Methods of Mediocrity

That feeling

2012-01-21T21:35:00.003-05:00

Photo:

For more depressing stuff try G-G the book!

2012-01-13T15:10:00.001-05:00

For more depressing stuff try G-G the book!:

For more depressing stuff try G-G the book!

Still I (Will) Miss You

2012-01-03T18:35:00.004-05:00

One Art
by Elizabeth Bishop

The art of losing isn't hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster,
Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.
Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.
I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three beloved houses went.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.
I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.
-- Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident
the art of losing's not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) a disaster.

It's Been a While (AKA - Disclaimer for recent posts)

2012-01-01T11:42:00.000-05:00

I almost started a Tumblr because I have a ton of pictures of random stuff saved on my computer and Tumblr seems to be made for sharing things like that...and then decided that I didn't want to turn my back on this blog. So a lot of this space will be devoted to random photographs, Tumblr style, until I get motivated to really start writing again. I will try to credit when possible...but I don't where most of the photos are from.

Some of it will be NSFW. I apologize if I offend any sensibilities. If I am using your likeness or an image you own without your permission, I apologize. Let me know and I will rectify the issue ASAP.

(Date on post adjusted for clarity of timeline.)

10 Things 90s Kids Will Have To Explain To Their Children « Thought Catalog

2011-11-29T16:27:00.000-05:00

10 Things 90s Kids Will Have To Explain To Their Children « Thought Catalog

Photo

2011-11-29T16:19:00.001-05:00

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Eternal Sunshine

2011-11-28T17:14:00.001-05:00

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Photo

2011-11-26T22:00:00.000-05:00

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Photo

2011-11-25T12:47:00.001-05:00

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girls in glasses art #162

2011-11-20T13:22:00.004-05:00

girls in glasses art #162:

girls in glasses art #162

Life?

2011-11-04T19:34:00.002-04:00

Photo:

Seventy-two Days Does Not a Marriage Make - Tim King - God's Politics Blog

2011-11-01T17:30:00.001-04:00

Seventy-two Days Does Not a Marriage Make - Tim King - God's Politics Blog

Photo

2011-10-29T07:58:00.002-04:00

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Even I get the love blues

2011-09-11T16:54:00.001-04:00

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Things I Want

2011-09-11T16:26:00.001-04:00

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Reading

2011-09-03T15:23:00.001-04:00

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Intimacy

2011-08-28T18:54:00.001-04:00

…:

…

scott-:moosetache:thedailywhat:Internet Filtration System...

2011-08-07T19:26:00.004-04:00

scott-: moosetache: thedailywhat: Internet Filtration System...: "

scott-:

moosetache:

thedailywhat:

Internet Filtration System of the Day: A modest proposal from Matthew Baldwin (AKA defective yeti): Internet Access Captchas to keep certain less-desirable types off the Information Superhighway.

Here’s what happens when ~~you’re~~ your grammar skills aren’t up to snuff:

Problem solved?

[thd.]

i think we’d all be better people if this became mandatory everywhere

I support this.

Girls in Jordan science camp aim for brighter future - CNN.com

2011-07-13T20:28:00.001-04:00

Girls in Jordan science camp aim for brighter future - CNN.com

Fforest Camp in Wales: Cool Domes & Stylish Supplies

2011-07-13T18:58:00.003-04:00

I love to camp but I haven't been camping in 8 years. It is amazing how time can escape from you.

One of the things I also love are really unique camping experiences. This place below appears to be particularly interesting. It is a little too comfortable for me to really classify it as camping, but it is definitely more of a nature experience than I get in my current living situation.

Fforest Camp in Wales: Cool Domes & Stylish Supplies: "

I adore the idea of a rustic escape, but roughing it in the wilderness can also be seriously intimidating for a city girl like myself. Fforest camp in Wales looks like the ideal combination of outdoor adventure and well-styled interior space with an online shop featuring gorgeous locally-made Welsh blankets along with a nice selection of other camping supplies.

Read Full Post"

Rather Charming

2011-02-19T09:15:00.001-05:00

Cam

2011-02-19T09:06:00.001-05:00

These Boots are Made for Sitting

2011-02-19T09:04:00.001-05:00

Daily Reminder

2011-02-19T09:01:00.002-05:00

These Boots are Made for Hiking

2011-02-19T08:49:00.001-05:00

Bat Boobs

2011-02-11T12:43:00.000-05:00

B-Troopers

2011-02-11T12:12:00.001-05:00

Street Fighter Lover

2011-02-11T12:09:00.002-05:00

Street Fighter was my favorite game as a kid. And movie. That last part is sad, I know.

Rescue Me

2011-02-11T12:07:00.000-05:00

Chucky...?

2011-02-11T12:03:00.002-05:00

Pretty sure I got this from Look at this Frakking Geekster

Even Storm Troopers need protection

2011-02-11T12:03:00.001-05:00

Lame (Read: Hilarious)

2011-02-11T12:01:00.001-05:00

From Lamebook

Benetton

2011-02-11T11:59:00.002-05:00

Fakelist

2010-08-19T13:16:00.003-04:00

In my hunt for a job, I have found myself perusing Craigslist for job postings. I have come to the conclusion that 75% of the jobs posted on Craigslist are fake. My favorite so far is the following Cincinnati job posting:

Personal Assistant
Date: 2010-08-19, 9:14AM EDT
Reply to: job-nekmn-1907132015@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]
Dynamic, diversified Interior Designer seeking hip, energetic full time assistant to help manage amazing life and business. Ability to juggle, text, work wonders with travel reservations and choose great music a plus! Small office environment with great family vibe. Microsoft Office vital and a design background would be glorious! send your resume to: askingresume2010@hotmail.com
* Compensation: $400
* Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
* Please, no phone calls about this job!
* Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.
PostingID: 1907132015

I think it looks suspiciously like this Central New Jersey job posting:

Personal Assistant
Date: 2010-08-19, 10:51AM EDT
Reply to: job-uj3dr-1907293230@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]
Dynamic, diversified Interior Designer seeking hip, energetic full time assistant to help manage amazing life and business. Ability to juggle, text, work wonders with travel reservations and choose great music a plus! Small office environment with great family vibe. Microsoft Office vital and a design background would be glorious! send your resume to: askingresume2010@hotmail.com
* Compensation: $400
* Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
* Please, no phone calls about this job!
* Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.
PostingID: 1907293230

Perchance Even to Dream of a Great Film

2010-07-13T07:37:00.006-04:00

Note: This review was hastily written before work.

I find that my respect for movie critics grows when I realize that many of them review a movie after only one viewing. Granted, the smart and insightful ones take notes, perhaps even take a few moments to reflect and think before beginning to set their opinions to page. Some, such as the especially ubiquitous as of late Roger Ebert, will even revisit their critiques of the film some years later, after time, multiple viewings, and public opinion have colored or changed their own opinion, or encouraged them to reexamine their views with the glasses of a new era.

When I first left the theatre after seeing The Dark Knight bright and early one Sunday morning, my passion for what I had just seen swelled and grew as I walked to church. I raved about it to my friends there, trying to explain the emotional impact of one particular character's story arch without giving away too much to those who wouldn't see it coming. The movie practically had me in tears. However, subsequent viewings of The Dark Knight have left me sort of cold. Logic holes jump out at me, I am annoyed by the gratuitous explosions. I still think it's a very good movie...but my heart is barely in it.

I say this to express my trepidation at writing a review of a movie that I have thus far only seen once: Inception. This highly anticipated movie has for a while been whispered to be the new Matrix. I questioned from the get-go whether or not any film by an already highly acclaimed director, that has generated a ton of buzz could be another Matrix, as part of the beauty and amazement of the Matrix was that it came out of nowhere, with its enigmatic trailers, low-budget, no-name directors...and completely knocked America out of its seat by doing things and asking questions that mainstream cinema hadn't found fashionable to do in quite some time, while also kicking butt in ways we hadn't yet seen before. Despite the fact that many saavy film watchers can see the many influences in the Wachowski brothers' film - from comic books to Japanese cinema - the movie gave you something that felt really new and fresh.

Inception, like the Matrix, is a movie about questioning reality. When I sat down to see the film, I wondered what Christopher Nolan could throw at me that I wouldn't expect. I feel that in the decade since the Matrix came and blew our minds, we the audience are used to having our understandings of reality challenged and questioned. We're waiting for plot twist for "ah-ha!" questions, "Woah dude, that's so, like, deep" moments. I wasn't sure if Mr. Nolan could add anything new to the pot and still keep me guessing.

I remained skeptical through the first half of the movie, though I remained acceptably interested. Leonardo DiCaprio, often maligned for his boyish good looks, manages to appear aged and worn down throughout the film. "Dude looks, tired," I couldn't help but think during the opening sequences. Even as his backstory (sometimes rather clunkily) unfolds during the progression of the film, DiCaprio maintains a believable look of someone in utter despair. You root for him just so he can get that look off of his face.

Much of the exposition that is necessary for a complex tale such as the one in Inception feels a little heavy handed and clunky; it was all of these explanations and explanations of rules and explanations of the concepts of mind infiltration that fueled my doubts even as the film was progressing. The actual plot of the film, the goal of these mind criminals (I won't tell you much more about the actual plot), seems small and arbitrary though the story tries, semi-successfully, to get you emotionally invested in the target's life. Cillian Murphy, the mark, if you would, is excellent with just the few lines he's been given. His facial expressions, full of a weariness that nearly parallel DiCaprio's, are the only thing that makes this plot worth caring about. In fact, most of this film is carried along on the strength of the cast.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ellen Page almost look to young to be caught in such a dangerous world...but Gordon-Levitt's character is an old hat, slick and almost too-competent at his job. Page is a master at playing the worldly-wise not-so-innocent, and she handles her job of emotionally arm-wrestling with her mentor, DiCaprio, quite deftly. There are so many talented names in the movie it seems a shame to not focus entire reviews on each performance: The enigmatic Ken Watanabe, effervescent Marion Cotillard, reliable Michael Caine, and of course, Tom Hardy - he's the most upbeat note in this otherwise weary film. In less capable hands, the movie could have fallen apart beneath the pressures of the darkness and the layers and layers of exposition, but it manages to hold together, drawing me in just as I begin to get disappointed with the pacing and the laborious story telling. All of the seeds that Nolan plantys finally begin to unfold towards the end and once you see this concept and idea he's created fully blossom, you can't help but sit back and be in awe.

As with most of Nolan's films, from Memento to the aforementioned Dark Knight, my feelings for Inception may change after I see it again. And with so many layers and hints and splattered clues, subsequent viewings will be necessary in order to fully unlock everything that happens on screen. Regardless of how I feel about it after that point, I can safely say that this is the best movie I've seen so far this year.

...though David Slade's take on Twilight: Eclipse comes in at a solid second. :)

A Non-Rant Rant, If You Will

2010-05-21T09:52:00.002-04:00

5 Things That Make Me Angry

(In no particular order)

The fact that people are more angry about the fact that they have to "press 1 for English" than they are about the fact that there are people in this world without the resources to legally lift themselves out of poverty.
The fact that making a profit will always be more important than helping other people.
The way the squirrels dig up my plants and sometimes poop on my balcony.
That foreign films rarely get a wide release within the United States; the rest of the world makes good movies too! And not all of them are pretentious.
The two party system.

In honor of Iron Man II

2010-05-19T23:30:00.002-04:00

A random quote from Cracked.com:

The Salone dei Cinquecento in Florence's city hall was commissioned to be adorned by a massive two-part artwork composed by perhaps the two greatest artists¹ who ever walked the Earth. And the contract was signed by Machiavelli. That's like Batman fighting Superman in a cage match refereed by Iron Man.

¹ - Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo

The Truth Shall Set You Free

2010-05-06T19:19:00.003-04:00

Today I turned to my internet friends to settle once and for all a debate I've had with a number of people about the Steven Spielberg directed film Artificial Intelligence: AI.

Some people believed that the entities (in the picture above) were aliens, while I was strongly convinced that they were an advanced mecha, due to their cybernetic design and deep seeded fascination with and knowledge of humanity. Well, it appears I was right. According to Mr. Spielberg:

They are not aliens but state of the art artificial intelligence, robots at the point of perfection. They have created themselves and continue to procreate without mankind on the face of the planet. Now had Stanley directed it, would you still have thought they were aliens?

So, case closed. (Some Googling could've closed this case 9 years ago, but I guess it's more fun to argue about it.)

The 2010 Academy Awards Nominations

2010-02-02T09:08:00.004-05:00

My triumphant return to blogging will include my initial reactions to the announcement of the nominations for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards. First, yes, the Academy Awards are a joke but it's still difficult for me to not find a slight flutter in my heart during this apex of the awards season. Second, as per usual, I have not seen most of the movies up for awards. I would actually like to remedy that this year. Now, to my reactions:

If Avatar wins Best Picture, I might lose all faith in humanity. I could deal with Cameron winning Best Director (though it would be awesome if Bigelow won for history-sake - I would like to actually see The Hurt Locker before I say whether or not I think she deserves it).
"[ExtensionOfBob] would love to see a movie win Best Costume Design in which the costume designers actually designed the costumes and didn't pull them from the period piece rack at the costume rental warehouse and toss some accessories with them."
Precious is up for best editing? Really? That was one of the weakest parts of the film. Or maybe I'm confusing editing with the script...
I *heart* Woody Harrelson.
It would be awesome if Gabourey won Best Actress. But is Sandra a lock?
I'm glad Anna Kendrick is nominated for Up in the Air because she was kinda crazy-good in that, considering it's one of those solid-but-not-typical-Oscar-bait fare type movies. I do think the entire Academy should get kicked in the shins if Mo'Nique doesn't win.
I hear great things about The Fantastic Mr. Fox. I liked Coraline and it would be nice if it won. Everyone also lost their s*** over Up, too...though the support wanes as the movie goes on, it seems.
If Avatar doesn't win every tech category, I will laugh myself to sleep.
A lot of times shorts up for awards become available to view online. I hope this is the case again this year, especially for the doc shorts.
I think they should expand the Foreign Language Film category to 10 noms as well.
I hope D9 wins something but it looks like it's up against some heavy hitters.
Also, Mary and Max might've been the best movie I saw in 2009.

This Should be Common Sense

2009-09-13T17:40:00.003-04:00

Seeing as how procrastination is an issue close to my heart, that has led me to spend a lot of time addressing the root causes of my own procrastination tendencies (which I think I've gotten a lot better at, except when it comes to cleaning), I was especially amused by these lines of "wisdom" from Cracked.com:

[P]rocrastination can happen for a lot of reasons--you drank too much the night before, or you're feeling uninspired, or it's your first time doing gay porn and you're having second thoughts--but one of the most common reasons we procrastinate is fear that the end result won't live up to the "perfect" idea in our heads. Think about the writer friend of yours who has never actually written anything, because they're "waiting for the right idea" for a book to come along.

Cosmo Women and 14 Year Old Bbboys

2009-09-05T10:44:00.005-04:00

I'm watching High Fidelity for the first time and wondering why I like this movie so much, wondering why so many of my favorite "rom coms" are written from the male perspective. Almost all movies about love seem to find themselves falling back on gender stereotypes, painting each character with broad generalizing strokes in an effort to gain some sort of understanding and insight into why people do the things they do when they do (and don't) love each other. Perhaps rom coms written from the male perspective help to give me insight into which paint buckets the opposite sex uses in its attempts to understand women. (The results usually aren't that shocking.)

With no further ado, my 5.5 (current) favorite movies about adult relationships (adult meaning not about teenagers, as opposed to, you now, adult as in all about the sexy sex):

5.5 L'ultimo bacio
5. The Last Kiss
4. I'm Through with White Girls (The Inevitable Undoing of Jay Brooks)
3. High Fidelity
2. Me and You and Everyone We Know
1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

As with anything that's my favorite, this list is bound to no longer be true within minutes. But I'm definitely interested in any suggestions, any passionate disagreements. (I also just realized that *SPOILER* most of these movies have happyish endings.)

Stop Child Trafficking

2009-08-29T10:41:00.001-04:00

Jay Kim's Fundraising Page for NYC Walk

But don't diss my Twilight

2009-08-22T18:09:00.001-04:00

"So let's let twygones be twygones, people: the world is a rather unsparkly place if you can't laugh a little at the things you claim to love." -hortense

Scene from Runaway Bride

2009-08-18T16:27:00.003-04:00

       MAGGIE
  I'm going to kill myself.

       PEGGY
  Why?

       MAGGIE
  Because you think I'm all like... "Hey 
  man, check me out".

       PEGGY
   (friendly)
  No, I don't think you're like, "I'm 
  charming and mysterious in a way that 
  even I don't understand and something 
  about me is crying out for protection 
  from a big man like you".  Very hard 
  to compete with.  Especially to us 
  married women who have lost our mystery.

       MAGGIE
  But you haven't lost your mystery!  
  You're very mysterious!

       PEGGY
  No.  I'm weird.  Weird and mysterious 
  are two different things.

       MAGGIE
  But I'm weird.

       PEGGY
  No.  You're quirky.  Quirky and weird 
  are two different things.

John Hughes is dead and we can't stop talking about how wonderful or flawed his work was

2009-08-09T00:39:00.006-04:00

kimberly: am I the only one who hates that Some Kind of Wonderful movie?
me: Yes
LOL
I never liked it when I was younger but now I might like it even more than Pretty in Pink I think b\c I've become less of an Andie and more of a Watts according to the Facebook quiz I just took, at least And I totes just bought it the other day
If it makes you feel better, I hate 16 Candles, Weird Science, and Ferris Beuler
Or however you spell his name
kimberly: hahaha
that doesn't make me feel better, no
me: Damn. I tried. Hahaha
kimberly: I don't know if it's partly because I didn't see Some Kind of Wonderful until I was older like late high school or college so I was already area of what complete bullshit it was but yeah, it sorta grosses me out it's dumb that he spends his college money on earrings for a girl and it's gross that that's what's supposed to impress her and I don't get why watts would like him he treats her as a chauffeur!
me: I think that's why I hated it as a kid
kimberly: haha
so why do you like it now?
'cause of watts?
me: b\c I'm more of a dreamer now And I know that love really does suck
kimberly: LOL
I'm not sure that's one of those things you're supposed to "know"
me: http://methodsofmediocrity.blogspot.com/2008/05/pretty-unconvinced.html
Hahaha
I wrote that last year I haven't reread it but like, I always liked that Andy ended up with Blane...b\c it makes sense but their whole relationship was them talking about their relationship
Where Watts and what's-his-face were actually friends
And like, the grown up me knows that Blane and Andie won't actually last But the grown up me also knows that what's-his-face is only settling for Watts And that's what really happens in life and that's what works
Wow. That sounded way more jaded and depressing than I meant it to
kimberly: (just finished reading it...it's very well-thought out)
haha yeah, I was sorta with you until the settling part
so like regarding Pretty in Pink it's interesting 'cause when I was younger like 12 or whatever it was my favorite of the Big Three movies I really wanted to love Breakfast Club, but I was extremely disappointed, to be honest, don't love it all that much
16 Candles was okay but Pretty in Pink was like...at the time, I loooooved Andrew McCarthy and I thought the thing between him and Andie was so hot
BUT
me: Sometimes I adore breakfast club, sometimes it makes me go "Meh". I'm with hortense on always being bothered that the geek is the only one that got no ass
(Also, I always thought Andrew McCarthy was fug until I saw him as an adult in Joy Luck Club...now I think he's hot shit.)
kimberly: I agree with you, like, I remember being surprised that she was originally supposed to end up with Duckie because although I've totally been into other "in love with the best friend" narratives, I didn't feel anything between her and Duckie...Like he had this crush on her, yes, but even that was sorta the painful, not based on any real chemistry crush of people
Really? I was all over Andrew McCarthy
BUT AGAIN
then when I watched it when I was older it's like probably my least favorite....of course, the ending never made sense, even when I was younger...the whole "you didn't believe in yourself" thing but watching it when I was older it was even more like
me: Hahahahahaha
Worst."speech".ever.
kimberly: yeahhh...he's a coward and the fact that he was so easily manipulated and a snob is ridiculous
For real!
AND
me: But they're also just kids. We have to remember that
kimberly: I thought he looked so hot the whole movie except the last scene which was obviously shot later 'cause his hair is a totally different color!
they're 18...I'm pretty sure "love the person you love whether or not they own a mercedes" is a lesson even Michelle would get in season 3 of full house
me: Yeah...they had to reshoot that last scene, b\c in the original ending, it's her and Ducky. So, he'd shaved his head for another movie and they had to give him this shitty wig

Favorite Movie Battles

2009-08-08T23:06:00.005-04:00

Here's a list of my favorite battles (with a couple of borderline fight) scenes from film. I have never been a fan of modern war films, perhaps they are too real for me? So there are many that I haven't seen, though I am sure they are as amazing as people think. This list is about my favorites, not necessarily the best and you will see that most (haha, out of 5) are of the speculative fiction variety.

5. The Battle of Klendathu from Starship Troopers
4. The Gladiators Work Together from Gladiator
3. The Battle for Zion from The Matrix Revolutions
2. William Wallace Final Battle from Braveheart
1. The Battle of Helms Deep from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Actually, I do want you to be my friend

2009-08-08T10:22:00.000-04:00

That was then

2009-08-04T23:38:00.001-04:00

Try it with catsup today

2009-08-04T21:59:00.005-04:00

("Why go out for burgers when you have steak at home...again.")

Dance Dance

2009-07-09T12:24:00.004-04:00

A close friend of mine, Kimberly, recently took over the New York chapter of Dance Dance Party Party (DDPP), a dance party where women can go and well, dance, without interference from men, booze, or dance instructors. Doll Mag just conducted an interview with my friend and a couple of her colleagues. It was a great article all around, but one of the best parts was being introduced to Tecktonik.

Zadie Smith

2009-06-07T04:01:00.000-04:00

Kiss of a Vampire

2009-05-30T21:09:00.001-04:00

Like many people, it seems, I've been watching season 1 of Buffy for the first time since it aired on TV. I'm amazed at how the whole Bella and Edward in the bedroom thing was already done on Buffy...*sigh*

Remember

2009-05-28T11:43:00.004-04:00

Text:

Remember when we were all going to be wealthy designers.
Who made the world a beautiful experience
We were going to live in Future London
With millions of flashing lights and electronic music
That made us smarter by listening to it.
We were going to smoke fashionable cigarettes and
Get drunk on fluorescent drinks that would
Make us healthy.
But that didn't happen. The Twin Towers came down
And every one got laid off.
No one went to live in Future London.
Everyone moved to Brooklyn and embraced
The aesthetic of crumbling concrete
And dirty asbestos shingles.
We did somethings wrong. But we didn't screw up.
Right?

Be Free

2009-05-25T17:15:00.001-04:00

It's all about the benjamins

2009-05-20T12:44:00.002-04:00

*Image found on Gawker who found it here.

A Prayer from Sojourners:

2009-05-19T11:08:00.002-04:00

Prayer of the Day: Gift of Tears

05-19-2009

May God bless us with the gift of tears to shed with those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, or the loss of all that they cherish, so that we may reach out our hands to comfort them and transform their pain into joy.

Source: Four-fold Franciscan Blessing

Categories: Prayer of the Day, Verse and Voice

Something ridiculous this way comes...

2009-05-19T10:56:00.003-04:00

New Moon Movie Poster and New Moon Movie News

Depression

2009-05-18T09:26:00.002-04:00

Sitting here at my desk, I was suddenly hit with the memory that Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles has been canceled. It's like waking up and remembering you got dumped the day before. You wonder for a moment if it was all a dream, but reality quickly takes credit for the situation, kicking you in the ass once again.

Rihanna

2009-05-12T11:09:00.001-04:00

A Bible Verse Anyone (Christian or Not) Can Appreciate

2009-05-11T23:58:00.001-04:00

Proverbs 18:2 (New International Version)

2 A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions.

Patience

2009-05-11T23:54:00.002-04:00

This hit the mark so directly in my life, I had to share it somewhere: A Woman's Walk - Week of May 10: "Understanding"

The Great Divorce

2009-04-30T17:32:00.004-04:00

Just Read:The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

My sentence free summary and review: Heaven and Hell, real love, redemption, forgiveness, stubbornness, pride

My one sentence review: Lewis deftly and fascinatingly challenges the reader's preconceived notions about Heaven and Hell and creatively addresses the different ways in which people search for meaning and self-importance.

Over-Easy

2009-04-30T17:26:00.002-04:00

Sometimes, you have to put all of your eggs in one basket. Just be sure not to go counting your chickens before those eggs have hatched.

I don't mind when people think I'm pregnant because they may give me their seat on the train

2009-04-25T02:10:00.001-04:00

Nobody's More Bitter Than Ex-Gymnasts
Young girl: How old are you?
22 year-old girl: I'm 22.
Young girl: And you're pregnant!
22 year-old girl: No I'm not.
Young girl: Why do you have a big belly then?
22 year-old girl: Well you know, when you're my age, hormonal and stuff, you'll get fat. People will think you're pregnant when you're not, and you'll cry. So you'll eat tons of salads to make the belly disappear but it won't work and you'll be sad. That's all life's about. Don't grow up.

--A Train

Overheard by: Violette
via Overheard in New York, Apr 23, 2009

Janelle Monae

2009-04-24T11:13:00.000-04:00

Tick, tock

2009-04-23T13:50:00.001-04:00

"Paul Gauguin was a depressed, suicidal stockbroker before he moved to Tahiti at the age of 43 and became a painter. Henri Rousseau was a tax collector until the age of 49; now his paintings hang in the Museum of Modern Art. Gabriel Garcia Marquez didn't write One Hundred Years Of Solitude until he was 40. I do believe it's never too late."
-Dodai Stewart

Drew Barrymore

2009-04-12T18:16:00.001-04:00

When the moment is too much

2009-04-07T20:59:00.002-04:00

"I want to stop running through my life like a man late for an appointment, afraid to look back or look forward."
-Londo Mollari in Babylon 5

Shingai Shoniwa

2009-04-07T00:57:00.000-04:00

Termination

2009-04-05T01:01:00.002-04:00

I keep plugging Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles...but unfortunately, one can not live on love alone. Many fans are waiting for the ax to all. The season finale is next week and yet there is no word yet as to whether or not there will be a third season. This is why I hate getting into television shows that aren't Law and Order: I could wake up one day and the show will be over.

The first time I remember this happening was with Models, Inc.. It was not a good show; a night soap. But this soap drew me in and the first season ended with a dramatic cliff hanger - only to never see the light of a second season.

So I protect my heart by trying to only watch shows once they are already off of the air. I bemoan the fact that there is only one season of Firefly, one of the best shows I have ever seen, but am infinitely glad that I did not have to witness its death. I didn't see it in all of its awesome glory until it was already gone. And I can say, perhaps it's good that it didn't go on. How very rock and roll to die young.

The fall of kings

2009-04-03T00:28:00.003-04:00

The immeasurably wealthy commit suicide upon losing their (b/m)illions. How can they suddenly live a life so unfamiliar? Go through the pain of losing it all? (And being like the rest of world.)

I wonder how Michael Vick will take to construction work. What is it like to think yourself a god, only to wake up a mortal?

There are millions in the world who live on considerably less than what most consider my humble salary. But could I live a life of peace and contentment if I woke up tomorrow to find myself suddenly with less than I have? Less money. Less respect. Less carefree.

Prostitutes are people too

2009-04-01T21:33:00.003-04:00

Ok, I admit it: I had a crush on Vince, the ShamWow guy. While visiting my parents, spending hours in front of their television, I would get inwardly super excited whenever the ShamWow or SlapChop commercials came on.

Needless to say, I was pretty upset when he got arrested for beating up a prostitute. My crush on him is officially dead. The thing is, I still want him to advance in his career (as long as it doesn't include making more movies.) I want him to keep schilling his stuff on TV. But why am I so quick to forgive?

Another woman beater, Chris Brown, has been pretty much blacklisted in my heart. And so, I wonder why the difference in my opinion.

Chris Brown	Vince "Offer" Shlomi
beat longterm girlfriend to a bloody pulp	beat prostitute he'd just met to a bloody pulp
suffered a couple of cuts	got beaten to almost a bloody pulp as well
rumored to have been angered/hit by angry, jealous girlfriend	alleges that he had to beat the prostitute because she bit his tongue and wouldn't let go

It's obvious that these were two very different situations, but here are two things to remember:

Prostitutes are people too.
The act of self-defense should not turn into an offensive attack beyond necessary restraint. Excessive force is not okay unless your life is in danger.

I've drawn no conclusions. I'm going to wait and see what time has to say.

Taylor Momsen

2009-04-01T14:45:00.002-04:00

*I've never, and have no intention of ever watching Gossip Girl but in this photo, Taylor pretty much looks like the most awesome person in the world to the 12 year old in my brain.

I'm sorry, I have to get this off of my chest...

2009-03-23T21:20:00.002-04:00

I can barely read Jezebel anymore, because sometimes, reading the comments make me want to puke pink.

I'm not even going to pretend that I bring anything to the comment table, but after spending so much time defending it, and getting irritated at people who have ridiculed it, I have to admit that the comments are super predictable. The posts themselves have clearly become formulaic, which I blame on the staff cuts...so now, all I need to do is read the headline to know exactly what the article will say and exactly how the commenters will respond. It's really sad.

She's Crafty

2009-03-09T10:51:00.004-04:00

MovieWeb - Movie Photos, Videos & More

What you work for

2009-03-09T07:47:00.003-04:00

When my friends are doing well in their careers, I find myself not so much jealous of their success, but envious of the fact that they are doing the things necessary to accomplish their goals. I won't accomplish what they have and will accomplish but they are role models for me and inspire me to keep working to achieve my dreams.

I worked on a show fall of 2008 with a man named Matthew Lewis who gave me great advice on a daily basis. He told me once that I could only have my own career, and that others would keep theirs whether I thought I deserved them or not.
-Matt roi Berger

Life leads us each down different roads

2009-03-05T23:52:00.000-05:00

A brief interruption

2009-03-04T01:34:00.002-05:00

I will not apologize for my appreciation of low art. If you therefore feel compelled to think me stupid, base, or simply tasteless, I heretofore and hereafter find it to be your right to feel as much. But I personally refuse to feel stupid, base, or tasteless, regardless of whether or not I am these (undeniably subjective) things.

That Night

2009-03-04T01:11:00.004-05:00

Before she was slaying vampires with Buffy, cheering with Kirsten, or playing a more acceptable version of a futuristic, brainwashable prostitute, Eliza Dushku was an awkward little girl, battling Katherine Heigl and trying to be Juliette Lewis in That Night, the Romeo and Juliet for the born-in-the-80s, latchkey-kid sect. A summer HBO staple, this movie was the stuff of fantasy for a number of young women. For me, it's sort of strange looking back on this admittedly rather mediocre film and recognizing some of these now-famous faces...because I want this movie to exist in the sort of capsule of naive magic it made me believe in as a young girl.

The solution to the problem

2009-03-02T21:19:00.002-05:00

Hear Boys! (Talk)

2009-03-01T01:25:00.002-05:00

The new Licks album, "Hear Boys Talk," is almost complete.

Check out some of the prereleased tracks on The Galaxist.

Linda Hamilton

2009-03-01T00:37:00.001-05:00

A cookie is worth a thousand words

2009-02-23T00:12:00.000-05:00

Also Why Girl Scouts Rarely Get Harassed by the Homeless
Hobo: Hey! Is them cookies good? Is they good?
Commuter, holding bag of cookies: I'll give you a cookie.
Hobo: Thanks, man. What kind of cookies is these?
Commuter: Coconut.
Hobo: Thanks. Hey, can you do me a favor?
Commuter: I gave you a cookie.
Hobo: Yeah...you got me.

--Penn Station
via Overheard in New York, Feb 22, 2009

More NYU Madness

2009-02-20T11:31:00.001-05:00

Updated story from Gothamist: NYU Student Occupation Continues: They're "Not Gonna Take It"

The Handmaid's Tale

2009-02-19T20:18:00.003-05:00

Just Read: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

My sentence free summary and review: suppression of women, scary, misinterpreting scripture, religious oppression, future, unreliable narrator (maybe), technology, sexy, unsexy, subconscious sexism

My one sentence review: The narrator's voice and the fact that the author indicts everyone while not taking potshots at any particular group, are really what breathe life and credibility into this well-crafted parable.

When college students do stupid things and think it's profound

2009-02-19T20:12:00.003-05:00

Conversation in Response to: Day 2: NYU Students’ Occupation of Kimmel

Alexander: When will the capitalist pigs give the vegan food and cigarette breaks the masses crave! me: Right
Mmmhmm
Alexander: I am currently occupying my desk
Viva le Alex!
I will sit here until the school meets my demands of a salary!
And then I will sit here some more!
me: Hahahaha
The question is, do you have boobies?
I only care about the demands of topless feminists
Alexander: Unfortunately not. Nor a vagina.
me: Damn
Alexander: I can draw boobies
I just need a protractor
And I can grab boobies
Does either skill help?
me: No
Alexander: So, what do you think about the Kimmel 60
me: Boobies
I think this is stupid
Alexander: It just seems so silly
me: It is
Like, if I were 19, it would be awesome
and if their demands made sense, it would be awesome
Their general stance, which calls for more budget transparency and more student involvement in larger decisions is fine and worth fighting for...
...but tacking on the Gaza stuff and the Coke stuff and the TA stuff to this particular protest just pretty much strikes any legitimacy they may have
...as do the naked "feminists"
Alexander: There are naked feminists?
me: YES!
Alexander: I didn't know you were being specific to this
me: The BOOBIES!
Alexander: I thought you were just talking about an IDEAL protest
me: nsfw, unless your work is like my work: http://nyulocal.com/on-campus/2009/02/19/flashy-protesting
No...THIS protest
Alexander: forehead slap
me: Yes
Yes
Alexander: Ok, this is just retarded
It's like....you know what's it's like
It's like when movie producers want to make a genre teen comedy
And they find every cliche element possible and throw it together to make a bland, pointless mess
That's what this protest is like
It's doing a lot of things, none of them well, and it has no actual point other than to get people to look at it
me: Yes!
Yes!
Argh!
Alexander: And it's so tediously unoriginal
And wtf, make the library open to the public?
That's just dumb
There's a public library!
It's called, The Public Library!
And guess what, it's better than Bobst
The problem is since ANYBODY can take out the books they aren't always waiting for NYU students
Hence, Universities have their own libraries

Jennifer Government

2009-02-18T00:17:00.004-05:00

Just read: Jennifer Government by Max Barry

My sentence-free summary and review: capitalizm, humour, dystopia, privatization, family, awkward love, police, heroine, tie-in browser game, USA, Nike, Wal-Mart?

My one sentence review: It's no 1984, but it's still smart, funny, fun, and a worthwhile, quick read.

Madeleine L'Engle

2009-02-11T22:36:00.000-05:00

Self-forgetting

2009-02-11T21:01:00.001-05:00

"Man staggers through life yapped at by his reason, pulled and shoved by his appetites, whispered to by fears, beckoned by hopes. Small wonder that what he craves most is self-forgetting."
-Eric Hoffer

Moving on with life

2009-02-08T22:09:00.003-05:00

The More Loving One
by W.H. Auden

Looking up at the stars, I know quite well
That, for all they care, I can go to hell,
But on earth indifference is the least
We have to dread from man or beast.
How should we like it were stars to burn
With a passion for us we could not return?
If equal affection cannot be,
Let the more loving one be me.
Admirer as I think I am
Of stars that do not give a damn,
I cannot, now I see them, say
I missed one terribly all day.
Were all stars to disappear or die,
I should learn to look at an empty sky
And feel its total dark sublime,
Though this might take me a little time.

Maple

2009-02-08T21:38:00.006-05:00

Perhaps it is subconsciously due to the upcoming Valentine's Day, despite the fact that I think it's more related to events currently happening in my and others' lives, that I have been in a particularly sappy mood. It is also partially due to all of the flack the movie He's Just Not That Into You is currently receiving for being a shitty movie, which is unfortunate, because romantic comedies don't have to be trite, sexist displays of patheticness. Anyway, I'm in a romcom mood.

Edit: I originally included a clip from Notting Hill, but since I'm actually watching My Best Friend's Wedding (or just finished watching it) and because I find it more pertinent to singles than Notting Hill, I've included the final scene below, that pretty much almost changed my life in high school, for putting words to something that had been scratching in my consciousness. Spoiler alert, obvs.

Success

2009-02-02T20:54:00.000-05:00

Jenny Lewis

2009-01-29T23:04:00.000-05:00

"Jesus Loved the Outcasts...He Loved the Ones the World Just Loved to Hate"

2009-01-29T22:47:00.004-05:00

Court says private school can expel lesbians

"A private religious high school can expel students it believes are lesbians because the school isn't covered by California civil rights laws, a state appeals court has ruled."

I have no problem with the court ruling. My issues are not legal. My question, as a Christian, is for the institute: what have you accomplished?

I spent a healthy portion of my childhood in private, Christian schools in which the rules were of a much more specifically moral nature. I remember being flabbergasted when I read a rule book for the school I attended from K5 - 2nd grade, in which the punishments for wearing a skirt above mid-calf could be harsher than the punishments for stealing and where they could expel you from the school if you went to a concert of secular music (on your own time).

I am not immediately trying to address what is right or wrong, in these situations. I am simply trying to address how they are loving their neighbor by being puritanical. These two, young women might have been lesbians. If the school had a problem with the way these women were presenting themselves, I can't see how kicking them out of the school was an effective way of ministering to them.

They could argue that they were protecting the other students from being influenced by the sin of the two "transgressors," but by shielding these other students, they are making them ill-equipped to ever love the way Jesus loved: He immersed himself in the world of the corrupt. He fellowshipped with them, got to know them, welcomed them into his kingdom. He did not send them away.

We have similar grasps on history

2009-01-26T21:11:00.000-05:00

Aristotle's Really More Of an American Eagle Dude
Girl #1, leaving the mall: Go to Aero... Ari... Aristotle.
Girl #2: Aristotle is not the same thing as Aeropostale.
Girl #1: Then where did I...?
Girl #2 (interrupting): History. You learned about Aristotle in history.
Overheard by: Ashley

via Overheard Everywhere, Jan 26, 2009

Kurt Vonnegut

2009-01-25T01:22:00.001-05:00

The Sacred

2009-01-24T00:56:00.003-05:00

Jordan (I)
by George Herbert

Who says that fictions only and false hair
Become a verse? Is there in truth no beauty?
Is all good structure in a winding stair?
May no lines pass, except they do their duty
Not to a true, but painted chair?
Is it no verse, except enchanted groves
And sudden arbours shadow coarse-spun lines?
Must purling streams refresh a lover's loves?
Must all be veil'd, while he that reads, divines,
Catching the sense at two removes?
Shepherds are honest people; let them sing;
Riddle who list, for me, and pull for prime;
I envy no man's nightingale or spring;
Nor let them punish me with loss of rhyme,
Who plainly say, my God, my King.

Me and you...

2009-01-19T13:19:00.002-05:00

"I don't want to have to do this living. I just walk around. I want to be swept off my feet, you know? I want my children to have magical powers. I am prepared for amazing things to happen. I can handle it."
-Richard Swersey in Me and You and Everyone We Know

Shannyn Sossamon

2009-01-18T17:31:00.000-05:00

Fading Out

2009-01-18T17:19:00.003-05:00

I have this miraculous way of missing important trends. One of the biggest things I missed out on was the Amy Winehouse craze. I mean, you know, her music, not her going crazy. I caught that part. Of course, pop music can be so ubiquitous, that a lot of it I absorb simply through osmosis (or you know, I'll hear it in a store, or blaring from car radios). I'll find myself humming songs not knowing where I've heard it, who it's by, only to discover that it's been the number one song on the charts for weeks and weeks. "Rehab" and "Back to Black" were two songs like this. I vaguely knew them, could utter a couple of words of the choruses, but knew nothing about them for quite some time.

On the tail of spending a couple of days listening to Nina Simone, Patsy Cline, Billie Holiday, and a few other soulful greats, I found myself itching to listen to "Back to Black" again. There's really something extraordinarily special about this...her voice, the words. I don't know if it's possible for anyone who does not feel some deep sense of authentic pain could sing this song the way she does.