2008: A Year in Movies

I have not seen many films this past year. Sadly, I have only seen 12. And now, with the Oscars two days away, I will rank the 12 films of 2008.

12. Wanted - this may make it onto my list of worst movies I have ever seen. Really awful film.
11. The Fall - I would've liked this one more if it was more coherent and had I not been disappointed at the lack of a climax. It's a beautiful film, though, and Lee Pace is excellent.
10. City of Ember - This was enjoyable, but it had the scope of a TV movie for kids. Bill Murray was the best thing in the film, as usual.
9. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - It was a fun movie, and Eddie Izzard was fantastic, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the first Narnia film and it got a bit too Jesus-heavy for my liking.
8. Burn After Reading - I was really looking forward to this one and was a bit disappointed. I understand that the characters weren't supposed to be likable, but I wasn't invested in them at all. J.K. Simmons stole the show.
7. Quantum of Solace - I love Mathieu Amalric and enjoyed this movie, but I'm tired of action sequences that are shot with shaky cameras from a vantage point where you can't really see what's going on.
6. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - Okay, so this was a disappointment, but it's still an Indiana Jones film.
5. Be Kind Rewind - It was a little hard to get into, but once you're there, it's very good and has some of the most creative filmmaking in recent memory.
4. Snow Angels - It's not a light, heart-warming romp, but it does have a light, heart-warming storyline with two teenagers falling in love. And it has Amy Sedaris and Sam Rockwell. Sam Rockwell.
3. The Wrestler - Also not a light, heart-warming romp, but it's executed well and you really care for the title character. Great acting as well.
2. The Dark Knight - Heath Ledger gave the best performance of the year as Joker. It's better than Batman Begins, which was also great. It comes in at a close second to...
1. Wall-E - I don't what else to say other than marvelous.

If I Would

Things have been going pretty well up here in Michigan recently. I have a job I enjoy, work with people that I like (for the most part), and have been doing fairly well in the happiness department. I have been trying to think positively, to remember to relax and not worry so much, to look at things brightly. It's actually been working shockingly well, that is until it spectacularly fails. Well, it's not so much that it fails but that I am the way I am and am never going to be happy and/or content all the time. But right now, I'm consumed with sadness, self-pity, and anger. Happy days are here again...(which I learned the other day was FDR's campaign song, and that he liked to add a couple of drops of absinthe to martinis he made, thereby earning a reputation for making the worst martinis that Hyde Park visitors had ever tasted). The thing is, I know that the dark cloud will pass and I know that it affects my thinking and my outlook, but every time it happens, in the immortal words of Lou Gramm, it feels like the first time. It doesn't matter that I know it's transitory, I can't shake the feeling that it's permanent. It never feels different or better, it's always terrible. Last night, I was mean to Chris, who is down in Belleville with family and friends. And I know that most of the anger was because of my feeling sad, but everything is so immediate and there is no tomorrow. Except for when there is, and it just looks awful. So, I'm trying (but I get awfully tired of trying all the time). Anyway...I'm working on a Long Winters crossword puzzle. I just learned that Ben Gibbard and Zooey Deschanel are engaged (which was quite surprising since I didn't know that she was the person he's been dating). Much to my surprise, Bristol Palin had a kid (I was sure there was going to be a mysterious "miscarriage"), although the mystery of the other kid, what was his name Cosine?, remains. And that's about all for now.

Raincoat Song

I made risotto tonight. I was nervous about it, since the first (and last, until tonight) attempt was not a success. But, it turned out to be a smashing success. I made it with asparagus, and I have to say it is delicious. I made pot roast yesterday, which turned out well, so now I have leftover risotto and stew to look forward to as dinners for the next few days. I think tomorrow night I will make peanut butter cup brownies, and debate whether or not I want to take half to work or keep them all for me and Chris. Hmm....

In other news, the My Brightest Diamond concert I saw this past month was spectacular, though it was very strange to be seated for the entire concert. The opening act was Clare and the Reasons, who I had never heard before and thoroughly enjoyed. They performed a great cover of Tears for Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World."



We were able to talk to Shara for a bit after the show and I gave her the crossword puzzle I had made. She was excited about it and asked me if it was alright for her to put it on their website. So keep an eye out for that.

Chris and I went to see the Decemberists at an auditorium on MSU's campus. The band was great as always, but the show was pretty disappointing. The Wharton Center is a lovely auditorium, but an auditorium is not a good place to see a Decemberists show. I'm guessing that the band was not allowed to venture into the orchestra pit, since Colin would come up to the edge of the stage but no further, and so was at a distance of about ten feet from the audience at all times. And, I succumbed to peer pressure and remained seated for the whole concert since everyone else was seated. It was a very odd experience. Afterwards, we waited outside and were able to talk to Jenny for a bit (and witness the stupidity of some audience members up close and personal), but did not see the rest of the band at all. I can't wait for the spring when they'll tour for their upcoming album The Hazards of Love.

Bridesmaid Revisited

Well, it has been quite some time since I've posted. I am now working in a bookstore and enjoying it, though I do miss being able to stay home and do whatever I feel like.

Tonight, I finished reading Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle and very much enjoyed it. I had read the first chapter of the book waiting in line for Colin Meloy's performance at the Park West in April and was loathe to read any more of it. So it sat in my to-read pile while I finished Middlemarch and Quicksilver, both of which were enjoyable but time-consuming (and Quicksilver is only the first in a trilogy which will be continued perhaps after Christmas). I restarted Castle recently and read a good chunk while waiting for the Decemberists performance at Wheaton College, which will be detailed later. The rest of the novel was very engrossing, and, as always, I am glad to have finished it but sad that it is now over.

This Wednesday, Chris and I will go back to the Ladies Literary Club in Grand Rapids to once again see My Brightest Diamond play there. It is the second of three concerts that will take place within three weeks--it always seems as though concerts pour in between dry spells. I am looking forward to the show and have to finish writing clues for the crossword puzzle I made for Shara Worden (I hope she enjoys crossword puzzles).

The Decemberists played Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL on Halloween. For those not in the know, the college is very, very religious. So, it seemed interesting that a band such as the Decemberists would be invited there and that they would play on Halloween night. I arrived at the chapel/auditorium where the performance would take place at 11am and began my day of sitting on concrete and hoping to talk to a Decemberist or two. Sadly, no one from the band came out that day, which is unusual, but the performance and post-performance made up for the day (which was nice and balmy, at least). The band came out dressed as the cast from The Shining, with Colin Meloy playing the part of Danny, John Moen and Nate Query as the twins, Jenny Conlee as Wendy, and Chris Funk as Jack. They did a brief reenactment for the intro and then proceeded to play a set list that highlighted the more Halloween-appropriate part of their catalogue. I had come to the show dressed as the uncle from "July, July" (a crooked French Canadian who was gut-shot running fin), which consisted of a red and white-striped shirt, some fake blood on my gut, a neckerchief, beret, a plastic carafe filled with water and a label that read "Water, No Gin in Here!", and a little Canadian flag. Colin commented that I had a nice costume (only a handful of audience members had dressed up) and at the beginning of "16 Military Wives", sat down on the stage near me and put my flag in the headstock of his guitar!

As usual, there were several times during the show where he came towards me--I like to think it's because he likes me and not just because I am standing to his left, while all of his pedals are to his right. I was not pulled onstage to play any instruments or sing any parts, but it was still a very fantastic concert, albeit the sound guys could've been much better at their job. Afterwards, I waited outside for the band to come out. I was able to talk to Nate and he signed my copy of We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Now, I should mention that the Decemberists are playing the Wharton Center at MSU on November 12th (!) and that the promotions lady at my bookstore e-mailed the band to see if they could come do a signing that day (!!), though the band didn't respond. So, I took it upon myself to try and persuade them to come hang out at the bookstore before they play on campus. So, I told Nate to come and he said he'd see what he could do. Then, I got to talk to Colin Meloy. There have been two times where I have been talking to Mr. Meloy and another fan has asked me to take a picture of him/her and Colin. I have been happy to oblige, but because I get so nervous, my hands are always shaking while I take the picture. I am happy to report that, for some reason, when I was talking to Colin this time (and taking a picture for a fellow fan), I wasn't very nervous at all. It was almost as if I was talking to some regular person. Colin remembered that I had give him a book for his son (The Berenstain Bears' The Messy Room) and thanked me. We talked a little bit and I told him that the band should visit the bookstore and he said that they might call and arrange a ride to our store (since it is not within walking distance of the campus)!!!!! So I am looking forward to seeing the show on the 12th and keeping everything that I can crossed, hoping that I'll be able to hang out with the Decemberists during the day. Wish me luck!

To Vote or Not to Vote

Ever since I learned that Barack Obama made the awful, unjustifiable choice of the Rolling Stones over The Beatles, I have been conflicted about the upcoming presidential election. I want to vote. I want to participate in this excellent process of democracy. And I feel compelled to, as a patriotic American that values our ideals and our history. But...I'm not sure that I can vote for Obama. It's not just that he has inexcusable taste for 1960s rock 'n roll (though that is a very important topic for me, and although I understand that many people don't understand why it should be a factor in my decision, it really is and I don't think that I'm being melodramatic or crazy). I have not been following either campaign that closely, mostly because the press coverage, and the campaigning itself, is frustrating and depressing to me. I was really hopeful about this election last year, but now I am less so. I am glad that Obama won the nomination over Hillary Clinton. I am glad that we will no longer have George W. Bush in office. I am not going to vote for John McCain. But, I may not vote for Obama either. There are some issues I have with the man. For instance, his opposition to the recent decision by the Supreme Court (abolishing the death penalty for child rapists) disappoints me. As we get closer to the actual election, I hope to become more informed about all of the candidates, but I think I will remain very wary of voting for Barack Obama (and yes, this does make me sad). I welcome all arguments for or against my supporting him.

If You're Feeling Sinister

I have a few things I'd like to blog about, but for right now, it'll just be a general update. So, things that are new (in bullet form):

• Chris and I saw Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and thought it was fun and enjoyable. Neither of us understand any lackluster response to it.
• We also saw a movie called The Fall in an old theater in Ann Arbor. It featured good performances by Lee Pace (of Pushing Daisies fame) and a little girl and was stunning visually, but it wasn't anything really fantastic. It was directed by the man who made The Cell.
• I have a copy of the sequel to The Mysterious Benedict Society, which is illustrated by Diana Sudyka--an artist who lives in Chicago and has a Carson Ellis-designed tattoo. I've told myself I have to finish at least one of the books I am currently reading before I can start this one (Middlemarch, Quicksilver, and We Have Always Lived in the Castle). Sigh. More about Middlemarch later. I also purchased another book in the 33 1/3 series (I have read Colin Meloy's book on the Replacement's Let It Be, which was excellent). This one is for Belle & Sebastian's If You're Feeling Sinister and is written by Scott Plagenhoef, who is the Editor-in-Chief of Pitchfork. I am excited about it, but again, I won't be reading it until one of the current reads is down for the count.
  
• I have the new Death Cab for Cutie album Narrow Stairs, which is very good, though I haven't listened to it enough yet to give a full impression.
• I am waiting for the postman to deliver a new Decemberists shirt as well as John Moen's solo album, Perhapst.
• I have a couple of pairs of new jeans (this is pretty eventful since I'm very picky about clothes, particularly pants).
  
• I have an interview with Grand Rapids Community College this week. I'm trying not to think about it so much so that I won't be disappointed when I don't get a job there

Now, for things in non-bullet form. I still have about 150 pages left in Middlemarch. The thing about this novel is I've been reading it in spurts. I'll be really interested and want to read it all the time, then I'll hit a plateau and not pick it up for a week or more. And every time I get interested, I think I'm making progress, yet still have hundreds of pages to go. So, I'm enjoying it, but also can't wait to be done with it so I can get to the next book on the large stack.

I have spent a good deal of this month substitute teaching for the Lansing School District. The good thing is, I now have money in my bank account, the bad news is, it has been awful. I started out doing all grade levels, but I was nearly crippled by standing all day at elementary schools, so I limited myself to only high schools. Lansing is apparently very poor and this is reflected in their schools. Apparently several schools in the district are magnet schools, but I have not noticed this having any good effect on the school or its student body. I understand that students aren't going to behave very well when there is a substitute teacher, but it's been a tad ridiculous. Perhaps I was raised in a school district that was an exception rather than the rule, but things that occur in the schools I've been in simply would not be tolerated in my almae matres. And no one at these schools seems to be interested in doing anything about discipline. To get a sense of the type of educational facility I'm dealing with, all the doors in these buildings are locked and remain that way throughout the whole day. The faculty bathrooms are locked, but can be opened with a classroom key (which no one told me), the students bathrooms are not locked, but do not have locks on their stalls. One school has a chain and padlock on the door to the third floor that thankfully was not in use during the day, though it would not surprise me if it were--one of the afternoons that I went to the school, the front door to the building was locked and did not have any kind of buzzer or indication of where an open door might be found. Sometimes, I would get a key to the classroom, and therefore the bathrooms, sometimes not, at which point I was pretty much shit-out-of-luck. They don't really give me any information when I come to the school and I don't really have any authority to wield in the classroom. Many times the students would not stop talking and doing whatever they wanted for the entire class, including my introduction and instructions. So, anyway, the school year is over this week and I don't have any gigs currently lined up, so it looks like its over. Hurray!!! But, I still need a job. Boo!!

Another aspect of substitute teaching is that it has made me very miserable. Now, technically the job isn't that bad. I basically sit around all day and get $75 for doing it. But, because of the problems mentioned above, I don't feel comfortable during any of these days. Feeling comfortable is very important to me. Because of this, and some unknown element, ever since I began this job (April 29th), I have experienced the worst depression of my life. Never have I been so constantly and consistently miserable. What usually lasts for a couple of hours and then goes away, not to show its face for at least a couple of days, if not a couple of weeks, has stuck around, lifting for very short periods of time (maybe one day, maybe a couple of hours). Now, I haven't been doing that well for quite some time now (at the risk of ruining my reputation, my libido has been almost non-existent for almost a year, which is very unnerving and depressing), but it's been particularly bad as of late. So I've got that going for me, which is nice.

But...here's to better days ahead, and more blog entries in the near future.

Come Hell

My day began early last Monday. I hit the streets of Chicago around 6:30am, breakfasted, parked, and ended up outside the Park West at about 8:15am. I was first in line for the Colin Meloy show that night at 7:30pm. I was alone for about four hours, trying to keep warm as the sun slipped behind a tall apartment building across the street. Eventually, the sun came back and it was a nice day. And eventually (around 2pm), the tour bus carrying Colin, his fiancee Carson Ellis, their son Hank, and the opener Laura Gibson pulled up. I had come bearing gifts and waited by the tour bus to bestow them. Colin came out and I gave him a DVD of 2 concerts from 1982 and 1981: Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks, respectively. I gave him The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room (one of my favorites) for Hank. And I gave him a Carson Ellis-themed crossword puzzle I had made for Carson. I was also carrying my copy of The Mysterious Benedict Society for Carson to sign (I have Colin's autograph in my copy of God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater). He thanked me and went on the bus to give the crossword and get the autograph and then went inside.



Now, the last time I saw the Decemberists was one of the best nights of my life, so I had pretty high expectations for Monday. It didn't seem to me as though Colin remembered me, and so I was a little disappointed. Later in the day, while I was waiting, I had a couple of other encounters. I met Carson, and she thanked me for the puzzle and told me that she's a crossword fanatic. Then, I saw Carson come by with a nanny and little Hank (who is really, really adorable), I saw Hank come back later in the day and he was crying a bit (which was also adorable), and I saw Carson walk by a couple more times. On one of these occasions, I was reading the book I had brought for all of the waiting: Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Live in the Castle. Carson saw the cover and told me that Colin was reading the same book!

The main event: Laura Gibson opened and was very good, though I think I might've enjoyed the show a bit more if we had been sitting in a cafe rather than standing in the Park West. From what I'd read about her openings for other stops on the tour, I was expecting her to be very quiet and a bit awkward, but she made pretty wonderful onstage "banter." Then, it was on to Colin Meloy. My goal, for a while now, has been to get Colin to like me. I just want to be friends, perhaps correspond regularly, be one of his favorite people...that's all. So, I do my best to come off as smart, interesting, charming, etc. in any encounter with the man. Perhaps I come off as trying too hard, though. I got the impression that Colin found me a bit irritating more than anything else (I should note that I have a tendency to get this impression from a number of people fairly often, so maybe it's just me). It seemed different that night than it has been when I've been in front at Decemberists' shows. This was my second time seeing a Colin solo show, but my first time being right in front. Anyway, the "highlight" of the night happened during "A Cautionary Song." I knew, from watching youtube, that he's been encouraging audience interaction on this tour and that when the line comes up "the sailor's sorry racket calls for maidenhead," he's expected the audience to call for maidenhead. So I did. I yelled out "pussy!" This surprised Colin quite a bit and it took him a minute to laugh and announce that it had made him blush before he could continue with the song. I felt a bit bad since I remembered right after I yelled out that it was an all ages show.

After the show, we stayed around the bus to see Colin and I apologized for making him blush. He told me it was alright and thanked me for yelling out, but then it was a bit awkward as I continued standing there rather than thanking him and leaving. He gave a salute, and I saluted back and then continued to stand there awkwardly. Finally, I did turn around and leave and felt a bit of a fool for not being more smooth. Then, I drove to Joliet and started a saga that shall have to be continued in another post. All in all, it was fantastic, but now I'm trying to get over a bit of an inferiority complex. C'est la vie.

A bit of really good news: when I finally got back to Michigan, I commented on both Colin and Carson's myspace pages, offering my hope that they enjoyed their respective gifts. Later that day, Carson commented on my myspace page saying that she very much enjoyed her crossword puzzle!!!! Hooray!!

More Later...

My Moon My Man

Chris and I saw Feist at the Fillmore in Detroit on April 10th. I have never been to Detroit, but I thought I knew what to expect since the city is pretty notorious. We arrived at the venue around 2pm and were the only ones there. It was barely drizzling, but it was very windy, which made it a cold, unwelcome day. A little over an hour after we got there, Feist and one of her bandmates rolls up in a taxi. We learned later that they had been at the Motown Museum (somewhere I'd like to go before we move out of this awful state). I had brought along "Ricky Gervais presents The World of Karl Pilkington" (a collection of transcripts from Ricky Gervais' podcasts) for her to sign and she happily obliged. Apparently, she and her bandmate had just been talking about Ricky Gervais and quoting The Office, so she wrote: "'I froze your tears and made a dagger...must you breath, for I need heaven' Feist, quoting David Brent with admiration" and then signed Feist. She was very lovely, but a rather short woman, which I was not expecting at all. She's about 5'2" and I spent the rest of the afternoon marveling at this fact. I had always assumed she would be around my height or taller from videos and such, and she's not that short, and it doesn't make any difference, it's just that I had to change the picture in my head which can sometimes feel odd.

Anyway, the show was great, despite some annoyances. Apparently Detroit crowds get rowdy, so the Fillmore had security guards (read fat guys in a Fillmore t-shirt) stand between the barricade and the stage. This is fine except that one of them stood near the center of the stage, and the stage isn't really high. This is kind of fine except that this particular security guy was hugely ignorant, a douchebag, and a chatty Cathy. He started conversations with us and people around us (including people in the second row) and talked during the opening act and while Feist was onstage. Sample gem: "That guy looked retarded. He sucked. I'm sorry, but it's the truth." I didn't realize that a large man from Detroit who likes hardcore rock (he informed us of this several times) was able to judge and provide such truths. The crowd that night was not terrible, but don't let that fool you: they were bad. At one point, Feist started a song and then instead of singing the lyrics, she sang about how if a performer sings very softly the crowd automatically shuts up since it doesn't know what's going on. She even stepped away from the mic and sang for a while until the crowd finally stopped buzzing. Most impressive, though, was her voice. I knew she could sing, but man, she can sing!

Chris and I also saw Ben Folds at a small college in Michigan this past week. I would write about how the show was good and the audience was perhaps the worst I've ever seen at a show and how Chris and I are ready to never see a show in Michigan again (but then admitted that of course we would go if it was a really good act), but then I would get angry and disappointed in humanity (once again).

To end on a good note, I will mention that I'm getting all geared up for what I hope to be the best night since October 29 of last year. Chris and I will drive to Chicago tomorrow, he'll get on a bus to go to St. Louis and I will hang out with John. Monday, I will be outside of the Park West all day and see Colin Meloy perform in the evening!!!!!!!!! I will then be around Tuesday night and Wednesday in the early afternoon, hopefully seeing friends. So friends, clear your schedules.

The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings

It's nice outside today and I hope it lasts, though odds are that it won't. There's two trees outside the window of our drawing room (Chris and I decided to class the office/computer/spare bedroom up a bit). They are big, tall pine trees and one is on the corner of our lot so that I can almost see its top when I'm sitting down at my desk. The window and my desk are also in such a position that when I'm sitting here looking out, all I can see is trees and patches of sky. I like this view since I can either pretend that I am on a floor that is above ground level (higher floors always seem more exciting and better, but yet so above-the-fray and peaceful) or that I am not in Lansing, MI. Perhaps this view is indicative of a country home where I go to write and I have a foreign housekeeper in the next room who may or may not be plotting to kill me one of these days. Perhaps I'm in Illinois. Perhaps I'm just somewhere where the day-to-day hassles of people and noise and banality are banished, at least for the moment.

Anyway, I'm still unemployed and I'm trying to do worthwhile and productive things while I have all the time in the world. I am trying to amp up (speed up) my guitar learning, but I get discouraged very easily. Chris thinks that it's because I find it difficult, but I think it's a bit more than that. I like to think I'm not the type of person who tries something once and then quits if she's not immediately successful in the endeavor. I'm more the type of person who tries something and instantly feels that she'll never be successful in the endeavor. It's not that I'm diametrically opposed to hard work, it's more that I worry that even with a lot of hard work, I'll end up mediocre at best. Then again, whenever I think about how easily I become discouraged and hopeless, I also think that I tend to be persistent in pursuing things and that I often get what I want in the end. Then, I feel a little better. And, I can play the Futurama theme song on guitar, so there's that.

I was reading a copy of the History Channel's magazine and I found this anecdote very amusing: not that long ago, Iowa wanted to add the wild sunflower to their state's list of destructive weeds and therefore encourage the plant's destruction. Kansas found out about this, and so they threatened to name the Eastern Goldfinch (Iowa's state bird) as their official game bird. Also, apparently some people mock Iowa by claiming the state's name is an acronym for "Idiots Out Wandering Around." Oh, how I love state rivalries.

The Mariner's Revenge Song

Youtube has now twice failed to post my video on my blog. So, here's the video I made.

I hope you like it!

Get Over It

As a burgeoning songwriter, I've given a lot of thought to my future career. Most of this consists of daydreaming about being friends with famous people and everyone adoring me and all my talent (your standard fantasy). So, when I picture this, I am always reticent to write a break-up song. They're usually very bitter and signify that the writer is not over that past relationship. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of really good break-up songs, but I thought it would be nice to pretend to be one of those people that doesn't even think about bad boyfriends/girlfriends from the past. But, it turns out I've written a break-up song. This only came about because I came up with an idea that was simply too good to resist. I think I like the song, but of course I don't sing it well because...I don't sing well. Anyway, I don't want to give away what the song is about--I'm hoping that before too long, I'll have figured out a guitar part for it and then I'll record it and post it here. Let's just say that this song will most likely never be played on mainstream radio.

Holy Shit

After Chris received a text message from a friend, we have been searching the news sites and watching the news shows to learn about what happened at Northern Illinois University. They don't have that much information as of now, but I'm exceedingly glad to hear that the shooting did not take place in Reavis and that all of the people I care about are not injured. Hopefully all of the wounded will be taken care of and the casualties will end with the gunman. Hopefully NIU will pull together and everyone in campus will heal as much as they can as quickly as they can. Hopefully we will learn the gunman's motives so that there might be some sense of closure or at least a step toward meaning in this senseless ordeal. Hopefully this is the last school shooting for quite some time, dare I say ever?

Wordplay

I've constructed a crossword puzzle! It's not very good. Here are the clues:

Across
1. Baking or Fountain
5. ____fall, comedy staple
9. Calamari
14. Dance from the Pontos region
15. Makeover
16. Tosses out
17. Bassist Query for 35 Across
18. Leave out
19. "M*A*S*H" Iowan's nickname
20. "____ Hill," song by 35 Across
23. Home of Ben Gurion International Airport
24. Give off
25. "____ Driver," song by 35 Across
28. Prefix meaning halfway
29. Neighbor of the black kettle
32. Not sat or laid
33. Rival of MSN
34. "Leather and ____," Stevie Nicks and Don Henley duet
35. Band from 48 Across
39. Chocolate and caramel candy
40. Singular European mountain range?
41. Artist's support?
42. Comm. by hand
43. French Mrs.
44. "Do You Want to Know a ____?" song by The Beatles
46. Capital of Ukraine
47. Flightless bird
48. "Rose City," home to 35 Across
55. Turn on your heel, maybe
56. Place to suckle
57. Horse with an injured leg
58. Inspector Javert's grave
59. "O Roma o ____!" a cynic's take on Garibaldi's motto
60. Hamlet's lament for Yorick
61. Forest of "As You Like It"
62. Several hearty loaves?
63. It refracts light

Down
1. "____ for Myla Goldberg," song by 35 Across
2. Actor Sharif
3. Android from "Star Trek: The Next Generation"
4. The most successful Baldwin brother
5. Rooting for an inmate?
6. Created again
7. Mine entrance
8. "Married ____," film featuring 4 Down
9. Vile
10. 2 pints
11. Food safety watchdog
12. Fancy typography, Abbr.
13. Org. to find your test-tube sister
21. Omit a sound
22. Naturalist Zola
25. A mode of persuasion
26. Train isn't running in Chicago at Christmas?
27. "____ that voodoo that you do so well!" Hedley Lamarr order
29. Isn't fashionable anymore
30. Apu and Manjula's clan on "The Simpsons"?
31. Instructing an émigré from the USSR?
32. Icelandic straw
33. Electric guitar necessity
34. "Billy ____," song by 35 Across
36. Transportation for a legionnaire?
37. Onetime venue for Colin Meloy
38. Happen again
43. Glove alternative, favored by kittens
44. Dose with morphine
45. Overacts
46. Danish dollar
48. Hyde Street ____, near 20 Across, sung about by 35 Across
49. Author of "Metamorphoses"
50. Mexican footballer Castillo
51. Israeli airline
52. Strong wind
53. Nation on the Arabian Peninsula
54. Untouchable Treasury Department star
55. "The More You Know…," e.g.

Sleeping Lessons

So I've been keeping something a bit secret. And I suppose I shouldn't. For probably as long as I can remember, I've had the notion that I would be immensely successful in the entertainment industry, in many of its venues. I've decided that I am going to seriously pursue one of those venues. Namely, I've been writing songs. I haven't told anyone about this because I'm not very confident in my ability to write songs or to perform them. On the other hand, I really want to have this ability, plus Chris seems to like what I've written so far. The process is going a little slowly since I'm still learning to play guitar and still need to learn to play piano. But I've written about ten songs so far--meaning that I have the words and the melody but can only perform them a capella. I also wanted to not tell anyone because when I finally get a demo recorded, I could enlist friends to listen to it under the guise that it wasn't me in order to get an honest and objective opinion of whether any of what I've done is worthwhile or not. Anyway, that's what I'm working on.

In other news, I found out some very interesting things last night. I stumbled across the bass player of My Brightest Diamond's blog. He wrote about the show Chris and I attended in Grand Rapids here, though he didn't mention us (which is a little disappointing--maybe we weirded him out a bit). I discovered, though, that he's younger than me, which was pretty surprising to me. I tend to be unprepared for people to be younger than I am since I'm used to being the youngest one in any particular group. It's also a little disorienting when someone is successful and famous (okay, semi-famous) and has accomplished this in less time than it will take you. Anyway, even more shocking is the fact that this guy is none other than John Lithgow's son!!!!! Holy shit!!!

Marry Me

So, it's that time of year again. Though the year isn't over yet, I don't think I'll have time to see anymore movies before January 1st. I have seen 20 films that opened in 2007. I don't really like ranking movies since some of the decisions are difficult and I always feel as though I'll regret where some of the films end up in my list. But, without further ado, here is my list of films for 2007:

1. The Simpsons Movie what else would be #1? Fantastic!
2. Paris, Je T'aime even better than I had hoped, a wonderful film--all of the segments are great
3. Lars and the Real Girl very touching and done perfectly, a wonderful example of when all the parts (directing, writing, acting) come together to create a marvelous whole
4. Bender's Big Score though not released in theater, it is a superb culmination of the series and I can't wait for the other three DVDs
5. No Country for Old Men this would be higher on my list, though this year saw a lot of great film competition
6. Hot Fuzz I really wan't expecting much because of ignorance (I haven't seen Shaun of the Dead), and it blew me away
7. Charlie Wilson's War while Tom Hanks is spectacular, as usual, I really enjoyed this film almost solely because of Philip Seymour Hoffman (the fact that his character, both in personality and appearance, reminded me of John Roderick didn't hurt)
8. Live Free or Die Hard I had faith in Bruce Willis and the Die Hard series, but let's face it, with a title like that, I thought maybe it wouldn't be so great. I would say it's the best in the series, except that they're all this great
9. Stardust a very fun film that doesn't take itself seriously, but also doesn't make too much fun of itself
10. Waitress a wonderful and bittersweet film that almost makes me want to eat pie
11. The Darjeeling Limited not the best Wes Anderson film, but still a good film that, though it might sound cliched, really does take you on a journey as an audience as the characters' layers peel
12. Shoot 'Em Up a very fun movie that features some of the most creative ways to kill people
13. Ocean's Thirteen I did really enjoy the film, but it seems to have faded away quite a bit after viewing
14. Dan in Real Life perhaps this movie would be lower on the list, but Steve Carell and Juliette Binoche are enormously charming
15. 1408 though I was disappointed that Samuel L. Jackson didn't have a bigger part, this movie had more to it than I was expecting, it's premise is very intriguing, more so than I thought it would be
16. The Number 23 also an intriguing premise, though less so that I thought it would be
17. 28 Weeks Later I found this movie a bit frustrating, none of the plot would've happened if people hadn't been incredibly stupid, which I suppose is true of almost all films, but shouldn't there be a good reason to make a sequel to a really good first film?
18. Starter for Ten I was disappointed by this film since I do really really enjoy trivia, but James McAvoy has a very nice accent
19. Blades of Glory should've been funnier
20. Knocked Up this could possibly be in the last position of the list of movies I have seen period, and it's such a shame to see Paul Rudd in such an awful movie

There you have it. There are a lot of films that should be on this list that aren't. Perhaps one of these years I'll actually have the time and financial resources to see all the movies I'd like in the theater. And perhaps someday, seeing a movie in the theater will be a much better experience. I've been noticing quite a few chains making steps in this direction, either having late shows for those who are over 17 or catering exclusively to adults (with lots of disposable income, mind you). Here's hoping...

When I Was A Young Girl

I was telling Chris a story from work, and he suggested that I should share it here. One of my duties is to make sure that the bulletin boards in the three break rooms are up to date and clear of any inappropriate material, as well as to keep the break rooms themselves tidy. So, I was carrying out this task today and had the opportunity to do something fun, satisfying, and a bit controversial. The downstairs break room is notorious for leaving newspapers and coupons strewn about one of the tables. There is much to be thrown away from this particular break room. Today was no exception, and today featured a special item. There was a Bible sitting on the table. I checked the inside covers and flipped through the pages to make sure there wasn't a name inscribed, that this book belonged to someone who had forgotten here. Seeing no name, and seeing a couple of "good news" pamphlets stuck in various pages, I surmised that this was someone's attempts to spread the good word. So, I did my best to help that endeavor. I walked over to the trash can and dropped the book in, its weight compacting the various paper towels and other trash below it.

In other news, I have written a children's book (if anyone knows a publisher, I'm all ears), and am currently writing a second one.

In sad news, I am all out of Double Stuf Mint Oreos. They are manna from heaven. I already miss them.

"I'm Back Baby!"

Last Tuesday, the first of the four Futurama feature-length films was relased, and man, it is fantastic! The revamped theme song is addictive and is quickly becoming my favorite song as of late. Bender's Big Score has a really fascinating plot, ties together characters, events, and themes from the whole series, and is very entertaining. Seeing old story lines completed or enhanced was very satisfying, and like the best episodes of Futurama, the movie is equally hilarious and bittersweet. The only problem is that now I'm growing very impatient for the remaining three films.

In other news, since I've started work at this office, I've had a picture of Colin Meloy as my wallpaper. For my birthday, my boss gave me a picture frame, so now I have a picture of me and Chris sitting on my desk. After the amazing events of October 29th, I have the picture of me and Colin Meloy on stage as my wallpaper. This has caused some of my co-workers to come to two conclusions. 1. Colin Meloy is my boyfriend and 2. I play guitar. I do not object to either of these, but, people are inevitably disappointed when I explain that neither of these things are true and wear an expression much like the one that occurs when I explain why I wear a flower behind my right ear everyday. Maybe I should start using a story about my Jewish grandmother using her last moments to plant roses at Auschwitz when people ask me why I wear a flower.

I finished reading both The Time Machine and A Family Daughter. Both were highly enjoyable, though Maile Meloy wins in this round. I did like H.G. Wells' dystopia, but I found the Time Traveller, like Robinson Crusoe, to be quite an idiot, and therefore frustrating. A Family Daughter has continued the recent tradition, for me, of enjoying a book despite not enjoying any of the characters. There was no one in Meloy's novel that I really found myself attached to. In her previous book that features most of the same people, Liars and Saints, I was on the border of not liking them, but this one tipped the scale. I realize that there's more to a novel than simply the characters, but it's still a little unnerving when you're not really devoted to any of the personalities and still think the work is great (I'm looking at you Mansfield Park). Part of me really feels that I should re-read Liars and Saints now, since the former book is the novel that the main character of A Family Daughter has written, but I also would really like to move on to another universe now. I think it shall be The Fifty Year Sword by Mark Z. Danielewski, but I have so many books sitting on my shelves clamoring to be read. I'm hoping it won't take me too long to get through The Fifty Year Sword, since it will be a dense and confusing read, it isn't very lengthy. Suggestions for what to read after that? I recently bought The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, which is a heavy contender. At work, though, I have just started George Eliot's Middlemarch, so I should be good for reading at work for quite some time now.

Dragonfly

Chris and I had perhaps one of the strangest concert-going experiences ever this past Saturday. We went to see My Brightest Diamond in Grand Rapids and were expecting to see a really great concert that would follow the basic concert-rules, namely, that we would arrive early to get a spot in the front of the line and perhaps meet some of the musicians, then stand in a General Admission floorspace in front of the stage and rock out with a bunch of other twenty-somethings. How wrong we were. First, we arrived in Grand Rapids (a place which we'd both only been once before to visit one of Chris' colleagues and eat meat). We went to see said colleague and his brand new baby. The baby was about 7 weeks old, which is the youngest baby I've ever seen/met, and I have to say, I prefer my babies a little older (so that there's at least a little bit of interaction between you and the infant). We arrived at the "theater" around 4pm for an 8pm show and were the first attendees there. The "theater" was the Ladies' Literary Club, which is a historic landmark that used to be a meeting place for literary ladies and is now a small auditorium. From the outside, though, it still looks like a house rather than a host for music acts. So we waited on the front steps. After waiting there a little while, a van pulls up and a man with pink pants comes bounding up the steps asking us if this is the place. Chris and I tell him it is and then wonder to ourselves if this guy is Tim Fite (the opening act that neither of us knew anything about). It turns out yes, it is. A couple of hours later, three other people show up to wait, though they are there to see Tim Fite (they were under the assumption that he was the headliner and had never heard of My Brightest Diamond, and they are most likely high). By this time, it's getting pretty close to the time when doors will be opening and there are five people in line for this show. Will this be the whole audience? It's beginning to seem mighty strange. A little while later, a group of college girls (the show is being sponsored by Calvin College) and ask us if they can go in. We tell them that the doors will open at 7:30pm. They tell us that they're ushers. I restrain from asking them why they asked us if they could go in if they're working there while at the same time thinking that if the crowd (which may or may not be comin) gets out of hand, what are these tiny little girls going to do? Then, a little later, a van shows up and out come a handful of Calvin College students. So now, there's a total of about ten people here to see the show. Finally, the doors open and we enter the Ladies' Literary Club. Chris and I go straight to the front row and find the middle two seats. The people behind us? They get as close as the third row. This trend continues as others file in the small auditorium. There are even several people who get as close as the second row, then decide that it's too close and move back! Why is the front row too close? We had no idea and will remain confused about this for a very long time.

Anyway, now the show starts with Tim Fite. It's a really interesting act, and while Chris and I were nervous about this guy, all our fears were put to rest. He is a great performer who incorporates video into his show and interacts with the audience very well. At one point, he came into the audience to grab one guy's hat, my scarf, and another guy's glasses to wear up onstage while he finished his song. He also played mine and Chris' heads like a turntable. He also has an interesting mixture of genres, including Southern Gothic bluegrass/folk, pop, and political hip hop. I recommend checking him out. Around 9pm, My Brightest Diamond took the stage and this is where the concert-going experience hits the apex of strangeness. Chris and I stood at the edge of the stage, as we would for any other show, only we were the only ones. There was My Brightest Diamond, then us standing there, then a good three to four feet of floor, then the front row of seats, then everyone else, who remained seated and silent. Chris and I sang along, but I had to mouth along to some songs since it was so quiet in the auditorium. And of course we rocked out, but we were dancing in front of a whole auditorium. It felt very weird and I much prefer being crammed into a tiny space in front of the stage, surrounded by pushy and sweaty teenagers to this experience of being the only ones up by the stage. The last song was "Freak Out" and here people came up to jump around, but it was only at this point that we were joined by any audience members at all. So, a really great show (including covers of Roy Orbison, Edith Piaf, and Nina Simone), but a really odd occurrence.

After the show, we went up to the merchandise table to buy one of Tim Fite's albums, and he gave us a poster he designed for the tour, as well as two postcards he also designed along with the CD. He was terribly shy and a bit awkward, which was interesting since his stage persona was quite the opposite. He signed our poster and then Shara Worden came out to sign it as well. We had met Shara outside of the theater in Champaign when she was opening for the Decemberists last April and she remembered us. We ended up talking to her for a good twenty minutes or so about an assortment of things, including the films of Jean-Pierre Jeunet, who she is distantly related to (!). We then made the hour-long drive back, still confused about what just happened.

Rock A Little

Lars and the Real Girl, which we saw at a mainstream movie theater in Lansing (which is both great and very unfortunate, is in contention to be one of the best movies of 2007. While it was nice to not have to drive an hour away to see the film (which we had to do to see The Darjeeling Limited and then were kind of screwed out of seeing the short film Hotel Chevalier), seeing it with members of the Lansing community proved difficult. There were a couple of groups of people there (one consisting of pre-teen girls, who I'm guessing still have their copy of The Notebook in their DVD players) who did not understand what this movie was. Like the films of Wes Anderson, Lars and the Real Girl is hard to classify genre-wise and ends up being called a comedy. Some of our fellow audience members clung to that tag and laughed throughout the film, even after it became obvious that this movie isn't a gimmick and doesn't have a schtick. While thoughtful movie-goers were pulled into the story and humanity of this carefully-put together, delicate, deeply compassionate, and magnanimous movie, others were still caught on the one-line premise: a man dates a doll. Everything about this movie was wonderful--directing, writing, and acting (from the whole cast). What's even more wonderful is that it is a jumping-off point for a great post-movie conversation. One is left ruminating over many questions, which is not to say that the film doesn't leave one satisfied--it very much does. I would suggest running out to see this one, but maybe it's best left viewed without the kids who got lost on their way to go see The Game Plan.