The sun set a long time ago, but it's still twilight outside and there's this huge cumulus cloud--it's unreal how large it is--in the horizon with a whole system of lightning storms occurring inside it as it rains into the evening redness in the west. It's very panoramic, and it sort of makes me wish I was living in Africa--Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight has been growing on me--or Montana. The sort of places with larger-than-life vistas. The desire to live in, or rather briefly visit, Montana was the best thing that came out of seeing My Sister's Keeper.
I was conflicted about whether or not I wanted to see this film, but eventually I decided I did, so last night I went with a couple of my girlfriends . . . and it was disappointing. It's maybe worth a rental, but not a theater screening. The actors were all pretty decent; Abigail Breslin is all grown-up and just a little slutty, and it appears that Cameron Diaz just might be able to act--she's believable as a mother anyway, and has a scene where she breaks down very nicely. But I think it's Sofia Vassilieva who gives the best performance as the girl with leukemia. I've never seen or heard of her, apparently she's on Medium, but perhaps one day she may become a long and difficult-to-spell household name. She's quite pretty and reminds me a little bit of Amber Tamblyn.
I was expecting a tear-jerker and even looking forward to a good cry, and while I suppose it deserves points for not being too melodramatic, it wasn't a weeper either. I only teared up once towards the end, but that was it. What was truly terrible was the narrative employed. All the main characters took turns narrating and there were so many flash-backs, it was difficult to keep track of time. It was very messy, and I think would have benefited from a different narratological style. And the brother supposedly had a semi-sordid side-story that was never made clear. Furthermore, I was expecting more from the movie than I got from the preview--more surprises, action, gut-wrenching drama, breakdowns--but there wasn't a whole lot more to it. I won't spoil the ending, but I've heard it's vastly different from the novel. I'm not sure which one I like more--not having read the book--but the film's denouement seems more realistic than the novel's. Finally the legal battle ended in a very unrealistic way--the sort of thing I would expect from a B-list comedy. I like my portrayals of law to at least be as realistic as Law & Order--man, I love that show! Nevertheless, Joan Cusack made a pretty good judge. In the end, I just wasn't sure what I was supposed to feel or take away from the film, which happened to be nothing in my case. So, I do not recommend this film. I do hope to catch Whatever Works or Cheri sometime soon. Oh, and we saw a preview for Nine which comes out in the fall and looks amazing. Anyway... Toodles!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
A Permanent Revolution
I'm sure this won't get me on some sort of watchlist. I find it ironic sometimes that we glory in the American Revolution, but since then have suppressed all other revolts. After all Thomas Jefferson made this harrowing statement: "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." Sometimes when people ask why I support Obama's ideas or socialism--as a theory anyway--I can't really explain myself. But what it really is, is that capitalism is a broken system, and our culture is dying. These sort of dire statements is what comes from listening to too much NPR. As great as NPR usually is in terms of breadth and depth as well as its lack off sensationalism, news is news--and it's oftentimes depressing.
On Tuesday I heard this episode on Talk of the Nation where Chris Hedges talked about his new book Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle. This, and the fact that I'm currently re-reading Don DeLillo's White Noise--a biting satire of technology and mass media--has got me thinking about our current state of affairs. Hedges basic argument is that we have two societies in America: one that is literate and rooted in reality and able to distinguish illusion from truth, while the other sector is rooted in fantasy and instead of reading newsprint and books, they are watching reality TV and cable news and engaged in other spectacles; even our pop culture is more brain-dead than ever before. In this respect it's not entirely different from Neil Postman's thesis in Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business. Furthermore Hedges argues that the latter section of society is growing while the former is shrinking. Even more distressing is that this is occurring at our elite universities where Hedges has both studied and taught. Today's universities are of course run like businesses that champion only analytical intelligence (over creative, moral, and humanistic intelligences) that does not ask broad questions or challenge structures but only supports the status quo. We see this in the drop of students who graduate in the humanities, and the lack of real intellectual investigation and inquiry which questions the structures of systems, and is by its very nature subversive. Where are our subversives, revolutionaries, and iconoclasts? We need them more than ever before. Hedges is not breaking new ground here though. Harold Bloom has polemically argued that our institutions of higher learning are currently media circuses, and White Noise--written 25 years ago, before the birth of the Internet--shows us professors who teach entire courses in spectacle including Hitler studies and car crashes.
And then today I listened to my RadioWest podcast and on this episode Ellen Rupel Shell talked about her book, Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture. It's a really good and thought-provoking show, and I recommend you all listen to it. Shell basically says that Americans are driven by price more than quality or service. In fact, most Americans believe service should be free while we also believe that we don't deserve quality. Furthermore, nothing excites our brains--yes, we're now talking bout neuroscience--like the thrill of a good deal, while nothing angers us more than high prices if we think we're being ripped off. So much so, that we would rather purchase inferior products, and when they fall apart we don't mind so much because they were so cheap. In talking about Ikea, she says that instead of demanding high quality, we have adjusted our lives around cheap products. Instead of buying high-quality, hardwood furniture, we learn how to stack our particle-board bookcases so they don't sag in the middle, or how to sit in softwood chairs so they don't break. Discount retailers like Wal-Mart, Ikea, Costo and their ilk have led to a lack in quality and an obsession with price. Cheap is also the opposite of frugal where we buy only what we need but at the best quality we can afford--and we won't compromise that quality. Furthermore, in the discount culture, we ship jobs off to China to save a buck. Median incomes have declined since the 1970s along with labor unions and job benefits, and the middle class is quickly vanishing. This is what I mean when I say capitalism is broken because the status quo can no longer support itself. And yet with entrenched special interests, the conglomeration of companies, and globalization, it is nearly impossible to change the status quo--the major players have "wrath of god money" after all. And somewhere along the way we mortgaged our spiritual birthright, which reminds me a little of my favorite Benjamin Franklin quote: "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." Our culture has given up the high road because the low road is so much easier, and I think we all know what Robert Frost had to say about that. And so I am calling for a permanent revolution--those Communists sure could write an eloquent phrase--because a revolution from the bottom up is perhaps the only way we can effect real change.
And on an entirely unrelated matter, here is a video of "Cooling" (not taken by me obviously) from the Tori concert I attended. The quality is pretty good too. Enjoy!
On Tuesday I heard this episode on Talk of the Nation where Chris Hedges talked about his new book Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle. This, and the fact that I'm currently re-reading Don DeLillo's White Noise--a biting satire of technology and mass media--has got me thinking about our current state of affairs. Hedges basic argument is that we have two societies in America: one that is literate and rooted in reality and able to distinguish illusion from truth, while the other sector is rooted in fantasy and instead of reading newsprint and books, they are watching reality TV and cable news and engaged in other spectacles; even our pop culture is more brain-dead than ever before. In this respect it's not entirely different from Neil Postman's thesis in Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business. Furthermore Hedges argues that the latter section of society is growing while the former is shrinking. Even more distressing is that this is occurring at our elite universities where Hedges has both studied and taught. Today's universities are of course run like businesses that champion only analytical intelligence (over creative, moral, and humanistic intelligences) that does not ask broad questions or challenge structures but only supports the status quo. We see this in the drop of students who graduate in the humanities, and the lack of real intellectual investigation and inquiry which questions the structures of systems, and is by its very nature subversive. Where are our subversives, revolutionaries, and iconoclasts? We need them more than ever before. Hedges is not breaking new ground here though. Harold Bloom has polemically argued that our institutions of higher learning are currently media circuses, and White Noise--written 25 years ago, before the birth of the Internet--shows us professors who teach entire courses in spectacle including Hitler studies and car crashes.
And then today I listened to my RadioWest podcast and on this episode Ellen Rupel Shell talked about her book, Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture. It's a really good and thought-provoking show, and I recommend you all listen to it. Shell basically says that Americans are driven by price more than quality or service. In fact, most Americans believe service should be free while we also believe that we don't deserve quality. Furthermore, nothing excites our brains--yes, we're now talking bout neuroscience--like the thrill of a good deal, while nothing angers us more than high prices if we think we're being ripped off. So much so, that we would rather purchase inferior products, and when they fall apart we don't mind so much because they were so cheap. In talking about Ikea, she says that instead of demanding high quality, we have adjusted our lives around cheap products. Instead of buying high-quality, hardwood furniture, we learn how to stack our particle-board bookcases so they don't sag in the middle, or how to sit in softwood chairs so they don't break. Discount retailers like Wal-Mart, Ikea, Costo and their ilk have led to a lack in quality and an obsession with price. Cheap is also the opposite of frugal where we buy only what we need but at the best quality we can afford--and we won't compromise that quality. Furthermore, in the discount culture, we ship jobs off to China to save a buck. Median incomes have declined since the 1970s along with labor unions and job benefits, and the middle class is quickly vanishing. This is what I mean when I say capitalism is broken because the status quo can no longer support itself. And yet with entrenched special interests, the conglomeration of companies, and globalization, it is nearly impossible to change the status quo--the major players have "wrath of god money" after all. And somewhere along the way we mortgaged our spiritual birthright, which reminds me a little of my favorite Benjamin Franklin quote: "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." Our culture has given up the high road because the low road is so much easier, and I think we all know what Robert Frost had to say about that. And so I am calling for a permanent revolution--those Communists sure could write an eloquent phrase--because a revolution from the bottom up is perhaps the only way we can effect real change.
And on an entirely unrelated matter, here is a video of "Cooling" (not taken by me obviously) from the Tori concert I attended. The quality is pretty good too. Enjoy!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
A Few of My Favorite Things
Last night I finally saw Tori Amos live in concert, and it is definitely one of the highlights of my existence so far on this blue marble. It was a perfect birthday present to myself. I'm not a regular concert-goer, but this definitely kicked ass over all other concerts I've attended. The energy in the audience was electric, and Tori is known for her live performances--and she didn't disappoint. I'm not a huge fan of her latest album Abnormally Attracted to Sin--such a great name though--but the selections she performed from this record benefited wonderfully from a live performance. She also played a lot of material from albums past, especially Under the Pink, for which I'm grateful. "Cooling" may have been my favorite song of the night. It's so beautiful, and I think she was referencing the incident on Temple Square with these lyrics: "and is your place in heaven / worth giving up these kisses / these, yes, these kisses." And judging from the reaction of the crowd, I think I'm right--and there were a helluva lot of gay men there; it was certainly fun to people watch. So I'm now able to cross this off my bucket list, though I definitely hope to catch her live again. AMAZING!
I've recently started watching two television shows on DVD. Let's start with Brothers & Sisters which I believe is on ABC. It's a family drama about a group of adult siblings and with Sally Field as the matriarch. The rest of the cast includes Calista Flockhart as the conservative TV pundit from a liberal family, Rachel Griffiths (one of my favorites from Six Feet Under) who is in the family business, Matthew Rhys as the the gay brother, Ron Rifkin (from Alias) as their uncle, and Rob Lowe eventually joins the cast. However, I haven't made it that far yet, but it's something to look forward to. Anyway, the acting as you should be able to tell is fabulous, and the writing is superb. And what is richer than family drama for material? It did throw me off at first with all these actors from other series--Rachel Griffiths, Ron Rifkin, and Matthew Settle (from Gossip Girl), but I got over that quickly enough, and now I am riveted. I also think this is the phase I'm entering in my life. My brother's still in grade school, but one of my sisters is married and the other is starting college, so we're entering the adult world which changes the sibling dynamics.
The next show is True Blood, the vampire series from HBO starring Anna Pacquin who's all grown up. The series does feature a lot of sex and a lot of Ryan Kwanten naked--but as he's super gorgeous, I'm not complaining. Maybe it's just that it's set in Louisiana but it reminds me more of Interview With a Vampire than Twilight--oh and the fact that it's really good (sorry, Val). In fact the opening sequence posted here really evokes the bayou country for me--even though I've never been to Louisiana--and reminds me not only of Interview but also of The Skeleton Key.
Anyway, Pacquin plays Sookie, a telepathic waitress--which isn't nearly as terrible as it sounds--and she falls for a vampire (Stephen Moyer). The vampires have recently come out of the coffin, so to speak, after the development of True Blood, a synthetic beverage that satisfies all of their nutritional needs--though that isn't to say some vampires don't still prefer the taste of human blood--and they're pushing for a vampire rights ammendment. One of my favorite characters is Sookie's best friend, Tara, a black girl with a big attitude. "Isn't that funny a black girl being named after a plantation? No, I don't think it's funny at all. In fact it really pisses me off that my momma was either stupid or just plain mean." Anyway, I've only seen the first two episodes, but my Netflix que-u-e for the next little while is full of True Blood and Brothers & Sisters.
The last thing I want to adulate is the Pimm's Cup--British cocktail extraordinaire. Pimm's No. 1 Cup is, well no one's really sure what it is, but it's like a gin-based vermouth that tastes a little like vanilla, spice, and citrus fruit. Anyway, in the summer the English combine this with lemonade and cucumber slices to make the sublime Pimm's Cup--perfect for picnics and aperitifs. Now in England, lemonade is a carbonated soda water with lemon juice and is either unsweetened or lightly sweetened. So I had to go to a specialty British shop to buy Schweppes Bitter Lemon which was bloody expensive--I don't know why Schweppes doesn't market this in the U.S. Anyway, I may have better luck with San Pellegrino's Limonata product. Still, it's a fabulous concoction and I look forward to enjoying many more summer days with a Pimm's Cup in hand.
Finally, getting Fridays off is another one of my favorite things. Yay for holiday weekends--even silly Utah ones! And then finally I wanted to link to this list about how to meet and woo nerdy girls. I heard about it on TBTL and it's awesome.
I've recently started watching two television shows on DVD. Let's start with Brothers & Sisters which I believe is on ABC. It's a family drama about a group of adult siblings and with Sally Field as the matriarch. The rest of the cast includes Calista Flockhart as the conservative TV pundit from a liberal family, Rachel Griffiths (one of my favorites from Six Feet Under) who is in the family business, Matthew Rhys as the the gay brother, Ron Rifkin (from Alias) as their uncle, and Rob Lowe eventually joins the cast. However, I haven't made it that far yet, but it's something to look forward to. Anyway, the acting as you should be able to tell is fabulous, and the writing is superb. And what is richer than family drama for material? It did throw me off at first with all these actors from other series--Rachel Griffiths, Ron Rifkin, and Matthew Settle (from Gossip Girl), but I got over that quickly enough, and now I am riveted. I also think this is the phase I'm entering in my life. My brother's still in grade school, but one of my sisters is married and the other is starting college, so we're entering the adult world which changes the sibling dynamics.
The next show is True Blood, the vampire series from HBO starring Anna Pacquin who's all grown up. The series does feature a lot of sex and a lot of Ryan Kwanten naked--but as he's super gorgeous, I'm not complaining. Maybe it's just that it's set in Louisiana but it reminds me more of Interview With a Vampire than Twilight--oh and the fact that it's really good (sorry, Val). In fact the opening sequence posted here really evokes the bayou country for me--even though I've never been to Louisiana--and reminds me not only of Interview but also of The Skeleton Key.
Anyway, Pacquin plays Sookie, a telepathic waitress--which isn't nearly as terrible as it sounds--and she falls for a vampire (Stephen Moyer). The vampires have recently come out of the coffin, so to speak, after the development of True Blood, a synthetic beverage that satisfies all of their nutritional needs--though that isn't to say some vampires don't still prefer the taste of human blood--and they're pushing for a vampire rights ammendment. One of my favorite characters is Sookie's best friend, Tara, a black girl with a big attitude. "Isn't that funny a black girl being named after a plantation? No, I don't think it's funny at all. In fact it really pisses me off that my momma was either stupid or just plain mean." Anyway, I've only seen the first two episodes, but my Netflix que-u-e for the next little while is full of True Blood and Brothers & Sisters.
The last thing I want to adulate is the Pimm's Cup--British cocktail extraordinaire. Pimm's No. 1 Cup is, well no one's really sure what it is, but it's like a gin-based vermouth that tastes a little like vanilla, spice, and citrus fruit. Anyway, in the summer the English combine this with lemonade and cucumber slices to make the sublime Pimm's Cup--perfect for picnics and aperitifs. Now in England, lemonade is a carbonated soda water with lemon juice and is either unsweetened or lightly sweetened. So I had to go to a specialty British shop to buy Schweppes Bitter Lemon which was bloody expensive--I don't know why Schweppes doesn't market this in the U.S. Anyway, I may have better luck with San Pellegrino's Limonata product. Still, it's a fabulous concoction and I look forward to enjoying many more summer days with a Pimm's Cup in hand.
Finally, getting Fridays off is another one of my favorite things. Yay for holiday weekends--even silly Utah ones! And then finally I wanted to link to this list about how to meet and woo nerdy girls. I heard about it on TBTL and it's awesome.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Simple Joys
I left work a little early today so I could go see Away We Go. And it is a fabulous film. It stars John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph as thirty-something "fuck-ups" who suddenly find themselves pregnant. After his parents decide to move to Belgium--one month before their granddaughter is born--the couple decides to travel the continent in search of a new place to call home. Along the way they meet a cast of bizarre characters played by a roster of great actors including Allison Janney, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Catherine O'Hara, and Jeff Daniels. But what is truly wonderful about the film is the loving relationship between Burt (Krasinski) and Verona (Rudolph) who thought that by the time they were in their early thirties they would have figured out this thing called life. I think the film will be even more poignant when I'm older because as a twenty-something I of course haven't figured life out yet, but I think that I will someday. What I'm beginning to suspect is that even when I have all the outward signifiers of success and maturity, I still won't know anymore about this so-called life than everyone else. I won't spoil the ending, but the last twenty minutes or so, starting with the trampoline scene, are just beautiful. Rudolph of SNL fame is simply wonderful, and contrary to what she told Krasinski before shooting, she can act. The film also works in some wonderful camera shots, and the folk-ish soundtrack by Alexi Murdoch is perfect. I highly recommend this film.
Upon exiting the always delightful Broadway Centre Cinema, I took a moment to luxuriate in the 99* weather. And what I love even more than this downtown independent theater is the attached outdoor parking garage. From the garage I can see downtown SLC--a rusted water tower, old apartment buildings, City Hall, the Cathedral of the Madeleine, the Holy Trinity Cathedral, the University of Utah, and so on. And looking out on the city in the dry heat after seeing a wonderful film, I was filled with simple joy. And then I got in my car only to discover my Check Engine light is on again only weeks after spending a small fortune at a mechanic's. Still it was a great way to start the weekend.
By the by, this is my 50th blog post since starting this blog back around Christmas. I just thought that was interesting, and I wanted to thank all of you, my friends, for reading.
Upon exiting the always delightful Broadway Centre Cinema, I took a moment to luxuriate in the 99* weather. And what I love even more than this downtown independent theater is the attached outdoor parking garage. From the garage I can see downtown SLC--a rusted water tower, old apartment buildings, City Hall, the Cathedral of the Madeleine, the Holy Trinity Cathedral, the University of Utah, and so on. And looking out on the city in the dry heat after seeing a wonderful film, I was filled with simple joy. And then I got in my car only to discover my Check Engine light is on again only weeks after spending a small fortune at a mechanic's. Still it was a great way to start the weekend.
By the by, this is my 50th blog post since starting this blog back around Christmas. I just thought that was interesting, and I wanted to thank all of you, my friends, for reading.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Holiday Weekend
I just saw The Brothers Bloom with Kristyn, and it's the most fun I've had at the movies this year. Well, it at least ties with Star Trek which is still, in my opinion, the best film of the summer so far. But The Brothers Bloom is not a summer popcorn flick, though it does have plenty of explosions; instead, it is a wonderful dramedy. The four leads are fabulous and what with Rachel Weisz, Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo, and Rinko Kikuchi, how could they not be? The actors throw their considerable talent into their roles with such verve you know they are having the time of their lives playing these characters. Their delight is infectious and so the audience is willing to go along with them. The settings, clothes, and bygone time exude an Old World glamor from Montenegro to Prague, from ocean liners to passenger trains which is just the icing on the cake. It was the perfect way to start off the week (that and a giant iced coffee this morning!), and I highly recommend this film to everyone.
My holiday started a little bit early last week. My cousins flew in from Boston on Wednesday--we're having a family reunion which starts later this week--and so we lit some fireworks outside the house on Thursday night. That was fun, except that our poor dog has been skittish all weekend. She, like most furry friends, hates fireworks. On Friday night, we were gone and she was locked outside the house--but when we returned the door had been unlocked and she was cowering inside. That's insane. Anyway, I didn't have to work on Friday--score! And while my family went to some rodeo, I instead went to Sam's house which has been a long-standing tradition dating back to high school. His parent's house borders the golf course/park and stands a mere 100 yards away from where the fireworks are launched (yes, the city of Bountiful celebrates on the 3rd). We enjoyed a delicious barbecue and caught up with some old friends like Katie Johnson--what a doll!--waiting for night to descend. The display was fantastic, as always, and included some "rainbow" fireworks which I've never seen before, and then we continued to chat for an hour or so after the fireworks finished so to avoid hellish traffic.
The next day just didn't feel like the 4th. It felt like Sunday all day long, except that my mother doesn't clean the oven and scour the stove top on Sundays--but it was anything except celebratory. After being denied lunch, I visited my sister who works at a diner, and ordered a cheeseburger and fries, and that's how we celebrate freedom here in America, bitches! Later that afternoon/evening we met up at my friend Whitney's apartment to enjoy some pasta primavera and wine which was followed by cocktails and several episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 1 which is one of the snarkiest comedies featuring some of the most dysfunctional characters I've ever seen. And it's absolutely hilarious! And I have a huge crush on Glenn Howerton who plays bastard-in-chief Dennis.
Sunday was a quieter day. I watched Wonder Boys from Netflix, which was an interesting collegiate movie. The always-talented Frances McDormand played the university's chancellor to great effect and with a dangerous beauty, and my favorite part was when Robert Downey Jr. and Tobey Maguire ended up in the sack together. After eating Sunday dinner with the family, Kristyn called me up because she wanted to go to The Pie, so that was an exercise in gluttony. I finished the night by reading the latest book on my summer reading list, Specimen Days by Michael Cunningham. Lately, I've been on a reading frenzy which ended about a week or so ago. But it's been nice getting back into a book. You may have noticed, by the way, my book list on the sidebar. It was inspired by Megan, the 25 Books meme on Facebook as well as my Visual Bookshelf. It will be the current list of the latest twenty-five books I've read including what I am currently reading. It's mostly a list for myself, but it's out there for any and all who are curious. Well, I believe that wraps up this holiday weekend. I rather enjoyed mine, and I hope you had fun as well. Shalom.
My holiday started a little bit early last week. My cousins flew in from Boston on Wednesday--we're having a family reunion which starts later this week--and so we lit some fireworks outside the house on Thursday night. That was fun, except that our poor dog has been skittish all weekend. She, like most furry friends, hates fireworks. On Friday night, we were gone and she was locked outside the house--but when we returned the door had been unlocked and she was cowering inside. That's insane. Anyway, I didn't have to work on Friday--score! And while my family went to some rodeo, I instead went to Sam's house which has been a long-standing tradition dating back to high school. His parent's house borders the golf course/park and stands a mere 100 yards away from where the fireworks are launched (yes, the city of Bountiful celebrates on the 3rd). We enjoyed a delicious barbecue and caught up with some old friends like Katie Johnson--what a doll!--waiting for night to descend. The display was fantastic, as always, and included some "rainbow" fireworks which I've never seen before, and then we continued to chat for an hour or so after the fireworks finished so to avoid hellish traffic.
The next day just didn't feel like the 4th. It felt like Sunday all day long, except that my mother doesn't clean the oven and scour the stove top on Sundays--but it was anything except celebratory. After being denied lunch, I visited my sister who works at a diner, and ordered a cheeseburger and fries, and that's how we celebrate freedom here in America, bitches! Later that afternoon/evening we met up at my friend Whitney's apartment to enjoy some pasta primavera and wine which was followed by cocktails and several episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 1 which is one of the snarkiest comedies featuring some of the most dysfunctional characters I've ever seen. And it's absolutely hilarious! And I have a huge crush on Glenn Howerton who plays bastard-in-chief Dennis.
Sunday was a quieter day. I watched Wonder Boys from Netflix, which was an interesting collegiate movie. The always-talented Frances McDormand played the university's chancellor to great effect and with a dangerous beauty, and my favorite part was when Robert Downey Jr. and Tobey Maguire ended up in the sack together. After eating Sunday dinner with the family, Kristyn called me up because she wanted to go to The Pie, so that was an exercise in gluttony. I finished the night by reading the latest book on my summer reading list, Specimen Days by Michael Cunningham. Lately, I've been on a reading frenzy which ended about a week or so ago. But it's been nice getting back into a book. You may have noticed, by the way, my book list on the sidebar. It was inspired by Megan, the 25 Books meme on Facebook as well as my Visual Bookshelf. It will be the current list of the latest twenty-five books I've read including what I am currently reading. It's mostly a list for myself, but it's out there for any and all who are curious. Well, I believe that wraps up this holiday weekend. I rather enjoyed mine, and I hope you had fun as well. Shalom.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Exploded British Day
I just stumbled across this video and found it delightful and hilarious.
And then I also love this music video by Matchbox 20. Yes, I know Matchbox 20 makes lame, Top 40 music, but the song's catchy and the video seriously gives me chills. It's full of freedom-loving imagery and fireworks which makes it perfect for the 4th.
Happy Independence Day everyone!
And then I also love this music video by Matchbox 20. Yes, I know Matchbox 20 makes lame, Top 40 music, but the song's catchy and the video seriously gives me chills. It's full of freedom-loving imagery and fireworks which makes it perfect for the 4th.
Happy Independence Day everyone!
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