsweek so aptly described it is pretty good and funny, mostly the stuff cribbed from Herodotus, who is a great read. I recommend The Histories to anyone, just because Herodotus is the most readable and entertaining of the ancient prose writers. The fight scenes are very good, as is the music. Lena Headey's dresses are also quite nice.
Problems:
the voice-over/storytelling aspect is too much -- waaaay too much
Rodrigo Santoro, who is so dull and misused on Lost, is unrecognizable, extremely tall, and very weird as Xerxes. I'm not saying he didn't nail Xerxes as a character, but the character itself is very weird
a crippled hunchback seeking revenge is the downfall of the 300 -- that makes me uncomfortable; Dominic West plays an asshole and does it well -- that makes me more
uncomfortable
the political overtones: sure, Leonidas and his men are bitchin' soldiers who know how to fight, are defending freedom, and all that crap, but they're also completely insane and Leonidas, while brave, is also extremely proud, so proud that he's willing to die and let all of his soldiers die rather than bow down to Xerxes -- and then there are the other Greeks, who go along with the Spartans, except they're not as good soldiers (they have lives, you know, and real jobs) and they also care about their lives -- they're killed faster, but they also get the hell out of there when they realize they're doomed; there's no shame in living to fight another day, but try and tell Leonidas that
what metaphors one takes away from that are up to the audience, though it doesn't help that the one voice of Spartan reason against war on Xerxes also happens to be a traitor (if that was supposed to inspire liberal guilt, it sure worked), and the black-and-white, Leonidas is right, Xerxes is evil, the government needs to support its soldiers, no questions asked, and the rest of the Greeks are kind of wusses... it's hard not to feel the pinch
however, this isn't then, and America isn't exactly an underdog... of all people, the Iranians shouldn't be offended by the movie -- they should just ignore it; it's silly and has nothing to do with them now
it's silly -- the movie is very melodramatic and very silly
I would say, if you like Gerard Butler, go see it. If you can ignore the voice-over and the lame "freedom at all costs" propaganda, you'll have a good time.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
The Riches grift my book
So the show stole my epileptic child idea. But mine is a real epileptic child. So I should be alright. Ugh. Gotta finish this before I have to rewrite the whole goddamn thing.
On another note, it's friggin' good television.
On another note, it's friggin' good television.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Post 100
Brought to you by Kashi's Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Cookies, the best cookies on earth when you only want one cookie and you want to pretend you care about your health! Let it be known that my grandmother thinks they taste like cardboard, but that's only because she's old and doesn't know anything. Love ya, Grams!
Also, if, like me, you weren't blown away by the first season of Extras, yet continued to watch it because, let's face it, you watch too much TV, and now no longer have access to HBO, several of the Season 2 (and last season! no!) episodes are available on youtube (I only found the Daniel Radcliffe, Orlando Bloom, and Chris Martin ones, sliced up but fully present). Absolutely brilliant.
Also, if, like me, you weren't blown away by the first season of Extras, yet continued to watch it because, let's face it, you watch too much TV, and now no longer have access to HBO, several of the Season 2 (and last season! no!) episodes are available on youtube (I only found the Daniel Radcliffe, Orlando Bloom, and Chris Martin ones, sliced up but fully present). Absolutely brilliant.
Partial Recall
Oh, now I remember. My aunt or my uncle or my grandparents or someone INSANE bought Williams-Sonoma Winter Forest hand soap, so now everytime I want to wash my hands I have to prepare myself for the fact that my hands will now smell like I've just cut down a Christmas tree. Now people scrub for an hour to get the tacky pine sap off them after cutting down a tree and hauling it home, and even if they manage to remove the stubborn adhesive, the smell lingers. It's okay in the living room where it belongs, but on your hands? No one enjoys that. NO ONE. Stupid hand soap.
Also, I forgot to add Love in the Time of Cholera to my list (it was hiding in my computer bag, so I forgot about it).
Also, I forgot to add Love in the Time of Cholera to my list (it was hiding in my computer bag, so I forgot about it).
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