So yeah, school crap pretty much drowned me for a few weeks and then my bookstore flooded...so its been a hectic few weeks...but thankfully I am finally on vacation for a week or so.
I can't really post anything long so here are my thoughts:
People, not on the individual level, just the general populace, are dumb and make me angry.
The Ugly Truth-Watched it last night....I thought it could have been better. It probably would have been more enjoyable in a different setting (i.e. not with the father). I would have theoretically found it funnier and theoretically would have been less disconnected and therefore less critical.
Inglorious Basterds- Bought it! yay! Just as awesome on re-watch.
(500) days of Summer-Dying to get it for Christmas so I can re-watch it and be in heaven again.
Bones Christmas episode: ;)
whoops, no more time...The food is ready at my Grandmothers, so we best get over there.
So, before I say anything else, Monday night television was delightful. HIMYM was much better, though I don't know how I feel about this Don fellow, and BBT was great as always.
Right now I am suppose to be at the bookstore working, but like many days lately, I'm feeling a bit sick and had to call out. I took some medicine so I'm feeling much better though. For the last hour or so I've just been hanging around online doing this and that....catching up on shows and what not...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxa6P73Awcg <--Stephen Fry tweeted this earlier in the day. amAZing! The world never ceases with its wonder. Thats why I love the phrase in my banner, "There's too much beauty to quit." Its from This amazingly written and edited movie Stay. ( no clue why I keep using amazing.) The whole film really kind of is about beauty in a way. I've been thinking a lot about this topic the last few days. This, of course, being spurred by the fact that we're reading Virginia Woolf in Modern British Literature. I love it....mainly though because I have always been so transfixed by beauty, both tragic and not. Isn't it curious that, both Stay and a lot of Virginia Woolf's work, not to mention countless other works that talk about this beauty, are closely linked to suicide? Is it that the artistic soul is just naturally depressed because of all of the sadness they perceive, or is the artistic soul just naturally a bit off its rocker to begin with? Eh, who knows. By the way, no need to worry. I am not suicidal. I might be a little paranoid and my "mind is rather wreckless" , but that is all. I just think the relationship is interesting. I do like this last paragraph from The Unknown Virginia Woolf;
"In 1941, it was the embodiment of Virginia which forced her decision. She could not face being blown to bits. The water was her friend ever since she was a child in Cornwall. The water could be trusted. The water was peace. The water would receive her with the dignity that she felt she needed, and indeed, deserved" (Poole 279).
More to come probably on this subject later probably as I sit down to work on my paper on To The Lighthouse. For now I must retreat back into A Thousand Acres and research on it so as to be prepared for my presentation on Monday.
I will leave you with this, the last scene of The Hours, because I've been thinking of this movie over and over again while we've been reading Mrs. Dalloway and its just wunderbare.
Okay, so I feel like changing some stuff on here and becoming more active...I might be switching the name...or at least the banner. I've had this thing for a year now and it does not look exciting at all.
So, if you haven't watched How I Met Your Mother S5 E07 yet, then then you might not want to read the rest of this.
I don't know how to feel about the fact that Barney and Robin broke up. I think the idea of the episode was good, it just didn't necessarily translate as well to the screen. I feel like something that took two ish seasons to finally happen, should not be ended so quickly or so un-awesomely.
During the build up of the relationship, I was super into the idea of Robin and Barney. The mushy girl inside of me went all gooey anytime anything happened to bring the two together. There was this great tension there that just drew you in. Now, having said this, once they got together, it wasn't so exciting. They couldn't keep that same feeling there. I was really disappointed, but things did seem to be looking up. I figured after a few episodes they would really get the hang of writing for the couple. I think that is why I was so disappointed with this episode. I thought they had a lot more material left, and they just prematurely cut it all off. They didn't even give it any real build up or meaning like they normally do. While watching Robin and Ted together, you knew they didn't end up together, but their break up was still treated as this monumental thing.
So I guess when I say that I'm not sure what to think its because I don't know their meaning behind breaking them up. A big draw of the show was Barney's womanizer ways. If they felt that they were failing with writing the relationship and wanted to regain viewers that missed the old Barney, then I guess I could see it. Its disappointing, but understandable. Though, as we've seen, there is much more to Barney then what was previously assumed. They can't just take all of the progress he has made and throw it away just for ratings. I am hoping that they are using this episode to momentarily worry people and then slowly get them back together. They are both still somewhat flat characters, so maybe if they rounded them out a bit things a bit it'll work next time. Now that I think about it, that is what went wrong. They built up Barney's character last season, but flattened out Robin...We never really saw Robin's struggle with her feelings....so why are we to believe that she has them? When they got together, Barney was slowly flattened and Robin stayed the same. Its like they only wanted to use their relationship, as they have been with both characters lately, as a gimmick. I really hope they fix this, show some jealousy and show them wanting to get back together and all of that other jazz. If they don't, then I'll have to be forced to think that the writers are losing their touch, or at least are in a "rough patch" themselves. I just hope they get things back on track in time to bring in the mother and end the season. I would be really upset if they get themselves cancelled.
I hate saying any of this because How I Met Your Mother is one of my absolute favorite Television shows. I love the cast and I think the writers are skilled. I'm just not happy with this break up and needed to vent. Here's to hoping that the trouble Barney has next ep with dating after Robin is because he still loves her and is only pretending not to die inside!
This is a quote from one of my housemates to my rant yesterday about how I expected to get some real work done on my presentation with my group during our meeting, but didn't get anything done. I had my slides outlined and my pictures on my usb (though for some reason they weren't there) and one other girl had her slides done. The third party, however, was like 20 minutes late and didn't have anything done....and now tonight, when we finally emailed in our slides to one person and put it all together, that same person didn't do anything really how she was suppose to, and the presentation is tomorrow. There is always that one person who isn't quite on board. Work was done, I just wish we could have had more communication is all...or at least successful communication. I understand why we must have them, but yeah, group projects, even simple ones, are frustrating.
Okay, so I really wish that was written better...but oh well. I was just ranting. Now that that is over with, I need to write a critique on Pasolini's "Mamma Roma" (1962), practice my presentation some more and read some Joyce and some Morrison.
P.S. I constantly have stuff I want to write about, but by the time I get around to it, something has happened. That whole hope of being more focused on here this semester has really deflated. From here on out I will try to govern my time better and get stuff written.
So, you know who you are. If you see that I am following you...be happy, but do not judge what you read here. I planned on being über critical, but it has really just turned into my xanga for the "new" me. Hopefully, this will slightly change. I <3 you and envy your ability to focus.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
"everybody everybody wants to love. everybody everybody wants to be loved"
So I'm just sitting here, after my driving lesson, listening to Ingrid Michaelson's lovely new cd, reading blogs, and procrastinating.
I don't even really have anything too painful to procrastinate. I have to finish Slaughterhouse Five, read about Religion and Pop Culture, ponder my existence, order some of my textbooks, think about writing but not actually do so, possibly write a critique of a Scorsese documentary, and finish laminating my table (it has a paper collage on it and I'm using laminating sheets to make it a warrior against the elements).
Now that I look at it..that is a lot...I'll get right on it....as soon as I watch some television and finish off my egg drop soup. Yum.
(so I started looking for ingrid vids...and got sidetracked watching Matt N. ones...sooo...I'm going to publish this before I forget about it.)
So, school has already made me tired. I'm excited to be learning what I am, but I'm not enjoying this strict schedule thing. Sure, over the summer I worked, but now I'm taking five classes and working 24-32 hours and that leaves no real time for anything but homework. I have been attempting to hang out for a while, but then I end up staying up too late finishing it all up. I let myself get too into the whole summer thing this time....or maybe just the non school thing. idk . I'll figure it out eventually. I think it takes, what, ten days to form a habit? I'm pretty sure thats it. So, hopefully, in a week or two, everything will be as it always was. I feel like I should be writing something purposeful or at least objective and important....but alas, I am not. I will probably waste my night away reading, listening to music, pondering about life and yes, even watching the Wizards of Waverly Place movie that premieres tonight....cus thats how I roll...
So, I haven't written all summer....and now, I only have a few hours left of mine. I start my senior year at College of Charleston tomorrow morning. Its scary as crap. Now that I think about it its kind of interesting. My first class of college was a tuesday morning at 9:25 (psychology 101) and now I'm beginning this last year the same way... except this time its Modern British Lit....a class I have been waiting to take for seriously ever. I am pretty excited about the classes I am taking this semester, but at the same time it seems seriously odd that I am in fact going back. For some reason, after this summer I feel very distanced from school. It almost feels like I have already shed that portion of my life. I don't know why. I guess its just all that has happened, along with the fact that I have become a great deal more independent. Then again, I did kind of feel like this when I went back to school last semester. I think I commented on that feeling.
So, how am I getting ready to begin the new school year? I'm listening to Matt Nathanson radio (amaaaazing....its on his site), putting off cleaning and getting ready for tomorrow. I was watching Wizards of Waverly Place online (thats right, I'm so lame I've gone looking for Disney shows! Oh well, its a short break from the heaviness of Bones), but now I'm back to Mr. Nathanson. I really wish my fiancé was here to calm me down and force me to be productive, but he won't be off work until midnight. I'll get to see him and then go immediately to sleep....though class tomorrow isn't nearly as early as when I have to open the store....so maybe I will stay up.
I'll have to decide sometime soon what I want to do with my life. I have been thinking about becoming a librarian, but I'm not so sure. I am really loving this idea of watching television and film and writing stuff about it....I don't really mean in the strictly critical way either.....I mean in the full on research applying, meta-whatnot way. I really need to just hone my process and work on actually getting words on the page. I have soooo many thoughts that run through my head all day that I want write down, but I never get around to actually focussing those thoughts into a thesis oriented paper of sorts....or even a novel. I have been working on bits of creative writing my whole life and I haven't gotten any of them really finished....This goes along with my focus. I'm going to be studying a great deal of the contemporary and abstract this semester and hopefully that will help me orient everything. I would love to write a novel in some sort of an experimental form....the marriage of the visual and the textual is amazing... It just requires work....and confidence....That could be my problem....and prob is....I'm not confident that everyone is going to get it/like it/ what not, so I shy away and then I end up so shied away that its not even what I believe in anymore...and therefore it doesn't get to stay....Bah....
I need to stop rambling and actually do something.... I pledge to attempt to be a better student and a more organized student this last year....I pledge to actually start working on things so that I can write my papers to their full potential and not let them shy away to Bs....I pledge to work my thoughts through fully and not let them simmer, even if they will get me an A as is...I pledge to stop just trying to BE and try to actually be what I want. By the time I get married (this time next year ish) I want to have a Novel under way (actually under way and GROWING) and to have seen Mr. Nathanson in concert at least once more....He's so my favorite and seeing him live the other night just proved that to myself even more. I feel for some reason that I have as of late really been figuring out what I'm made of and what drives me...and I really interested to see where that takes me....
Cheers
(the title reference Btw)
Thursday, May 28, 2009
So yeah, I kind of lied last time. I've been working a whole lot and every time I went to actually say something, my mind was far too muddled to actually produce anything. Usually I just end up surfing the internet aimlessly and/or watching an episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. If you are curious, I've been watching it for various reasons. First of all, it has various actors that I like (David Boreanaz and Alyson Hannigan). Secondly, its just such a pop culture reference that cannot be ignored. I started to notice this when my literacy professor mentioned the work done about how literacy is portrayed in the show and all. Ever since, the show seems to be everywhere...So I'm educating myself. I'm not too far, but I'm beginning to like it more than I did in the beginning.
Two or more hours after writing that first paragraph.....I have finished season one...and I have to say that the last three episodes (especially the last one) really redeemed the show for me...Anyway, I must go pack/perhaps watch more. Moving into the new house the next two days...
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Haven't written in a while STOP will write tomorrow STOP Lots to catch up on STOP
Why did it take me so long to get this CD? I Love Mraz and I love this CD even upon first listen...I just had to say that and felt as though I had already updated my twitter too many times today. Well, let me get back to studying...now that I've gotten a frapp. to replenish my energy after a whole day of NOT studying Chaucer.
all time fav artists for sitting back and loving life -Matt Nathanson -Jason Mraz -Ingrid Michaelson
Okay, so I'm finishing up with exams and all, which is weird because I only just recently finally felt as though I was in school and not just going to class in between work and social activities. It was weird....but anyway, I'm almost done and I'm upset because while I was about to die from a work overload, I also was still very productive and I liked the feeling...but now that things have finally slowed done I'm like Blah...All I want to do is sit home and watch/research shows. I mean, I want my job to be somehow oriented around either the big screen, small screen, or at least just the printed page, so its good in a way that I am immersing myself as such. At the same time though, for some reason, I get so tired from working the lil bit that I am, that all I want to do is sit and somehow do nothing. I'm sure that once I get into the swing of summer it'll all be okay, I just feel as though I have all these ideas, whether they be with artistic things or books I want to read or whatever, that I can never seem to actually force myself to choose which thing to do. Right now, for example, I'm writing this as a sort of procrastination for reading my book (Break No Bones by Kathy Reichs -takes place here in Charleston), which in turn is a procrastination for going to sleep, something I really should do so I can get up early and have breakfast with my fiancé and his family before his mom drives back up to VA....bah! Something save me from the unending loop! Hopefully either getting my higher position at work or moving will knock me out of it.....le sigh :) Anyway, I'm out!
-cheers
BTW, Wolverine-enjoyable, but I wish for a revision/addition of depth/darkness to the story line. Perhaps I was just in a bad mood. I did have a horrible headache and it was late since it was the midnight showing...maybe that just distanced me from it all.
So, I should be studying for my exam on Literature for Adolescents (Eng 320) that's tomorrow at noon. However, I have been extremely bad at actually sitting down and focussing on the material. It's difficult since the class is discussion based and goes off on so many tangents that the actual material is kind of hard for my to grasp. I don't mean thats its hard to understand. I find it very interesting and enjoy the class a lot, I'm just slightly a little lost at what to study....and due to my hell week last week, I haven't done a lot of the later readings....Oh well, this isn't a blog meant to rant on my exam. Its actually meant to highlight what I have been doing now that I'm not about to die.
btw, before I go on, please keep my friend Kayla in your prayers, she's having heart problems and I care for her deeply and want to be healthy again.
Anyway, as previously stated. I've been doing everything but be productive....depending on your personal definition of the term. The last unit in my American Film Studies course was on musicals...so I've been hoarding those from the library....I say hoarding....but so far I've only got two on top of the ones for class. I have plenty more on my list though. I have found out though the Fred Astaire is my Buster Keaton of this semester. I absolutely love Buster Keaton and after last semester I got nearly his whole collection of works for Christmas. I really need to get back on track with finishing it. Anyway, I've been watching a bunch of Astaire's things, reading up on him and so on. I even ordered his autobiography from my work (Waldenbooks). He seems like he was a very interesting man. Just the fact that he has in his will that no one is allowed to make a movie version of his life seems very intriguing and honorable. He is stated in saying "It is there because I have no particular desire to have my life misinterpreted, which it would be."
For the most part, however, I have been catching up on Bones. I had had to cut the show from my schedule this last school year because I just got so busy with school work that I couldn't handle it all. I have always loved the show, and adored the entire cast of characters though. Anyway, so when I found out that Booth and Brennan were finally getting together (I'm sorry if thats a spoiler for anyone) I just had to catch up. I started a lil before hell week, had that week, and then finished them over the last few days. I had like almost 30 to watch I think...this past season is rather long comparative to what some seasons seem to be now. I just finished this morning/last night at like 3am and am now ready to watch it as it airs for the next few weeks. Perhaps I should ask for that day off of work haha. Eh, if I do have to work I'll just watch it online, like I have been doing. I'll be sad, but there's nothing that can really be done. That week is rather busy with things I'm excited about btw. GreenDay's new CD (21st Century Breakdown) is coming out then...and so is Lee Pace's film, Possession....(possession looks promising but, sadly due to the economy its distributor went out of business, has had to go straight to DVD) Yay! Also yay for Wolverine this weekend and The Soloist.
I'm also super excited for the finale of How I Met Your Mother...So many things I've heard will be going on. I really should just take a blog/day here and there to devote to just how I feel about where my favorite shows are going....I think I will...Look out for quite a few updates hopefully as these shows come to an end.
The biggest and saddest of these for me of course will be Pushing Daisies. I'm a part of the ABC Inner Circle and so I've been privileged enough to have already seen two of the three unaired episodes (which will be airing starting may 30th). Seeing how quick they've been showing them, I'm assuming the final one will be screened sometime next weekish. I'm kind of sad because today when I watched it I felt distracted. I had just bought some new vine charcoal and was sketching random things as I watched, as well as trying to chat with the other fans in the room....so I yeah....I'll probably have to go watch it on YouTube or what not before the final ep. I hate to think it was disinterest that made me not focus. What I saw I liked. There still seems like a lot to tie up...and I know that since they weren't given the chance to really end it properly, a lot of those plots will be left open...which sucks....The comic book is a go, which is good...though its going to be a good deal different, it seems, than the show...a lot less character driven perhaps? sad day....I know a lot of people want to see a movie to tie everything up....but I just don't know. I'm really going to miss it...but after seeing the Dead Like Me movie, I'm kind of scared. I know Brian Fuller didn't have anything to do with it (the aformentioned movie)...but it was just so disappointing in so many areas (some due to things they just couldn't help) that I wouldn't want that to happen to Pushing Daisies. I hear the final episode is amazing.....so I'm really excited.
Well, since all I'm doing is babbling about stuff, I should probably go and get some sleep so I can wake up and study at least an hour before the test. Here's to the summer (which promises trips like disney and dallas, possible raises, and moving into a new house....fun times)!
I think Cheek to Cheek is just beautiful...and Drum Crazy really shows his individual talent. Next Time Maybe I'll highlight some Gene Kelley. From what I've seen I love Singing in the Rain as a whole....but only a few routines from An American in Paris....I'll keep you updated...
I am in the middle of drowning in schoolwork...but hopefully once summer comes I can get back to this and my various other hobbies. Until then, here's a few pics of my first attempts at wood-burning.
The first one was my very first attempt. Its based off of the very last line from Edith Wharton's novel, The House of Mirth. The last chapter of that book is pure beauty. I really should have used a different tip when trying to do the words, but hey, thats why to practice, to learn.
The second one there was my birthday gift to my fiancé. It was only my second wood-burning and I was actually very impressed my how far I progressed with it. At the moment I am working on a pair of stools inspired by Pushing Daisie's Ned and Chuck relationship. I'll prob post some pics of the first one next time...it won't be quite finished, but I'm thinking its going to be a slow work in progress. This last pic is just something I found while working on my Chaucer paper. Its from an old edition of a children's Canterbury Tales. I just love the idea of that sort of relationship between Chaucer and his readers, no matter how altered the children's versions were. Also, its just kind of cute.
