ahh! real monsters

went and saw a screening of ROCKY last night dressed as BRAD MAJORS. it was a really good time. afterwards went to IHOP and when i was leaving these older trashed (hot) ladies who were drunk off their asses were trying to get me to give them a ride home. thought about it but then i remembered that scene in 40 yr. old virgin when the hottie spreads lung butter all over steve carell's car. from there my mind jumped to the movie TEETH which has apparently scarred me for life, and i simply said, "No."

Choking

Last night I watched the film Choke (Palahniuk -- not that any of you don't know that already).  I was going to actually write a review of it this morning, but before I started I wanted to see what a few other critics had to say about it first.  The first one I came to was a review from the Sundance Film Festival and it said everything i wanted to say.  Read it here.

Basically though, the movie is good.  I would give it a nice, solid B.  Sam Rockwell and Anjelica Huston, esp. Rockwell, MAKE the movie.  Without them I don't think the film would have been nearly as successful.  Rockwell definitely meets the grunge level required for the film.  Obviously this is a movie so parts of the book had to be left out, but the last part of the book, when the stoning takes place, is left out (Sundance explains that it was because of budget issues) and that was disappointing.

Musically:  the soundtrack is amazing, but, and don't get me wrong here -- I LOVE radiohead -- but they closed the movie with RECKONER off of the new album and it didn't fit.  Lyrically you can bend the lyrics to kind of tie it in with ending, but without that the music came out of nowhere and didn't fit the mood.

Sundance also talks about a crappy score, but to be honest, I didn't really pay attention to it most of the time, so I don't think I can even comment on that portion.  I was too wrapped up in the dialogue.

------

Just remember when you see this film, that it is not Fight Club.  They are both good, but also both totally different animals.

Adios.

the next messiah

"I'm going to be just like you: the job, the family, the fucking big television, the washing machine, the car, the compact disc and electrical tin opener, good health, low cholesterol, dental insurance, mortgage, starter home, leisurewear, luggage, three-piece suite, DIY, game shows, junk food, children, walks in the park, nine to five, good at golf, washing the car, choice of sweaters, family Christmas, indexed pension, tax exemption, clearing the gutters, getting by, looking ahead, to the day you die. "

angela huston creeps me out but i still think she's great

Chuck Palahniuk's latest interview talking about the upcoming movie CHOKE.

(only problem is that it's only a partial interview with premier)

i am so freaking excited . . . i don't know what to do with myself.

EDIT: link is now fixed.

all aboard

leaving to go see either the Dark Knight (again) or Pineapple Express.

very torn as to which to see.

damn decision making.

damn it to hell

dear hst, why, why, why?

gonzo in little rock august 8th.

fucking excited.
finally.

but wait, i'll be out of town that weekend too.
dammit.
when will i ever see this film?

got new:

1) Beck modern guilt
2) Mason Jennings in the ever

both fantastic.
buy them.
download them.
just listen to them.

on the road to hitting bottom

i'm afraid, dear friends, that i may never be able to enjoy another single movie in my life.

batman was that good.

see also:

i am reed fish

check out:

the disturbia soundtrack
(it actually has a few surprises -- though i'm not saying it's awesome. only a few songs are)

read also:

roberto bolano

it is porno.
in the good way.
or is there any other?

ate way too much guacamole tonight

(condensed version of song)

friday went to folk festival.
made some new friends.
we played guitars for 3 hrs.
(mostly dylan covers, plus some stuff we all made up)
heard some good music too.
plans fell through for going back on sat.
but i still managed to play guitars with my bro-in-law in the river market.
had a good time there too.

and i just finished the most bull shit paper on fatherhood ever produced.
well, that is if you ask me.

ps don't bother with THERE WILL BE BLOOD. the acting is fantastic. it just needs a friggin plot that's worth something.

rooftops transform into blank white canvases

it's one hour until my birthday, a day that really doesn't hold its weight for me, and i'm listening to duke ellington. i just finished michel gondry's film the science of sleep, and frankly i'm thinking of cashing in a little bit early tonight. sunshine was especially nice to me today; she made a birthday post for me, let me choose what i wanted to get from her for my present (the new sonic youth album), and informed me that sonic youth is coming to arkansas in the near future with michael franti and spearhead. and now i leave you with this:

The sound of the constant cascade of water from the faucet colliding with the water sitting below -- it’s all that I can hear. It’s blocking out all other sounds, all other thoughts. The water finally gets to the point where I like it -- about three inches from the top of the porcelain tub, and I turn it off. The silence is stunning. A chill runs up my naked spine as I carefully place one foot in the bath, still hesitant about the temperature, and then I slowly ease into the warm blanket. It’s very odd lying there, letting my mind empty itself out, not thinking about a single thing. Like a wave rising then in one eloquent motion flattening back out, I sink into the steamy water, letting it envelope my entire body, and for a tiny moment, looking through eyes made of bursting clouds, I dream of not getting up.

beat up old hats

something i didn't expect: dante's inferno is surprisingly a pleasant read.

something exciting: it's dobro day, baby. how much more money can you get?

something you'll hate me for: saying money when i talk (watch swingers and you will understand).

and how's the weather you ask?

wet and kinda cold. i love it. but i need to find a jacket.

i hydroplaned on the way from school to the house and almost ran into an 18 wheeler and then, in a brave attempt at avoiding said collision, i did a 180 in the middle of the highway.

fun times.

mute math

this band is great if you've never seen them.
they put on a very "high energy" show.
think classic who kind of stuff
(not musically though)

my world lit class was cut really short today because my prof is sick, so i decided to go ahead and skip world civ too. i thought, "why the hell not? i haven't missed any days so far." so since i'm home early i decided to go ahead and get my homework out of the way so i won't put it off until the last minute (while listening to The Sadies -- thanks hkd). i have to read a chapter in sociology, read a few poems in world lit, and do about 50 math problems or so.

on saturday a group of us went bowling for danielle's birthday.
we all sucked really bad.
i got the highest score in our second game: 96.
first game i only got a 64.
it was terrible really.
then i went to josh's place and skateboarded for awhile.
after that i drank a few beers and a bottle of wine while watching
fear and loathing in las vegas.

saeglopur

Has anyone seen The Diving Bell and The Butterfly?

Here's a very brief synopsis I found:

Elle France editor Jean-Dominique Bauby, who, in 1995 at the age of 43, suffered a stroke that paralyzed his entire body, except his left eye. Using that eye to blink out his memoir, Bauby eloquently described the aspects of his interior world, from the psychological torment of being trapped inside his body to his imagined stories from lands he'd only visited in his mind.

It sounds very interesting to me, but no one I know has seen it, much less heard of it, thus far. And, what's even more amazing, it's actually playing in Arkansas.

Also, I just bought Takk . . . by Sigur Ros. It is absolutely beautiful and quite possibly the most emotional music I have ever heard. I highly suggest it, especially if you are into world, down-tempo, and/or music of a more meloncholy nature. But get it even if you are not, and listen to the entire thing, front to back, in one sitting.

It will change you.

eagle vs shark

this movie is hilarious. see it. but you'll probably have to get it on netflix because it's from New Zealand. And Claire hasn't seen it yet. what a loser.

welcome to another sober new year

This waiting room I'm in, it's classic in a small town kind of way. It's actually a house dating back to the early 1900's. The entry way consists of tiny hexagonal tiles about an inch long. Most of them are white, but every couple of feet or so there is a forest green diamond and each point it contains is yellow. They are all dirty and worn; the floor needs to be swept. There is a green potted plant next to the dry dirt-colored door that reminds me of the leaning Tower of Pisa. Did you know that nearly every year the Italians have to poor a new foundation for it to remain standing? It's because it resides on marshland. Anyway, this plant looks like it has the same problem. Right now, it looks like I have the same problem. The room is flooded with both natural and artificial light, and currently there is an elderly black woman searching for her car just outside the doorway while keeping the door open, letting the 18 degree cold blast of air hit me like the World Heavyweight Champion. After I notice the walls, I realize the part of the building I'm in is actually a renovation that was made quite some time ago. Once upon a time, these red brick walls got to taste the wind as it lapped against it like the ocean greets greets the shore; now it's left to keeping the sick warm and building up a layer of disinfectant spray as thick and hard as the concrete that supports it. There are antique pictures hung on the wall; three to be exact. They are all painted in the same Norman Rockwell style -- very contemporary, very detailed. One has a girl, probably 9 or 10 years old, brushing her hair in a copper colored mirror. Another is of a girl holding a baby doll in a rocking chair with blue wall paper behind her. It looks like the artist painted it from a picure they had. The final one is of a very small boy who is playing with a toy train and a handful of blocks that have the ABCs printed on them. The frames are actually screwed into the wall.

Now I am growing impatient; I've been here for nearly an hour without being shown into a room and two kids, a brother and sister, both of which are wearing cowboy boots -- his are brown, while hers are lime green and pink, are starting to wear on my nerves. She's reading a Family Fun magazine. Out loud. With commentary. Her brother is about as annoyed as I am, so he hits her in the arm. From there she proceeds to cry, but it's noticeably fake. She needs to work on her act. She runs to tell her mother. It's quiet. Finally. She returns in under a minute. So much for that.

*those are some things i jotted down while waiting to be seen at the doctor for my knee. i collapsed yesterday while playing boxing on the wii (though that really had nothing to do with it). i heard a grinding noise followed by a crack and down i fell. it brought on quite a bit of pain to be honest. because of it i have not been able to walk correctly. i'm in a knee brace and putting hot and cold packs on it constantly. the doctor gave me pain killers. wish they were a little more effective. i have to stay off of it for 2-3 days and if i'm not feeling better i get to have a cortizone (spell?) shot on friday. just in time for school to start back on monday.

ps. watch mr. brooks. it's twisted and i like it.

good night princes of maine, kings of new england

i just found out that i am a reason for a possible soon-to-be divorce. the husband thinks that something is going on between his wife and me. he is wrong. he has been told so. now he realizes that we "share a connection" that he is lacking with her. they are utterly unhappy, but are sticking it out for the kids. she told me she kind of wants to have an affair in spite of him. politely i told her no with the whole "don't bring yourself down to his level / make him right" speech.

and i just watched cider house rules again.

and i took the entire day off to study for finals tomorrow.

(i didn't study)

tuesday, bloody tuesday

Apparently, at some point this afternoon I cut my thumb open. Don't know how, when, where, or anything. In fact I didn't even realize it until I saw some of my blood on some of the decals I was printing out. Then I found it all over my clothes, the table, my face -- practically everywhere. But boy, does it taste good.

Saw Reservoir Dogs this weekend. Bought it for $4 at Wal-Mart.

Got a bit wasted too. Wine, Rum, Tequila (petron actually). Good times.

Set up the Christmas Tree (loads of fun -- ha)

Read a little Hunter S. Thompson. Very good. Inspirational in fact. Makes me want to write. But really I shouldn't -- finals are this Friday and Monday. I'm thinking of taking off all of Thursday to study for Biology and Spanish. Well, just Biology really. 35 Chapters. Plus 15 some odd labs. All has to be memorized. But I'm not sure. I'm not working more than a half day.

Do you hear me? Can you believe what I just said? Taking off work to STUDY. Seriously. As in, no bullshit. I must be sick or something. The Sunshine must be getting to me.

heroin or no?

Craziness I tell you, craziness.

Tonight I saw Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D!
It was amazing. It made so happy it was probably/actually ridiculous.

Then I had tortellini for dinner. Stupendous. And I was starving which made it taste even better.

Bought the album DIGITAL ASH IN A DIGITAL URN by Bright Eyes. So good.

Came home and then bought 2 tickets to his show in Memphis this coming Tuesday. The 2nd is for Josh. It's his Christmas present. Am I an awesome friend or what (no comments please)? Hopefully Connor won't be tweaking from Heroin and everything will go smoothly. These things will make the Seth happy. Especially since it cost me $70 before I even get on the road. I probably won't sleep at all that night. I might just skip school the next day. But really I'll probably will go at least for my 10:00 creative writing class to talk to Sara about it (she's going too -- for her birthday).

Distance: 112.9 miles

Estimated time: 1 hr. 45 min.

Sorry you're missing out Jessica.

pattern recognition

good news: i bought sonic youth's album NURSE this weekend. absolutely amazing.

but i'm lame and sitting at home on a saturday night with no plans at all. and i'm completely sober. something isn't right. i'm even thinking of working out. while listening to my new album . . . joyously. i must be sick or something.

oh and last night i got a pumpkin spice latte and, my favorite thing in the world, pumpkin pie cheesecake. muy delicioso.

and i watched FINDING NEVERLAND last night. i forgot how amazing that movie is.

somewhere only we know

Neither of the movies I wanted to see came out this weekend in AR (Across the Universe and Into the Wild). This fucking state blows.

So instead last night I had a few beers, and 3 shots of cheap tequila while I watched Varsity Blues and Love, Ludlow.


As soon as I can find it, I'm going to buy Ludlow. One of my new favorite movies. You feel like you know the characters because they are portrayed so well. The dialogue is uncanny. The characters seem so common and ordinary, but at the same time, very . . . um . . . quirky. Really, I don't know how to describe it. Just watch it. Then you'll understand.


And in further disappointing news:
I didn't go apartment hunting. Both of the people I was suppose to go with had really bad hangovers. So I bought new jeans instead.

life is beautiful

let the record show that on this night/morn, I am drinking myself to sleep.

my poison?

vodka.

cheap vodka.

straight.

oh and also: go see Shrek the 3. because it has the immigrant song in it. actually it's my favorite part of the whole movie.