Oh btdubs, I had my first cranky library patron the other day. It was awesome. I felt like I was back at BYUIS for a second because now, after two years away, the cranky customers are by far my best memories. Oh and Mad Cow Disease.

Anyways I was on my weekly reference desk shift and this elderly woman came up and said "I'm looking for a talk. It was by a general authority. And it's about flirting or something."

Classic.

She eventually gave the name of the speaker (or who she thought the speaker might have been) along with two other talk requests. I worked with her for maybe 5 minutes max, but every passing second made her more antsy and more angry.

She even started doing that huffy thing some folks do when they're upset- fidgeting, sighing loudly, tsk-ing, giving unhelpful suggestions.

I was eventually able to find two of the talks she was looking for, she gave up on the third- apparently she was in a hurry (except she wasn't, after she was done, she just wandered around the library aimlessly).

As we were finishing up, she told me "I would have found them myself, but our basement flooded and destroyed all our church magazines. As well as my demeanor."

Obviously.

Even though I have a job till February, I still look at job postings...like every day. So many of the interesting ones want an advanced degree in a field other than Library Science (in addition to the MLS). This has got me thinking already about the future date when I'll have to break down and get to work on something like that. I'll definitely wait until I have a job that will pay for it this time, but I have no idea what it should be. Guess the job will determine that.


Maybe I'll just go the Noah Wyle route and study everything forever. He's not just a librarian, he's THE Librarian.

Two things:

Two very important things.


First, on Sunday, Emmy and I went to see Les Mis for her birthday (nearly a month early) (but it's a birthday month so it's ok). And it was spectacular, of course. It has been forEVER since I've seen a fully staged version of Les Mis. Actually, come to think of it, I'm not sure I ever actually have- I've only ever seen either the super bare-bones rotating stage version that toured for a long time or the concert version so this was kind of a treat. Yeah I loved it. Yeah, maybe I cried a little. I DO THAT, OK?! We went on Sunday bc it was the only day I could get tickets, but they were awesome tickets. I ended up buying them from a couple who has had season tickets for nearly three decades and consequently have seen most of the shows that come through our fair city, and so just sell the ones they don't want. Orchestra section tickets far to the front at less than half the normal price. Go bargain-hunter me!

On the walk home from the theater (because it's only about three blocks from my house), we were...propositioned? by a group of young men. Well really just one. We were walking past the Salt Palace (SLC convention center for you out of towners) and stopped at an intersection to wait for the light to turn. There was a group of three young men just hanging out in front of the Salt Palace- if you're not familiar with the area, let me say that this is a completely bizarre place to be hanging out. Kind of off the beaten path, it takes up an entire block, and there's just not too much around. Anyways, they saw us and caught up and while two hung back, one (who, as I've said before, looked like an escapee from the Jersey Shore) ran up to us and asked us "why the f[***] [we were] walking away from [him]" (because he had tried to flag us down). He was clearly not...ahem...possessed of his full faculties (at mid-day on a Sunday- where do you even find alcohol at that time in Salt Lake?) so we attempted to ignore him and just kept walking. He asked us if we were Mormon (yes) and apologized for "the eff word" and proceeded to tell us that we can't live our lives in fear and being scared of everything, we need to learn to have fun. Because our religion has everything to do with why we were ignoring him...except actually it was because we weren't interested (who would be?). Anyways, he asked us in the middle of his rant if we were seeing anyone, which gave Emmy the opportunity to tell him she was married. He asked me if I was married (no) and then, literally leering and leaning over me, said "what about you? are YOU seeing anyone?" He basically ran me off the sidewalk- I had to jump away to avoid him falling on me.

THEN he proceeded to tell us that he only wanted to know because if we WERE married or seeing anyone, he just wanted us to know that they (husbands and boyfriends) aren't sincere. They're "just doing it because people tell them to". Oh and followed that up with "Because I am SERIOUSLY attracted to both of you". So flattering. Anyways there was more and blah blah blah that's all I feel like typing.



The second thing. Last night I was at FHE (church activity) because I thought to myself "well it's probably not super healthy for you just to spend every night of the week crocheting and watching TV alone in your apartment, you should probably get out and actually meet some people". So I went, saw that only the teenagers were there (did I mention that my ward now is composed almost entirely of LDS Business College students? It's a two-year school. For the vast majority of them, this is their first ever experience away from home. They are still in their TEENS for heavens sake. I am old. I have two degrees. I have a job. We don't have a lot in common. I like to whine. I'm trying not to) so I went outside once they started migrating for the "activity" (whiffle ball or something ridiculous) and grabbed my bike so I could make a quick escape around the corner to my apartment to be alone with my old lady habits.

Right when I was about to ride off, this girl ran up to the group (she had been outside with some guy doing acrobatics in the grass (I mean that literally, they were doing flips and cartwheels, I'm not trying to be coy), and he, not realizing the grass was wet, tried to do a flip, slipped, and landed on his shoulder. Now it was pointing out all weird-like.


They were both worried it might be a broken collar bone. Anyways, she came running up to the group asking if anyone had a car to drive him to the hospital because he broke something. He, however, was still walking around and not looking too bad, so I think everyone just assumed she was over-reacting and just kind of ignored her plea. I told her I lived just around the corner and would be right back with my car to take them. So I did- two minutes later (I'm really fast on a bike :) ) when I got back he was looking much worse for the wear. By the time we got him, his sister, and his acrobatics-partner into the car, and got on the way to the hospital, he was basically weeping in pain. We had to take a detour to his sister's house to pick up his insurance card first though- I'm not sure he appreciated the wait. Anyways, we got him there, they gave him some drugs, and found out he tore some ligament in his shoulder- no broken bones. And I got some blissfully quiet reading time in the waiting room (which is good- I got a start on my book club book (which should make Kari happy because we've started about three different book clubs and they always fail because I never read the books- I just have this mental block against reading books when I have to. It's a problem) which I am *loving* so far.

Anyways, the whole thing made me feel like an old mom. I just feel very far removed from that first trauma of seriously injuring yourself, and that helpless feeling of not knowing what to do when someone you care about injures themself. Not that I'm magically a nursing genius with age, I just feel so much calmer about things like that now. My first serious injury- I had someone with me in the ER, but when I had to go back and have surgery, I had no one, I took the bus to the hospital by myself. I went to surgery prep alone, and I went into recovery alone. I dealt with it, it passed, and the world didn't end.

I hope that this kid and his acrobatics partner get together though- he was talking to his mom on the phone as I drove them home, and going on and on about this girl and how much they have in common and how "cool" she is- he was still on the drugs, but it made me laugh (and it made her giggly). Cute.

I saw X-Men: First Class this weekend. I was not dissatisfied at having spent money on this, but that may only be because my expectations were kept so low by the last few movies. Mostly I was happy to have an excuse to stare at James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender for a couple of hours.

All that said, it was a fairly goofy movie with a disproportionate number of go-go boots and very mini miniskirts (but I'm pretty sure that's an accurate representation of the time period).

I don't really have much else to say about it.

All of my biggest crushes right now are opera stars (I'm looking at you (figuratively) Rene Pape and Bryn Terfel).





I really need to get a life...

My greatest sorrow in life (for today at least) is that I cannot eat and crochet at the same time.

The church is not so much concerned with whether the thoughts of its members are orthodox or heterodox as it is that they shall have thoughts.

Last night I heard yet another NPR piece about "Book of Mormon: the musical" (they love it, of course) which featured some rather misplaced humor from the show's producer, Scott Rudin, in discussing an experience he had with a former member while watching the show (the man became very emotional and Rudin laughed about the silliness of it on the air). Anyways, they played a clip from one of the songs right after the interview, in which the end of the chorus goes a little like this: "I am a Mormoooooon/and Mormons just believe!"

This, more than anything else I've heard about this show, riles me up and tells me that as many times as Trey Parker and Matt Stone claim they've read the actual Book of Mormon and as much as they claim to have studied Mormon culture, they still understand nothing about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I consider myself a fairly intelligent type of person, and I have never, not since I left the mists of childhood and became a sentient adult, been the sort to "just believe". I know dozens of highly educated, reasonable individuals, who nevertheless believe strongly in the Church and especially in the doctrines of Jesus Christ. Have we all fallen victim to blind belief? Does the Church itself encourage that kind of following?

To answer that, I'll quote Hugh B. Brown, who was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve during most of the middle of the last century-


"There are altogether too many people in the world who are willing to accept as true whatever is printed in a book or delivered from a pulpit. Their faith never goes below the surface soil of authority. I plead with everyone I meet that they may drive their faith down through that soil and get hold of the solid truth, that they may be able to withstand the winds and storms of indecision and of doubt, of opposition and persecution...

"I have been very grateful that the freedom, dignity, and integrity of the individual are basic in church doctrine. We are free to think and express our opinions in the church. Fear will not stifle thought. God himself refuses to trammel free agency even though its exercise somtimes teaches painful lessons. Both creative science and revealed religion find their fullest and truest expression in the climate of freedom.

"I admire men and women who have developed the questing spirit, who are unafraid of new ideas as stepping stones to progress. We should, of course, respect the opinions of others, but we should also be unafraid to dissent - if we are informed. Thoughts and expressions compete in the marketplace of thought, and in that competition truth emerges triumphant. Only error fears freedom of expression.

"We should be dauntless in our pursuit of truth and resist all demands for unthinking conformity. No one would have us become mere tape recorders of other people's thoughts. We should be modest and teachable and seek to know the truth by study and faith...We must preserve freedom of the mind in the church and resist all efforts to suppress it. The church is not so much concerned with whether the thoughts of its members are orthodox or heterodox as it is that they shall have thoughts."

And that's all I have to say about that.

I finally got to see the "Cave of Forgotten Dreams". I love going to the downtown theater by myself (even though it seems hopelessly pathetic). It's close enough that I can go on my bike and breeze past all the diners and trade-conference-attendees that generally clog the streets in that part of town.

(quick summary for those who have never heard of it, this is a documentary about Chauvet cave in Southern France where, in the early 90s, three hikers discovered a pristine cave containing by far the oldest (32,000 yrs old) cave paintings known. Since its discovery, the cave has been sealed- only a few researchers have been allowed access- to preserve the environment within the cave that has kept the paintings in such good condition for so long)



Anyways, I enjoyed it. I think I had maybe glanced at some photos before of the cave before, but never really paid attention. That's probably a good thing though because I, in my state of ignorance, felt like I was discovering it for the first time with Werner Herzog and his supporting cast of anthropologists and paleontologists as my guides. This is worth seeing just for the footage of the paintings. They are spectacularly beautiful, painted with an understanding of their subjects as well as an artistic interpretation that we tend to think can only be displayed by our modern artists. I think that a lot of our shock and awe at the beauty of the images themselves comes because we forget or can't possibly understand that the people who painted them were probably very similar to us. Sure, different lifestyle, they still had Neanderthals to contend with, etc...but fundamentally I'm positive that they were motivated by the same things that we are. No amount of technology can change the nature of our basic concerns as human beings- survival, relationships, etc...



Herzog manages, even with this epically fascinating (and at times rather dry) subject, to find little flashes of humor. What I love though is that he presents to us the absurdities of some of the guest stars without derision- it seems he's rather fond of the old perfumer with the crazy eyes and the anthropologist who dresses like a mountain cave man in furs and leather (for no apparent reason). There's an interesting parallel between the interest in the lives of the creators of the paintings and the lives of these modern characters- it's the same interest, and we (I) feel the same drive to know more about/understand more about both groups.

At one point, Herzog is interviewing an anthropologist who used to be a circus performer (which is kind of fabulous) who is surprisingly eloquent. He makes what for me was the most poignant point in the film. He says that "past is lost". That, to me, is the greatest tragedy of any profession dealing with the past (like I do, though the more recent past)- the loss of those lives and their lessons. It is painful and it is hard to accept.



Though that was the lesson that stuck with me the most, I think the point Herzog tries to make is exactly the opposite- that the past is not truly lost, not in this case at least, because those ancient artists left behind something of themselves in their paintings. They left evidence that they lived, and they left evidence that they interacted with the world in which they lived, and they left evidence that they understood the world as it is- full of wonder.

(All of the pictures I've added to this post come from the French Ministry of Culture's website dedicated to the cave. Go there to explore a map and images of the cave, as well as to find out more about its history)

Yes, my world revolves around food.

I'm feeling really excited about tonight. "Why?", you ask? Well mainly all of the excitement revolves around my own pitifulness, but I will attempt to explain.

The other night, I went to Settebello (awesome authentic Neopolitan pizza place downtown- if you haven't been, you need to go, and make sure you order something covered in pancetta and arugula, they just make everything better) with my fall-back friend. It was amazing. That is not the point of this story. It's attached to a gelato shop where they serve gelato that is good but not amazing (although if you go, have the ricotta w/balsamic glaze- sweet and tangy and, ok, kind of spectacular)- after having been to Pitango gelateria in DC's Chinatown, I don't think anything else will ever compare (so I add here, if you're ever in DC, please do yourself a favor and go- hopefully it will be the end of summer and they'll have their seasonal pear sorbet which tastes like fresh pears fallen from heaven and carried to your mouth on a soft summer breeze...and I don't even like pears).

ANYways, after dinner we got gelato (because we are gluttons) and walked around the block while we ate it. It was a beautiful night. Unfortunately, this is not the most awesome block in town- the other three sides are empty lots and apartments that seem to belong more in the slums of Rio than downtown Salt Lake. When we got to the North side of the block (200 N. between 200 and 300 East) we noticed a narrow Victorian brick house stranded in the middle of this wasteland of a block. On the front was a sign that read "Bread Paradise". Yes please. I want to go to there. It's a tiny German bakery that (according to the internet and its wealth of reviews) is amazing. So ever since that day I've been wanting and trying to go but it's always been closed.

Finally I got it right- I went today during lunch and got a pretzel roll/stick/thing with cheese, a chocolate pastry, and a french baguette. Needless to say, it lived up to all the internet had been telling me, and I think that I've found my new addiction with the pretzel stick.

Anyways, having that baguette, and spending more time on the interwebz than anyone should, I got to thinking. A friend posted a recipe she had made from a blog called "Smitten Kitchen" the other day, and as I was browsing around, I found a recipe for onion soup that (despite the fact that I had just eaten) had me drooling. See it (and the fabulous pictures of cheese covered soup) here.

Oh, brief interlude here to say that a girl with whom I work loaned me seasons three and four of the BBC period-dramedy series "Lark Rise to Candlefor". Think Cranford meets...well Cranford. Kind of an ongoing and slightly sillier version, but I love it. Since I got it I have been super-excited to just coze-up on the watch and gorge myself on it.

I think you can see where this is going by now, and if you can't, then you obviously need to spend more time around me because I am very predictable.

Anyways...onion soup (super cheap to make)...awesome baguette (for croutons for mah soup)...period television show (because I don't have ENOUGH escapist tendencies)...It's going to be an awesome night.

All I'm missing is the cheese. Good thing Whole Foods is nearby...

Dear Anthropologie,



THANK YOU! For being the home of a thousand amazing dresses that I want to buy. (Also though, it's kind of torturing me because I want to buy them all. And I can't.)

Sincerely,

Me.

Should I cut bangs again? Or no? Discuss.

Note to self: never donate blood at work again! I had an appointment for 2:15 and didn't get out until 4- that is WAY too long to spend waiting to bleed for 6 minutes. That's right- only 6 of the 120 minutes I took away from my desk were spent at the purpose for which I went. Useless, chatty phlebotomists. On top of that, I'll probably end up passing out later this evening- I realized that it's probably been almost 10 years since I donated...that just doesn't seem right because I've always been so pro-donation, but that was the last time they had me in the system- 2002, when my address was still Whispering Pines, NC. That seems like a thousand years ago now. High school...



ANYways, Cave of Forgotten Dreams is playing now at the theater here downtown- I'm super excited to see it- look it up! It's about a cave in France where, in the early 90s, some...I don't know what they were...random cave explorers- oh I just remembered- it was something crazy where they were hiking or chilling in another cave and felt a breeze coming through what they thought was a solid wall- they went searching and found this huge cavern that contains what are thought to be not only the oldest, but the best preserved and most beautiful cave paintings in the world. Soon after, the French government restricted access to only a lucky few, basically locking up the cave (and probably with good reason- to prevent damage to the paintings). Rumor is they're getting ready to create a sort of park centered around the cave and opening it to public access and (one would think this was related) so opened up the cave to Werner Herzog and a small film crew so he could make a documentary (in 3d no less!) of the cave. Something about this cave seems fabulous and mysterious and i want to go to there, so I'm excited to go see that here in the next week or so.

My student loans aren't small, but listening to stories about kids graduating with 60,000-100,000 dollars of college debt, it makes me feel SO MUCH BETTER about myself and the choice I made to go to UT. I'll already be paying this off for years to come, but i can't imagine the burden I would be feeling right now if I had to pay back four times what I have to. Go me.

Now as long as I can resist getting a credit card, I'll be pretty good to go. As long as I can get another job when this one is over.

Coffee...erm I mean...Hot Chocolate Talk

Have you ever become friends with someone out of the goodness of your heart and had it turn against you? Discuss.

(I feel like this has happened a disproportionate number of times in the last year and it ticks me off)

So...

When I was in D.C. last summer, I was as bad as keeping up with my blog as I always am, partly because I was *way* too busy being a self-important city-dweller.

So instead of blogging, I kept memos on my phone of things to blog about when I had the time. I just remembered this as I went through and deleted old memos that have built up and found this:

"Title: Fff [side note, you have to give it a title or it won't save.]
Rude fitting room attendant
Cry me a river [this is presumably about some time I heard someone blasting this song and it reminded me of one of my first college roomates who, after breaking up with her boyfriend from home, locked herself in our room for three days and listened to this song constantly.]
Man steals gfs socks
Communist chic bag says "let us build, not destroy" [apparently I saw this and thought it was ironic, considering the end result of most Communist governments]
Tortilla cafe in Eastern Market [an area of D.C. maybe I wanted to go there]"

So there you go, a glimpse into my life last summer.

you guys, today was a supremely frustrating day. BOO.

First, for the last few days, my power has been wonky. I notice it the night before last when the furnace, the stove, and the fridge were not working. Someone came to fix it yesterday and when he left everything was working. Two hours later, I'm pretty sure the furnace stopped again (because last night was the coldest i've been since i got here), and by the time I woke up, everything that was not working the day before was working, but everything else was down. This includes most of the lights and ALL BUT ONE of the outlets. I had to get ready in the dark and walk to work with wet hair. When I got home today, NOTHING was working. The same man came back and realized the problem was in the meter box behind the house- a problem for a power-company employee. One came (very quickly, actually, I was kind of impressed) and confirmed that one of the two main breakers into the house was broken. He then proceeded to tell me that he could not fix it, we would have to call an electrician to fix it, THEN the power company again to come reconnect the power after the electrician worked on it. So who knows when that's going to happen. He rigged it so right now everything but the stove/oven is working which is good enough but I'm still stressed about it. All my food that's been chilled and defrosted multiple times!

Second, I came home in a hurry today because I knew the maintenance man would be coming by at 4:30. I undressed in a hurry, but in the process of taking off my awesomely beautiful new J. Crew boots, the zipper snagged on my tights. My $20 spanx tights that I just bought. Try as I might I could not dislodge it, or even move the zipper at all in either direction. The only solution was to tear the tights off the zipper. My expensive tights. They now have a huge hole in the right shin area. Bummed. Out.

Third, my computer is broken. Mostly it's fine, but the hole where the plug goes- the little jack in there is loose. The computer will only charge if I hold the cord in very weird positions. This is especially a problem as it takes a lot of my time to stand there holding the cord so it will charge, and this is even harder to do WITH NO POWER. I've had to send frantic "I can't turn in this assignment on time" or "I'll be missing class bc my comp is dead" emails to my professors. Not the best impression. I AM A MESS.

Fix my life please.

Is it normal for adult siblings to still hurt each other (emotionally, not physically...though I'm not sure the poking and play-wrestling will ever stop)? I feel like I should be past that stage- the stage of giving or receiving hurt, but every once in a while something happens that makes me question entire relationships. It just doesn't seem reasonable to me that two adults should be able to be so petty, defensive, judgmental, or quick to anger. I am as guilty of all of these things as either of my brothers, and I wish that weren't true. Of any of us. Of course, those aren't the only causes, there's also the fact that, even coming from the same background, we can all see the world so fundamentally differently. If the pain given or taken arose from a difference in principles or values, that would be more understandable. But when it is the result of assumptions, accusations, and a basic failure to listen, it seems so much worse.

I guess the basic question here is really this- why does life hurt so much sometimes?

But really, tell me- doyou still have situations like this with your siblings? Or am I abnormal? Maybe I just take things too seriously.

How to prepare for a job interview

How do you prepare for a telephone interview? I don't know about you, but I:

1. Washed my hair. Because they can see what it looks like.

2. Took a useless trip out to "run errands" but in reality only ended up dropping one letter at the post office. It felt more productive to get out of the house than just to sit around biting my nails all morning, ok?

3. Did some stress baking. I made a batch of pizzelles (waffle-like italian cookies). Like the picture, but mine were flavored with orange oil and zest. I'm planning on making some chocolate-almond ones tomorrow before my other interview.



4. Put on makeup. Because they can see what it looks like.

5. Brushed my teeth. THREE TIMES. Because they can smell my breath.

6. Got a comfortable chair that allowed me to sit upright, rather than my regular lounge chair or exercise ball. It felt more professional.

7. Placed said chair in front of my french doors that look out on the forest and opened the blinds. I figured that would be more peaceful to look at than my messy bedroom.

8. Printed off the job announcement and wrote some questions to ask.

9. Also wrote my strengths and weaknesses. Not because I'm obsessed with myself, but because I've been asked in every interview I've had in the last few years to talk about them. I'm always stumped by that one, so I figured I would go into this one prepared. (Guess what they didn't ask me about this time?)

10. Sat in my chair, looking out my windows, phone and papers in lap and pen in hand...waiting.

Trying to find a job is STRESSING ME OUT.

I haven't left the house in three days because of the snow.

Glee hasn't been on tv for A WHOLE MONTH.

I thought classes started tomorrow, and if it weren't for my department's student affairs coordinator, I would have no idea that they actually start today. THAT was almost a disaster. Once, at BYU, I actually did miss the first day of a class because I couldn't find the HRCB on the map (stupid, right?). I was mad.

Did I ever write about Black Swan? Because all of the above things are not good, but they're not exactly ruining my life. Do you know what did ruin my life? BLACK SWAN. If you are even thinking about watching it, DO NOT. Don't get more curious because I said that and go see it anyways. I am telling you, if you want your life to continue happy and carefree as it has hopefully been to this point, by all that is holy, DO NOT watch that movie. I thought to myself "Ooh, psychological thriller...ballet...what could possibly go wrong? This sounds basically amazing." Little did I know what awaited me was basically a few explicitly, agressively, and violently sexual encounters woven together by things like...oh, Winona Ryder stabbing herself repeatedly in the face with a metal nail file...and...a daughter beating up her mother and breaking her hand by slamming her fingers in a door- over and over and over again...and....lots of terrible bloody self-mutilation. Toned down, this could have been a great movie about one girl's descent into madness (although she really started the movie in madness so maybe descent isn't the correct word...). As it is, it's a two-hour shock-fest, where the shocks are indeed shocking, but have tenuous relevance to the story itself. Blurg.

A couple of months ago, in going through theshelves of the Hunter Museum's library, I found a copy of selections from "Alice in Wonderland" with original illustrations by Salvador Dali. I knew it was something special and valuable because of the way it was packaged- or not packaged because the original box was missing, but basically a series of folios in book cloth folders. I was curious about it so I asked Frances (the 80-some-odd year old librarian) about it and she said "oh yeah, that's not even all of it- during the construction part of it got moldy in storage, so I just got rid of the box and some of the sections". That shocked me because limited edition books of that type are worth a pretty penny new, and this is at least 40 years old. Anyways, I was just sitting here watching Antiques Roadshow and got curious, did some searching, and found out that a complete version of that same book is worth at least $8000. And part of ours was tossed. Because of mold. GAH FRANCES!!! The best I can do is strongly urge them to get a new box for it. Oh it just makes me sick to my stomach. It did at the time and it still does now.

Mold can be treated. Blurg.

I'm getting really tired of finding new job announcements, getting excited about them, and then never hearing anything. Ever. I just really want to get a job at the Yellowstone archives, ok?! Why don't they realize that.

All of this is making me really, really anxious. That and other anxiety-producing aspects of my life are NOT GOOD FOR MY BLOOD PRESSURE. Or my cortisol levels :)

Happy New Year, Merry Christmas, etc...

This is my year of blog supremacy.

Sadness and movies

1. The Provo Tabernacle burned down this morning. I can't stop thinking about it! It was such a beautiful building, and (I believe) the first permanent structure in Provo (maybe even the whole valley), so obviously very historic. Just to think that so many people sacrificed to help build it, and it stood for so long, only to be destroyed by fire this morning- it just hurts my heart. I've been to so many concerts and church functions there- it really has been, as one article called it, Provo's cutural heart. I hope that somehow it can be salvaged.

2. The Tourist- bland, but kind of entertaining. I knew the twist before it even started, but it was still fun to see Angelina's fabulous wardrobe on the way there. What I REALLY don't understand about this movie is that it was nominated for a Golden Globe for best comedy. What the WHAT? While there are a few funny moments, I wouldn't really classify this as a comedy. Three out of five...I should come up with a ratings system...birdies. I like birds. 3/5 birds.

3. Tron: Legacy- CGI Jeff Bridges is inordinately creepy. This is a fabulously shiny movie that's exciting and very fun to watch but doesn't have much to say for itself. I guess if I had to pick out a main message, it would be "God=good, totalitarian dictator=bad". Anyways, it's super enjoyable.

4. Right now I may or may not be watching E! and they keep playing commercials for their horrible show "Married to Rock". These commercials feature the lead singer for Jane's Addictionand his wife freakingout over a supposed stalker who left a vase of red roses on their doorstep. I'm sorry, I don't really believe that these barely famous people have stalkers. Also, I do not feel sorry for them. Gah. Maybe I should turn the TV off? Nah...

ALSO-

To all you haters (who aren't really haters, I just needed an excuse to say that)- I haven't had any caffeinated soda since October 20. BWAHA! I did take a soda break on our fake Thanksgiving a week or two ago- we had slush! And sparkling cider! So I HAVE had some soda, but no caffeine. And no headaches!

Woo!

Guess what? In June 2009 I had 14 posts in one month. What was I thinking? Why am I such a slacker now? Discuss.

Parting is such...a horribly unsatisfying moment

You know what I really suck at? Ok, don't go off listing all my faults (though that might be interesting to hear sometime). I really suck at the professional goodbye. You know, when you're leaving a job and you go to say goodbye for the last time to your superior with whom you are friendly, but do not have a loosey-goosey super-casual relationship that would allow you to give them a hug and weep on their shoulder (not that I've ever done that)? Yeah, I suck at that. All I'll allow myself is a handshake, a smile, a few half-mumbled words about how grateful I am for everything, and then...just walk away. But that hardly seems like enough. Ever. So instead of walking away feeling happy that I'm done and grateful that I had the opportunity, I walking away having an anxiety attack thinking about what I should have said that would have felt more complete to me. I eventually have to force myself to do something meaningless to distract my mind, and that usually ends up with me (picture it if you will), walking down the street, focusing very hard on counting every step until I get to the car and can drown myself in mindless public radio.

Oh my life.

But really, thinking about this, I've realized that I just suck at saying goodbye to people period. Nothing I can do in those few minutes seems able to express everything I want to say, even if what I want to say is just "it's been great, k bye!", or "hey you were a bizarre roomate, thanks for messing up my laundry!" Don't worry, if you're reading this and we were roomates, that is not directed at you.

Unfortunately, I've had occasion to say quite a few (probably permanent) goodbyes in the last year or so, what with ending internships and practicums and volunteer work, etc...Maybe I just need to get a more stable, permanent job, and then I can just avoid goodbyes altogether. Awesome plan, me.

P.s. As I was adding tags to this post, I had to create a whole new one for "awkward". It wasn't already in my list of tags- can you believe it, with all the awkward things that happen to me? Well, I should probably say all the awkward things that I do, but anyways...

Steven is on his way home for mid-tour leave. He's leaving "theater today" which means he is leaving his tiny tiny base in the middle of nowhere to go to a slightly larger base to catch a ride to Kandahar where he will grab a flight to Kuwait, then Germany, then Des Moines to pick up his kids, then here. So he was supposed to hit the states around 11/4 so that should give you an idea of how long that whole trip will take. I'm excited he's coming back- I've somehow always been pretty zen about family members going overseas- it doesn't worry me. Maybe I'm cold-hearted. I don't think so, I've always seen it as a blessing, maybe a sign that they'll be ok. I'm grateful for that.

On the soda front- Day seven, WHAT?! My head still hurts. I wonder if that will go away eventually or if I am bound to be dependent on caffeine for the rest of my liiife.

Day two of my soda fast. HA! (Take that Emmy). Unfortunately, this is pretty much how I felt all day long:

Yes I'm addicted to caffeine, and yes it's ridiculous. But now, my life is going to be so. Much. Better.

Also, while I was looking for that grotesque picture above, I found this, which just makes my head hurt even more:

Day one soda free. This is real folks. And it's serious. And it's totally going to happen.

Facebook is...(duh duh duh) down? I was just trying to get on and kept getting the message that it's unavailable and maybe I entered the wrong address. I don't know if you've seen the recent 100% accurate movie ABOUT Facebook, "The Social Network" (I did, and it was fabulous...more on that later), but Facebook DOESN'T GO DOWN. I guess I have no other choice but to go to sleep now.

OMG CUTEEEEEE!!!!!!


Yes, I realize I'm to old to say things like that.

Don't laugh at me.

I don't watch scary movies very often. Until I watched "Devil" the other night, I think the last real horror movie I saw was "The Grudge". This is because, after an epidemic of boldness and stupidity my first year or two of college, I realized that after I watch horror movies, I CAN'T SLEEP AT NIGHT. I don't know what it is, haunted houses and things that are real like, oh say, people with guns, don't bother me too much, but show me a freaky movie and I will crawl up under five blankets on my bed (which I have probably moved to the center of the room by this point) with all the lights on, the tv on, and probably a book to read (the more distractions, the better). Don't tell me they're not real. I KNOW they're not real. I'm not an idiot. But maybe it's a symptom of my all too willing suspension of disbelief (which makes me generally a rather easy to please movie-goer), that once I watch something horrifying, I'm reminded of it in the most ridiculous places. So because of this...ahem...problem that I have, I have been studiously avoiding watching television commercials for the upcoming movie "Case 39"- some hooey about a foster child and the curse that plagues her- anyone who helps her DIES. Oh dear. Silly though it be, I can tell that it's scary and I don't want none of it. ANYWAYS, the point of this unnecessarily long explanation is that, with the tv on, but muted, in the background while trying to register for classes just now, I happened to look up right at a moment of scary-face-showing during that commercial. I deeply regret it. Guess how I'll be sleeping tonight?

If you ever wonder why I'm so obsessed with Law & Order (I can't help it!!), the New York Times captured it PERFECTLY (it's like they're living inside my brain) in their recent review of the new Law & Order: LA:

"'Law & Order' episodes hold attention, year after year and rerun after rerun, because the story arcs are both suspenseful and predictable; the plots are luridly fascinating, but their resolution is comfortingly familiar."

I don't have anything to add. It's like neon comfort food. Mmmmmmmm.

This is the first 9/11 since 2001 that I haven't gotten up in the morning and just felt like sitting on the floor and sobbing all day long. That's a step in the right direction, right?

I still want ALL of these. Time has not diminished my love for an Amy Butler rug. First purchase for my future new apartment? Yes. When will this happen? I have absolutely no idea.

Back in...June? It seems like it's been forever, but really (apparently) it's only been a few months...I started reading The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova. I'm not quite sure what to say about it.

Plot first, I guess. A fairly famous (and fictional) American artist is arrested at the National Gallery of Art for attempting to attack a painting (depicting the myth of Leda and the Zeus-swan). With a knife. I know, right? He is admitted to a psychiatric institution under the care of Dr. Marlow, psychiatrist and main character extraordinaire, who is also an artist of sorts and, taking an intense interest in his patient's case and only confession that "I did it for her", goes to extreme lengths to follow the artist's obsession with a possibly fictional woman whom he paints and sketches over and over and over again. Eventually Dr. Marlow finds this woman (a faint memory of her anyway) and the reason for his patient's obsessive focus on her. This case becomes something of an obsession for Dr. Marlow himself as he tracks down former amours, associates, and paintings of his patient. It is interesting to see a number of lives unfold and the way they reflect and re-reflect one another. The contemporary story-line is frequently interrupted by first letters and then narrative snippets from the life of the mysterious woman at the heart of all this arty intrigue.

The main problem with The Swan Thieves- its length. It was, like I said, an interesting story, but there simply was not enough material to fill all of those pages (and, it seems, nearly half of my suitcase). I don't think I enjoyed it quite as much as The Historian, but all in all, this was pretty wonderful. It's not the kind of book that I could gobble and gobble and finish quickly. Her writing is quite dense, and the book was very slow going for me. That being said, Kostova's writing has moments of quiet brilliance and unexpected insight. I really loved the imagined paintings that make up the core of Marlow's search. Each one seemed absolutely real and vivid. I wanted to see all of these paintings in real life, though the descriptions were so skillful that somehow I'm not sure I'd need to.


It was a nice book to span my time in D.C. D.C. is the main setting for the story, and it complemented my frequent museum visits well. Also provided great Metro reading as I could only focus for bits anyways.

Great if you're in the mood for something to nibble at. If you haven't read The Historian yet, read that instead.

I literally died when I saw this video.

Ooh!

I wish that I had a computer geek in my life to whom I could gift these. Alas, all I've got around here are fantasy/sci-fi/music geeks. Woe is me!

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

I include this picture because this is the way I would MUCH have preferred that Nicolas Cage look in "The Sorcerer's Apprentice". Since when do a (to quote the movie) "300 year old rawhide coat" and hair made out of straw translate into an ultra powerful sorcerer? I'm sorry, Nic, but no matter how much you spin, that hair will NOT turn into gold. I DON'T CARE WHAT THE MICE TOLD YOU.

So unfunny fairy tale tangent aside, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" was average. It had some sweet romantic moments, some really delightful Alfred Molina scenes (all of his scenes, actually- his acting is really quite delicious- he did the best he could with a ridiculous script), some scenes of trademark Cageian insanity (which are also guiltily delightful), and lost of unnecessarily silly action sequences and occultism. Magic is awesome, but when the final spell of ultimate evil requires the wicked witch to writhe around on the ground like a...well you don't want to know like what...then it's just too much. I could definitely have gone without the hair swinging.

Final verdict- silly effects+gaudy jewelery+randomly kind of hot Jay Baruchel= C+

Well Played, AF.

So apparently no one likes the current DC mayor, Adrian Fenty. Whatever, I don't know anything about him. This I WILL say for him though, he has got to be the hottest mayor DC has ever had. And for that I say: good job good sir.

Predators

Ok so maybe thats not the real poster, but you get the point. On Saturday I went to see "Predators" with Nicole, fellow librarian. It was...pretty much exactly what I expected, which wasn't much. Imagine, for a second, that the same team that made the original movie set out to do...everything they had already done, in exactly the same style, with a new cast (except for the monsters, of course) and better special effects, and you'll have quite a good idea of what this was like. Bright spots: Adrien Brody and...I hesitate to add him to this list, because he only makes it by sheer force of insanity, but Laurence Fishburne. Also the Yakuza gangster whose name I do not know, but whose scenes were wonderfully referential to older Tokyo gangster films like...well, "Tokyo Gangster" (Kristin, please tell me you remember that). Laurence did the best he could with the material he had, which amounted to not very well with not very much, but it turned out to be one of the more entertaining sections of the entire film. All of that being said, the writing was astonishingly bad, and the violence was over-wrought. It had some really great "ARE THEY SERIOUS?!?!?!?!" moments, but not much else worth going for. Maybe I should start grading movies. I give this one a solid C-.

This definitely had some entertaining previews though. Look up "Machete". I promise you will not be sorry you did.

Fail

So I'm confused by this. I was looking for a definition of ectomorph, and the Merriam-Webster site came up as one of the results. "Well, that's a well-known name in the field of dictionaries" I thought to myself, and clicked. But there is a problem. Could someone PLEASE tell me where the definition is on this page (and no, it wasn't in the scrolldown, i promise)?

Inception

Why does A.O. Scott always end up reviewing the movies that I am most anticipating? Where are you Manohla?!?!?

Whatever. It's still a well-written review, though a bit disappointing:

"Admirers of Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner” and Stanley Kubrick’s “2001” will find themselves in good company, though “Inception” does not come close to matching the impact of those durable cult objects. It trades in crafty puzzles rather than profound mysteries, and gestures in the direction of mighty philosophical questions that Mr. Nolan is finally too tactful, too timid or perhaps just too busy to engage."

Ouch. Not what I wes expecting.

Read the rest here.

Movies!

I haven't posted about movies in a long time and Andrea blogged a rant today about chick flicks and it got me all fired up, so I guess I'm in the mood now.



First up is a real gem- a French movie called "Barbe Bleue" or, in English, "Blue Beard". It's based on a classic fairy tale by Charles Perrault (ever heard of...oh, Cinderella? That's because of him), a 17th century writer and collector of folk stories. If you've read a lot of the Grimm Brothers o Hans Christian Andersen, you know that some fairy tales can get a little out of control, and Blue Beard is no different (seriously- what in the world is this about?). So anyways, in this movie (one of a large number of versions), two young girls in the 50s are narrating. The younger sister forcefully reads the older the story because the younger is fascinated by it. The elder is terrified. The story itself is about two sisters whose father dies, for which happening they are kicked out of their convent/school. Back home, they talk about their neighbor, old Blubeard, who has been married several times, though his wives have all mysteriously disappeared. The younger is obsessed with his wealth and the idea of escaping to his world of wealth and luxury, and accepts his proposal of marriage. Long story short, he leaves one day, giving her all the keys to the palace, telling her to visit every room and explore the whole property, but not to use the small golden key. So what does she do? Of course she figures out which door it opens and goes inside. There, she finds the bodies of his dead wives (though some versions of the story have them alive still, but tortured and imprisoned and nearly dead). She freaks out, leaves the room, and relocks the door. HOWEVER, instead of staying away for months as he promised, he comes back the next day. Of course she is still out of her mind, he notices, and $#!% happens.

So. Morbid, right? Aside from the one terrifying scene, the dead wives, the film is pretty sedate. It's very interesting because while the little gil narrators are spectacular little actresses (it feels so natural!), the acting in the fairy tale is rather wooden, almost emotionless. I've read a number of reviews that really criticize this, but I think it's a deliberate statement by the director, not the sad result of a woeful lack of talent as some have implied. It leaves them as generic representatives of men and women, their relationships a rather bitter commentary on the sometimes bitter, sometimes sweet relationship between the two. It also preserves the feeling that this is a story we're watching, not a reality or any kind of direct representation of it.

That being said, it is wonderfully watchable and definitely worth the time. It's on watch anytime on Netflix right now if you've got some free time (and, of course, a subscription)


THE LAST AIRBENDER: Well, if you're free for a matinee and really don't care how you spend your time, go see it. Otherwise, avoid like the plague. The performances here are painfully wooden, and not on purpose like the previous film. Just painful, especially remembering Mr. Shyamalan's former talent. Sorry M. Night, you've been replaced and overwhelmed for me by the giant of J.J. Abrams.



Well, all that I really have to say about this movie is "Oh HEEEEEEY Bradley Cooper!!!". The plot and writing were completely absurd. That doesn't, however, negate the fact that this is a good movie to escape the heat on a weekend afternoon. Worth a matinee (maybe not in D.C. though, where matinees are NINE DOLLARS). Lots of explosions, one really entertaining bad guy (hey Raul!), and some really silly portrayals of military types.




I think I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that "Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year" is the second best Bollywood movie I've ever seen (after "Lagaan", which is no longer available on DVD or Netflix or anywhere really). It's kind of "The Office" meets India without the sarcasm or the great writing. Harpreet Singh reports a client at his first ever job for requesting a bribe, is told by his boss "that's how we roll", and decides to start his own competing company while still at his job and using their resources (but keeping a strict accounting of everything he uses so he can repay it someday). His boss is horrible to him, more and more coworkers join him, then the whole situation blows up and his boss forces him out of business. Heartwarming self-examination and happy resolution ensues. It's a good, simple, solid movie. AND it's under three hours! (My main complaint about the Indian film industry is that it cannot, for the life of it, produce a movie that is less than three hours long- this one actually is, but only by about twenty minutes). Anyways, if your in the mood for something a little different, give it a try. This one's also on watch anytime on Netflix right now.

I feel like four is a good place to stop for tonight. K bye!!!

Recent events

I'm continually making note in my phone of crazy things that happen each day that I can put on here, and I inevitably forget and the humor passes. Here are a few that I can remember:

1. On Monday I waited for an incredibly long time for the train because of an "incident" two stops away, and when it finally came, I got on, sat down, and saw...a woman wearing a halloween candy sack shaped like a pumpkin/cat (yes, both at the same time). It was sitting upright, well really she was holding it up with her left hand, which was also holding a tall plastic mug. She started yelling at everyone who had just gotten on the train, ranting on and on about how she couldn't get any sleep, no one would let her get 8 hours of sleep, especially not since she got out of prison. This continued (I'm sure)after I got off the train.

2. Right when I was getting in the checkout line at Tarzhaaaaay the other day, "Cry Me a River" came on. I have so many wonderful and ridiculous memories about that song. It made me so happy, that I didn't even care waiting for ten minutes while the woman in front of me rang up and entire cart-load of items and then couldn't find her credit card. I even felt sorry for her.I've totally been there. Hope she found it.

3. One of my roomates is writing a paper about Washington scandals and started asking all of us which we thought were the worst and why/why they were so interesting to us. Her friend cited the Watergate debacle, and as for why it so gripped her? "It's just, like, really fascinating to me, like, the level of technology they used. Like, we still use wire-tapping today in the government" (and then she went on about how advanced wire-tapping was back then and how crazy it was that they were using it) What? Pretty sure telephone tapping was not the main issue there. It was burglary, manipulation, and Nixon's recordings of people without their consent. Not by tapping into phone lines, but just using a tape recorder. Wire-tapping has been around almost as long as telephones themselves. And that's all I'm going to say. I really do like her.

All for now.

What's new

Bored of my design and wishing I hadn't changed from the old one now. It was perfect.

I've been really really falling behind on my movie posts. When I have time I will. Maybe. Here's a sneak preview: Killers was terrible, Letters to Juliet had bad costume design (the Adidas!), and The A-Team was (if such a term can be applied to this type of film) fluffy. But Liam Neeson made that more than worth the $11 ticket price.

I had tapas for the first time this week, and it was a good experience. This was (I'm guessing) a rather low quality tapas restaurant, but I have since gotten some leads on a few very good restaurants that I will definitely be trying.

This last week and a half has been almost a total loss for me work-wise. Monday we didn't work because TWC had programming for us, Tuesday one of the librarians set up visits to the Archives of American Art (inspiring) and the library that serves the National Portrait Gallery and the Museum of American Art (peaceful), Wednesday she also set up visits to the American History Archives (spectacular) and the Library of American History at the National Museum of American History (small but good swag). It was really wonderful of her to go to so much trouble to arrange all of those visits for my fellow library interns and I. Also, it was just effing awesome. I had my own private geek fest. Then Thursday through today (Tuesday again) I was off work to attend the American Library Association's annual conference. It was a huge messy geeky greedy get-together of like minded folk. Lectures, discussions, vendor exhibits, and best of all, soooo many free books. Granted, they might be books I would never read if left to myself (Brian Sanderson? SERIOUSLY? Even I have my limits of geekiness), but I got them for free so now I am clearly obligated to dedicate the time.

As a closing note (I'm getting sleepy) if you have Netflix, watch the 2009 French version of "Blue Beard" (Barbe Bleue). It is spectacular, restrained, grotesque, and just very very enjoyable.

State slogans, con't.

On the OTHER hand, Maryland's used to be "Oooh, the state I'm in!"

Now that makes me want to go to Maryland. It sounds like "Oh man, you will not believe what happened while I was in Maryland!" Story of crazy vacation bender to follow. THAT's what I want my vacation to be like. Something that will fuel the gossip for weeks.