This summer I decided to take an 8AM class that meets 4 times a week (Mon-Thurs). The class is two hours long, so it's not the fact that it's at 8AM which is the killer (well, that's part of it), but any class that's 2 hours long tends to drag on a bit.
Unfortunately that was the only time the class was and I needed the credit, so I was stuck. However, it's nice to get it over with and be ready for the rest of my day at 10AM. Also, parking is easy and it's not blazing-summer-hot at that time (like in the middle of the day).
However, the best part of all this is not being done early or the sweet parking. It's definitely not a greater understanding of Beowulf. The best part of this is that I'm out in time to go to Burger King and order off their breakfast menu, which I haven't been able to do for years because I was never up before 10:30. God bless cini-minis, french toast sticks, and bacon egg 'n' cheese crossan'wiches.
5.18.2006
5.14.2006
Late last night I was going to Waffle House with my friend David. While in the car I found my pair of Aviator Glasses and decided to wear them inside while we ate.
We saw inside at a booth waiting for two other people we were meeting to show up. Our server, some older, disgusting looking lady, came up and tried to start a conversation with us (me) about my glasses.
"Is it too bright in here for you?"
"Yeah," I said, and being the compulsive liar I am, I continued, "my eyes got messed up today."
"Really? Are they bloodshot?"
"Kind of, a little bit, but they're also dilated. I had to go to the doctor."
"Can I see?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"It's bad." (Obviously I didn't want to take my glasses off since there was nothing wrong with my eyes.)
"Well that's not fair, let me see."
"Well, life's not fair."
At this point David interjected with something along the lines of, "His girlfriend punched him in the face?"
I started laughing (because of that, but also because of the whole situation [David was already hiding his laughter. His valiant attempt to save me will not be forgotten.]), and said I didn't have a black eye from my girlfriend (because it would take more than sunglasses to hide that).
She asked me once more to take off my glasses, to which I said "No," and then she took our drink order.
It irritated me a bit. She kept on badgering me when I clearly didn't want to show her my embarassing eye condition. Suppose I really had messed up my eyes. So inconsiderate.
Normally I tip well since I worked in a restaurant for two years and know how things work, but that annoyed me so much I didn't leave her anything.
[New rant coming soon]
Random movie reviews, some new to me, some repeat viewings.
Lawrence of Arabia - IMDb
Very long movie about T.E. Lawrence, a British soldier with conflicting interests between his home country and Arabia. A great character piece and 'journey' movie, though a tad too long for my tastes. Definitely takes a commitment to watch, but it's worth it in the end.
Rating: 9/10
Chinatown - IMDb
Roman Polanski, Jack Nicholson... instant win? Possibly. A great detective story, with numerous twists and an amazing script. Between this and 'L.A. Confidential,' I think that's all I need to keep my crime/thriller thirst satisfied. Definitely one of the best.
Rating: 10/10
Sunset Blvd. - IMDb
Billy Wilder is simply spectacular. This movie has it all. Basic plot outline: William Holden is a writer in Hollywood who becomes attached to Glorida Swanson, an over-the-hill actress who still thinks she's it. Twists, turns, corruption, love, loss, and for some reason I got the same feeling as from watching Hitchcock's 'Rebecca,' so this movie is a definite winner.
Rating: 9.5/10
The Family Man - IMDb
Straying away from the 'classics,' I rewatched this 'It's a Wonderful Life 2.0' flick the other night. Not a bad performance by Nic Cage, and with Tea Leoni, Don Cheadle, and Jeremy Piven, an overall decent cast. Nothing spectacular or innovative, but an enjoyable movie if you like seeing 'what if' scenarios. Of course nothing will ever touch Frank Capra's classic, but if you don't have a copy of that, this is not a bad substitute.
Rating: 7.5/10
5.08.2006
Murder on the Orient Express - IMDb
First, and for the record, Sidney Lumet is the shit.
A great 'whodunit,' set in the 1930s when a train is stuck in deep snow en route to... wherever. A man is murdered one night on the train and Hercule Poirot (Albert Finney), who had boarded at the last minute, being the detective he is, is enlisted to solved the crime.
I haven't read much Agatha Christie, but she has said this is the only film adaptation of her work that she was totally satisfied with, and there's good reason for that. Slow-paced but not lethargic, the story is unraveled in a way only Sidney Lumet could tell it.
It's been said everywhere else, so I guess I'll say it here. This is an amazing all-star cast. Albery Finney is perfect for this detective role. Anthony Perkins is always one of my favorites and he is a perfect fit for the timid assistant. Sean Connery, well, it's Sean f-ing Connery. Lauren Bacall, Wendy Hiller, Martin Balsam, John Gielgud, and of course my ever-favorite Ingrid Bergman. With so much talent there was no way this movie could go wrong.
There's more than a dozen suspects, a complex plot, and only the small area of a train to work with. For most people this would spell 'disaster,' but the film is executed perfectly and with a style that I rarely see anymore - though I wish I did.
Rating: 9/10
5.05.2006
For a minute let us disregard the absurd nature of Scientology and images of Tom Cruise jumping up and down on Oprah's couch and focus on the movie Mission: Impossible III.
Where to begin... I loved the first M:I movie, and while I only saw the second movie once a long time ago, I recall it not being too shabby. With that in mind, I can safely say I'm impressed with the third movie in the series and would recommend it to pretty much anybody, whether they have seen the two prequels or not.
I am not an avid watcher of either 'Lost' or 'Alias,' but director J.J. Abrams's work here is pretty damn good. The acting was well played across the board. The writing? Witty dialogue is always appreciated. Overall plot? Somewhat predictable, a few cliches, but certainly enjoyable. My first favorite scene is where Laurence Fishburne first comes into the movie - damn, does he play the pissed-off-boss well.
I don't think I've seen an action movie this good in a while (well, none come to mind, at least), and I was 'into' the movie from start to finish. I don't ever 'sit on the edge of my seat,' but if I did, I assure you I would've been during this movie. If the following blockbusters (PotC2, X-men 3, etc) are anything like this, it will be a great summer.
Rating: 8/10
5.04.2006
Though I haven't finished Lolita yet, I flipped to the back and read Nabokov's notes on the novel (from a year after it was originally published [published 1955, so 1956]).
First, I was slightly annoyed at how he implied his English work was inferior to his Russian work. Why? Because, to put it simply, the vocabulary used in that novel is nothing short of amazing. Especially for a second (actually, I think it may be third or fourth) language. Of course Nabokov always emphasized the importance of form over content. Regardless, I would sell my soul for the ability to write like that, and him passing it off as minor literature left me in a state of awe.
That aside, this point of his was interesting:
It is childish to study a work of fiction in order to gain information about a country or about a social class or about the author.
Funny, because that's what I've been doing for the last year or so in my American/English/World Lit classes. I think his point is that fiction writing should be entirely fictitious, where it takes place in its own world and doesn't rely on the bounds of reality.
Maybe. And I would agree.
In summary: studying fiction as writing is good, but not if you're looking for a history lesson.
5.02.2006
Tonight, watching a re-run of Jay Leno, I realized something about my taste in comedy.
Most of the jokes were not funny nor witty, yet yielded a decent audience response with plenty of laughter.
Then Jay did a semi-racist joke. He started off talking about that show 'Dancing with the Stars,' which was a terrible beginning. Then he said, "Yes, Dancing with the Stars, unless, of course, you're in China, then it's called Dancing with SARS."
So this is the first joke I laugh at all show, and I notice that in the audience there's maybe 10 people laughing hysterically and the whole rest of the audience booing or making disgusted sounds.
Is is bad to have a minority comedic taste?
5.01.2006
For all those college readers out there, take note: never underestimate the importance of a midterm when it counts for a huge chunk of your grade.
I got a bad grade on my English Lit midterm because, well, it was online and most of the multiple choice questions were bullshit. I shrugged it off, and was positive I'd be able to recover.
I was recovering well, too. 88 and 87 on my two papers, averaging 9/10 on the weekly online discussions, and an 80 on the final (because it was all essay, no multiple choice). But it all wasn't enough, and I got a C+ for my final grade.
I think this is the first time I've never been able to bounce back from a shitty test score, and it sucks. Oh well, I'm pretty sure this was my potentially lowest grade (knock on wood).
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