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indiana jones, take 4
May. 25th, 2008 04:37 pmLast night I went to go see ( Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull )
valentine's day movies and pollage
Feb. 14th, 2008 07:01 pmHappy Valentine's Day, flisters! In honor of the holiday this year, the universe gave me a stomach virus. At this point I'm almost positive I don't have ebola and am feeling pretty human. The nadir of the whole experience came between ten and midnight last night, a period during which I wouldn't quite have gladly welcomed death, but let me tell you, he would have gotten a warmer reception than usual. Right now I'm feeling good enough to drive to Wallgreens to pick up a frozen mac and cheese, having reached that stage in the stomach virus when only one food in the universe is appealing.
I have to tell you, if you're going to be home sick, Valentine's Day is a good day to choose. TCM was running a bunch of romantic movies today, and so I got to see the 1939 version of Love Affair (the movie 1957's An Affair to Remember is based on) and it was SO GREAT. Irene Dunne was, quite typically, beyond awesome, and Charles Boyer was much dreamier than his name would imply, since I pronounce it in my head like a typical Dumb American and the last name "Boy-Er" doesn't call to mind a dark, dashing Frenchman (which Charles Boyer totally is). Anyway, you should check it out, especially if you love the 1957 movie, because I think this version is as good or better. I think the ending to these two movies (they're virtually identical) is just about the most suspensefully romantic ending ever. Every time I'm all, "SHE LOVES YOU! CAN'T YOU SEE IT IN HER EYES?" and "HE LOVES YOU! TELL HIM THE TRUTH!"
I hope that's vague enough that I haven't spoiled anything too terribly.
The other major thing happening in my life is that I'm obsessed with the new version of Sense and Sensibility that will be airing on PBS in March, I believe. It's available on YouTube, and I've been watching some clips on and off for the past week or so. And by "on and off" I mean "every evening, as a ritual" - the main clip I've been watching has been, pretty predictably, the happy ending. Because I love happy endings, and as beautiful as the 1995 version of S&S is, it was a little restrained for me. I could appreciate the choice artistically, but emotionally, I'll own it: I want a big speech at the end, I want smooches, I want the end of my restrained period dramas to have at least 30 seconds of being gloriously unrestrained in the final five minutes.
The best period movie ending for me is, hands down, the ending to the BBC miniseries North & South, which for a while I watched every morning before going to work because it put me in such a happy mood.
I have to say, the ending to the new S&S is a pretty good contender (I can't properly judge it now, having just seen it) and I'm going to try to indoctrinate others into my S&S cult and provide a clip here.
The final eight minutes of the movie/miniseries, predictably full of spoilers.
Watching bits of this new version inspired me to watch the 1995 version, and now I'm totally ALL ABOUT the Elinor/Edward love story. They're both so GOOD! And trying to be NOBLE! And they LOVE EACH OTHER SO MUCH! Etc etc.
[Poll #1138671]
And I think that is all for now! I'm going to go and try to eat my mac and cheese and maybe watch some sappy romantic comedies. Happy V-Day, everyone!
I have to tell you, if you're going to be home sick, Valentine's Day is a good day to choose. TCM was running a bunch of romantic movies today, and so I got to see the 1939 version of Love Affair (the movie 1957's An Affair to Remember is based on) and it was SO GREAT. Irene Dunne was, quite typically, beyond awesome, and Charles Boyer was much dreamier than his name would imply, since I pronounce it in my head like a typical Dumb American and the last name "Boy-Er" doesn't call to mind a dark, dashing Frenchman (which Charles Boyer totally is). Anyway, you should check it out, especially if you love the 1957 movie, because I think this version is as good or better. I think the ending to these two movies (they're virtually identical) is just about the most suspensefully romantic ending ever. Every time I'm all, "SHE LOVES YOU! CAN'T YOU SEE IT IN HER EYES?" and "HE LOVES YOU! TELL HIM THE TRUTH!"
I hope that's vague enough that I haven't spoiled anything too terribly.
The other major thing happening in my life is that I'm obsessed with the new version of Sense and Sensibility that will be airing on PBS in March, I believe. It's available on YouTube, and I've been watching some clips on and off for the past week or so. And by "on and off" I mean "every evening, as a ritual" - the main clip I've been watching has been, pretty predictably, the happy ending. Because I love happy endings, and as beautiful as the 1995 version of S&S is, it was a little restrained for me. I could appreciate the choice artistically, but emotionally, I'll own it: I want a big speech at the end, I want smooches, I want the end of my restrained period dramas to have at least 30 seconds of being gloriously unrestrained in the final five minutes.
The best period movie ending for me is, hands down, the ending to the BBC miniseries North & South, which for a while I watched every morning before going to work because it put me in such a happy mood.
I have to say, the ending to the new S&S is a pretty good contender (I can't properly judge it now, having just seen it) and I'm going to try to indoctrinate others into my S&S cult and provide a clip here.
The final eight minutes of the movie/miniseries, predictably full of spoilers.
Watching bits of this new version inspired me to watch the 1995 version, and now I'm totally ALL ABOUT the Elinor/Edward love story. They're both so GOOD! And trying to be NOBLE! And they LOVE EACH OTHER SO MUCH! Etc etc.
[Poll #1138671]
And I think that is all for now! I'm going to go and try to eat my mac and cheese and maybe watch some sappy romantic comedies. Happy V-Day, everyone!
.i. interview anxiety
I have an interview tomorrow at the school where I taught last year, for the position I held last year, and I feel like this should be less stressful than most interviews but instead it's much more stressful. I keep trying to type out why that is so, but you can probably figure it out for yourself, and every time I try to write it up I end up with 87 rambling sentences.
.ii. expression theft
Instead, I am going to present you with this question: Is it just me, or is Daniel Craig's default James Bond expression in Casino Royale a modified Blue Steel? In case you are tragically unfamiliar with the film Zoolander, Blue Steel is male model Derek Zoolander's signature look in the movie Zoolander. I feel like I talked about this before in my LJ, but since I (personally) feel that one can never talk too much about the cinematic masterpiece that is Zoolander, I'm presenting it again.
Photographic evidence!
Daniel Craig as James Bond in Casino Royale
Derek Zoolander's Blue Steel
.iii. epistolic hillary
Has everyone seen the recent news story detailing a series of letters Hillary Clinton wrote while an undergraduate at Wellesley? A sample excerpt:
I ran a poll a while back in which I had people predict which Democrat was my candidate for '08 (it seems kind of ego-centric to me now that I did that, but whatevs, such is the corrupting power of poll-making), and I think I mentioned in the comments there but not directly in my LJ that my candidate for '08 is Hillary Clinton. I admire her a lot and think she's tremendously capable, but this was the first time I've felt a real rush of affection for her, or at least her-as-she-was. Her persona is now so tightly controlled and managed (to great effect, I think) that it's hard to imagine her ever moping around all day, too depressed to go to class, struggling with her Republican upbringing, etc. I know I'm predisposed to like her, but I still think things like this are interesting, when you're given a bit of a window into the personal history of a figure usually known only from a distance. There aren't a lot of personal details in the letters (not many that I've seen), but I think what's there (in the few excerpts quoted) is more interesting - the evolution of how she thought about herself, her role in the world.
I remember feeling this way when I tried to read the recent John Adams biography and got to the part of his diary excerpts as a young lawyer. In them, he detailed how he hadn't completed his to-do list, and how he should be accomplishing so much more and isn't, and how this made him feel worthless and lame. My words, not his, but the sentiment was pretty close to that. Which reminds me, I have to finish that biography. Or maybe read a romance novel. One or the other.
I have an interview tomorrow at the school where I taught last year, for the position I held last year, and I feel like this should be less stressful than most interviews but instead it's much more stressful. I keep trying to type out why that is so, but you can probably figure it out for yourself, and every time I try to write it up I end up with 87 rambling sentences.
.ii. expression theft
Instead, I am going to present you with this question: Is it just me, or is Daniel Craig's default James Bond expression in Casino Royale a modified Blue Steel? In case you are tragically unfamiliar with the film Zoolander, Blue Steel is male model Derek Zoolander's signature look in the movie Zoolander. I feel like I talked about this before in my LJ, but since I (personally) feel that one can never talk too much about the cinematic masterpiece that is Zoolander, I'm presenting it again.
Photographic evidence!
Daniel Craig as James Bond in Casino Royale
Derek Zoolander's Blue Steel
.iii. epistolic hillary
Has everyone seen the recent news story detailing a series of letters Hillary Clinton wrote while an undergraduate at Wellesley? A sample excerpt:
Befitting college students of any era, the letters are also self-absorbed and revelatory, missives from an unformed and vulnerable striver who had, in her own words, “not yet reconciled myself to the fate of not being the star.”
“Sunday was lethargic from the beginning as I wallowed in a morass of general and specific dislike and pity for most people but me especially,” Ms. Rodham reported in a letter postmarked Oct. 3, 1967. . . .
“Can you be a misanthrope and still love or enjoy some individuals?” Ms. Rodham wrote in an April 1967 letter. “How about a compassionate misanthrope?”
I ran a poll a while back in which I had people predict which Democrat was my candidate for '08 (it seems kind of ego-centric to me now that I did that, but whatevs, such is the corrupting power of poll-making), and I think I mentioned in the comments there but not directly in my LJ that my candidate for '08 is Hillary Clinton. I admire her a lot and think she's tremendously capable, but this was the first time I've felt a real rush of affection for her, or at least her-as-she-was. Her persona is now so tightly controlled and managed (to great effect, I think) that it's hard to imagine her ever moping around all day, too depressed to go to class, struggling with her Republican upbringing, etc. I know I'm predisposed to like her, but I still think things like this are interesting, when you're given a bit of a window into the personal history of a figure usually known only from a distance. There aren't a lot of personal details in the letters (not many that I've seen), but I think what's there (in the few excerpts quoted) is more interesting - the evolution of how she thought about herself, her role in the world.
I remember feeling this way when I tried to read the recent John Adams biography and got to the part of his diary excerpts as a young lawyer. In them, he detailed how he hadn't completed his to-do list, and how he should be accomplishing so much more and isn't, and how this made him feel worthless and lame. My words, not his, but the sentiment was pretty close to that. Which reminds me, I have to finish that biography. Or maybe read a romance novel. One or the other.
poetry by jimmy stewart
Jul. 13th, 2007 01:09 amI was supposed to finish up two cover letters tonight. Instead, I surfed around YouTube and LJ for hours, and found this, a clip of Jimmy Stewart visiting Johnny Carson. It's funny I found it tonight because just the other day my parents were telling me about how Jimmy Stewart used to show up on Carson and read poems he'd written. This clip features him reading a poem about his dog, Bo.
muppets cure all
Nov. 14th, 2006 12:46 amYou guys! Why is it so difficult to recover from a trip? Maybe it's because when you're of town, it is easy to forget about your blah hometown existence, and upon reentry to reality, a period of adjustment is necessary. Or maybe you're just tired from carrying your bags.
Either way: I had an AWESOME weekend visiting the fabulous E. She was an excellent hostess and I had so much fun, and not only because I came home with 26 more books than I started out with! Okay, that's not entirely accurate; I had to leave some behind to be mailed to me because they would not fit in my luggage. But they will all eventually make it to my door! Sweet, sweet books! More than two dozen of them, waiting to be read! This may be the best feeling in the world.
It wasn't the best feeling in the world to leave, however. I kind of wanted to camp out in her extra room, hanging out with her pug and forcing her to watch old TV shows (like Relativity from 1996 - anyone out there remember it? Leo and Isabel? DOUG AND KAREN?), but I fear she would grow weary of me constantly wanting to talk about how awesome Matt Saracen is.
Speaking of! Friday Night Lights got picked up for a full season! Sweetness! I really should not talk trash about NBC; they nurtured The Office, they kept American Dreams on for three seasons (even if they did mess up with the finale), they haven't canceled 30 Rock yet, and now this. Yay!
There are lots of other things I meant to talk about, I think, but I am overwhelmed by blah-ness right now, due to hometown re-entry, the upcoming holiday, other generic long-standing stuff. Also, I think R., my Literacy Volunteers guy, is breaking up with me! One week his car wouldn't start, the next week he had a cold, the week after that he didn't return my calls - I think he's seeing another tutor! All this after I gave my big inspirational speech about the Wonders of Tutoring. Awesome.
Here's something else that is awesome: Now, Voyager , which is summarized by Rotten Tomates as follows:
LOVE IT. It is ridiculous on several levels, of course, but Bette Davis is great as Charlotte, and Paul Henreid is handsome if bland as her love interest Jerry, and! THEY SHARE A LOVE THAT CANNOT BE! Part of me kept wanting to Get Real with the characters, a la Dr. Phil ("Charlotte, if you want to be independent, move out of your mother's house and get yourself a job! And Jerry, what are you doing sniffing around a woman who is just recovering from a nervous breakdown? You're a married man!").
None of these concerns kept me from enjoying the movie, of course. In fact, I think they made me enjoy the movie all the more.
Anyway, before I go, here are a few Muppets/Sesame clips I've been watching to cheer myself up, and they have been successful!
Jellyman Kelly One of the things I loved about Sesame Street (I use the past tense only because I haven't watched it lately) was how natural the kids were, and in this video I love how you can see how anxious the kids are at first, only half-listening to James Taylor, waiting to come in on their cue. At first they're pretty loud, but by the end, they're LOUD, practically yelling, and, I don't know. It makes me smile. Also, I love James Taylor's voice.
Mana Mana WARNING FOR EXTREME EARWORMINESS. It's that song that goes: Do dooooo dee do do/MANA MANA/do dee do do/MANA MANA, etc. This song will get stuck in your head if you click on the link, but the video totally cracks me up.
A-B-C-D-E-F-Cookie Monster! A little girl goofs around on Kermit while singing her ABCs. Almost too adorable for words, especially the ending.
Either way: I had an AWESOME weekend visiting the fabulous E. She was an excellent hostess and I had so much fun, and not only because I came home with 26 more books than I started out with! Okay, that's not entirely accurate; I had to leave some behind to be mailed to me because they would not fit in my luggage. But they will all eventually make it to my door! Sweet, sweet books! More than two dozen of them, waiting to be read! This may be the best feeling in the world.
It wasn't the best feeling in the world to leave, however. I kind of wanted to camp out in her extra room, hanging out with her pug and forcing her to watch old TV shows (like Relativity from 1996 - anyone out there remember it? Leo and Isabel? DOUG AND KAREN?), but I fear she would grow weary of me constantly wanting to talk about how awesome Matt Saracen is.
Speaking of! Friday Night Lights got picked up for a full season! Sweetness! I really should not talk trash about NBC; they nurtured The Office, they kept American Dreams on for three seasons (even if they did mess up with the finale), they haven't canceled 30 Rock yet, and now this. Yay!
There are lots of other things I meant to talk about, I think, but I am overwhelmed by blah-ness right now, due to hometown re-entry, the upcoming holiday, other generic long-standing stuff. Also, I think R., my Literacy Volunteers guy, is breaking up with me! One week his car wouldn't start, the next week he had a cold, the week after that he didn't return my calls - I think he's seeing another tutor! All this after I gave my big inspirational speech about the Wonders of Tutoring. Awesome.
Here's something else that is awesome: Now, Voyager , which is summarized by Rotten Tomates as follows:
Tale of an introverted and frightened woman, long crushed by her domineering mother, who visits a psychotherapist to cure her emotional problems. As a result, she undergoes a dramatic transformation, becoming a confident, exciting, and attractive woman. Desperate for the love she has never experienced, she begins a relationship with a married man -- and becomes very attached to his shy, troubled daughter.
LOVE IT. It is ridiculous on several levels, of course, but Bette Davis is great as Charlotte, and Paul Henreid is handsome if bland as her love interest Jerry, and! THEY SHARE A LOVE THAT CANNOT BE! Part of me kept wanting to Get Real with the characters, a la Dr. Phil ("Charlotte, if you want to be independent, move out of your mother's house and get yourself a job! And Jerry, what are you doing sniffing around a woman who is just recovering from a nervous breakdown? You're a married man!").
None of these concerns kept me from enjoying the movie, of course. In fact, I think they made me enjoy the movie all the more.
Anyway, before I go, here are a few Muppets/Sesame clips I've been watching to cheer myself up, and they have been successful!
Jellyman Kelly One of the things I loved about Sesame Street (I use the past tense only because I haven't watched it lately) was how natural the kids were, and in this video I love how you can see how anxious the kids are at first, only half-listening to James Taylor, waiting to come in on their cue. At first they're pretty loud, but by the end, they're LOUD, practically yelling, and, I don't know. It makes me smile. Also, I love James Taylor's voice.
Mana Mana WARNING FOR EXTREME EARWORMINESS. It's that song that goes: Do dooooo dee do do/MANA MANA/do dee do do/MANA MANA, etc. This song will get stuck in your head if you click on the link, but the video totally cracks me up.
A-B-C-D-E-F-Cookie Monster! A little girl goofs around on Kermit while singing her ABCs. Almost too adorable for words, especially the ending.
mailbox mayhem
Sep. 6th, 2006 01:00 amI park on the street, and every day I leave by backing into the driveway and peeling out at top speed, as if the seconds I shave off my morning drive time with the maneuver will somehow make me five minutes late for work instead of ten. It has never worked! I am always late! But I never just drive straight away, even though I can get to the main road that way too. It takes at least 20 seconds more, you see. And what was I risking by backing into the driveway?
The mailbox, it turns out. Every day in the past I've driven by it, often close enough that I could see the brush marks in the black paint, but never making contact. But today was different! Today was the day the mailbox met my passenger side view mirror, and surprisingly, in the conflict between the two, my dinky little side mirror totally took out the mailbox, which was sitting on a sturdy wooden platform (having been driven over in the past, I think by a delivery guy when we first moved in. It is not a lucky mailbox.).
Yes, the wood splintered, and broke, at which point I slammed on my brakes. And then I got all flustered and nervous and did that ditzy forgot-what-gear-I'm-in thing, and let go of the clutch/pressed the gas that last little bit needed to pull the thing clean off. It was LEGENDARY. I finally pulled my car forward, away from the carnage, and left it running with the door open while I tried to put the mailbox back together, hoping that somehow by lining it up juuust right, it would totally forget that it had been split down the middle and stand tall. This meant that there was a lot of fussing and fiddling and me-stepping-away-only-to-watch-it-fall-apart. Until I looked up and saw my father stomping down the driveway, a hammer in one hand, a bunch of nails in the other. And then we stood there together and nailed it back in place. My father didn't flip out at all, even though he would have been totally justified, since I was having a particularly late morning and hit the mailbox at approximately the time I should have been arriving at his office.
The other exciting mail-related news of the day was that I got my first season American Dreams DVDs in the mail today. I started watching regularly in the second season, I think, so it's, like, a newly released prequel to me, or something. I am still so sad American Dreams got canceled. Still! Why isn't it in syndication? Why? Because the music rights are too expensive, probably. But! It was such an awesome show!
Anyway, in other news, I am deeply troubled that I may have burned all of my Sports Movie Credits with my friends when I dragged two of them to see Invincible with me. I did not REALIZE how much I would want to see the one with The Rock and the prison football team! Dammit! Will I be able to cash in again? I have until September 15 to find out.
The mailbox, it turns out. Every day in the past I've driven by it, often close enough that I could see the brush marks in the black paint, but never making contact. But today was different! Today was the day the mailbox met my passenger side view mirror, and surprisingly, in the conflict between the two, my dinky little side mirror totally took out the mailbox, which was sitting on a sturdy wooden platform (having been driven over in the past, I think by a delivery guy when we first moved in. It is not a lucky mailbox.).
Yes, the wood splintered, and broke, at which point I slammed on my brakes. And then I got all flustered and nervous and did that ditzy forgot-what-gear-I'm-in thing, and let go of the clutch/pressed the gas that last little bit needed to pull the thing clean off. It was LEGENDARY. I finally pulled my car forward, away from the carnage, and left it running with the door open while I tried to put the mailbox back together, hoping that somehow by lining it up juuust right, it would totally forget that it had been split down the middle and stand tall. This meant that there was a lot of fussing and fiddling and me-stepping-away-only-to-watch-it-fall-apart. Until I looked up and saw my father stomping down the driveway, a hammer in one hand, a bunch of nails in the other. And then we stood there together and nailed it back in place. My father didn't flip out at all, even though he would have been totally justified, since I was having a particularly late morning and hit the mailbox at approximately the time I should have been arriving at his office.
The other exciting mail-related news of the day was that I got my first season American Dreams DVDs in the mail today. I started watching regularly in the second season, I think, so it's, like, a newly released prequel to me, or something. I am still so sad American Dreams got canceled. Still! Why isn't it in syndication? Why? Because the music rights are too expensive, probably. But! It was such an awesome show!
Anyway, in other news, I am deeply troubled that I may have burned all of my Sports Movie Credits with my friends when I dragged two of them to see Invincible with me. I did not REALIZE how much I would want to see the one with The Rock and the prison football team! Dammit! Will I be able to cash in again? I have until September 15 to find out.
Am just back from family vacation, and typical end-of-vacay crankiness has been exacerbated by:
(1) The journey, which was twice as long as expected (nine hours, each way, for a four-day trip), the bulk of it spent in the second row seat of my father's minivan, which meant that I was uncomfortably squished up against the person sharing the seat with me. By Hour Seven, I actually said that we needed to stop somewhere and buy supplies to build a cubicle between our seats. Sadly, no stop was made.
(2) My current task, which is to create a cover letter for a boring civil service job, since there are no social studies teaching jobs in the vicinity. The nearest one I found in my searches tonight is four hours away, and not an exciting four hours. Not like - ooh, Ithaca! I have friends there! Or - ooh, NYC! I could be all cultured and cosmopolitan while struggling to survive on a teacher's salary! More like - oh, I didn't know people had settled in that part of New York State!
(3) Tomorrow, when I get to go to work with the same people I vacationed with. We are so burned out on each other, I can't even tell you. There is no conversation left.
(4) The fact that Superman Returns supposedly didn't do too fabulously at the box office. Say it isn't so! I loved it! I am dying for a sequel! What if they don't make one? I WILL DIE. Okay, maybe not die. Actually, I'll probably forget all about how much I enjoyed it in a couple of weeks. But right now, I'm loving it, and despairing that more people weren't suckered in by the marketing campaign like I was. PotC is going to decimate it next week! What if it doesn't do as well as X-Men 3? Stress!
(5) The package of Oreos downstairs, which are for my grandfather, and which I therefore cannot eat. But I really want to. THEY ARE TAUNTING ME.
That is all for now. Happy Fourth, American peeps!
(1) The journey, which was twice as long as expected (nine hours, each way, for a four-day trip), the bulk of it spent in the second row seat of my father's minivan, which meant that I was uncomfortably squished up against the person sharing the seat with me. By Hour Seven, I actually said that we needed to stop somewhere and buy supplies to build a cubicle between our seats. Sadly, no stop was made.
(2) My current task, which is to create a cover letter for a boring civil service job, since there are no social studies teaching jobs in the vicinity. The nearest one I found in my searches tonight is four hours away, and not an exciting four hours. Not like - ooh, Ithaca! I have friends there! Or - ooh, NYC! I could be all cultured and cosmopolitan while struggling to survive on a teacher's salary! More like - oh, I didn't know people had settled in that part of New York State!
(3) Tomorrow, when I get to go to work with the same people I vacationed with. We are so burned out on each other, I can't even tell you. There is no conversation left.
(4) The fact that Superman Returns supposedly didn't do too fabulously at the box office. Say it isn't so! I loved it! I am dying for a sequel! What if they don't make one? I WILL DIE. Okay, maybe not die. Actually, I'll probably forget all about how much I enjoyed it in a couple of weeks. But right now, I'm loving it, and despairing that more people weren't suckered in by the marketing campaign like I was. PotC is going to decimate it next week! What if it doesn't do as well as X-Men 3? Stress!
(5) The package of Oreos downstairs, which are for my grandfather, and which I therefore cannot eat. But I really want to. THEY ARE TAUNTING ME.
That is all for now. Happy Fourth, American peeps!
(no subject)
Jun. 29th, 2006 12:36 amYou guys, I am so rageful, I'm on the verge of writing a strongly worded letter!!! I even have notes sketched out. I would write it right now, but I am too lazy to worry about proper verbiage and sounding reasonable, and so, of course, I post in my LiveJournal.
Anyway!
Superman Returns came out today, which I have been looking forward to like you wouldn't believe. A bright spot in my boring life of secretarial work by day and desperate job-hunting by night! I arrived, I plunked down $9.75, I went into the movie. I was all excited. ALL excited.
And then a bunch of teenage boys sat down a few rows behind me and talked all. through. the movie. ALL through the movie, and an usher only came to check on us once (after which they were quiet for a little bit), and people were trying to shush them but they were all rude and ignoring them, and so instead of appreciating the cinematic wonder that was Superman Returns, I spent the whole time thinking, "Should I say something? Should I get someone? Maybe they'll be quiet. They're quiet now. Maybe they're done. . . Okay, they're talking again. Should I say something? Should I get someone?"
Etc etc.
By the end of the movie, I was full of RAGE and went up to the Guest Services desk to complain; no one there. Waited forever, then went to the ticket booth, where the manager was harassing one of his employees, and I waited for an opportunity to discuss my moviegoing experience with them. I approached a ticket booth person, and she referred me to the manager, and the adventure began!
( i fought the man, and it ended in a draw )
I would talk about the movie itself, but I fear spoiling people who clicked through on the above cut tag, so I will save it for another entry!
Right now, to bed I go!
Anyway!
Superman Returns came out today, which I have been looking forward to like you wouldn't believe. A bright spot in my boring life of secretarial work by day and desperate job-hunting by night! I arrived, I plunked down $9.75, I went into the movie. I was all excited. ALL excited.
And then a bunch of teenage boys sat down a few rows behind me and talked all. through. the movie. ALL through the movie, and an usher only came to check on us once (after which they were quiet for a little bit), and people were trying to shush them but they were all rude and ignoring them, and so instead of appreciating the cinematic wonder that was Superman Returns, I spent the whole time thinking, "Should I say something? Should I get someone? Maybe they'll be quiet. They're quiet now. Maybe they're done. . . Okay, they're talking again. Should I say something? Should I get someone?"
Etc etc.
By the end of the movie, I was full of RAGE and went up to the Guest Services desk to complain; no one there. Waited forever, then went to the ticket booth, where the manager was harassing one of his employees, and I waited for an opportunity to discuss my moviegoing experience with them. I approached a ticket booth person, and she referred me to the manager, and the adventure began!
( i fought the man, and it ended in a draw )
I would talk about the movie itself, but I fear spoiling people who clicked through on the above cut tag, so I will save it for another entry!
Right now, to bed I go!
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Jun. 3rd, 2006 05:56 pmA while ago, I posted something about how ALL I wanted to do was talk about movies, and then I proceeded to remain silent on the topic for a month. But I mean to write something! I do!
One of the things I wanted to talk about was Jimmy Stewart, and I saw that tonight TCM is featuring Mr. Smith Goes to Washington as part of their program The Essentials: Movies that define what it means to be a classic. The website has a cute and clever slideshow about the movie that captures pretty well everything I'm going to try to talk about here (I found the slideshow after typing up the following paragraphs).
The movie isn't perfect - it's corny in some places, and slow in others - but I still really like it, and there are a lot of things I think it does pretty well. One thing is Jimmy Stewart's performance, which is pretty fantastic - I'll include a clip here, picked up from YouTube, though I don't know how effective it is out of context. An emotion I feel a lot (especially lately), but rarely see expressed on screen, is outrage at political misconduct or corruption. A brief clip from one of Mr. Smith's speeches after he discovers the corruption in the Senate:
Mr. Smith argues in the Senate chamber.
I feel like it may look like overacting to people, but to me it's just perfect, because that's just how I act and sound when I'm upset about something in Washington. And it's all about me. ME!
I also think the movie is interesting because of its resolution. Is Capra presenting a vision of the triumph of American democracy, or a vision of its flaws and failures, or a little of both?
I know Wikipedia isn't the height of accuracy, but I think this is interesting:
Also: This movie is being shown as part of a marathon featuring Jean Arthur, who plays the female lead in Mr. Smith and is shown in this icon alongside Jimmy Stewart. I just think she's great.
One of the things I wanted to talk about was Jimmy Stewart, and I saw that tonight TCM is featuring Mr. Smith Goes to Washington as part of their program The Essentials: Movies that define what it means to be a classic. The website has a cute and clever slideshow about the movie that captures pretty well everything I'm going to try to talk about here (I found the slideshow after typing up the following paragraphs).
The movie isn't perfect - it's corny in some places, and slow in others - but I still really like it, and there are a lot of things I think it does pretty well. One thing is Jimmy Stewart's performance, which is pretty fantastic - I'll include a clip here, picked up from YouTube, though I don't know how effective it is out of context. An emotion I feel a lot (especially lately), but rarely see expressed on screen, is outrage at political misconduct or corruption. A brief clip from one of Mr. Smith's speeches after he discovers the corruption in the Senate:
Mr. Smith argues in the Senate chamber.
I feel like it may look like overacting to people, but to me it's just perfect, because that's just how I act and sound when I'm upset about something in Washington. And it's all about me. ME!
I also think the movie is interesting because of its resolution. Is Capra presenting a vision of the triumph of American democracy, or a vision of its flaws and failures, or a little of both?
I know Wikipedia isn't the height of accuracy, but I think this is interesting:
When it was first released, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was attacked as an anti-American pro-Communist film for its portrayal of corruption in American Government.
The film was banned in Nazi Germany, and in other Fascist countries such as Italy and Spain, dubbing was used to alter the message of the film to conform with official ideology, according to Capra.
In 1942 when a ban on American films was imposed in Nazi-occupied France, the title theaters chose for their last movie before the ban was Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. One Paris theater owner reportedly screened the film around the clock for 30 consecutive days prior to the ban.
Also: This movie is being shown as part of a marathon featuring Jean Arthur, who plays the female lead in Mr. Smith and is shown in this icon alongside Jimmy Stewart. I just think she's great.
Bravo has been running this special on the 100 Funniest Movies over the long weekend, and while I know that list shows like this are guaranteed to inspire anger and frustration, I have to say, this one was especially bad. The Wedding Singer in the top ten? WTF? And I like that movie a lot! But it's certainly not in the top ten of all time!
Some Like It Hot and Bringing Up Baby weren't even in the top ten!
Another movie included in the top 100 was Napoleon Dynamite, a movie I do think is hilarious. I watched it with a friend of mine once, though, and she was completely befuddled by it. I think she laughed once, maybe twice. (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
foxyfrau will remember this!)
[Poll #737987]
Some Like It Hot and Bringing Up Baby weren't even in the top ten!
Another movie included in the top 100 was Napoleon Dynamite, a movie I do think is hilarious. I watched it with a friend of mine once, though, and she was completely befuddled by it. I think she laughed once, maybe twice. (
foxyfrau will remember this!)[Poll #737987]
while you were sleeping
May. 28th, 2006 03:25 amThe urge to see While You Were Sleeping in its entirety was so compelling that I dragged myself to Target and bought the DVD. It was only six bucks! Score!
I watched the movie tonight in pieces because I wanted to make it last. At one point I found myself enjoying the movie so much that I jumped off the couch and announced to my cat, "There is not a moment in this movie that I don't love!"
Not precisely true. I do love it, though.
( while you were sleeping observations, including spoilers for bridget jones's diary 2 (the movie) )
I watched the movie tonight in pieces because I wanted to make it last. At one point I found myself enjoying the movie so much that I jumped off the couch and announced to my cat, "There is not a moment in this movie that I don't love!"
Not precisely true. I do love it, though.
( while you were sleeping observations, including spoilers for bridget jones's diary 2 (the movie) )
(no subject)
May. 10th, 2006 12:54 amI have so much work to do, but all I want to do - ALL I want to do - is talk about movies. I heart movies. But I have work to do now. And so I bring you a poll! Which no one will probably take, because who cares what I think about movies? Especially the totally random ones that end up occupying my thoughts? But I like making polls now that I know how to, and so: a poll, featuring several movies or Hollywood peeps that have been occupying my mind lately, weighted heavily toward classic stuff.
[Poll #725952]
[Poll #725952]
Today I was channel surfing and came across Master and Commander, which I own and can watch anytime I want. I still felt compelled to sit and watch it right then, all chopped up with commercials on FX, in spite of the huge pile of work I had to do. Such is my love for that movie. (Other movies that have earned this honor: The Shawshank Redemption, Fried Green Tomatoes, When Harry Met Sally)
The two things I love most about the movie are: (1) Young Midshipman Blankeney and (2) the friendship between Captain Jack Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin. With regard to the former: Anyone who read the books, what happened to Blakeney? Please tell me he had a long and happy life as a fighting naturalist. With regard to the latter: ( I tried to keep this without any specific references to the plot, but cannot help myself! )
One more thing in Master and Commander's favor: It has one of my favorite endings of all time. Other contenders are the aforementioned Shawshank Redemption, Some Like It Hot, The Lady Eve. The best endings aren't really endings after all, but the suggestion of a new beginning to a story you'd like to see the rest of, but don't need to, because the chapter you've just finished has been so satisfying.
Speaking of movies - last week Boys on the Side was on TBS, which I haven't seen in years and had forgotten a lot about. All I knew was that it made me cry and cry and cry when I first saw it - taped the last hour of it and watched it a few days ago and yes, that was an accurate description.( bots spoilers )
The two things I love most about the movie are: (1) Young Midshipman Blankeney and (2) the friendship between Captain Jack Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin. With regard to the former: Anyone who read the books, what happened to Blakeney? Please tell me he had a long and happy life as a fighting naturalist. With regard to the latter: ( I tried to keep this without any specific references to the plot, but cannot help myself! )
One more thing in Master and Commander's favor: It has one of my favorite endings of all time. Other contenders are the aforementioned Shawshank Redemption, Some Like It Hot, The Lady Eve. The best endings aren't really endings after all, but the suggestion of a new beginning to a story you'd like to see the rest of, but don't need to, because the chapter you've just finished has been so satisfying.
Speaking of movies - last week Boys on the Side was on TBS, which I haven't seen in years and had forgotten a lot about. All I knew was that it made me cry and cry and cry when I first saw it - taped the last hour of it and watched it a few days ago and yes, that was an accurate description.( bots spoilers )
never follow
Mar. 27th, 2006 11:55 pmI think the moment that finally sealed the deal for me with regard to Take the Lead, Antonio Banderas's new movie about inner city kids entering a dance contest (you read thar right), happened about twenty seconds into the trailer showing in the sidebar of Kristin's column at E-Online. Mr. Banderas had been shown in several incarnations (dance fiend with disheveled hair, suited-up straight man) already in the trailer when he suddenly appeared wearing a baseball cap sideways, slapping fives with a row of kids. It's a moment that I'm almost positive is deliberately comedic, but it's still awesome, and my need to see this movie (which was already pretty intense) has increased several-fold.
Let me see if I can find a movie description...okay, the sad thing is that the movie title is already in my imdb search window, which means I've looked it up before. Here we are! First of all, I'll give you the tagline, which is also awesome: Never follow.
A former professional dancer (Banderas) volunteers to teach dance in the New York public school system. While his background first clashes with his students' tastes, together they create a completely new style of dance. Based on the story of ballroom dancer Pierre Dulane.
I think Mad Hot Ballroom focused on this guy, and I know that was supposed to be a fantastic movie - it came out over the summer, when I was too busy to do anything fun, so I didn't see it. I can't gauge whether this movie will be legitimately good or cheesy good or some delicious combination of both.
Either way: I CAN'T WAIT!
Let me see if I can find a movie description...okay, the sad thing is that the movie title is already in my imdb search window, which means I've looked it up before. Here we are! First of all, I'll give you the tagline, which is also awesome: Never follow.
A former professional dancer (Banderas) volunteers to teach dance in the New York public school system. While his background first clashes with his students' tastes, together they create a completely new style of dance. Based on the story of ballroom dancer Pierre Dulane.
I think Mad Hot Ballroom focused on this guy, and I know that was supposed to be a fantastic movie - it came out over the summer, when I was too busy to do anything fun, so I didn't see it. I can't gauge whether this movie will be legitimately good or cheesy good or some delicious combination of both.
Either way: I CAN'T WAIT!
.i. desire
I can't express to you how much I want - no, need - Breyer's Mint Chocolate Chip Light Ice Cream right now. I kind of want to get in my car and drive to the store and buy it.
Things stopping me from this course of action:
1. It's that time of night cool cats like myself call the wee hours of the morning.
2. My car is covered in snow.
3. I haven't showered since yesterday, and it shows.
4. It would involve sneaking out and sneaking back in the house, which opens up the possibility of getting caught, and having to explain to parental units (who routinely say things like, "Ice cream? No thanks. Not in the mood.") why, exactly, it was so imperative that I get to the store.
5. Also, I would have to get out of my desk chair.
Tomorrow is another day.
.ii. cat wranglin' woman
I was able to snag the random black cat not once, but twice, after I wrote Thursday's entry. And this done without a scratch or bite! There were other casualties, however: a flowerpot, my dignity.
On the loss of my dignity: At first, I couldn't figure out a way to grab the guy while he was hiding under the stairs, so I constructed an elaborate plan that involved me scaring him out of the spot and up the stairs toward the first floor of the house - where he would meet a closed door and I would be able to trap and grab him. The plan worked perfectly, except for the part where after he met the closed door, the cat turned around, got all puffed up, hissed, and I responded by throwing my hands up and screaming in terror. Screaming! Like a little girl! Which made my mother, standing behind me, scream too, and then the cat ran away and hid, pretty successfully, in one of the basement windows (which was, like, ten feet off the ground - how he got up there, a mystery).
On the loss of the flowerpot: I reached up for him on the window ledge, which led to him leaping onto a shelf and knocking a flowerpot over, and then jumping to the ground. He ran back to his original hiding place, under the stairs.
The ultimate tool of success was a broom, which I used to push him towards me until I could reach in and grab the scruff of his neck. After I snagged him, and carried him upstairs, I had a nice screaming fight with my parents.
Their opinion: He looked like our neighbor's cat, so we should let him go outside and let him find his way. He's scared! He doesn't want to be here! Just look at him!
My opinion: We should lock him in the bathroom and call our neighbor, and have him come over and get the cat. It's cold!
Our arguments were much less eloquent and far more CAPSLOCKY, and finally ended in me caving, yelling, "FINE!" and, for some reason I still don't understand, putting the cat down a few feet from the back door instead of outside, which, naturally, led to the cat taking off in the wrong direction and hiding under a recliner. We had another fun conversation that went like this:
Parental Units: WHY DID YOU DO THAT?
Self: I DON'T KNOW!
PU: REALLY, WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT?
Self: I DON'T KNOW!
And so we called our neighbors.
Dad: Hi, Bob? It's Jim MyLastName. Just calling because we think we might have your cat here.
Neighbor: Our cat's dead.
Dad: Oh.
So it wasn't that cat. The non-dead black cat did have a collar, though, and has been spotted often in our yard, and so, finally, I gave in to my parents and snagged him and put him in the yard - at which point he immediately made a beeline down the street, which gives me hope that he does have a house to go to. At the very least, he was very healthy when I found him - nice coat, well-fed. Then again, we don't know how long we've been subsidizing him.
More news if the story develops!
.iii. sacramental stories
I've started screening my calls because, I don't know. I think I'm a very important person or something. Really it's because my life is extremely boring and I don't feel like talking to people, because I never feel like I have anything new to say.
So that's why even though I was home all morning, there was a message on the machine when I was leaving for the day on Friday. I decided to listen to it even though I was just barely on time and wouldn't be able to return a phone call anyway.
Answering Machine: Hello, this is Debbie from Shady Pines. This is NOT an emergency. I was just calling to let you know that Father G. stopped by this morning and administered the last rites to your grandfather.
Self: WHAT?!
I picked up the phone and dialed my mother and played the message for her.
Mom: WHAT?!
Self: I have to go! I'm late!
And so I left. This may seem like a very callous reaction - all I can say is that it's a family trait. We don't respond well in crises (Exhibit A: The time Lifeline called to tell us that they'd gotten an emergency message from my grandfather's Lifeline necklace, and that the fire department was on its way - could we meet them there? Sure! we said, and then my mother stopped at the gas station for a Pepsi en route).
In the car, I illegally called my father on my cell because this was, after all, his father we were talking about.
Self: So, uh, Dad, Shady Pines called, and they said it wasn't an emergency, but that Father G. stopped by and administered the last rites?
Dad: Yeah, I got that message too.
Self: Is Grandpa okay?
Dad: He's fine. Father G. just happened to be there.
Self: And so he administered the last rites?
Dad: I guess.
Self: Because he was in the neighborhood.
Dad: Yup.
Self: So I could stop by St. Patrick's right now and get the last rites if I wanted to.
Dad: Probably.
I guess nowadays that's how the sacrament works - it's called Anointing the Sick, and can be done at any time of mental or physical illness, not just on your deathbed. But if that's what you're going for, don't call the family and use the old school sacramental designation! Last rites makes you think, you know, it's the Last Rites, time for deathbed confessions, the whole shebang!
So that was stressful.
.v. film flam
On Saturday I went to see Something New, which was exactly what I hoped it would be. I recommend!
I can't express to you how much I want - no, need - Breyer's Mint Chocolate Chip Light Ice Cream right now. I kind of want to get in my car and drive to the store and buy it.
Things stopping me from this course of action:
1. It's that time of night cool cats like myself call the wee hours of the morning.
2. My car is covered in snow.
3. I haven't showered since yesterday, and it shows.
4. It would involve sneaking out and sneaking back in the house, which opens up the possibility of getting caught, and having to explain to parental units (who routinely say things like, "Ice cream? No thanks. Not in the mood.") why, exactly, it was so imperative that I get to the store.
5. Also, I would have to get out of my desk chair.
Tomorrow is another day.
.ii. cat wranglin' woman
I was able to snag the random black cat not once, but twice, after I wrote Thursday's entry. And this done without a scratch or bite! There were other casualties, however: a flowerpot, my dignity.
On the loss of my dignity: At first, I couldn't figure out a way to grab the guy while he was hiding under the stairs, so I constructed an elaborate plan that involved me scaring him out of the spot and up the stairs toward the first floor of the house - where he would meet a closed door and I would be able to trap and grab him. The plan worked perfectly, except for the part where after he met the closed door, the cat turned around, got all puffed up, hissed, and I responded by throwing my hands up and screaming in terror. Screaming! Like a little girl! Which made my mother, standing behind me, scream too, and then the cat ran away and hid, pretty successfully, in one of the basement windows (which was, like, ten feet off the ground - how he got up there, a mystery).
On the loss of the flowerpot: I reached up for him on the window ledge, which led to him leaping onto a shelf and knocking a flowerpot over, and then jumping to the ground. He ran back to his original hiding place, under the stairs.
The ultimate tool of success was a broom, which I used to push him towards me until I could reach in and grab the scruff of his neck. After I snagged him, and carried him upstairs, I had a nice screaming fight with my parents.
Their opinion: He looked like our neighbor's cat, so we should let him go outside and let him find his way. He's scared! He doesn't want to be here! Just look at him!
My opinion: We should lock him in the bathroom and call our neighbor, and have him come over and get the cat. It's cold!
Our arguments were much less eloquent and far more CAPSLOCKY, and finally ended in me caving, yelling, "FINE!" and, for some reason I still don't understand, putting the cat down a few feet from the back door instead of outside, which, naturally, led to the cat taking off in the wrong direction and hiding under a recliner. We had another fun conversation that went like this:
Parental Units: WHY DID YOU DO THAT?
Self: I DON'T KNOW!
PU: REALLY, WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT?
Self: I DON'T KNOW!
And so we called our neighbors.
Dad: Hi, Bob? It's Jim MyLastName. Just calling because we think we might have your cat here.
Neighbor: Our cat's dead.
Dad: Oh.
So it wasn't that cat. The non-dead black cat did have a collar, though, and has been spotted often in our yard, and so, finally, I gave in to my parents and snagged him and put him in the yard - at which point he immediately made a beeline down the street, which gives me hope that he does have a house to go to. At the very least, he was very healthy when I found him - nice coat, well-fed. Then again, we don't know how long we've been subsidizing him.
More news if the story develops!
.iii. sacramental stories
I've started screening my calls because, I don't know. I think I'm a very important person or something. Really it's because my life is extremely boring and I don't feel like talking to people, because I never feel like I have anything new to say.
So that's why even though I was home all morning, there was a message on the machine when I was leaving for the day on Friday. I decided to listen to it even though I was just barely on time and wouldn't be able to return a phone call anyway.
Answering Machine: Hello, this is Debbie from Shady Pines. This is NOT an emergency. I was just calling to let you know that Father G. stopped by this morning and administered the last rites to your grandfather.
Self: WHAT?!
I picked up the phone and dialed my mother and played the message for her.
Mom: WHAT?!
Self: I have to go! I'm late!
And so I left. This may seem like a very callous reaction - all I can say is that it's a family trait. We don't respond well in crises (Exhibit A: The time Lifeline called to tell us that they'd gotten an emergency message from my grandfather's Lifeline necklace, and that the fire department was on its way - could we meet them there? Sure! we said, and then my mother stopped at the gas station for a Pepsi en route).
In the car, I illegally called my father on my cell because this was, after all, his father we were talking about.
Self: So, uh, Dad, Shady Pines called, and they said it wasn't an emergency, but that Father G. stopped by and administered the last rites?
Dad: Yeah, I got that message too.
Self: Is Grandpa okay?
Dad: He's fine. Father G. just happened to be there.
Self: And so he administered the last rites?
Dad: I guess.
Self: Because he was in the neighborhood.
Dad: Yup.
Self: So I could stop by St. Patrick's right now and get the last rites if I wanted to.
Dad: Probably.
I guess nowadays that's how the sacrament works - it's called Anointing the Sick, and can be done at any time of mental or physical illness, not just on your deathbed. But if that's what you're going for, don't call the family and use the old school sacramental designation! Last rites makes you think, you know, it's the Last Rites, time for deathbed confessions, the whole shebang!
So that was stressful.
.v. film flam
On Saturday I went to see Something New, which was exactly what I hoped it would be. I recommend!
four items
Feb. 2nd, 2006 02:19 am1. I can't find my GD cell phone. I blame my subconscious self, who is, I believe, attempting to keep me within my alloted daytime minutes by refusing my conscious, too-chatty self access to the phone. Stupid subconscious.
2. Project Runway is awesome.
3. Somewhere in me there's a series of posts about Astaire/Rogers movies to go along with all those icons I uploaded ages ago, but here's something quick I thought of when I looked at my default icon in the corner of my Update Journal window here - in Swing Time, Ginger plays Penelope "Penny" Carroll and Fred plays John "Lucky" Garnett and it was only after I'd seen the movie at LEAST five times that I realized the pun. Isn't that sad?
4. You should all totally see Swing Time asap. It is awesome. I bet it's even more awesome if you're clever enough to get the punny jokes the first time around, as I'm confident all of you are.
2. Project Runway is awesome.
3. Somewhere in me there's a series of posts about Astaire/Rogers movies to go along with all those icons I uploaded ages ago, but here's something quick I thought of when I looked at my default icon in the corner of my Update Journal window here - in Swing Time, Ginger plays Penelope "Penny" Carroll and Fred plays John "Lucky" Garnett and it was only after I'd seen the movie at LEAST five times that I realized the pun. Isn't that sad?
4. You should all totally see Swing Time asap. It is awesome. I bet it's even more awesome if you're clever enough to get the punny jokes the first time around, as I'm confident all of you are.
gg, book loss, stress levels
Jan. 17th, 2006 01:53 amI totally guessed more winners than anyone else at the Golden Globes get together I went to tonight, which means that I'm nine dollars richer than I was when the event started. Sweetness! Guess who's getting an actual lunch tomorrow instead of a bag of Smartfood? Yes! That's right! Me!
In other news: I have misplaced the very expensive textbook I need for class tomorrow night. I blame this on my better impulses, because my better impulses led me to clean my office yesterday (and by "office" I mean "corner of the room I share with my father's computer, a treadmill, several suitcases, multiple potted plants, and my father's artwork"), and now I can't find anything. Very irritating. I mean, okay, sure, it does look a bit less like a deranged shut-in/burgeoning serial killer's workspace, but I don't really care about appearances right now. Well, okay, I do care about appearances - namely the appearance of my nose, which has suddenly turned the angry shade of red I recognize from two things: (1) that claymation Rudolph special, and (2) pictures of myself in high school. If I could travel back in time and change anything, I would definitely go back to high school and give myself a better haircut and a vial of Clinique liquid concealer. I would probably also tell myself to drop AP Calc and stress out less.
I bet that's the advice my future self would give me right now - well, beauty tips adjusted for future developments and discoveries. But the less stressing advice would almost definitely remain the same. I am working on that. I am not completely succeeding.
You know how sometimes you'll be writing an LJ entry, and you'll get to the next part of it, and you write three versions of that next part and each one of them sucks more than the one that came before? Yeah, that's happening right now. I'm cutting my losses and going to bed.
One quick note: I'm going to try to update more in this here LJ, because I feel it's better for my mental health to have as many outlets as possible for my random stressy outbursts. This means that while the quantity of entries may go up, the quality will almost definitely continue to decline. Apologies in advance!
In other news: I have misplaced the very expensive textbook I need for class tomorrow night. I blame this on my better impulses, because my better impulses led me to clean my office yesterday (and by "office" I mean "corner of the room I share with my father's computer, a treadmill, several suitcases, multiple potted plants, and my father's artwork"), and now I can't find anything. Very irritating. I mean, okay, sure, it does look a bit less like a deranged shut-in/burgeoning serial killer's workspace, but I don't really care about appearances right now. Well, okay, I do care about appearances - namely the appearance of my nose, which has suddenly turned the angry shade of red I recognize from two things: (1) that claymation Rudolph special, and (2) pictures of myself in high school. If I could travel back in time and change anything, I would definitely go back to high school and give myself a better haircut and a vial of Clinique liquid concealer. I would probably also tell myself to drop AP Calc and stress out less.
I bet that's the advice my future self would give me right now - well, beauty tips adjusted for future developments and discoveries. But the less stressing advice would almost definitely remain the same. I am working on that. I am not completely succeeding.
You know how sometimes you'll be writing an LJ entry, and you'll get to the next part of it, and you write three versions of that next part and each one of them sucks more than the one that came before? Yeah, that's happening right now. I'm cutting my losses and going to bed.
One quick note: I'm going to try to update more in this here LJ, because I feel it's better for my mental health to have as many outlets as possible for my random stressy outbursts. This means that while the quantity of entries may go up, the quality will almost definitely continue to decline. Apologies in advance!
