I called you at the same time you called me.

(of course there are spoilers in the following comments)

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY

Not as scary as the hype, but still pretty creepy. It didn't induce any nightmares/sleepless nights following the viewing, but I think that can be attributed to a few factors.

1) The hype. Lots of hype can really have a negative effect on films for me. (See: viewing experiences of both The Blair Witch Project and The Ring). I really would have been surprised if it had lived up to *all* of that hype.
2) The theatre of our viewing experience was a very chatty theatre. Not to the point of being distracting, but it was there nonetheless. Also lots of nervous laughter and lots of "zomg, I love horror movies & scary shit gleeful laughter". All of these things make a movie going experience inherently less terrifying.

I don't think it was boring at all. Paranormal Activity definitely kept my attention the whole time and definitely built up the creep factor as we went along. I've read articles that say the movie was edited significantly from its original version that was screened at film festivals, and that the edits were for the better. The scares and incidents with the being ramp up along the way; apparently before they were just in random order.

The one thing that really did disappoint me, the one thing I wish the movie had done was bringing back that knife. Early on in the film, Micah is cooking and holding a large knife. As an audience, we are clearly meant to see this object. Does it ever come back? No. That would have been a wonderful bookend to the film; if that knife had come back in the final scene.

(Apparently, in an alternate ending to the story, it does. This ending was only screened once and is significantly more gory than the ending the film currently has, but in terms of storytelling and the pay off that comes with bringing back something you saw earlier, I really would have preferred that alternate ending. Something to look forward to on the DVD, I suppose.)

Also: While I see how this film is a story better told as mockumentary/found footage, I still really like horror movies for their mythology and back stories. I really want to know more about this creature/where it came from and you simply don't get that in a found footage sort of film. I know it makes it more scary, but I personally just really enjoy backstory.

So, not an earth-shattering experience, but a nice time indeed.

ZOMBIELAND

There are some things that, if a movie has them, I'm probably going to like them. Zombieland had all of the following elements, there really is no question that I had a great time.

-a mexican stand-off
-rockin soundtrack
-main character voice over
-lists
-reference back to lists (teach us something, then show it to us again to prove your point)
-stylized violence/slow motion fight scenes (Zack Snyder movies, anyone?)
-gleeful gore (really getting into it, balls to the wall) (because really, if you're going to do that, you gotta go all out (example: Kill Bill) )
-an amusement park at night
-montages
-pop culture references

This was really fun. End of story. I probably will see this again.

So, I have a fever. Last check? 100.6.

Not terrible, but certainly not a-okay.
Anyways, I am very happy that KK & AP are concerned for my health. They know I don't usually get sick, so its very kind/funny of them to keep telling me that they know I'm a competent adult, but if I start experiencing "dehydration, shortness of breath and ALTERED MENTAL STATE" I need to go to the hospital, because it means I have H1N1.

Fine, I can handle that.

You know what doesn't help this situation? Turning on CBS, and seeing the Titans v. Patriots game, in the snow, in old uniforms, and the score at 0-59.

I really did think I was losing my mind.

Crisis averted, the Titans are just having a terrible day.

yeah, i bought one.

I have intertwining thoughts on the VMAs, Gabe Saporta, fandom, the internet, and connectedness that I don't feel like fleshing out right now. Needless to say, this link gives some background information.

I have developed a strange fascination with Mr. Saporta, as of late. Luckily, he's a bit prolific.

and by best, i mean worst.

http://www.absolutepunk.net/journal.php?do=showcomments&j=3489&e=225352

BEST. SONG. EVER.

"weezer emo, not cobra starship emo"

http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2009/09/ten-great-emo-bands.html

albums i have listened to in their entirety today, without stopping:

hopelessly devoted to you vol. 7
lights out dancing - oh the places you'll go
hey monday - hold on tight
sherwood - sing but keep going + deluxe version acoustic songs

VMA Side Story

One more reason to love Gabe Saporta:

NY Times Op-Ed....have my babies

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/01/opinion/01krauss.html?_r=2


I love the idea of exobiology. This article dovetails nicely with that fascination.

More thoughts later, perhaps. (or maybe I just need a place to save this so I won't forget about it)

"the other day you were sparkling"

"At this point, I'd probably watch grass grow with you if you asked me to."

it may be the endorphins talking, but....

i love my summer job.

with all of my heart.

--------

2009 may go on record as one of the best 3 summers i've ever had, and i didn't expect that at all.

i feel really full of emotion at the present moment.

it really takes talent to be this awkward.

Life is exciting. :)

I love you, Hikaru Sulu.

conference.

this rock is yours.
it has always been yours.
i was just holding it
for you.

thank you for listening, ACP.

i'm feeling quite introspective as of late.

and happy.

and i've never (rarely?) experienced these two things together; and it's quite the powerful feeling.

the world just feels beautiful and full of possibility lately. hope? more than hope.

i'm just babbling.

i spend way too much time thinking about how to vaguely say something i'm too scared to say in a straightforward manner.

wouldn't this be easier if you could just read my mind?

dress your wounds, test your strength, face the night

If I were still in academia and writing papers, I think I'd like to write a paper about the similar feelings evoked by "The Shade of Poison Trees" by Dashboard Confessional and the episode "Once More, With Feeling" from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

I think that would be a fantastic paper. Maybe I can go back in time and use it for the one paper I never wrote in college.....sorry, Dr. Schmoll. Thanks for the B+ in the class anyways. :)

the last week has been bittersweet: a little stressful and wonderfully surprising.

i can't wait for one thing to be over.

but i can't wait for another thing to begin.

lots of things run through my head.

i can't expound on this right now.

i should be sleeping.

i really value those in my life that don't wig out when i get introspective/meloncholy. :)

♥

sometimes you get exactly what you need, exactly when you need it.

more.

While I'm on a run of geeky movie posts.....

watchmen.

Its been 6 days since I saw Watchmen.  While it doesn't constantly come to mind like previous movies have (Surprisingly, this is the effect W. had on me), I still find myself thinking about it.

I need to see it again.   Whereas most films i ruminate on based on plot, I think the fixation with Watchmen is a purely stylistic one.  I think a Zack Snyder triptych would be the bees knees (Dawn of the Dead, 300, Watchmen).

Massawyrm says it better than me.

QT

You know what my life was missing? A new Tarantino movie.

Check out the badass posters.

I like boy movies.

spoiled millionaire

Today is the day my love for movies comes in confict with....my love for movies.

I am over the moon that Slumdog Millionaire is getting all of this press and that more people are getting exposed to this wonderful story.  Its great to see the actors in all of these interviews all over the place too. (coughcoughdevpatelisdreamycoughcough)

However, I'm a little disappointed at the film clip they choose to show as a teaser on all of these talk shows!  They choose a scene that comes very near the end of the movie.  Its the scene that the whole film is building towards.  I remember watching it for the first time and bursting into tears when Jamal phone's a friend.  Its a wonderful moment of pay off after two hours of waiting.  

I'm happy for the publicity, but hope the careful cinematic build up isn't being spoiled by some unthoughtful PR choice.

Okay, rant over.  :)  GO SEE SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE!

news from north dakota.

http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/230784/

Above is a link to a recent article in the Fargo Forum about the local top 40 radio station pulling Chris Brown songs due to his recent behavior.  It is not really the news article that interests me, but rather the responses in the "comments" section.

The comments section is a fairly recent addition to the Fargo Forum's website, and not many stories get comments.  The fact that this article is having a high number of hits and comments; that this is what we care about most, is kind of concerning.

However, there is always a bright side to ignorance.  The comments around page 5 from someone named "Misty I." are quite amusing.   This girl is clearly very upset about this devleopment, too bad her written communication skills don't do anything to help her cause.  

This poor girl wakes up, is probably getting ready for class, and is devistated to read that one of her favorite artists, will no longer be played on the zomg, best radio station in the world, y94.  She is so livid, she must stop getting ready for class, and pen not one, but two responses immediately.

misty l.

Fargo, ND     02/12/2009 7:37 AM

I like Chris Browns music and i totally agree w/ Dana T.& Dave R. Thats completely unfair and U guys shouldn't be so quick to judge. Im sure every1 has done something that they regret!!! I mean he's already lost his wrigly gum contract and his Got milk campaign! I just don't think thats right and then for Y-94 2 just stop playing his music is screwed up!!! In fact if you guys stop playing his music,I mean when U do I'll just start listening to another station because I believe U guys are just trying to follow what every1 else is doing!!! So, So long Y-94!

misty l.
Fargo, ND     02/12/2009 7:52 AM

Another thing NObody knows the full facts and like I said before Y-94 shouldn't be so quick to judge! And your lil pole, I'd like 2 know how many people were involved in that pole for you to say that, i'm sure it wasn't that many! I'm realy P.O! cuz if he wasn't a celebrity and constanly in the public eye we wouldn't make such a BIG deal about it and I'm sure that they'res many many other song artist out there Woman&Men that have altercations everyday. So for you just to pinpoint Chris is totally UNBELEIVABLE 2 ME! I still LIKE CHRIS BROWN and he's an AWESOME ARTIST!!!

I'd like to say the comments get more intelligent  after this point, as the day continues.  However, I would be lying.

news from minnesota.

Because everyone needs regional information. :)

Cat Lady Gone Bad

and

Pocket Knife Saves Life

*On this one you *must* watch the videos on the right sidebar, I love that this man is a regional charicature.  (Note: this is only funny because he lived.)

birthday.

I am completely overwhelmed and surprised by the outpouring of positive messages on my "silver jubilee."

And I don't want this to come off the wrong way, but.....when did I become the person who gets so many birthday greetings?

Sure, you can pin it on facebook; but I've been on facebook for (more than) a while and I wouldn't say facebook is that different than it was a year ago.

Hmmm.  I didn't think this out before I started typing. 

My initial reaction is "Things can change a lot in 10 years," but its not even that, its more like "Things can change a lot in 3 years."

All those old stories that say high school is the best part of your life are crazy.  Growing up was the best thing that ever happened to me.

I'm thinking a lot about self-actualization and stereotypes and boxes (the metaphorical kind, not the packing kind).  I'm just not sure how to put it into words.

ecks

Today, I deleted one of my Facebook friends because she, for the past two weeks, has continually been posting negative status messages about Obama.

I couldn't handle it.

I didn't know what to say.

So I pushed the little X, and rid myself of it. :)

**You know, for as long as I've known enough about the world to care about it, GWB has been our president.  8 years is a long time, when you're almost 25.  I must say, there was a little part of me that thought he would always be our president.  No really, I mean it was kind of all I'd ever known as an adult who had a voice and could care about things.

So, needless to say, Tuesday was a little surreal.  Do I think the world will turn on its head? No.  Do I think I might cringe just a little bit less when I watch the news?  Maybe.

But I'm still going to be ruthless about my facebook associates. :)

chilly.

I just spent the day doing nothing.

About 24 hours ago, I received a call from the person ahead of me on the work phone-tree.  The school day delayed 2 hours, in response to the cold.  I stayed up way too late for a school night, and set my alarm for 8 a.m.

At 7:14 a.m. the phone rang again.  School cancelled for the day. Wahoo!

In a way, I understand it; this is the coldest weather the Twin Cities has seen in 5 years.  On the other hand, the (more northern) school districts I grew up in usually hold school in this weather.  If school was always cancelled when weather got like this, we would never have school.

My favorite part of this whole situation is it was much colder in Fargo today, but some schools weren't even on a delayed schedule.  Business as usual. :)

In fact, I remember January of 2005, before I left for Greece was *much* colder than this in Fargo and I walked to class outside without blinking an eye.  Because my eyes were frozen.  Just kidding.  They weren't frozen, they were just cold. 

Have you ever had cold eyeballs? Its a wierd feeling.

I had more written after this, but it was rambly and boring.  So I deleted it. 

Anybody wanna visit me in Minnesota?  Its warming up on Saturday. :)

cats in space.

You know how its great when somebody just gets you?  In everything I've ever done, through college and grad school and everything in between, I've met lots and lots of wonderful people.  But the greatest concentration of people who really "get" me still exists and is connected with the North Dakota Governor's School.  

When I attended GS, my life changed.  I don't mean to sound over the top about it -- its just plain true.

I was thinking about this the other day (probably because I work in a middle school, and friendships are so tenuous):  the people I was friends with growing up, weren't really people I liked or even had much in common with.  Its harsh but true.  We were friends because, well, who else were we going to be friends with?  Growing up around the same people, who expect you to be a certain way can be really stifling.  (Thats the kindest language I can think of to address this, I'm trying to be diplomatic.)

Then, during the summer after junior year, I went to NDGS to study science for 6 weeks.  I learned a few things about myself:  that I'm an extrovert, that I love being happy-go-lucky and laughing, and that I adore supporting people and listening.  All of this seems common knowledge 7 years later, but it didn't used to be.  Indeed, no one I went to high school with would describe me in those words.

When I went to GS, I met my soulmates, people who were interested in the same things as me, and laughed at the same things as me.  I had experienced that before briefly with one or two people, but never from so many, and for an extended period of time.  It was something I had always wanted, but had never really believed could happen.

Flash forward a few years, I decide to give back and be on res. staff at NDGS for 5 summers.  Some were better than others, but one thing remained the same:  the people.   The res. staff at NDGS is usually made up of at least 85% alumni; its people who are dedicated to the program, who love what it stands for, and (as a bonus) view the world in the same way.

I might have closer bonds and share more secrets with other people in my life, but there is nothing that can compare to spending an evening with Nate, Joel, Katie, Joseph, and David.  Its definitely something to experience and witness, and something my other friends try to understand, but ulitmately don't.  The weekend I came back from Virgina,  Joel, Katie, Joseph & I went to Buffalo Wild Wings.  While I don't remember the exact conversation, I think we talked for close to an hour about the idea of making a series of youtube videos centered around unobjective observations of situations.

The ideas got more ludicrous the longer we talked about it, but the initial idea involved a short glimpse of some mundane situation (i.e. getting in a car accident), and then the camera pulls back and Joel is standing on the sidelines.  He looks at the camera and says completely deadpan "Car crash,"  and the video ends.  I wish I remembered more of the ideas, I really do.  We probably had 15-20 "episodes" discussed, and we were very entertained by the whole business.

I feel like I'm not explaining myself very well.....moving on....

So, as I was saying, isn't it just wonderful when somebody just gets you?  Its even better when you forget that this ability exists in them, and they surprise you out of nowhere.  

Without further ado, I'd just like to say that my friend Joe really gets me.  Why?  Because he posted the following link on my facebook wall.  Enjoy. ♥

clickyclicky.

is this wierd?

Ya know, I really hate W. & everything he's done do the country...but I feel really sad his 18 year-old cat died. :(