WHAT'S NEW
This is my favorite road sign. It's UK sign aptly titled "Elderly People". I know this isn't philosophy or any ranting of sorts, but I just really wanted to show this to everyone.
Commentary: Foreign Films
I avoided foreign films like they were the
plague. The first one a I willingly watched was "Life is
Beautiful", which is good film, IF you like human life dramas where
someone has to die or you won't get the full impact of the
message. Not my kind of film. Then I saw "City of the
Lost Children". It's French and that has come to mean it's
gonna be really different. If you want a drug trip without the
narcotics watch this one. "Run Lola Run" and "Amelie"
are really great films for their own reasons.
"Metropolis" is an anime film that I just didn't get why it's
so freaking popular, but anything anime somehow is elevated to a level I
don't think we were meant to go. I seen a few others, (UK films
don't count 'cause we're too much like them) and they're not as bad as I
first thought. I've always said I'd try anything once.
Christmas Carols:
I've been told that the 12 days
of Christmas was a secret code song that Protestants wrote because of
Catholic persecution. I don't know if that is true. Even
if it isn't true, it might help you remember the lyrics.
=) CHECK IT OUT
REVIEWS
Area2 Concert
Last week I went with some friends to San Fran to see
David Bowie in concert. While there I found that Moby was actually
the headliner.
David Bowie is great with his audience and Moby is a lot of fun and very high energy. We immediately bought three of his CD's the next day. His most recent ones (Play & 18) and fairly mellow in a good way, but his concerts are great. If you get the chance go.
Signs
I'm not entirely sure why I went to see this movie, it did look
good. The director does a great job of FREAKING YOU OUT! I
kid you not there were people screaming in the theater. I have
never experienced that. I have a few issues with the plot.
But my big issue is with the aliens themselves. If you are a
person easily affected visually do not see this movie.
My
10 year class Reunion
I admit, I was dreading it. I went based solely on the nagging
feeling that I would spend the rest of my natural born life wondering if
I should have gone. So I decided to avoid that all together.
It was fine. Dinner was good, the company was great and the DJ way
too loud. There were people there that I went to school with my
entire life. I talked with classmates I had never spoken to in
school and one girl I've been taking kickboxing class with, having no
idea I went to school with her. Anyways, if you get the chance,
don't let the media ruin it for you.
Summer
2002
This has been the best summer I've had in along time. There are probably
several reason for that, but I won't bore you with all my
theories. In any case: JUNE was the Renaissance Faire. I had
been to the one in Kansas City a few times, but Tahoe's was pretty good
too. FYI in order to work at a Ren Faire your costume must be
authentic medieval garb. JULY I got to see the fire works for the
first time in 6 years. We rode our bikes and went hiking by the
light of the full moon and I was up until 2am almost everyday.
AUGUST was the meteor shower and the trip to San Francisco. SEPT,
I went camping and had a great time.
Changing Lanes
with Samuel L.
Jackson and Ben Affleck. This is not a movie I would pick
out. For the simple fact that it didn't catch my interest.
As I'm watching it I am fully convinced of my disgust for the human
race. I find it frustrating that someone would make hateful, petty
revenge the theme of a movie. But at the end of the movie I am
reminded why the human race isn't so bad after all and my intense sense
of justice is satisfied. So if you don't mind the irritation go
ahead and watch this film.
The Transporter
This is an action flick by my
favorite director, who strangely enough is French. All his movies
have French people, except Fifth Element. But he does some really
cool quirky things in his movies. It would make a great
rental. I don't think I could see it twice in the theater, not at
$8 a pop.
Run Lola Run
I saw that again this week and
just have to say, THIS IS A GREAT FILM, please watch it.
Die
Another Day
WOW! What a great
movie. It's very different from the traditional James Bond flicks,
but it does have the gadgets, super car and stunts only James
Bond is allowed to do (Ethan Hunt step off). There is one special
effects sequence that has no purpose in the movie except to be just
that, and it sucks. I could have filmed a better scene in my
garage. Believe me, you will know it when you see it.
Two Towers
Someone told me they thought
that the first one was dark. If you felt that way, don't see
this. Wait for the last one so you can get the "happy"
ending.
It's good. They took more liberty with the plot then the last one, but if didn't read the book, you're okay. I'd say more, but I don't want to give anything away for people who haven't seen it yet.
Bowling For Columbine
A documentary about violence in America.
I'm not into documentaries either, but this sounded interesting.
One of the questions explored by the director is, "What makes
America different"? They have violent movies in other
countries, all the gory video games come from Japan and 75% of the homes
in Canada have guns. So what makes America so violent? He
asked all sorts of people and still never came up with an answer.
My gut reaction to the movies was like, "I'm outta here".
America is so screwed up. But then my conscious tells me that I
need to be part of the solution, whatever that may be. But it's a
movie that really makes you think, and I am never opposed to that
(unless I'm tired and cranky, but that's a whole other issue).
PSYCHO-BABBLE
SPEECH! SPEECH!
One of the most powerful things I have ever read was one by Charlton
Heston. I have made a page for it. CHECK
IT OUT. Think
about it.
School
Daze
Well I'll be back in
school soon (16 units) so I don't know how much I'll be able to keep
this thing up, tests and papers pending. The quote of the week
will be easiest for sure. Plus life isn't so exciting some
days. But stay tuned. I'm going camping tomorrow, so I'll
report back about that.
Nostalgia
You know when people sign each others yearbooks
and a common trite thing to say is: "Don't ever
change"? What a terrible thing to hope for a person.
Basically you're saying, "I hope you never grow or mature as a
human being." YUCK.
I pray to God you all change, that you learn from your mistakes and find out new things about yourselves. Change is hard, but we all need it.
What
If...
"What if" has the infinite possibility
of the future. "What if we could time
travel." It also has the terrible angst of regret.
"What if I had finished school." What is, is why I
turned on my radio on Sept. 11 just to make sure that history did not
repeat itself. We can't change the past. You can learn from
it. We can't predict the future, only take it as it comes.
You can only do something about this very moment. The last fortune
cookie I got said: "It's not helpful to wonder what might have
been". So let go of the past, live today and look forward to
the future.
Dull and Stupid
"Alice had got so much into
the way of expecting nothing but out-of-the-way things to happen, that
it seemed quite dull and stupid for life to go on in the common
way."
Every day should be filled with "out-of-the-way things" if you ask me. Truth is stranger then fiction so keep your eyes open.
Time
Warp
Time is a dictator, piecing out my day into predetermined chunks of noise
and motion. With each click
of the second hand I am relentlessly pushed forward through every moment
of my life. Nagging at me
from the back of my mind of all the places I have to go and the people I
need to see. Some people
spend their whole lives rushing. They
accept this tardiness based on their parents or a personality quirk.
And that’s fine, but don’t put it on me. I hate it when people rush me because they’re the ones in a
running late. Stop tailgating
me, or tapping your foot with exasperated sighs in the quick check line.
Rushing just isn’t worth it. Some days, circumstances beyond my control puts me behind schedule, rushing still doesn’t work. Sitting in a traffic jam, hugging the bumper of the guy in front of me and cussing, will get me no closer to work when emergency vehicles block three lanes. It doesn’t get me back on track. It leads to more mistakes and I’m left with tense shoulders, a raging headache, and a pissed off mood in general. Not worth the trouble if you ask me.
Deplorably, our grandiose western culture is clock oriented. I envy the monks in their monasteries. Time sets a pace that flows with the natural order of night and day, prayer and fasting, works and worship. For them time is an opportunity to touch eternity. Eternity being without end has no need to rush. If we are eternal beings, then what’s the rush?
I cry anarchy. When I’m late, I stop. When I’m rushed, I slow down. I’m going to listen to a song, or take a deep breath. It’s about control, to live my life as I see fit, not as my day runner demands. I refuse to let an abstract idea like time, force me into anything. I’m already late, what’s a few more minutes. The deed is already done, so I let the thing go and take my time. If I need to call, I do. I always try to be on time, but when that doesn’t work out, I refuse to let time propel me into a frenzy of hyper activity. I do my best and let character speak for itself.
I’m with Ferris Beuller on this one: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.” I determine to let the phone ring, walk slower, listen longer, leave the mail on the table, chew my food more thoroughly, soak in the sun, catch snowflakes on my tongue, read a good book before work and bed, and listen to the rain.
May: I lost my original writing of this idea so this is what I typed on the fly. It's interesting to see how the same seedling idea led to different lines of thought.
What is up with our politically
correct society that has led us to the over use of multi-syllable words to
sound important or professional. We
are drowning in “verbal camouflage” as William Zinsser puts it. When corporations need save money they “restructure.”
Translation: a lot of people are being laid off.
Government is the biggest offender.
In an effort to be vague, avoid apologizing, or give the impression
of something happening they create elaborate phrases.
What is so bad about saying “it might rain?” Or snow or whatever. We are too wordy. Just come out with it. “I messed up. I’m sorry.” “I need this or that.” Non-communication is the easiest to misunderstand. Sometimes I wonder though if it’s vague communication that is more harmful. Is it possible for us to get over ourselves, swallow some pride and just be honest about things? If the situations in your favor, tact is good but why not resolve issues rather then running around them with verbage and vagueness. It’s hard, I know. But to get thing s out in the open will keep them from nagging us from the back of our minds and life can go on in a much more peaceful manner.
Last updated May 2003
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reserved.