Exciting news (well, not that exciting)...

I went to Borders earlier to waste time before a movie and they had some bargain bins up front. I rooted around and found a bunch of books that a) sounded interesting, b) are supposed to be good, and/or c) I'd thought about buying previously.

So, for $4 each, I bought (in paperback):
The Ruins of California by Martha Sherrill
Bride Island by Alexandra Enders
The Saffron Kitchen by Yasmin Crowther
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

And despite some of those titles, none of them are crappy, women's beach-reads. Though I didn't notice until now that they are all female authors. Interesting.

For $6, I got Charmed Thirds by Megan McCafferty (it was more expensive because it's hardcover). And this one is a frivolous read, but I had the first two a while back and remember enjoying them immensely. So I figured I'd take the chance.

Then, as an impulse buy while in line, I picked up Ella Enchanted (the DVD), on sale for $8. Alright, so it's not a great movie, but Anne Hathaway and Hugh Dancy in a silly fairy tale? Why not?


After, I went to see Priceless, a French comedy with Audrey Tautou and Gad Elmaleh (of The Valet fame). It was cute. Could have been better, it felt a little disjointed...like they weren't quite sure what the focus of the film should be. But it was interesting and fun.

For the first time since probably sophomore year of high school (so...7 years?) I left my place of residence without ANY makeup.

No foundation, no powder, and (most shocking of all), no eyeliner.

Whoa.

(To put it in perspective, I don't even take out the trash or walk across the parking lot to get the mail without putting on foundation and eyeliner.)

I'm so Tilda Swinton. ;-)


Additionally, I went out in public without a hoodie over the tank top I'm wearing. Bare arms outside...so not me.


Granted, I was just going to the Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market to return a couple Redbox DVDs and get some dinner via drive-thru.

Which brings me to my next talking point...I love the Redbox. I had a promo code for a free rental, so yesterday I went and rented The Golden Compass (about which I expressed my disappointment earlier) and Cloverfield (which I felt was ridiculously good in many ways...mostly in filmmaker-y creativity).

Both movies cost me a total of $1.07.

Perfect.


And as a final note: I'm having my weekly "why the fuck is everything on at 9pm on a Thursday night?" dilemma. My TiVo is currently recording "CSI" and "Grey's Anatomy."

And I know I should be grateful that it can record two shows at once. Except that I'm missing out on "The Office"/"30 Rock" AND "Don't Forget the Lyrics" featuring Bret Michaels.

Boo.

Apparently, my TiVo needs to be able to record 4 shows at once. Damn you Thursday night TV!!!

Keep in mind that I haven't yet read the book (though I have read the first chapter twice)...but I'm watching The Golden Compass and it's not very good.

The story is probably too complicated for a movie, which is why it is ridiculously dense. But I'm sure the same can be said for the Harry Potter films.

The issue I have is mostly with the writing. It is too minimal and thin, and by that I mean that there are parts that could and should be used for exposition, that either aren't and so it feels like something is missing, or they are used poorly and only reveal certain information, and do so in a very clumsy manner. It feels unpolished and not as concise as it could be.

Additionally, the structure of the film is very uneven. Long, uneventful and unfulfilling scenes are followed by very short scenes, densely packed with loads of complicated information. Not only that, but the dense scenes often featured a character who only appears briefly and then leaves you wondering what the hell just happened (the first appearance of Eva Green, for example, in which she comes, gives a shitload of backstory and a little insight into the future, and then leaves and we don't see her for another 45 minutes). It was difficult to follow along and highly inconsistent.


I do like the actors, for the most part. I wish there were a little more Daniel Craig, but that's for purely selfish reasons (damn, that man has the most amazing blue eyes). Eva Green was nice, too, and Sam Elliott might have been my favorite character overall. And while I liked that Freddie Highmore and Ian McKellen provided voices, it would have been awesome if they were actually in the film. Oh, and I feel it necessary to just mention Christopher Lee, and leave it at that.

It was an interesting story and I feel like the book would have been very good. But as a film, it is simply clumsy.

And now I really need the sequel because the whole second half, I was waiting for the big confrontation with Daniel Craig and then nothing. It just ended. Ummm...boo. At least Harry Potter resolves at the end of every book/movie (except possibly Deathly Hallows which is currently listed as having "Part I" and "Part II" on IMDb, with release dates a year apart. Boooooooo).


Alright. I think that was all. Or at least I'm close enough to having finished putting all of my thoughts in the post that I don't feel the need to complete it any further. Just call me "Leonardo."

I think today was "phone calls from friends" day.

I received calls from Zoe, Caitlin, and Candace. And I called no one. Because I'm clearly a terrible friend.

But it was so cheerful!


Anyway, so I'm back in Orlando after a week of traveling to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for my cousin Tiffany's wedding (she just turned 22, BTW).

The wedding was pretty good. The night I stayed at my sister Fayanne's house and got to meet my newest niece (who is a total cutie) was the best part of my week. The worst was most certainly spending 50 hours in a car with my parents. Ugh.


In other good news, I got an email today from my art history professor/thesis advisor about a possible internship, so I sent a resume to a woman at the Orlando Museum of Art. Still waiting to hear from her. If I don't by Monday, I'll start applying for other jobs (movie theater, Disney, whatever).


So yes. Family, friends, possible job. Things are feeling good.

Plus, I'm back in my own apartment with my own bed in my own room and my own bathroom. Which always feels good.


Oh, and I watched NPH on Ellen (he watched the Idol too!), and started watching "How I Met Your Mother" before Idol started. I love him. I really need to go see Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay...just for my NPH fix.

For the second time recently (and by "recently" I mean the past 3 or 4 days), I've had a dream where I was in prison.


Aside from the obvious interpretation, any idea what that means?


To give a little context: the first time, I was falsely accused and was being somewhat mistreated (I would get punished for doing things wrong when I didn't know what I was doing in the first place). Also, Hannibal Lecter was there, but that was obviously from watching Silence of the Lambs recently (though it was a source of great anxiety in the dream).

Then, last night, I was trying to find a way to escape and discussing the prison's weaknesses with other inmates (though I never got a chance to actually attempt escaping). Oh, and Jason Segal was there...you know...because that's normal (and I saw Forgetting Sarah Marshall on Saturday).

Both were quite odd, and I can honestly say that I didn't like being in prison.

Mmm...Pirates is on USA.

It really goes without saying that it makes me exceedingly happy and pains me greatly to have to turn it off.

But alas, I have work to do. And I've seen it close to 10 times already.

And to be completely honest, I think I like the second one better. Evil Tom Hollander, a scruffy and dirty Commodore Norrington, a three-way battle between the hottest men, a lip-lock between Jack and Elizabeth, and Elizabeth dressed as a boy pirate? Really...it kicks the first one's ass.

Not to mention that it has significantly less plot holes. Because honestly, the Aztec curse makes no sense.

Though the original does have some great lines. So very quotable.


Damn, I love me some Commodore Norrington. And to be honest, Will is a bit of a pussy. I'm not a fan.

"The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder." - Alfred Hitchcock

Hilarious and so true.

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In other news, I went shopping today and bought two dresses.

I was definitely not intending to do it, but they were on sale (40% off - I saved $52, plus I had a $25 gift card). I almost immediately regretted the purchases, and I may end up returning one or both. I think I'll see what the roommates think of them.

Additionally, I have two new bras. Exciting, no?

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And some fun news: I mentioned before how I needed an 83 on my Geography exam to get an A for the semester. I got a 98. Which is crazy because I was estimating I got 3 or 4 questions wrong, but apparently I only missed one (there were 50 questions, so each was worth 2 points).

But that means I most certainly have an A for the semester, I most certainly won't be taking the final exam, and I am most certainly done with that class forever!

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John Edwards doing the "Word" (or rather, the "EdWord") on "The Colbert Report" last night was HILARIOUS. I adore him. I was so looking forward to Kerry/Edwards '04. How on Earth did Bush get reelected?

And, though it probably goes without saying: Obama > Hillary. (Much like his cameo on "The Colbert Report" was better than her cameo). I like the lady, but come on now.

PS - Is is bad that I like Obama more because he's an elitist?

A truly fantastic night of buffalo chicken pizza, 101 Dalmatians (which was SO much better than I remembered...I mean, I remembered it being good, but it's REALLY good), Lady and the Tramp, and a round+ of Disney Scene It with Colleen.

Oh yeah. We're hard-core.


BTW - I'm ridiculously good at Disney trivia. Like...too good to be human. The first game of Scene It we played, I had gotten to the end and won the game, while Colleen was still only 6 spaces away from start. Granted, she kept rolling low numbers and getting All Plays, and I consistently rolled 4s and 6s and got an even number of All Plays and other challenges (My Plays, trivia card questions).

But still. It's almost embarrassing to be this good. She's good, too. I'm just freakish.

After that, we just did the Party Play so we could both participate.


Also, we have tentative plans to have a "Disney Day" and watch all sorts of obscure Disney flicks (like A Goofy Movie) as well as some more popular mainstream ones (I'm thinking an early-90s mini-marathon of The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and The Lion King...and for those perfectionists out there, technically The Little Mermaid is "late 80s").

Oh, lofty goals. ;-)


PS - I think if I get a boy cat, I might name him "Sergeant Tibbs." It's a pretty kick-ass name for a cat.

I take back what I said about Ted Levine not being entirely recognizable as Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs while portraying Capt. Leland Stottlemeyer in "Monk."

It turns out that in the earlier years of the show, when his hair was darker and shorter, and his mustache significantly smaller...he is very much Buffalo Bill.

Eww.

I will still watch the episode, of course, but I never really liked the early seasons anyway. And Natalie is ten times better than Sharona (she was so annoying and kind of mean).

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In other news: I just took my Geography exam, so I'm done with that class FOREVER. Sweet.

And grades will be posted later TONIGHT. Double sweet.

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It's my Mom's birthday today. She turned 60. Whoa.

Additionally, I was the first of her children to call and wish her a "happy birthday" so I think I get a gold star for that.

Also, this weekend, she's coming out to Orlando (most likely with my aunt Judy) so we can go to a Norman Rockwell exhibit at the Orlando Museum of Art. I'd say "I'm taking her to the museum for her birthday" but that would imply that I'll be paying, and I seriously doubt she'll let me pay for myself, let alone for her.

But it should be a good time. We might even be heading to Downtown Disney afterward for some shopping.

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I am TOTALLY craving some Pizza Hut. That greasy, yet crispy pan pizza crust is sounding soooo good.

Methinks I'll be ordering some delivery for dinner.

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Tomorrow, I'm going shopping after class. I am in desperate need of new bras. Good thing I got a $100 Victoria's Secret gift card for Christmas.

I might also look for something new to wear to my cousin's wedding. I'm thinking of sporting the sweater and pants look...it's going to be cold and I really don't like dresses unless they are princess-y and I can't wear a princess-y dress to a wedding that isn't mine. Can't show up the bride and all that. I'll probably wear heels and hose, though, so that's something.

Florida Mall, here I come!

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I think that's all I've got.

Yesterday was a spectacularly brilliant, yet fairly uneventful day.


When I left for class at 8:30am, it was 56 degrees outside. Brrr! And it was lovely (and about the same temperature as back home in Chicago). It made me cheerful.

I handed in my final paper for American Cinema and because we have no final exam...it was our last class meeting ever. So I'm done with that class entirely. Hopefully I'll clinch an A for the semester. Additionally, class let out 20 minutes early, so I had plenty of time to run to the post office and drop off a Netflix, go to Best Buy to pick up Juno (which Colleen and I watched later that night), and even go to Panera during the lunch rush to get a sandwich to go. I knew I was in a cheery mood because the ridiculous lines and even more ridiculous people at the Panera did not make me annoyed, but rather amused.

I ate my lunch with due leisure at home before heading back to campus for Theory and Criticism in Art History. It was a note-intensive day, trying to cram in the last of the material needed for the final exam, while clarifying some of the material that got lost along the way. It was interesting, though, and there were many ideas that struck a cord.

After, I met with my professor to discuss my thesis. I was supposed to turn in a revised copy this week, but she said the draft I gave her two weeks ago was close enough to being finished that I don't need to give her anything else (it was completed, just not fully polished). She's giving me an A for the semester. Sweet. I still plan to revise it, and incorporate her comments, just for my own obsessive perfectionism.

Later, I went to my last lecture of Geography. We have an exam tomorrow (on the last day), and if I'm satisfied with my final grade at that point, I don't have to take the final exam next week. (I don't plan on taking the final exam regardless of my grade...I will be leaving at 2am that morning to drive up to Iron Mountain, Michigan for my cousin's wedding. So a 3pm final doesn't really work for me.)


What's really cool about all that? After tomorrow's Geography exam, I will have completed 3 of my 5 courses this semester...before finals week even starts. Sweet.

So I'll have the weekend to study for my two art history exams, which are Tuesday and Wednesday. And then I'm done. Forever. Whoa. A week from today and my college career is finished. Crazy.


Today, my only plans are to finish polishing my thesis and then study for Geography. I need an 83% on the exam to get an A for the semester. To this point, my scores have been 88, 87, and 94, so if I study hard enough, I might be able to clinch that. But if I end up with a B, I'll deal.

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In other news, I adore Michelle Obama. Not gonna lie. Love her. I think she'd be a kick-ass First Lady. Hillary-Clinton-circa-1993 style.

I love Casablanca. I'm not being a pretentious film snob when I say it's one of my favorite films of all time. It is simply fantastic.


"I've often speculated why you don't return to America. Did you abscond with the church funds? Run off with a senator's wife? I like to think you killed a man. It's the Romantic in me."

Oh, Claude Rains. Captain Renault is easily one of the best comedic characters of all time. So glib!

Oh, just 'cause...


Mac: But our shenanigans are cheeky and fun!
Foster: [referring to Farva] Yeah, and his shenanigans are cruel and tragic...which makes them not really shenanigans at all.
Mac: [in a silly voice] Evil shenanigans!
Captain O'Hagan: I swear to God I'm going to pistol whip the next guy who says "shenanigans."
Mac: Hey Farva! What's the name of that restaurant you like with all the goofy shit on the walls and the mozzarella sticks?
Farva: You mean Shenanigans?
Mac and Thorny: [handing the Captain their pistols] OOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I find that most of the movies I watch on TV...I own on DVD.

Earlier, I caught the end of A Good Year, and I just finished watching John Tucker Must Die (both on HBO).

And now? I've got Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on one channel, and Super Troopers for the commercial breaks.


Now, you may be thinking that it's ridiculous to waste my time watching something I can watch anytime (and in widescreen without commercial interruptions).

But I think differently. See, it goes to show that the movies I like to watch the most, I already own on DVD. So my collection reflects my likes accurately and encompasses films that are suited for repeat viewing (why own DVDs that you'd never want to watch, despite how "good" they may be?).



Additionally, Kenneth Branagh is a total douche bag. He better be amazing in bed, because I don't know how else he could have gotten both Emma Thompson and Helena Bonham Carter. (As an entertaining side note, all of those people have been featured in Harry Potter films.)

My three favorite quotes from Pride & Prejudice (the Keira film version, of course) used in describing Elizabeth:

Lady Catherine de Bourgh: You give your opinion very decidedly for so young a person.
Mrs. Gardiner: Take care, my love. That savors strongly of bitterness.
Mr. Gardiner: Oh heavens, Lizzy! What a snob you are!


I mostly enjoy them because I often find them popping into my head as a way to describe myself. A bitter snob who's set in her ways...'tis me, I fear.

So I've been thinking a lot about the Mormons...the young, short-sleeved, collared-shirt wearing stooges have been continuing to solicit the residents of my complex.

Our neighbor Anthony even let them in and is apparently going to one of their events/meetings/whatevers. Crazy.

But it made me wonder about religions as a whole. Could you imagine if a Muslim knocked on your door and said he had a message from Allah? Selling religion door-to-door is just ridiculous.

Aside from that, though, I was thinking about general understanding of not only religion, but of social, cultural, political, economic differences in the world as a whole. Now, I try to learn a little about something before I decide that it's crazy and use it as fodder for hilarious rants and anecdotes. But I feel most people don't. How may people boycotting the Beijing Olympics know anything about Asian history, specifically that of Communism in China (or anything about communism at all) and the situation with Tibet?

I don't really have a point here, I just wish people would try to educate themselves. Perhaps that's what my neighbor Anthony is doing...getting some first-hand experience. I think I'll stick with the internet as a source for my broadband information.

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In a more shameful note, right now I am watching The Tuxedo, that horrendously terrible Jackie Chan movie. "Why?" you may be asking yourselves.

Because of the toe-curlingly amazing Jason Isaacs. (And the "toe curling" wasn't an exaggeration. His character started to speak and my toes got a mind of their own.)

He's just so beautiful and has that amazing accent and, dear god, those eyes.

I'll probably end up forwarding past every scene in the movie that doesn't have him in it, but it's so totally worth it.

Edit: Turns out his character goes into a coma within the first half-hour. Dammit. Maybe he'll come back later in the movie. Either way, it's making it a lot faster to get through this...especially on 3x fast forward.

For those of you playing along at home, you'll remember a few days ago when I lamented not being able to work on my film paper, comparing The Searchers with Silence of the Lambs.

Additionally, I noted that it was going to be difficult to find similarities between Uncle Ethan and Hannibal Lecter.


But I have made a breakthrough.

Uncle Ethan is not like Hannibal...he's like Clarice. Hannibal Lecter is more like Natalie Wood (I can never remember her character name...something like Annie or June). [Edit: her character is Debbie. Damn, I hate being wrong.]

You see, in the end, Ethan overcomes his hatred of natives enough to embrace his niece and not kill her, while Clarice is able to somewhat look past the sociopathic monstrosity that is Hannibal Lecter and begins to not only respect his genius, but to damn-near trust him. (I haven't seen the movie in a few years, but I believe that's what happens).

Hannibal and Debbie are both agents that allow Ethan and Clarice to see beyond something horrifying and revolting. Or something like that.


So yes. When I'm done with all my thesis shit, I'll rewatch both films (Silence of the Lambs should be shipping today from Netflix) and do an actual analysis.

Oh, goody.

I mentioned before how I watch TV only during meal breaks from writing my thesis and term paper, and just now I had It Could Happen to You on one channel, while A League of Their Own covered for commercials on another.

It kills me to have to turn them off...who doesn't love mid-90s chick flicks?


But I have been SUPER productive last night, and already this morning. My term paper is nearly finished, and it's to a point now where I can put it aside until after I finish working on my thesis.

You see, the term paper is due on Thursday, whereas the thesis is due Tuesday so you may think that I should have been giving the thesis priority. However, the term paper actually lays some of the important groundwork for the central argument of my thesis, so it was beneficial to work out all the logistic in one before plugging it in to the other. If that makes sense.

And so I have been adding to my thesis a great deal, taking largely from what I've already written for my term paper. I've also been editing my thesis to incorporate the comments my professor suggested.

I still have a lot to do, and only two days in which to do it. I'm more than a little nervous. There's a possibility I won't get it all done, but I hope not. I will be staying up late tonight (I'm sure of it), and then tomorrow I'm done with class by 9:30, so I'll have the entire day in which to write more.


And so I have used as my subject line for the post the immortal words of Will Ferrell to cover my bases and call upon all metaphysical beings to help me in completing this most difficult task. I really don't want to have to go into my thesis advisor and say "I know I had a month, and all of Spring Break...but it's not done." Yeah, I was irresponsible...but I was so done with this th