Hold Tight

RIP Sally Menke

If There Were No Tea Party

vs.



let's get back on track, people.

Why I Won't Be Going Into Politics

Tonight my father gave me "the talk", which happens about once every six months. It is when he relays in his own subtle way how he believes the direction in which I am taking my life is not optimal. The close alternate to this speech is how I made crucial errors in the past. The last time I got that lecture it was about how I should have played football, gone to Penn State, and could now be making millions of dollars. I tried to counter with the fact that I am 5'10'', have not been in shape since I was 12, and have had four psychotic episodes. Also I'm white.

Anyhow, the current version of "the talk" is about how while acting is admirable, and will probably make me happy, and is something I could do well in, my "gift" for politics made me obligated to pursue that instead. Apparently I have a rare grasp for fact, figure, and dynamics. It really isn't false modesty when I say I don't entirely agree. Nor is this back-handed boasting, just a frame of reference for how my dad gets because I know who Scott Walker is.

After my sincere modesty, I told him that even if he were right I'd equate it to someone understanding more than the average bear about serial killers being told they should become a criminal profiler. To deny it may be shutting the door on a true affinity, but it's the best choice. I simply can't think of anything that would contribute to my already natural hopelessness and depression than working in politics right now.

We have a choice between pussies and cowards. Pussies don't know what's best and are too scared to think about it, cowards do but refuse to do it. I'll let you decide which party is which. Either way, we're in a terrible time for those who want the real solutions to at least be discussed. And I can't imagine being on the inside. I would burn out.

A few of my friends either are or have worked on campaigns, for either side of the aisle. Things have gone well for some, less so for others. Either way, I sense a creeping malaise in all of them. The vigor, idealism, and passion that come with youth would seem to indicate that politics would be a young man's game, but I don't think that's the case. I imagine we're producing yet another generation of the disillusioned who will become more and more detached and opportunistic. And that's fine probably. Little pink houses for you and me.

Nobody wants to see how the sausage is made. But people really don't want to realize that they're making sausage.

P.S. that picture is totally going in the bank.

Labor Day

Chin Chin

Natchez

View Larger Map
google map of the route at the end of Waits' Don't Go Into That Barn. Seems doable. Next Summer.

Man Man

This trailer seems to encompass all of my values. I'm trying to think if anything has been left out.... Nope.

Go Orange

Embrace my distant nationalities like any good American during the World Cup, and being Dutch & Basque (whatever that means), hmmm I wonder who I am to root for...

I think we've all had enough of these Latinate pretty boys

Proper Villains

Unspeakable badass. No explanations or identification, and it shouldn't be any other way, though there are a few I don't know. The track is Godspeed!, which takes me back. Observations and questions:

Good call on John Ryder over Roy Batty for Rutger, it's a nice wild card. Kind of a weird choice for Oldman though, how do you not go Stansfield?

Also isn't this just a list of the best human characters (other than Royal Tenenbaum)? And who will speak for Hans Landa and Ivan Drago?

Go Orange

Famous Dutch off the top of my head:

Franklin & Teddy Roosevelt.

Gerardus van der Leeuw (in no way famous. His wiki page is half the size of the guy who was drummer for Motley Crue after Tommy left, if that ever even happened. But I'm learning about him right now, and he said 'Sacred power is the root of all religion & 'the object of religion is highly exceptional and extremely impressive', so clearly he was a lot of fun.)

Rembrandt.


Famous Brazilians off the top of my head:

Pele (who should almost be disqualified from this comparison)

Seu Jorge, the dude from City of God and The Life Aquatic.

Tereza Widmar.

The Gathering

Four reasons I am in love with this Rick Barber ad:

1) It continues the fine tradition of Alabama asking to be carved out of this nation and set adrift. We could easily do it while we're cleaning up the Gulf.

2) Rick Barber is a pretty good actor. When this doesn't work out, which it probably won't, he needs to be on the Office as an intense friend of Andy Bernard.

3) How deferentially he still calls George Washington "Mr. President". Entirely appropriate.

4) It is directed exactly like The Patriot.

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The Anatomy of Faith: An Introduction to Religion, Fifth Edition

Happy Father's Day

I ask my father "Did you see JAG has a new show?" like JAG was a show about a guy named JAG.

Totally

HIGH-FIVE SUPER BOWL! - watch more funny videos

Now I am ready. As a side note, I'm not sure how I feel about how much comedy bits make me want to be a has-been. I could do without success.

Chips Ahoy

Not going to go crazy and guess technical categories, just putting myself on the record before the nominations are read. May or may not come back with analysis, because I don't really blog anymore, but I'll try to. Haven't seen a couple of these I'm guessing on, which feels dirty.

Best Picture:

Avatar
District 9
Inglorious Basterds
The Hurt Locker
Up
Precious
Star Trek
Up in the Air
An Education
The Blind Side

Best Actor:

Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker

Best Actress:

Emily Blunt, The Young Victoria
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia

Best Supporting Actor:

Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Christian McKay, Me & Orson Welles
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz, Inglorious Basterds

Best Supporting Actress:

Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Diane Kruger, Inglorious Basterds
Mo'Nique, Precious
Julianne Moore, A Single Man

Best Director:

Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
Neill Blomkamp, District 9
James Cameron, Avatar
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino, Inglorious Basterds

Best Original Screenplay:

Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker
James Cameron, Avatar
Joel & Ethan Coen, A Serious Man
Bob Paterson & Pete Docter, Up
Quentin Tarantino, Inglorious Basterds

Best Adapted Screenplay:

Wes Anderson & Noah Baumbach, The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell, District 9
Tom Ford, A Single Man
Nick Hornby, An Education
Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air

Merry Christmas

Pretty Eyes

"Everybody wants perspective from a hill
but everybody's wants can't make it past the window sill
I can see you in yourt room at night
the pictures on your walls
little forest scenes and high school halloweens
but they don't come to you
they don't come to you at all

All houses dream in blueprints
our house dreams so hard
Outside you can see my shoeprints
I've been dreaming in your yard

One of these days these days will end
Thru the kitchen window the light will bend
You'll be carving a pumpkin with a knife
when someone at the table says
"that's not what I call a life!"

The elephants are so ashamed of their size
hosing down I tell them "you got pretty eyes"
Out in the backyard I used to make like I was a cowboy
I'd set my dog before a hoop and say "now boy, now boy!"

When the governer's heart fails
the state bird falls from its branch
Icicles on hell's higher hills
Meanwhile back home at the ranch
I still get up early in the morning
and I never knew a better place

I believe the stars are the headlights of angels
driving from heaven to save us
to save us
Won't you look at the sky?
They're driving from heaven into our eyes
and though final words are so hard to devise
I promise that I'll always remember your pretty eyes
your pretty eyes"

-Dave Berman

yes, we can.

Coming Down

Dedicated to needless Tuesday hangovers. I don't know how the great ones did it.

At Large

This one's gonna be a bummer.

Typically, this was put up on someone's Facebook page. Someone I used to consider a close friend that I haven't really spoken to in 7 years. Not going to get into that though, but rather that it just jump-started something that's been happening for 4 or 5 years, which is that at some point I return to this song and it sort of paralyzes me.

It's not like I have that much particular identification with Brock's lyrics. I don't particularly care for songs or books about drifters. I certainly wouldn't have the balls to ever drift. The closest I ever came to drifting was blowing a tank of gas getting lost in Annandale listening to Real Gone. It's more like for some reason this song has turned into some kind of anthem of my feelings of being stuck.

I don't even really have a conclusion for this thing. I have someone in my life for the first time in a long time, maybe ever, who makes it okay. I mean love makes things different, I'm lucky. Sure there's a lot I like about here, I love the city, I miss driving through Northwest in the evening, and how evening is pretty much the only way I think of it. This is turning into a take your fucking medicine post, I'm going to ramble if I don't cut this off.

I like the autumn but this place is getting old.

Evil Empire

I can't muster up the enthusiasm for a big baseball post, just like I can't muster the enthusiasm for the game anymore. There was a time when it meant a lot to me. His integrity has been held up as a beacon to ad nauseum, but I will say if anything untoward came out about Cal Ripken I'd probably still be heartbroken. I mean besides Kevin Costner fucking his wife.

Like I said, there was a time when it mattered, and when it did it was all about Birdland, Brady Anderson and Ralphael Palmiero and Roberto Alomar Jr. (I would imagine Little League staring down of umpires went up a lot in this area thanks to him). Later, when I started spending more time up in New york and appreciating the game with my uncle and cousins, it was all about the Mets. I came on board just in time for the Subway series in 2000, and I've more or less stuck with them since. Mike Piazza, New york Catcher.

I've been wrestling all week with a crisis of conscience, that being the inevitability of another yanks world series and how much I can enjoy that. And the truth is, I really can't. I want to like this stern, cleancut group of guys, but except for CC there's never been such a clear indication of how the organization just bleeds the personality from everyone. High & Tight.

So go blah, go Phillies.

P.S. after the fact. Eh, I still can't really care. My mother says they look like baby hippos celebrating, which is why she needs to be on PTI. I called my dad and asked if he was a yankees fan growing up and he said he went to a doubleheader in 1959 that lasted 10 hours and never recovered. He only pretended to ever care about baseball for my sake. Thanks Dad.

He talks about letting me stay up late to watch Cal beat Lou Gehrig's record, which I don't really remember. I do remember around that time my babysitter let me stay up until 12 to watch FORREST GUMP win Best Picture. It was in many ways a simpler time.

I Used to be a Movie Star, It's a Tough Racket

Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin hosting the Oscars next year. Not a lot to say except I'm pleased. Could be a real interesting mix. I never really thought so at the time, but Steve Martin has probably been the best host of my lifetime. He's certainly the only one worth quoting. Even Chris Rock was only funny in a brashly awkward take no prisoners way. Some Steve highlights:

From 2001:

"For me, hosting the academy awards is like making love to a beautiful woman. You can only do it when Billy Crystal's not in town."

I actually remember this one differently, much more of just a blatant I am fucking his wife, but it still made me chuckle.

From 2003:

"It's so sweet backstage. The Teamsters are helping Michael Moore into the trunk of his limo."

"Roman Polanski's here. Get him!"

This one killed in context because there was enormous tension over his nomination and possible win. Kind of more funny in retrospect.

Also here's a sweet quote from Benecio Del Toro:

I'd like to dedicate this to the people of Nogales, Arizona, and Nogales, Mexico.

Polite applause.

I look forward to Baldwin as well, I really have no frame of reference for what he'll do, but I'm sure he'll handle it. He's got stage experience and the wit, and good chemistry with Martin.

After last year, they're on a mission of mercy.