So...I posted a while ago about a review of the movie "Anonymous" (I would put a picture here if I cared enough about it, but I don't, so DEAL with a pictureless post), and I went to see it as soon as it came out here because, whatever, I love movies, OK!? And even more than movies, I love a good period piece. Y'all know me. Anyways, I just realized that it's been weeks and I've failed to say anything about it (and a million other movies), partly because I was just. So. Disgusted. by it.

So here's the thing. Hopefully you know a little bit about Shakespeare. And hopefully you know a little bit about alternate theories of authorship of his works. One of the most popular (and most perplexing and obnoxious) theories started sometime in the 1920s with someone who said to himself one day "well this Shakespeare fellow was lower class. And poorly educated. And so was his family. So there is NO possible way that he would have been smart enough to pen the most transcendent works of the English language. No effing way, man" (they talked like that in the twenties). So this man set out to figure out who else could have been behind it and came up with Edward de Vere, then Earl of Oxford. He was wealthy, he was smart, he was close to the royal family (well the royal person, Elizabeth didn't exactly have a family...), somebody said one time that he was a poet, blah blah blah, it must have been him!

Fast-forward about 90 years, and, despite the fact that 10 of Shakespeare's plays were not performed or published before Oxford's death (and they could not have been published posthumously because some refer to events that didn't happen until years after his death), the theory only continues to grow in popularity, supported and propogated by celebrities (and why not? they're famous, so that makes them smarter than us, righ?!), despite the best efforts of prominent Shakespearean scholars to debunk this piece of ridonculosity (Shakespeare made up words, so I can too. Werd yo.)

So all this was floating around in my mind before I went to see "Anonymous", but I thought I'd find a pretty good movie despite the absurdity of its premise. Unfortunately, I found myself unable to willfully suspend my disbelief and enjoy the movie for its own sake. Why, you ask? Because, as the film went on, that premise struck me as more and more offensive. What? I was offended by a movie?!?? Yes, apparently I'm not beyond feeling. Or something.

Anyways, what offended me so much is that this whole theory (and the movie that supports it- director Roland Emmerich has become a major proponent, and released with the movie, a documentary by his prodcution company and lesson plans to be sent to high schools so kids could learn about this hogwash) is based on the idea that poor/uneducated/obscure people cannot do extraordinary things. Can you imagine tteaching that to high schoolers? Oh hey kids, do great stuff with your lives, but probably just accept that since you're pretty average you'll never do anything better than average, and if you do, the credit will go to someone else, because who would seriously believe that a kid like you could do anything extraordinary? I don't know why this makes me so mad, but it just does.

Oh and on top of that, the people who made this movie and who support the Oxfordian theory of authorship probably mourned the recent loss of Steve Jobs, designer and entrepeneur extraordinaire, which strikes me as ironic because, like Shakespeare himself, Jobs' early life was rather unextraordinary.

And. AND...should I spoiler this? don't read any further if you don't want spoilers.

According to this movie, Queen Elizabeth was a raging wanton who bore many children who were farmed out to be raised in anonymity by her noble vassals. So she never knew who they were. So we find out as the movie progresses that Oxford had an affair with Elizabeth that resulted in a child. NOT KNOWING THAT HE HIMSELF HAD BEEN ONE OF HER CAST-OFF CHILDREN. WHAT:SODfao;sh;oqw??!~!orh;oh?!?!?!?!??!! Oh yeah and they had a kid together. So Elizabeth had a child with her son. HER SON.

I like to keep an open mind when it comes to history, but this type of historical revisionism, that drags major players down to the gutter without any supporting evidence is just disgusting.

UGH. What a frustrating movie. I actually almost walked out of it. For me to even consider walking out of a movie is...pretty extreme. It is classist, it is disrespectful, and on top of that, probably its worst crime is that it's just not entertaining.

Not. Recommended.

I'm moving to the North Pole.

So I've been applying for jobs. And sometimes I apply for jobs that are longshots, or in places I wouldn't really want to go, because hey, any job is better than no job, right? Or something. And as much as I say I would be willing to go anywhere, there are still some places that I don't include in my definition of "anywhere". Like China. Or Florida. New Mexico. Arizona. Basically any place that is too foreign, or where the temperature regularly tops 110 in the summer.

Anyways, I'm thinking about applying for a job (that maybe I don't fill all the qualifications for, but I've got most of them, and it's worth a try). But you guys, it's in Yellowknife, CA- that's in the Northern Territories. Still not sure where that is? Visualize with me-


IT'S PRACTICALLY IN THE ARCTIC CIRCLE.

Oh, whew, I just checked, it's a full 512 KM south of the Arctic circle. AND it's nickname is "Diamond Capital of North America". SOLD.

(Also, I'm counting on a disproportionately high man to woman ration. I like the odds of that.)

More NYTimes movie review ratings:

"'Jack and Jill' is rated PG (Parental guidance suggested). Poop jokes."

Classic. Needless to say, I won't be seeing this movie.

Sometimes...

Sometimes, when I'm putting my makeup on in the morning, I accidentally powder my eyeball instead of my face and it hurts. HURTS, y'all. And then I have to wait for the tearing and irritation to subside before I can put on my eye makeup. And then I lose time.

ALSO, I have these boots that I love. Just love. Today I wore them with tights. I usually wear socks as well. When I was walking out of the house, I noticed that one boots felt noticeably looser than the other. Then I realized I had only put on one sock. Did I turn around and go back inside to put the other sock on? Obviously not. I'm too lazy for that. I'd rather play loosey-goosey boot day than be normal.

Basically what I'm trying to say is that today is an all-around win. ALREADY.

Anna Bolena

Last night I dreamed that I was baking cookies or something totally mundane like that. Not that exciting, right? What if I told you that I was doing it in a modern kitchen, but there were tons of people around, and we were all dressed like it was the 1530s?

This is what happens when I watch opera too late at night. Btw, if you have even the slightest interest in opera, do yourself a favor and find a theater nearby that shows the Metropolitan Opera's performances. They. Are. SPECTACULAR. I've never left one feeling less than amazed. Even if, going into it, I think to myself "well, I don't really know this opera at all or like this composer, or the story just doesn't sound that interesting, but it's the Met so I guess I'll go", I'm always completely won over by the end. Completely.



Last night I watched "Anna Bolena", Donizetti's take on the story of Anne Boleyn. I wish I had something intelligent (ANYTHING intelligent) to say about opera, but I don't, so bear with me. I was mostly bored by the music in the first act, but the set was mind-blowingly clever, and the costumes wonderfully rich AND historically accurate (much more so than the opera itself). I can't help but be completely green with envy for anyone who works in the Met's costume shop. The level of detail they manage to achive (even when very few people will ever see the costumes up close) is really inspiring.

All that was well and good, but what really won me over was Anna Netrebko's performance as the beleaguered Queen Anne. By the end of the second act (when she has some temporary, heart-rending madness and finally bucks up, pulls her hair to one side, and heads out to face the executioner), I just wanted to throw my hands in the air and shout "Amen!" (you know, like the same way you feel whenever Mercedes sings on Glee, only stronger because it's so much better than that, and classier, of course, because it's opera :) ) Not only is she one of the best singers around, she's also an amazing actress (a skill which is sadly lacking in many singers).

Anyways, like I said, I don't really have anything super smart to say about it, except that I have a sneaking feeling that I just watched one of the best performances I'll ever see. Anywhere. In my whole life.

(But, let's be totally honest here, we all know the real reason I love watching these broadcasts is so I can crush on Russian Baritones, like Mr. Ildar Abdrazakov in the photo up there.)

Orcas are not people

Um...well...I don't even know what to say to this article(pause while you read it), except that I'm not *quite* sure training Orcas is the same as enslaving human beings. But it will certainly get PETA some attention.

(And while human slavery is still a problem, I think it's irresponsible to draw so much attention to something that, comparatively, does not matter)

Er...

Um. I don't know how to begin this. But this really happened.

I drove to work today. I KNOW I shouldn't have but it was cold and I was feeling lazy. When I left just now at the end of the day, I got into the Conference Center lobby (the Conference Center is the building across the street from the library. I park under it. On the very rare occasions when I drive. Most other people park under it as well) at the same time as a girl I know who also works at the library, though in a different division. She was in conversation with a tall, slightly attractive man. She saw me and started trying to include me in the conversation because she's nice like that. Problem: it's nearly impossible to come up to speed on a convo that's already been going on for a while when your only involvement comes when someone turns to you and says "Isn't that right? Don't the teams always need us?" WHAT TEAMS?!

Anyways, I did my best to fake my involvement. We got on the elevator and somehow I ended up between these two, still carrying on their conversation. She was getting off on P2, he and I on P4. After she got off, I started making small talk because, as I mentioned, he was not unattractive, OK?!

We arrive at P4. We take a few steps out of the elevator, still chatting. All of a sudden, it hit me. I'M ON THE WRONG FLOOR. I parked three floors up, on P1. So what did I do? Excuse myself and jump back on the elevator like a normal person? Don't make me laugh. I KEPT WALKING.

Not wanting to embarrass myself, I carried on the conversation halfway through the garage. Now. Consider. The Conference Center takes up an ENTIRE city block. I made it halfway through before I came up with a plan and took my leave. Luckily, we arrived at his car just as I made my decision. What was The Plan, you ask? Obviously, I did the only thing I COULD do.

I walked past his car, even further into the garage abyss, and, knowing he would be passing by on his way out of the building soon, and not wanting him to see me turning around, I chose a random car and pretended to unlock it until he was out of sight. I did no more or less than any reasonable person would have done.

Obviously.

I love the New York Times movie reviewers because...well, for lots of reasons, but because, while being oh so smart, they're not afraid to just lay it all out there. Each review ends with the movie's rating, and the reasons for that rating. Usually the reasons have been tweaked.

The coda to A.O. Scott's delightful review of "Anonymous" (you know, that movie that puts forth the old theory that Shakespeare's plays were written by a well-heeled noble supporter?) reads thusly:

"“Anonymous” is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). Swordplay, bodice ripping, bawdy speech and the cold-blooded murder of the truth."

Spectacular. With just that last sentence, Scott simultaneously rips the movie apart AND increases my desire to watch it.

I have a really passive aggressive desire to post only about quilting and other..."domestic" hobbies that take up my time from now on, but for now I will resist.

I spent my lunch break today reading Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness". It's October (I thought I'd let you know just in case that fact has escaped your notice for the last 26 days), so I wanted something slightly Halloweeny, and what says "Halloween!" more than H.P. Lovecraft? Nothing.

Anyways, I just started and had only gotten through 4 pages over the last few days, but after today I am COMPLETELY HOOKED. It was quite a trial to tear myself away and go back to cataloging. Have you ever read it? Or any Lovecraft? You probably should, he basically invented the horror genre. But he wrote horror as it should be, not trying to substitute gore for horror. I think true horror should focus more on suspense, on the terror of the unknown, than on known, conventional villains (like any slasher story). I. Can't. Take. Slasher films.

I don't really have anything intelligent to say about any of this. Mostly just, if you haven't read any Lovecraft, you probably should (especially if you're looking to read something scary that will still let you sleep at night). Once you do, you'll start seeing references to him all over the place. Christopher Nolan's Batman movies (well, anything from anyone about Batman really- for some reason Lovecraft pops up a lot), Guillermo Del Toro references Lovecraft all the time, I feel like anything involving a protagonist turning to old musty archives for answers to their deepening fear is a reference to Lovecraft (I don't know where that meme started if not with him). If I paid more attention to things, I could go on longer. But I don't, so I won't.

I know this is really goofy, but one of the quilts I'm working on right now...I really want to back it with this fabric. It's the right color and I love that it's vegetables for some reason. Maybe you saw the picture I posted on Fb? The top is all black and white and grey with some pink and green touches. But none of it has anything to do with vegetables.

I was also thinking about using this as a backing. The grey version of this print is one that I used in the top and I really love this print.

Or I could potentially use any of these because I used about half of this fabric collection in the top.

I wish I had a picture of the top to share, but it's really just kind of boring. And it's not done yet.

AND ALL THAT I CAN THINK ABOUT ALL DAY LONG IS QUILTING AND FABRICS THAT I WANT TO BUY. It is like a disease. I really have no idea where this came from because I never used to care.

So. My brain is weird, but you knew that already. A few weeks ago, I won a free dozen cookies from this amazing Etsy shop in a giveaway on a friend's blog. Seriously gorgeous cookies. I got to pick my choice and I decided on the Halloween Black Lace cookies, but the Autumn Flor ones were the runners-up. Seriously I've never seen such gorgeous cookies. So I've been waiting for them, they're supposed to get here today or tomorrow. Last night, I was thinking about and anticipating receiving my beautiful cookies (yum!) and I ended up having a dream that I received them. When I opened the box, they were sooooo disappointing. I was expecting these gorgoeous, intricately decorated red and black cookies, and what I got was red-frosted cookies with lazily applied black swirls and stripes- kid stuff that I could have done myself. I was *seriously* disappointed.

Yes, I dream about cookie regret.

I love that I can look at this picture and recognize the landmarks. I've walked through that gate. I stood, completely bewildered, on the street corner in front of that church. It was noisy. It was spectacular.

I can't wait to go back.

(photo taken from National Geographic)

Overheard at the reference desk (we are not a lending library)...
"Hi, can you check books out from the library?"
"No, but you can sit at one of these tables and read them."
"Oh, they just have numbers on them, so I wondered..."

How silly of us to put numbers on books if we're not going to allow them out of the building. There's no other reason imaginable why we would give them barcodes and/or call numbers. There's not any reason why we would need to keep track of them ourselves.

So lately I've been kind of (I mean completely) obsessed with quilting. This is A HUGE PROBLEM for many reasons, but mainly because I usually lack the follow-through to actually stick with such a large project from start to finish. The result? A build up of quilt tops and of unused fabric. The actual quilting and binding are always super daunting to me.

I'm feeling better about it now because I'm actually quilting and nearly ready to bind the first of this recent spate of quilts. After that I've got one finished top, one pile of fabric already cut and ready for sewing, and then a pile of uncut fabric ready to be turned into something fabulous. So that's four. BUT (and this is part of the thing that keeps me hopping from project to project) I get distracted by new patterns and fabrics very easily. My latest obsession? I reheheally want to make this pattern:

With these fabrics:

Oooooh preeetttyyyy.

Make me stop please.

Today on the Diane Rehm show, they were talking about medical insurance- do you need it, don't you, how companies are different, etc...

This guy called in to say "I don't have any health insurance, I haven't for a long time, I just don't think it's valuable to me- I've always been careful to use lots of preventative care, eat right, and I've been going to a chiropractor since I was like four."

Seriously? First, chiropractic care is not preventative care. Second, who takes a four year old to a chiropractor for heaven's sake?!

Also, no matter how careful you are, how well you eat, there is always the possibility that you could be in an accident or develop something terrible. Who's going to pay for that man's care if he gets in a serious car accident or discovers a malignant growth (or any one of a million things happens)? Because no one has that much cash.

Idiot.

I wrote a whole post about how I'm awkward but then tried to upload this gif to lighten the mood. And it did. By somehow deleting ALL of the text. He may look cute in a suit, but he is DEADLY.

I know this is my second post in a short time about Les Mis, but I can't help it. I have a Pandora station that started as "Wicked" radio and has been morphed by my careful curation until it only plays music from the following: Wicked, Beauty and the Beast, Little Women (the musical!), The Light in the Piazza (a musical that flopped but has an amazing score), and lots and lots and lots of Les Mis. AND I LOVE IT. There is nothing with which I would rather fill my brain while cataloging. NOTHING, DO YOU HEAR ME?!

You guys. Today I was on the reference desk and someone was trying to make a joke about me being the captain on the bridge- referencing Star Trek. Then he said "oh wait, you're too young for Star Trek". I assured him I wasn't too young to have seen an episode or two. What's weird about this? He is probably the same age as me, AT MOST 3 years older. I'm glad I skew young? I think.

Oh my word, you guys, I don't know what is wrong with me, but I think I just offended someone in the elevator again. WHY?!

So I got on with this really sweet woman who works in library services, and we said hi, and then to fill the silence, I guess, she said "You're wearing red!" Because I am. I'm wearing a really bright red sweater.

And I couldn't think of a response to that, so I looked at her (she's wearing a dark pink skirt and a lighter pink shirt with a khaki blazer) and said "so are you....sort of!" Meaning, of course, that she's wearing pink, which is sort of red. And she said "oh you know, I'm not really into that sort of thing" which puzzled me. And then I thought that she thought I had been referring to her mismatching and was insulting her, which obviously I didn't mean to.

And, you know what? As soon as I finished typing this, I realized that today the employee's association is having a "tailgate" party for lunch, and we're supposed to wear our team shirts. AND SHE THOUGHT I WAS WEARING RED BECAUSE I'M A UTE FAN. Which is even worse than inadvertently offending someone. I mean, I would never want to be mistaken for someone so uncouth as one of *them*.

(but I will let the previous story stand as a monument to my own ineptness in social situations and/or my attempts to interpret them)

haHA!

Success! So remember the last post I wrote about not recognizing the Director of Libraries here?

Well, today I had basically the SAME EXACT encounter with him that I had the other day. He didn't remember me, you guys! Not one whit! And so, it was JUST LIKE "Groundhog Day" where I got to repeat the situation until I got it right (which only took one repetition in this case).

And this time, "getting it right" meant (1) knowing who he is, and (2) not asking inane questions and slinking away like Gollum.

This day is an ALL-AROUND WIN. (because of that and also because of this- http://thebloggess.com/2011/09/dear-portlandia-really/)

Number of fire drills at work so far this week: 2
Percentage of which were legitimately planned exercises or started by actual fires: 0%

Fire alarms echoing in hallway covered in hard, echoing surfaces = DEAFENING.

Strobe light flashing above my desk incessantly for 10 minutes afterwards = seizure inducing.

Why do I do these things?

ALSO. I am an idiot. It's official.

I was waiting for the elevator and there was a man waiting as well who turned to me and said "I don't believe we've met, I'm [so and so]", and we went through the introduction thing.

He asked me where I work. I told him.

Then I said "and what do you do, [so and so]? I know I've seen your name on emails, but I can't remember off the top of my head."

His response? "I'm the director of the library".

Cue elevator door and my ashamed retreat.

Idiot.

(I really should have known, but in my defense there are so many levels of management and I've just never had reason to interact with him. But still. Idiot.)

UPDATED: Also, I just browsed the org chart (we have this really cool interactive one on the intranet) and realized that he's not over the whole library, he's director of a division that's basically parallel to mine. That alleviates some of my shame.

Adventures in reference

Also. Today I did my shift on the reference desk. A man came looking for an item- he said he just wanted to see if it was in the open stacks. It's not- we only have one copy and it's in the secure stacks. Then he told me he had written the book and wanted to know why it wasn't in the open stacks, because he saw lots of books on the same topic and they were, in his words, "corny".

So I gave him a bunch of reasons, but mainly just said that if we only have one copy, it stays in the secure stacks. He was unsatisfied, so I directed him to the "real" reference librarian sitting at the other computer. She chatted with him and he left looking happy with his answer, so I asked her what she had told him.

And guess what? She told him the exact same thing I did. Do I not seem trustworthy or something?

Things I've loved looking at today.

This dress.

I just discovered the Synagogue-a-Day tumblr feed. Images shared come from the William A. Rosenthall Judaica Collection at the College of Charleston Special Collections. An interesting mix of buildings from all over the world.

Listen to this Storycorps segment.

Like I really need another obsession...

So, maybe I haven't talked to you about it yet, but I am utterly obsessed with Pinterest. It's weird how something so simple can be so absorbing.

If you haven't ever used it, Pinterest is like a virtual pinboard. You can "pin", categorize, rearrange, and gawk at links and pictures you like. If you'd like an invite, let me know! I love seeing what friends are saving and sharing things that I love. It's like Facebook for the visually oriented. Or something.

Did I mention that I love it? Because I do. You can look at my boards and things that I've pinned, by clicking the red button at the top of the blog that says "follow me on Pinterest".

DO IT.

OK. I know this is about my hundredth post today.

But I just have to share- I am continually having the most awkward run-ins with our managing director (basically the acting head of the library). He is awesome and I am awkward, that is why our encounters are awkward.

One time I was working on the reference desk and he was down there just chatting with people, and I think trying to get an idea of what the reference desk is like and he was just sitting with each person there and asking them what they do and how they do it and blah blah blah. And I was running back and forth like a chicken with my head cut off because there were a million people with crazy problems that day. And he kept trying to catch me so he could sit and chat with me, but I was trying to help one person for seriously 30 minutes straight. I can't remember what their deal was. Anyways, I ended the shift feeling like I had completely brushed him off...which I didn't. At least I didn't mean to. I hope he didn't feel that way, or they'll never hire me here if a real job does open up.

Anyways, today we were coming back from lunch at the same-ish time, and I was walking towards the building in front of him, and I guess he was trying to catch up with me so he could open the door for me, because he's polite like that. But when there's someone walking quickly behind me, that makes me speed up. Because I'm crazy. Anyways, I got to the door and opened it and we exchanged hellos and as I was opening the inner door, he chastised me for opening my own door! In a nice and joking way, but...dear self, don't be so dense and awkward in the future.

Hopefully our next encounter will be awesome and he'll be all "OMG you're so amazing! Wait, you're just an intern?! We need you here full-time forever!"

A girl can always dream, right?

I just remembered something that made me laugh. A couple of weeks ago, someone gave a talk in church about parables (well actually, everyone that day spoke about parables, it was pretty intense).

Anyways, I guess he wanted to define and exmplify the uses of parables by sharing his favorite one. His favorite parable just happens to be Les Miserables. The musical, not the book (because who reads books these days?!).

Can you guess where this is going? He spent his entire talk telling all the ins and outs of the plot of Les Mis. It took FOREVER. And...he even ended up quoting most of Javert and Jean Valjean's vocal duet/fight ("I am warning you JAVERT! I'm a stronger man BY FAR!") where they sing overlapping parts you know?

So obviously, there are some pretty strong moral lessons that can be drawn from Les Mis. But those lessons could be conveyed by a short summary. I don't need you to quote the whole libretto at me- also? It just makes you look like you didn't prepare a talk and so decided to fill time by telling a really long story. I could be learning something valuable and edifying during all that time!

But maybe it's just me...maybe I WOULD be learning something if I weren't so hard-hearted! (*snert*)

(and none of this really tops the ward attended by a friend of mine where every month, people have been heard to quote Miley Cyrus, Dave Matthews, Kenny Chesney, and others...)

Also, I put a picture of Enjolras because...he's obviously the best Les Mis character. OBVIOUSLY.

You guys, ALL the good jobs open up when I'm not looking! I'm ticked. Today I saw the perfect job listing (archivist, working with lots of AV, in ATL at the Carter Presidential Library- I'm an archivist, I've worked with tons of AV, ATL is close to Chattanooga!) but I just can't bring myself to apply because if, on the off chance that I actually got it, I would have to leave my internship about 5 months early, and I know they would understand me leaving, but I just cant bear the thought of leaving so long before it's over! I was so excited when I got this because finally I would have some kind of experience that lasted longer than 4-6 months. I need to get a solid year on my resume.

Job application mental block ftw. ARG.

In other news:

"Crazy, Stupid, Love" was both crazy and stupid, but also confusing (not in a bad way) and entertaining. And oh honey, I never though Ryan Gosling was attractive until I saw this, but (pardon the expression), ROWR. ALSO, the character with whom I share a name is A CREEPER. I don't care if I'm giving you spoilers, but I am just so appalled because she has something unsavory going on inside her brain that drives her to give naked pictures of herself to a THRTEEN-YEAR-OLD BOY.

This morning I spent 30 minutes ironing and trying three different shirts before settling on one.

THAT IS TOO LONG.

I think it's time to start up the lay-out-your-clothes-the-night-before plan, because that is a crappy reason to be "late" to work (although it's hard to be late to something where my schedule is whatever I say it is...it's the principle of the thing).

Two nights ago, my body had an epic battle with itself.

As a result, I barely slept.

The next day (which was yesterday), I almost passed out in the bathroom at work (or I might have actually passed out, I'm not sure? I don't remember, and I had kind of propped myself against a corner in case I *did*, so I don't really know what happened. All I know for sure is that my body hates me). So as a result I left work early (only an hour early...lame) and went home to watch old tv on my computer. All I wanted to do was sleep, but it was so early still that I knew I would wake up in the middle of the night all chipper and ready to go. So I took one Benadryl (only one) knowing that (1) my allergies have been acting up (though that's unrelated to this incident), and (2) Benadryl does something terrible to my brain that makes it unable to function.

And then.....I slept for 13 hours straight. Go me!

In other news:

Don't laugh at me, but I kind of loved Cowboys and Aliens. It was a classic, formulaic Western...but with ALIENS. What could possibly be better? I'll tell you what, nothing else that's in theaters right now. Big theaters I mean, not independent theaters. It was fun, it had Harrison Ford, and it also had (spoiler) a giant alien ship exploding. Fantastic.

Although, this was what I saw the afternoon before my body exploded. Either it was trying to tell me something about the movie, or I'm not supposed to eat theater popcorn anymore.

You need to watch this movie.

It's hard to watch- I left with a headache from too much crying, but it's good.

I'm starting to really love Kristin Scott Thomas- she's been making some really wonderful movies (in both French and English, or in this case, a mix of the two) over the last few years.

In this, the young Starzynski family (along with tens of thousands of others) who happen to be Jewish are rounded up by the French government and deported to camps in Germany and Poland. Just one month later, another family (not Jewish) moves into the apartment vacated by the Starzynskis. We follow the Starzynski's daughter, Sarah, as she is shuttled from place to place, desperately trying to escape so she can go home and find her little brother who, when the police came to "arrest" the family, she locked in a closet so he would be safe. We also see how Sarah's story becomes tied closely to the other family who took over her apartment- the Tezacs. Is that confusing? Sorry. I don't know how to describe the story without giving away too much. A wonderful, emotionally draining movie.

A small movie- written by the main actress, Brit Marling, and the producer/editor/cinematographer Mike Cahill, while they were still in college.

It's sci-fi, but not. The kind of sci-fi where yes, there is something extraordinary going on in the background of the story, but that is not the focus. The focus is on lives and how they converge (or, as with Rhoda and her family, diverge).

On the night that a planet identical to Earth is discovered, a drunk-driving Rhoda (just graduated from high school and on her way to MIT) runs into a car carrying John and his family, killing all but John. She goes to prison. She is released four years later and goes to John's house to apologize, but he does not recognize her, so she loses her nerve and tells him she works for a cleaning service and is going door-to-door offering free trials. She becomes his regular cleaning woman. They eventually start a relationship. She still can't tell him. She wins a trip to go to "Earth II" as it's now called. Some more stuff happens.

Brit Marling is both pitiful and devastating as Rhoda. She should not be sympathetic, but she is so obsessed with making amends and yet so unable to take the necessary steps. She is paralyzed by her inability to face the devastation she caused in John's life. It was interesting. It was enjoyable.

I'm halfway through my internship now. Do you know what that means? That means it's time to gear up for another round of job applications! Yippee!

Here is my problem though. Before I got this job, I spent 5 months sending in applications. Five months!! Now I realize there are people who have been trying for much longer to get a job without success, and I'm grateful it only took me that long. And when this one did pop up, it was kind of a whirlwind- barely a month from the "let's set up an interview" phone call to my first day of work (including trying to keep up with a full course load, packing most of my belongings, and making a cross-country move).

But anyways, back to the problem. So. Last time it took forever long to finally snag a position, and I'm having a hard time judging how long it will take me this time. I want to give myself enough time applying so that I'll end up with a position starting round about the beginning of March. How early is too early to begin? How late is too late? I do have more experience now, so maybe it won't take as long?

Also, the other problem. There is almost nothing I hate more than the job-search process. No matter how tough-skinned I think I am, I still die a little bit inside every time I get an email saying "we're sorry, you weren't among our most qualified applicants". Sigh.

Dear self-

Stop spending so much time on the internet, especially social media sites. You're creeping people out. And yes, I see the irony in writing a blog post about this.

Sincerely,
Your self.

ALSO, I have this new pair of shoes that I haven't worn yet- I think a pair that my mom bought then decided she didn't want, and so instead of returnin gave them to me...she does that sometimes- anyways, I've had them for like two months and decided to wear them today with my all blue/teal/black ensemble (the shoes are bronze) thinking "metallics go with everything!!!!"

As I was walking into work I looked down and was confused for a second, thinking "why did I wear brown shoes with a black skirt?"

Bronze=brown. Wardrobe fail.

Let's talk about movies.

It's been a while.

Zookeeper doesn't merit a picture, but I saw it. Don't ask me why. I guess that's one of the consequences of being an anti-social hermit (that's kind of redundant) in a "big" city. Anyways...talking animals, Kevin James. It was pretty blah. The highlight was Rosario Dawson who I actually really like, and I'm not sure why she did this movie. She needed money I guess.



Harry Potter 7.2 was...great, of course. I've heard lots of whining about story changes, but hey, guess what, this is a movie, not a book, and it's not exactly like they're playing around with great literature- I've almost always enjoyed the movies better than the books in this series- Harry in the books was annoying enough, an that was at least slightly toned down in movie-Harry. Anyways, I don't care about the changes, and those of you who were with me at the last movie (or maybe it was the 6th one) know that my mind was completely blank as to what came next (they found all the horcruxes? what?). So ANYWAYS, this last movie was at least tied for me with the 3rd (and still the best) installment. I love Ralph Fiennes, he's vulnerable AND terrifying in his snakey self. Also, maybe I cried a bit. Don't judge.



First, before I talk about this movie, let me say that I do not recommend it. To anyone. Let's talk about why.

But first, some background. This is about a young "beauty queen" moved to Salt Lake in the late 70s. It's unclear why- she wasn't going to school, and she's not a Mormon, and to hear her tell it, all she did was hang out and party. Wholesomely, of course. So she tells this story of how one day she's driving around town in her white corvette and pulls up at a light next to a red corvette driven by what she describes as the most attractive man ever seen. In the whole world. Of course we then see a photo of Kirk, the object of her desire, as he looked at the time, and he is nothing as she described him- kind of this large geeky marshmallow of a man. They went on a few dates. Then, according to her, he just disappeared one day without a trace, and without a word to her. He had been kidnapped by those Mormons!

She moved to California to work and earn money to hire a private investigator to track him down. According to her she was waiting tables and working three jobs. We find out later she was working as an escort (though she claims she was...innocent...until she and Kirk finally consummated their love) and posing for some (and when I say some, I mean A LOT) of unsavory publications.

Anyways, long story short, she finds out through the investigator that he's in England, "forced" on a mission by those Mormons! She takes her "friend" Ken, some pilot she hired, and a hired bodyguard with her to England to track Kirk down and save him.

They find him, and here there are two distinct stories. According to Kirk, he was chloroformed, stuffed in a trunk, kidnapped, taken to a cottage in Devonshire, chained to a bed, and raped repeatedly by Joyce (the beauty queen). I should add here that the pilot she hired corroborates the chloroform story to an extent- when he saw that she had brought chains, handcuffs, and a bottle of chloroform to England with her, and when he was told that these things were all to help them rescue Kirk, the pilot luckily came to his senses, decided he didn't want to be involved, and went home to LA.

According to Joyce, he came willingly and acted as if he had been brainwashed, and she took him to the cottage to nurse him back to health with her love, which "nursing" she says was consensual. She claims that he made up the kidnapping story because he was terrified of what those Mormons would do to him if they found out he had had relations with her (because Mormons are scary like that).

So. That's the meat of the story. It is really a fascinating story, mainly because this Joyce is truly living in a different world of her own creation (she was arrested in the late 80s for stalking him- hanging around his office. She says his "fat Mormon wife" told the police it was stalking because she was jealous)- she still claims that she is completely in love with Kirk, and will be until she dies. She's never had another relationship since that time (according to her). I think she's also agoraphobic so he never leaves her house, and rarely has for years.

Most of the movie is an interview with her- these are the highlights- she cries and rages and just goes on and on about the injustice of it all. She's charming in her delusions, but watching her is also quite sad. She's had a difficult life, most of the difficulties being of her own making, but that makes her no less worthy of pity at the least, and empathy at most.

Herein lies my first problem with the movie. I'm not a filmmaker, but it seems to me that making a documentary, a serious documentary that looks closely at one person/their life/their actions requires a large bit of empathy on the part of the director. It didn't seem like this director, Errol Morris, had any at all for Joyce McKinney. Yes, she displays a lot of attention-seeking behaviors, but she is also kind of a tragic figure. If nothing else, the empty second half of her life, spent mostly alone in a farmhouse in rural North Carolina, should evoke our pity. Morris doesn't seem to have pity, let alone respect for his subject. He pulls together her interview in a way that magnifies the crazy, turning this into a comedy more than anything else.

When in reality it's a sordid story of (probably) unrequited and unreasonably long-lasting "love", kidnapping, rape and, well, that's enough, isn't it? A comment that I read about this made the point that if the genders in this story were reversed, no one would be laughing. But as it is, the idea of a woman raping a man seems laughable and impossible to most people. Guess what? It's neither. It's possible, and it's as deadly serious as any kind of sexual abuse.

Ok. On to problem two. Sorry this has gotten kind of heavy- if you've read this far, you deserve a medal. Leave a comment and I'll think about making you something awesome just for being a trooper. Anyways, my second problem. Wrapped up within the story about Joyce McKinney and her eternal love Kirk is a mini-anti-Mormon movie. The Mormon "expert" they interview is someone who is clearly antagonistic towards the church, and some of the things they talk about are just ridiculous in their untruth. The things that ARE true are treated in such a way that they seem absolutely ludicrous, which would happen if you talked about any religion's doctrine in that way. In the end, if I had known about that aspect of the movie, I would not have gone- I would rather not pay money to support something that tears down not just individuals, but entire belief systems.

So, to summarize, "Tabloid" treats a very interesting subject, but does it with so much disrespect all around that it's created in me a new desire to be more diligent in self-educating myself when selecting what I watch.

One last note about this- Joyce has been showing up at screenings of "Tabloid" all over the country to heckle and rage at the screen and generally cause a ruckus (it seems she's not too happy with the way she was depicted either). I kept expecting her to jump up near the end and yell "I'm Joyce McKinney!!!!!" as she has a few times, but I was disappointed.

Heck yeah, I MADE this, sonnn

zigzag quilt top II, a photo by maegil on Flickr.

Two more things...

I should probably just make that the title of my blog because I feel like I keep making posts titled that...

Anyways, first, there's an apricot tree in my backyard and I just noticed today that there were ripe apricots on the ground. What?! Where are mine? So I looked up at the tree to see if there were any pickable ones. To my utter disappointment, all of the beautiful, edible ones are at the very top of the tree. It's a pretty tall tree. Bummer.

Second (and last),

I found out/decided yesterday that I'm going to Hungary in two and a half weeks. WHAT?!

p.s., this is not a joke, this is real life.

Two things

Two things that made me smirk inwardly on the way to my office this morning.

First, as I was getting through the employees only door (I don't know what to call it), there was someone right behind me. I waited and held the door open for him, mumbling as I did so "here you go!" (if mumbled statements can be punctuated with exclamation points). His response? "You're welcome!!" Whatever dude, *I* held the door open for *you*.

Second, as I was getting off the elevator on my floor, there was an older man walking past the elevator alcove- he's a staff member, but I have no idea what he does or who he really is. Anyways, as he was walking past, he looked at me with the most highly raised eyebrow I've ever seen- a look that said "YOU? Again? Really. Wearing that?" And any number of other smarmy statements. It was just so unexpected I had to laugh.

ALSO. I drove to work today b/c I have errands to run during lunch, and they've been re-painting the lines in the parking garage- section by section, so they'll gate off a section for a couple of days with movable metal barricades while they paint it. Anyways, I tried to turn a corner and didn't quite make it and totally ran into one of the barricades this morning. Luckily it's a very light metal (apparently) and I just kind of shoved it aside. With my boat-car. That was actually the thing that made me laugh the most this morning- there were people around, what can you do but laugh? So that's really three things. Not two. Don't judge me.

Last night I had a dream. Some background first- I have a cabinet full of things that I can't catalog because I don't have a way to watch/listen to them- things like audiotapes, betacam tapes- obsolete AV formats. So if I have something that's not labeled, I just add it to the pile. The pile is big. It's waiting for someone who works in the basement who can play them to have time to do so- this is a problem because he is busy. Super busy. And some of these things have to be baked before they can be played- I don't even understand really.

Anyways, last night i had a dream that he actually came to take my shelves full of items to actually listen to them. I was really *really* excited. What do you think is the meaning of this dream?

I think it means I need to find more exciting things to occupy my time/thoughts.

ALSO

We need to talk about something else today. Namely, this movie:

I got tired of waiting for *someone* to decide when she wanted to watch it, so I finally gave up and went on my own this weekend. And hoooo boy. I loved it! Sooo much!

I'm not a Woody Allen fan typically. I find him personally very annoying and since most of his protagonists are just different permutations of, well, himself, I tend not to like his films.

That was certainly true here (that Owen Wilson's character just seemed like a taller, beefier version of Allen), but here it was charming instead of obnoxious. It's obvious that his life just is not working out, and the Universe's solution- to cast him back to 1920s Paris each night (while his fiance spends time with the delightfully unbearable Michael Sheen) is the perfect antidote.

So really all of this just gives an opportunity to meet charicatures of many of the famous residents of Paris during that era- Hemingway, Dali, Bunuel, Stein, Picasso, etc...And it's just. So. Funny.

Also, it made me happy. That's all!

I waited too long to buy midnight HP7.2 tickets and I am seriously bummed out. I wanted to go!! Boohoo :(

I just sat in on my first meeting ever where someone's been fired. Er...sort of fired. Her "job has been eliminated" and the reasoning makes sense and there are other positions that are being made available to her if she wants them. But it's still kind of shocking.

Also it means there's absolutely not a future for me here (at least no in the near future). And that's fine, because it's what I was thinking anyways. It's good to know it for sure though- it makes my soon-to-start job hunt a little easier. I had been hoping that the rumblings I had been hearing meant they would be adding people, but the new initiatives etc... are the reasons this job was deleted- to make room for a diff. FTE to perform different work without adding people. Who they'll be hiring within probably a month or two. And I would apply but I definitely don't have the supervisory or project management experience for the new job.

This frees me up to go to the UK!!!! Woot.

Aaaanyways...

Do you ever do that thing where you run into people you know but haven't seen for a while and say to each other as the conversation winds down "hey we should get together sometime! Call me when you're in town again!" and then realize that you don't have their number and they don't have your number but say nothing about it?

It's happened twice already this week. It's not that I'm rude or anti-social. I guess I just always assume that I'm way more excited to see people than they are to see me so I just leave it up to them to do the realizing and ask for my number if they really want it. I think the other part is that I know it's not really ever going to happen anyways- this happens a lot with friends who are married- I mean when are we going to find time to hang out? I'm not going to hang out with the husband (inappropriate- even if we were friends before), and the wife has kids to take care of, and it's just weird hanging out with most couples (when I'm a single) so...who are we kidding? (If you think I'm talking about you, don't worry, I'm totally not- if you're reading this and you're married with kids and I still hang out with you, it means we are "best friends of ever" (to quote Leslie Knope)).


(Bears love friends)


What do you think? Am I a bad person who should be more pro-active in friend-making and -keeping? Or am I just being realistic? Or am I just the only person who does this?

This has been such interesting listening- I need to find the original piece that prompted this discussion, but it's a discussion between a book critic who feels that YA lit has become rather dark and, in some cases, unacceptably so for its intended audience and a YA author who strongly disagrees. The book critic originally wrote something somewhere (that's what I need to find) that prompted a sharp reaction from parents/librarians/etc...

After listening to this, I actually agree more with the book critic than the author (who really came across as not the best advocate for the case she was trying to make).

The critic cited studies that have found strong correlations between teens' exposure to high-risk behaviors via books with their actually adopting those behaviors. The author took umbrage with that and harped on the fact that "correllation is not causation". While this is true, correllation is indicative of a relationship- it might be that the books influence the behaviors or it might be that kids who practice the behaviors are attracted to a certain kind of book.

It seems that a lot of the outcry in reaction to the original piece was because readers (I guess) thought the critic was advocating censorship- I don't think that's true, and I don't think that's the solution in any case. What I DO think she's advocating is that more care be taken in selecting books for YA readers. Some readers may be able to handle certain issues or types of books better than others- the biggest issue here is one that I think most YA librarians already practice- trying to match the right book with the right person.

I don't know if I'm making a lot of sense- just listen to the discussion- it makes more sense than I can.

Nothing says Independence Day like eating take-out alone on your couch while watching fireworks on TV.

My life is awesome.

So I've been listening to Julia Child's "My Life in France" and all I can think about is moving to Europe. This is really bad for my focus.

Oh wait, I've always had a problem staying on task so this really isn't an issue. Whew.

Also, I spent a while last night looking at library jobs in the UK and I'm totally qualified. If they want to deal with all the junk that comes with bringing someone from outside the country to work.

This is why I don't approve of hair-feather-extensions. Also, it's delightful that fly-fishermen take their hobby so seriously- one man quoted in this article calls the trend "sacrilegious".

Oh another reason I don't approve- we are not owls, we are not Steven Tyler, and we are not in the movie "Rock-A-Doodle". Do you want to be mistaken for any of those? I don't.

I tried to upload an image of the..."female" lead from Rock-A-Doodle but Blogger is being crazy right now. Suffice it to say, you do not want to look like a sexy chicken. Or a chicken that someone tried to make look sexy. How can you look sexy with a beak? That entire movie is a travesty. IT'S ABOUT AN ELVIS CHICKEN.

The Green Lantern was....so terribly cheesy. I love Peter Saarsgard (sp? I'm too lazy to look it up right now) and he was probably the best part of this movie- the only actor who wasn't trying too hard, and he looked disgusting. But what an awesome characterization- his character pre-mutation (like at the party mid-movie) reminds me most forcefully of someone with whom I recently went on a date. And with whom I will never go on a date again.

Anyways, the movie. Oh yes, Mark Strong as Sinestro was also pretty good. But aside from that...purple aliens, blue aliens, aliens shaped like giant killer bees- it was like a new installment in the Men in Black franchise, but broader and weirder and not nearly as entertaining (as the first MiB, I can't speak to the later ones, not having seen them myself, but that should be a statement in itself- that I didn't see them). Oh yeah, and greener.

Also, I like the oath he speaks to the ring- there are the makings just in that of a spectacularly epic space-crime saga, but everything else about this movie falls SOOOO far short of that potential. Also...the good guys fight using the force of will, and the bad guys have harnessed the power of fear (which, apparently, is yellow)- that premise I know is part of the source material, but it just seems so dated.

Ugh. Watch it. If you're bored.


This movie was...meh. The same story as The Perks of Being a Wallflower (which is better) and Speak (but without the violent central premise- this is also a better story), and Born Confused (but not about second-gen Americans- this is also better)- that story being "American teenager has identity crisis but is saved by love/friends/family/relationships and art". Each of the stories mentioned about is both less-trying on my patience and more sincere than "The Art of Getting By". I am starting to really like Emma Roberts, but not even her spunk could save this bore.

There are also a lot of really awkward moments in this movie.

Skip it.



Super 8 is my favorite blockbuster-type movie so far this year (probably soon to be replaced, or at least tied, by HP7). It's not perfect, but it has all the things I love about Spielberg (heartfelt stories, honest characters, and nostalgia that somehow seems fresh) and all the things I love about Abrams (come to think of it, it's probably more his touch that takes the nostalgia and makes it seem fresh and shiny and new, and his love for explosions and big noisy things, and conspiracy theories, and awesome jokes) and smashes all of these things into a gem of flawed delight. It's hilarious, it made me jump (a lot), and it was better the second time I saw it. Also, it's two movies in one- there's a zombie movie in the credits.

Definitely definitely watch it. (with a wary eye for the surprisingly foul mouths of 13-year-olds)

Last night my cable went out. Not all the way- there's still a sort of picture, but it's covered with static and moves up and down constantly. And the sound is crazy.

ALSO since it was installed there has been an "HD technology" fee on my bill. I don't have anything HD. At all. For a TV, I have a giant boulder-like remnant of the days when television sets were three dimensional. It does not have HD picture. Anyways, you know me, and it took me a while to call them to actually remedy the billing issue. The person I spoke to recognized that that charge is bogus and shouldn't be there and offered to credit it to my account for the past three months. I've had Comcast for four months now. So what about the charge from the first month? "I'm sorry ma'am, it's just our policy not to go back further than that, and plus, you could have told us about it earlier." True, BUT.

I will explain to you why this ticked me off so much. First, don't tell me it's "just policy". Explain to me please the reason for this policy. Tell me your computer system locks out refunds past three months. Anything, give me a good reason. The claim that "it's just policy" is just a way for you to sound official when you really have no idea why things are the way they are. Second, it REALLY chapped my hide (or cooked my grits) that he would place the blame on me. REALLY, it's my fault that you've been over-charging me for four months? It's my fault that, even though I told the woman I spoke to when first setting up the account that I DID NOT WANT HD service, because I don't have anything that can show HD picture, the man who came to install the box etc... installed the *wrong* box, which caused me to be charged the wrong fee?


Yes, I waited a while to call and rectify the issue because I AM BUSY. But it is not my fault that there is a breakdown of communication within your organization, nor that your personnel are somehow simultaneously incompetent AND patronizing.

UGH. I wish there was something I could type (or, like, a font size or something) that could adequately express the depth of my frustration.

Anyways, his solution for the billing issue was that I have the wrong box, so I need to take it to the office and exchange it. Which thing I cannot do ASAP because someone is coming tomorrow night to hopefully solve the reception issues. (at least, I can't take it because then I would have to hook up a new box and if the issue persisted what if it was because of something I did? I want the technician to take a look at it and see it exactly as it was when it went out, and as it has been since then.)

Now that THAT'S over with...

Maybe I'm going to see Super8 for the second time today. DON'T JUDGE ME!

I totally have a good reason too- see there's an extra scene at the end of the credits that I didn't know about when I went to see it the first time, so I totally missed it. There. Good excuse right? It's worth the price of another movie ticket to see that scene...I think.

Anyways I'm ok with giving J.J. Abrams more money.

In other news:

1. The expected high today is somewhere in the 90s and I still haven't turned on my AC. Living in a buggy basement does have it's benefits- if being constantly chilly is a benefit (whatever, in the middle of summer, it's totally a benefit).

2. I learned not to date people who are 13 years older than I. If they are that old and have never been married....there is definitely a reason.

3. This is not news, more a piece of advice- don't ever ever barge onto an elevator before you wait to see if anyone needs to get off first. It happens to me EVERY DAY at work, and the people doing it are always either moms with strollers or more mature (i.e. elderly) folks who should certainly know better. It's rude. SO RUDE. It makes for very awkward situations. And I hate it.

I went on a date tonight. It ended with this exchange:

Me: "So if I ever decide to become a mass murderer, I'm set"
Him: "Yup, well, good night!"

(We were talking about my trunk- it's huge)

I don't know why I say the things I do.