This and That

Yesterday I went to the Utah Arts Festival with my friend Jessica and it was delightful. Kristyn was supposed to come with us, but when she said she wasn't busy Saturday night what she really meant was that she was working a double. Silly girl. I saw a lot of really good art that I cannot even begin to afford like this and that. It was also a mecca of artists, intellectuals, gays, hippies, potheads, et al. and as such there was also a saturation of cops. I just thought that was a nice touch. We can't have these sections of society in large groups without a heavy police presence. Just an example of why I'm opposed to building a new police station on Library Square. We also saw SLC Film Center's Fear No Film Festival which showed a selection of short independent films from across the globe. My favorite was "Roads" a film from Tel-Aviv about a couple of Arabic kids who work for, and then run away from, one of the largest drug dealer's in Lod which is the Arabic neighborhood. The creepiest was "X-Mess Detritus" a 90-second, stop-animation film, and everyone knows my horror of stop- and clay-animation. It was a moralizing story about all the crap we give and get at Christmas which become odds-and-ends that fill storage boxes and eventually end up choking landfills and destroying the planet. So instead we should give love and other gifts that don't require wrapping. However, it was not nearly as disturbing as the film Dain, Elise, and I saw a few years ago involving chickens and pirates and stomachs and I don't even know. I still haven't recovered from seeing that.

Speaking of movies, there are a lot of films that just came out that I need to see. There were several summer blockbusters that came out before Memorial Day this year, and then there was nothing. Anyway, I'm super excited to see Away We Go, I can't even contain myself. The other movies on my list include The Brothers Bloom, Easy Virtue, My Sister's Keeper, and Cheri. So I guess I will be spending my weekday afternoons at the Broadway Cinema.

Far

It's been difficult to get back into the real-world mode after taking a week-long vacation, but--after resolving an IP address conflict and thus enabling Internet access once again--I have more or less caught up on Facebook, emails, and blog posts. I'm not really sure where to begin, except I guess at the beginning.

Last week I was madly reading Gaiman's American Gods which I finished minutes before we left for the airport. I enjoyed the novel though I think that Gaiman's genius--to call it that--lies more in storytelling than perhaps in writing itself which I think makes him more suited to comics and short stories than epic novels. Nevertheless, there are genuinely wonderful passages from the book. I did want to share this chapter epigraph which is by Agnes Repplier from Times and Tendencies and which has been stuck in my mind for the last week or so: "America has invested her religion as well as her morality in sound income-paying securities. She has adopted the unassailable position of a nation blessed because it deserves to be blessed; and her sons, whatever other theologies they may affect or disregard, subscribe unreservedly to this national creed." And that struck me as being very true.

On the cruise I continued the reading frenzy I have lately been on, and both started and finished Bret Easton Ellis's Less Than Zero and Alexandra Fuller's Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight, which we are discussing for book club. As I began Fuller's memoir I had some misgivings despite her delightful appearance in Minneapolis. Once she began a more or less chronological account of her life (more than a few chapters in), it was interesting and her mother is a startling character but it's not exactly Out of Africa. I'm still trying to figure out what to talk about. Less Than Zero was a small, spare novel that was thoroughly disturbing and vintage Easton Ellis. I still have not finished Revolutionary Road but I'm making progress, and I now need to decide which book from my summer reading list to tackle next.

To prepare for the cruise I downloaded Regina Spektor's album Soviet Kitsch--I needed more/new music for vacation--which I actually enjoy more than Begin to Hope though "Samson" is one of my favorite songs ever. Favorites from Kitsch include "Us" and "Somedays." I am now listening to her latest release Far on NPR in its entirety. I enjoy it so far and will probably purchase it sometime soon. Oh, and on an entirely unrelated side-note Battlestar Galactica Season 4.5 is released on July 28th--happy fraking birthday to me!

So, the cruise, (and pictures will be uploaded on Facebook sometime), we arrived in Ft. Lauderdale close to midnight local time and it was quite warm and very humid--which was to be a recurring weather situation throughout--which requires the constant reapplication of deodorant. Also, our ship sailed out of Miami but it was cheaper to fly to Ft. Lauderdale which in case you didn't know is less than twenty minutes away from Miami. In fact it's a bit difficult to tell which skyline belongs to which city (well, that might be a touch dramatic). Anyway, Miami is huge and beautiful just like in Dexter (aside from serial killers and gore). Our ship was the Carnival Valor and much to my surprise I enjoyed this Carnival ship much more than the Royal Caribbean (our staterooms were bigger) we had been on last, though to be fair the Valor is a much newer ship. The only disappointing item was that the food wasn't quite as good. I mean it was still very good, but there was no life-changing chicken stuffed with peppers and prosciutto or a delightful baked onion and gruyere appetizer.

Cruises are fun but I've realized that the kind of vacation I enjoy involves checking into a local boutique hotel (with a fantastic bathroom) in the middle of a vibrant city center full of great restaurants, cocktail lounges, cafes, museums, theatres, and local shops. And if I am to be at sea, I think I would prefer a private yacht with a fully stocked bar complete with a chef or caterer. But that's just me. Nevertheless, the cruise was quite fun and it's all-inclusive, aside from shore excursions and beverages, so that's rather nice. On a related note, cruises are more fun if you drink, but also much more expensive. I've also learned that cruises are not for single people unless they are flirty and adventurous (which I am not) or accompanied by a gaggle of their single friends (which I was not). Other cruising notes--bring along a wristwatch; ports-of-call can be soul-crushing in their touristy tackiness; sleeping on a cruise ship is better than sleeping anywhere else since the interior cabins are pitch-black and the subtle rocking of the ocean acts like a cradle--it does make waking up rather difficult though.

Our first port-of-call was Grand Cayman where we travelled to "Stingray City" which is a sandbar full of these intriguing creatures and everyone gets to kiss and feed the stingrays. We also did some snorkeling and no matter how careful one is, one will inevitably get a mouthful of salt water which is not pleasant. Afterward, we ended up eating at the Hard Rock Cafe there--how typically tourist. Next, we visited Roatan which is the largest island off of Honduras's coast. Here we took a two-mile zip line through the jungle which was actually fun. The next day we visited Belize which was probably the most destitute of all the places we visited. We visited some Mayan ruins which was somewhat interesting, and then we were supposed to go cave tubing. However, it had been raining hard for the last several days (in Belize and not on us, thankfully) and so the river was dangerously high and the caves had been closed. So instead we drove all over Belize and ended up at the zoo were we saw indigenous animals such as leopards and eagles and monkeys and got bitten by angry ants.

Our final port was also my favorite--Key West in the good ol' US of A. Key West, besides being bloody hot and humid, is the southernmost point in the United States, and is a party island that marries the Caribbean with New Orleans, especially in regards to is colonial architecture. There are bars everywhere on this rather small island; it also features its own gay and lesbian visitor center, which sadly I did not visit. We found the Harry S. Truman White House, Mile Marker 0 of US Highway 1, the Southernmost Point of the island (90 Miles to Cuba!), and ate conch fritters. We also saw the aquarium where I petted a nurse shark. And then I personally visited Papa's (Hemingway) House. This is where he lived with Pauline and wrote a vast amount of his work including A Farewell to Arms, To Have and Have Not, "The Snows of Kilimanjaro," and "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber." The house is gorgeous as are the grounds which include a swimming pool and are home to the forty to fifty cats which are all descendants of the cats Hemingway bred. I then walked up Duval Street stopping for a Papa Double (a relative of the daiquiri) which was more sour than I would have liked. But I also stopped at the Blond Giraffe to get a slice of Key Lime Pie--on a stick! It was frozen and dipped in chocolate which made it a chocolate-covered, KeyLime popsicle and it was delicious! I'm now obsessed with Key Lime pie. And then we sailed back to Miami and disembarked and made our way back to Ft. Lauderdale to discover our flight to JFK had been delayed by seven hours, so instead we changed our flight and stopped over in Atlanta instead.

If I go on a cruise again, I think I would prefer sailing to the Eastern Caribbean--to the Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, St. John's, Barbados, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago--you get the picture.

So now I'm back to regular life wondering where exactly June went--I was only gone for one week! But I'm glad that it's finally sunny and warm here in Utah. I saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button again and continue to assert that it is a gorgeous and heartbreaking movie. And as much as I love Cate Blanchett, my favorite part is his affair with Elizabeth (Tilda Swinton) in Russia which is deliciously romantic. By the way, Tilda Swinton is also the best two minutes of Prince Caspian aside from Regina Spektor's song "The Call," of course. But now I must find housing in Seattle (Kristen, I need you!), and I got a registration packet in my inbox which I need to take a look at. But I've been suffering with a bout of ennui lately and don't want to deal with that now. In fact, I'm wondering if I can hire someone to earn my MA for me. Once I'm there, it'll be good I know, but it's the getting there that's hard. Oh well, c'est la vie.

And finally, sasquatches son de verdad y son muy extranos!


P.S. If you haven't seen the premiere of Nurse Jackie you need to see it. It's wonderful and hilarious. I believe you can download it on iTunes or see it at sho.com. Also, I just wanted to mention that To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf is the greatest summer book ever penned--in case you're looking for a suggestion.

Rainy Day

As soon as June commenced, the weather turned . . . for the worse. Now I love summer thunderstorms a lot--they come without warning and they're usually very extreme. But what we've had lately is several days of rainy and increasingly cold weather. I suppose I should get used to it seeing as I'm moving to Seattle. Last night while I was sleeping, I had my window open, and at one point the rain was coming down harder than I can ever remember, and I wanted to go out and stand in the rain (it's always been a fantasy of mine to get caught in movie-rain, the kind that soaks you completely in seconds), but I went back to sleep instead. This morning when I woke up, it really felt like autumn, like there should be soggy brown leaves flying in the wind and a fire lit in the fireplace, which is all a bit ridiculous since it's June and almost Midsummer. Anyway, currently I am enjoying some hot, black tea and cream--if only it were clotted cream. *sigh*

Speaking of Midsummer, I just finished Little Big: or, The Fairies' Parliament by John Crowley and I think I'll have to agree with the critics and say it's the greatest fantasy ever written by an American. However, it transcends the paperback genre (it's not even similar in anyway) and belongs, instead, to the canon of High Literature. It's a very difficult novel but well worth the effort. I just wanted to quote the ultimate paragraph which is so beautiful (and doesn't give anything away, so don't worry).
"One by one the bulbs burned out, like long lives come to their expected ends. Then there was a dark house made once of time, made now of weather, and harder to find; impossible to find and not even as easy to dream of as when it was alight. Stories last longer: but only by becoming stories. It was anyway all a long time ago; the world, we know now, is as it is and not different; if there was ever a time when there were passages, doors, the borders open and many crossing, that time is not now. The world is older than it was. Even the weather isn't as we remember it clearly once being; never lately does there come a summer day such as we remember, never clouds as white as that, never grass as odorous or shade as deep and full of promise as we remember they can be, as once upon a time they were."
So that's another summer book checked off the list. Also, last night was book club. We enjoyed a lovely potluck dinner, and then Megan and I had a wonderful discussion of The Secret History as she was the only other one who finished it (even though it's one of my favorite novels!). Anyway, if you were ever in the Writing Center, you can imagine what it was like for two former English majors to discuss an interesting novel that they both enjoyed while the rest of the group sat around a bit bemused. For our next book we're reading Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller, so I'm very excited.

Yesterday, I bought a ticket to see Tori Amos when she comes to Salt Lake in July. I have to say that Abnormally Attracted to Sin is probably my least favorite album of hers, though, much to my surprise (and then again, not), it's starting to grow on me. In some ways it's not entirely different from much of her work, and then again it stands it stark contrast to everything she's done, especially in relationship to her last album, the rock and roll American Doll Posse. It's her first album that is entirely self-produced, released by her own personal label, and I feel that it's indulgent and would have benefited wonderfully from some editing and outside input. Sonically cohesive, it smolders, slowly, moodily through the whole album building up to the crescendo in the final and longest track: "Lady in Blue." The album reminds me of dark embers--red and black, glowing hot. Gone is the concept album, but also gone is the magic of Amos's freely associative and allusive lyrics creating narrative poems and inverting symbols. Amos the Iconoclast, well aware of her status, has never felt less iconoclastic. Highlights (I don't want to call them favorites or gems; not yet anyway) from the album include "Not Dying Today" (easily the best song and for the Neil reference) and "500 Miles" which are the most upbeat songs, and "Maybe California" and "Lady in Blue," while "Give" for example is repetitive and sentimental. Nevertheless, I'm still excited to see Tori in concert and I hope she plays a lot of her previous work as well.

Lately, I've been thinking of what "liberal" means to me. The American Heritage Desk Dictionary defines liberal as "Open-minded; tolerant." While I agree with most of the Democratic Party's platforms, I am not a hardcore party-liner. I think liberal means being open to all ideas--even (conservative) ideas that make me personally uncomfortable--and trying to understand the issue from multiple points of view; I don't think any issue has only two diametrically opposing viewpoints. After careful consideration, I can make my educated decision on the issue and take a stand, which generally takes on a live-and-let-live flavor, though I still want to be open to new ideas and information that could change my paradigm. Anyway, just some food for thought.

Rigmarole

So it's June. I really don't know where May went--it was just starting and then suddenly flitted away. So summer is more or less in full swing--I like to be ambivalent about absolutes--and the irises are in bloom and are lovely. I'm beginning to think that Iris might also be a nice name a la Iris Murdoch who is somewhere on my never-ending reading list but certainly not this summer. My reading list is coming along nicely, and I have the highest hopes that for the first time I will actually read everything on my summer reading list. I just finished The Secret History by Donna Tartt for book club and even though this is the fourth time I've read it, I really love the novel. Of course my favorite part is the first book which could be subtitled "et in arcadia ego" a la Brideshead Revisited. In both novels, the bucolic enchantment which flavors the beginning is irresistible though it soon veers, sadly and inevitably, towards tragedy. I shortly expect to finish Jesus and Yahweh: The Names Divine by my favorite literary and religious critic, Harold Bloom--a major deity in my personal and undefined godhead. Perhaps his book's greatest accomplishment is its valid refutation of any so-called Judeo-Christian tradition as the new covenant of Christianity did not fulfill some old Jewish covenant but rather subjugated the Tanakh and held it hostage under its new revision as the Old Testament. His analysis of the literary characters of Jesus and Yahweh are interesting and sometimes outrageous if not always persuasive. Nevertheless, his secular and gnostic reading of the New Testament and the Tanakh will send one running back to the Bible to read it for oneself. I've also made it a great deal further in Little, Big which, as I cannot emphasize enough, is amazing. Hopefully, I will finish it this week. Then I can finish Revolutionary Road and American Gods, both of which I am about half-way through, before moving on to the rest of my list.

I broke down and bought Abnormally Attracted to Sin by Tori Amos on iTunes, mostly to prepare myself for her concert in two months. I usually like to buy albums in the physical CD version--it's just how I prefer to listen to an entire album. However, the digital version included a bonus track. So far it stands in stark contrast to all of Amos's previous work and not necessarily in a good way. Perhaps later I'll give it a more in-depth review, but currently I am on a self-imposed one-week Tori Amos cleanse/detox. I've been listening to her so much lately that it has started to become unhealthily excessive. So in the meantime I am reacquainting myself the rest of my music library. and looking forward to Regina Spektor's new release later this month.

At the Marriott Library my full part-time hours have been reinstated as John, who is gorgeous, has turned in his two-weeks notice. So that's happy (and just a little bit sad). I also picked up a shift this Saturday at the City library which was not nearly as hellish as I suspected it would be. The last time I worked there--in March--was awful which can be expected of all new jobs. I had no clue what I was doing, the manager wasn't there, and nobody was helping me. This time I was kindly taken under the guidance of Aubbie and others and now have a much better understanding of what the hell I am doing. I had fully anticipated parting ways with the City library after this weekend, but it was enjoyable enough that I have picked up more shifts. I still have yet to receive my name badge that was ordered back in February, nor has a new parking card been ordered for me as per my request a few weeks ago. But things are starting to look up. maybe. Well that's about all I have for today. It's not a lot, but I felt the need to put something out there. Shalom.

Leaving Terra

I have recently fallen in love with Tori Amos's album Scarlet's Walk (2002). I've loved the singles "A Sorta Fairytale" and "Taxi Ride" for a long time, but have only recently listened to the album after borrowing it from the library a few weeks ago. The fans seem to love it, and it was the critics' favorite since Under the Pink, but I wasn't feeling it at first. Even though I originally thought my girl could do no wrong, I am beginning to suspect that perhaps her career peaked with From the Choirgirl Hotel. But like all of Amos's music, and even more so with SW, you don't listen to the music and lyrics, the lyrics and music listen to you. And so, slowly, I have fallen under the spell of Scarlet's Walk. Neil Gaiman describes the album this way, "the CD's about America--it's a story that's also a journey, that begins in LA and crosses the country, slowly heading east. America's in there, and specific places and things, Native American history and pornography and a girl on a plane who'll never get to New York, and Oliver Stone and Andrew Jackson and madness and a lot more. Not to mention a girl called Scarlet who may be the land and may be a person and may be a trail of blood." That's a beautiful description, and I think it is also helpful in discussing Tori's music. Ever since Boys for Pele, Amos has created elaborate concepts for her albums that sometimes fall flat and/or overwhelm her songs. But one doesn't listen to a Tori Amos song the way one listens to nearly any other artist's work. Each individual track is like a chapter in a novel, and her songs work best as ethereal poems which tell stories through her lyrics and the piano melodies that underscore them. Obviously, she is not a universal but a niche artist. Anyway, this exegesis has gone on for longer than I intended, but I just want to briefly mention a few of the songs I love from Scarlet's Walk. I enjoy "Crazy" very much, especially for its religious implications. These lines are just delicious: "First, let's just unzip your religion down / Heard you were once Temptation's Girl." In "Another Girl's Paradise" Amos explores how hard it is to genuinely wish others well and not envy them, and how impossible it is to placate Desire--she will always remain everything we want and cannot have. "Does it all come down to the thing one girl fears in the night / is another girl's paradise." And I love the eponymous track "Scarlet's Walk," which for me not only refers to Amos's persona's cross-country road trip across America and especially her retracing of the early European settlers' footsteps, and conjures up images of Scarlet O'Hara, but also refers to the Trail of Tears which is also a path of blood "through the violets." It's also a commentary on the state of America and her land, religion and liberty. I also enjoy "Amber Waves" and "Don't Make Me Come to Vegas" which are about a fading porn star, and "I Can't See New York."
By the way, Tori Amos's latest album, Abnormally Attracted to Sin, hits the stores tomorrow. I haven't much cared for the first single "Welcome to England" but the reviews have been mostly good. I'm still not sure whether I will purchase it or not--I probably will. But I really hope to see her in concert at Abravanel Hall here in SLC in July.

In another commentary on the future of our land, Tim DeChristopher is one of my heroes. He threw a monkey wrench in the bidding at a questionable auction of Utah's BLM properties which were being bid on by oil and energy companies. He made a false bid of $1.8 million dollars he has no intention of paying. You can hear more about his story and a broader discussion of civil disobedience by listening to this episode of RadioWest which aired three weeks ago. (I am behind on my podcasting.) He has been charged with two felonies and is currently awaiting trial which will hopefully raise more awareness of our land and energy policies. I firmly believe in civil disobedience especially as one of the few ways to truly enact social change. It also reminded me of one of my favorite quotes from V for Vendetta, "People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people." Of course, V isn't about civil disobedience as much as a violent revolution, but still. Furthermore, I sometimes wonder about the relationship between Mormons (and other Christians) and the land. I'm not entirely clear about the theology/doctrine but I know Mormons have a covenant with God to be stewards which includes a stewardship over the land and our planet. Yet, a majority of Utah Mormons are quite conservative on this issue (as they tend to be on all sociopolitical issues) and even anti-environmentalist. And from my own point of view, there seem to be a number of fundamentalists who welcome climate change and global warming and whatnot as a signal of the "End of Days" and perhaps eschew any responsibility for the care and protection of our home: Earth. On a related note, Utah's popular and moderate governor, Jon M. Huntsman Jr., is accepting a new post as ambassador to China. This means that presumably the much more conservative Lieutenant Governor Gary Herbert is poised to take over. He will be the first governor, I believe, to be from Utah County (or Provo, which either way doesn't bode well for me), and over the last few months he has taken some distance between Huntsman's more moderate and progressive stances on issues such as same-sex civil unions and energy policies. We will have to wait and see what happens, but I am not terribly optimistic. I guess it's a good thing I am moving to Washington state in the fall.

I also just wanted to mention the incredible time I had this past weekend. As my hours got cut at the Marriott Library--called "work sharing"--I no longer work on Fridays, for the time being at least. Which is sort of nice, but I also really need the money. Anyway, I went to an early matinee of Angels & Demons with my dear friend Kristyn whom I haven't seen hardly at all this last semester. I read all of Dan Brown's books when The Da Vinci Code first became popular, though since then I have joined the Dan Brown backlash to a great degree. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the novel Angels & Demons more than the Code. When I finished the book, I wished I was Catholic, or to be more precise, I wished I was a lapsed Catholic. Anyway, even though it wasn't on my summer list, the movie was pretty decent, a bit a lightweight fun, much better than the adaptation of the Code anyway. And it raises some interesting questions between science and religion. Vittoria, one of the scientists working at the Large Hadron Collider and a proponent of anti-matter technology, believed she was helping to change the world. Her greatest fear about anti-matter concerned the unscrupulous energy companies; she did not imagine that it would be used for terrorism. In the end Tom Hanks's character urged her to go back to her work and "change the world." Anyway, in terms of renewable energy we still have a way to go. And I wonder if there is truly such a thing as a stable, clean, safe, efficient, and renewable source of energy. Ewan McGregor makes a hot priest by the way.

On Friday night, I went to my friend Melissa's house where her family was having a barbecue--the first one of the season. I had my first hamburger since a rather unfortunate experience back in March, and I enjoyed a truly delicious pasta salad. I had fun playing night games such as Kick the Can and Capture the Flag which I haven't played for years. Saturday was a pretty chill day. I worked on chores and cleaned my room. I watched a silly movie from Netflix entitled A Touch of Pink. It was a good idea that had great potential but fell flat in its execution from the script to the actors to everything else. There was still a scene set on the Thames with the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament--how cliche!--that nonetheless stopped my breath as I was washed over in nostalgia. I never got over that perpetually surreal moment of stepping out of Westminster station and seeing the Houses of Parliament, lovely as a postcard.

On Saturday night, I went out with my friends Dain and Megan to see Star Trek--the best movie of the summer so far! It was most excellent, and I felt a little giddy most of the time. I especially enjoyed Zachary Quinto and Chris Pine as delicious eye candy. The action was eye-popping, and the plot, while fairly simple, was nevertheless entertaining, and the movie moved along at a nice place. If you haven't seen it yet, I strongly urge you to go at your earliest convenience. Throughout the movie I was reminded of watching TNG every afternoon as a child. By the way, seeing one of the Star Trek movies as a young child terrified me and was what instilled in me a deep-seated fear of eternity--in terms of both time and space, which may turn out to be the same thing. It wasn't until I watched Star Wars (the original trilogy) with my family that I could appreciate science fiction and also watch Star Trek. What is wonderful about the Star Trek franchise is that it portrays a largely hopeful, post-racial future--something we can look forward to instead of a more traditionally bleak, dystopian future. Anyway, I look forward to the next movie. I think J.J. Abrams did a masterful job of reimagining the original series.

And on Sunday I went to my friend Whitney's apartment to cook dinner as our group likes to do every so often. But first it was the one year anniversary of my sister and brother-in-law's wedding. They came over for an early dinner as did my aunt. For her birthday, which is later this month, I gave her a personally signed copy of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. It is her favorite genre/fantasy novel and Gaiman is one of her favorite authors. She cried and told me it was the best present she had ever received which made me feel pretty good. I also want to thank Rae, who encouraged me to buy the book and get it signed. Anyway, at Whitney's we made risotto and tri-tip roast which was incredibly delicious and we all got drunk on wine and too many Long Island Iced Teas*. After which we watched some YouTube videos including "Puke in My Mouth" and then we watched a number of episodes of How I Met Your Mother, one of my favorite television series. We were up till two am which made getting up for work this morning at seven a rather fun adventure. Anyway, all in all, it was a fantastic weekend.

*Here a couple of quotes concerning the Long Island Iced Tea which I rather enjoy.

"Honey, someday when you're a little older you will be introduced to something that is extremely seductive but fickle. A fair-weather friend who seems benign but packs a wallop like a donkey kick, and that is the Long Island iced tea. The Long Island iced tea makes you do things that you normally wouldn't do, like lifting your skirt in public or calling someone you normally wouldn't call at really weird times." - Lorelai Gilmore Girls

"And don't forget that one Long Island is nice, two is okay, and three tends to start unhappy problems." - A.J. Rathburn Good Spirits

Just Chillax

There's a wonderful music video that I stumbled upon featuring the incomparable Mary-Louise Parker for Charlie Mars's new song "Listen to the Darkside." Not to mention that the song's pretty good too. (And, by the way, there are few things better than a guy with a nice body wearing a white t-shirt.) I was going to try to post the video here, but there was a technical difficulty, so the link will have to suffice.

Anyway, today I was working on my chores, which I like to do with the aid of some music--as I'm sure most of us do. Usually, I listen to my energy playlist (and with the advent of summer, my summer playlist), or if I'm in a mood my angry shit playlist. However, today has been a bit chilly and breezy--I'm really not sure why all the windows in our house are open--and I was not feeling bitchy or in the need to be energized. So I chose my rarely listened to chill playlist instead because that's basically the mood I'm in today: chill. Anyway, I have chosen these songs because they are basically relaxing, but I don't have a lot. So this is where you come in. I'm looking for some chill, relaxing songs. The kind you might have playing in the background during a laid-back party where everyone is sitting around talking and drinking some wine. Something that strikes the middle ground between a loud, upbeat rock song--nothing too fast--and a slow, melancholic ballad--nothing too somber or sleep-inducing. Something along the lines of the Garden State soundtrack which happens to be the basis of the songs I already have, my favorites include "In the Waiting Line" by Zero 7 and "The Only Living Boy in New York" by Simon & Garfunkel. The music of The Shins, Coldplay, and Colin Hay. A few others I might mention here are "Pleasure Songs" by the Mary Onettes, "Falling in Love At a Coffee Shop" by Landon Pigg, and "Poses" by Rufus Wainwright. I hope you're ready to play! Ready. Set. Relax.

Listmania!

All of those who know me, know that I love making lists of all things! First I wanted to add a few songs to my summer playlist. "Dark Blue" by Jack's Mannequin is fabulous and perfectly fits the summer mood for me. I enjoy The Atari's cover of "The Boys of Summer" (as well as the original by Don Henley), and the title says it all. My friend Rae recommends the sexy "In These Shoes" by Kristy MacColl featured on Sex and the City and Kinky Boots.

And now here is the more definitive version of my summer reading list. Currently I am reading Little, Big by John Crowley, Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates, American Gods by Neil Gaiman, and The Secret History by Donna Tartt. That last one is for book club, and I will of course be reading the other works our book club chooses for the summer months. Here is the rest of my list:
Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis
White Noise by Don DeLillo
American Rust by Philipp Meyer
Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman
Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner
Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence
Let's Not Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Finally, I am looking for a good, light, beach read--any suggestions?
I know the list looks Herculean, but really it's nothing compared to reading lists of summers past. Of course, I never actually finished those. I have much higher hopes for this list. Wish me luck!

And finally, I present my list of the summer films I more or less wish to see. I fully expect I won't see a lot of them--I am desperately broke after all. But should time and money permit, I will hopefully see more and not less of the following movies.

The Informers (no longer playing at the Broadway?!) based on the Bret Easton Ellis novel.

State of Play now playing. It features several wonderful actresses: Rachel McAdams, Helen Mirren, and Robin Wright Penn.

Star Trek now playing. I've only heard wonderful things.

Little Ashes which may never come to SLC. *sigh* A biopic featuring such luminaries as Federico Garcia Lorca, Salvador Dali, and Luis Bunuel.

The Brothers Bloom with the incomparable Rachel Weisz.

Terminator: Salvation I have actually seen none of the Terminator franchise movies. I think it would be helpful to start with those. So I may not actually get to this one anytime soon.

Easy Virtue looks like a fun, breezy English dramedy. It also looks like Jessica Biel can actually act.

Up Do I need to say anything? I think everyone wants to see this latest Pixar.

Away We Go I'm super excited for this Dave Eggers movie starring John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph. I'm also looking forward to performances from Allison Janney, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Catherine O'Hara, and Jeff Daniels.

Cheri is a period drama set in the Parisian 1920s with the phenomenal Michelle Pfeiffer.

My Sister's Keeper looks like a tearjerker based on the novel by Jodi Picoult. I could take it or leave it, so we'll just see what happens.

Whatever Works Woody Allen has been really hot lately with such films as Match Point and Vicky Christina Barcelona. This one features the lovely and talented Evan Rachel Wood whom I adore.

Public Enemies promises to be a major blockbuster with the talents of Christian Bale and Johnny Depp.

(500) Days of Summer looks like a fun, offbeat romantic comedy with the enchanting Zooey Deschanel.

All Good Things is, I believe, a detective thriller with Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst, Kristen Wiig and Frank Langella.

Adam features my celeb-crush, Hugh Dancy, as a man with Asperger syndrome who falls for the lovely Rose Byrne.

Julie & Julia I can't even wait for this movie! I love Meryl Streep hardcore and I love the memoir by Julie Powell, portrayed by Amy Adams in the film. It could well be yet another major blockbuster for Streep (The Devil Wears Prada, Mamma Mia!) who just keeps getting better and better.

The Time Traveller's Wife We read the novel for book club and it wasn't my favorite. But I could be talked into seeing the movie featuring Eric Bana as Henry and Rachel McAdams as Claire.

And that is the preliminary rundown of the movies I want to see between now and Labor Day after which I will be moving to Seattle to start grad school.