I know it's hip to be "beyond it all," but I entreat you to stay!

Zac(k) is gone from Facebook.
And I suddenly sense an inconquerable distance.
I miss him a lot.
Don't leave yet, dear friends. Stay until we're graduated and close again.

Love, Mary

Tidbits

1. Today my toilet started making weird noises. Now, I feel like the normal reaction to this would be to freak out or be confused, BUT I instead just sighed and felt rather annoyed. That's because if my toilet breaks (I don't think it is totally broken yet, but almost) it will have been the 3rd time this semester. I've literally been here 36 days. I feel like 3 times is kind of excessive. I live in the dorm named Prassel. It's the newest one and is supposed to be one of the nicest. LIES all LIES. Haha ok not entirely, but besides the toilet issues, the pipes in the walls vibrate when people take too hot showers, and we had ants for the first week. There's also now a really nasty smell in my room and suitemates' room, but it doesn't appear to be coming from the bathroom. ?? Seriously Trinity?

2. Saturday night my friends and I played hide and seek and capture the flag in upper campus. It was pretty fun... minus the part where I picked a really bad hiding spot and got about a million bug bites. Seriously, I looked like I had chicken pox and felt like I had been sunburned :P

3. I think today was the first time in a very long time that I can remember it being the first day of fall and it actually FEELS like fall. If it weren't for the rain, it would've been a beautiful day :) I'm so over this south Texas heat and humidity.

4. Mary and I turn 20 in a week. This age is almost meaningless, except the fact that it marks an end to our teenage years. I'm not ok with this. I feel like I've grown up to fast and that I should be 17. Mary, let's go drown our sorrows ice cream sometime next Tuesday. Meet you halfway?? :)

P.S. You should also check your mail sometime next week ;)

I could tell y'all more about all the work I have to do for school and the organizations I'm involved with, but that's probably not very interesting to you, so I think this is all I'm gonna post for now...

Except, is it just me, or does anyone else really miss being a freshman?

avec amour,

Emily

So No One Told You Life Was Gonna Be This Way...

“I’m thinking it’s a sign that the freckles in our eyes are mirror images and when we kiss they are perfectly aligned. And I have to speculate that God Himself did make us into corresponding shapes like puzzle pieces from the clay.”

-The Postal Service, Such Great Heights

So who would have ever thought that this would happen? Be honest. Zac claims to have foreseen our rapidly increasing friendship just because we are very similar and have compatible personalities, but Zac always tends to claim that after two people he knew separately become really good friends. J Did I know that the name the group always threw around “Oh, if only Andrew Wagner were here… Tim and Andrew Wagner are so funny together…Andrew Wagner…Andrew Wagner…” (and I always took note that it was the full name—which made me curious as to see what kind of person deserved their whole name spoken as opposed to just the first or the last. And of course the name was always followed by laughter, as if remembering some past joke.)? No, of course not.

So Gig ‘Em Week rolls around, and I’m excited to see everyone again, get back to my home, and have lots of fun. Sunday moved in, Monday met Andrew for the first time at Sbisa, of course (squared). As I do with most people, hit it off right from the get go; there was never that awkward moment when you first get to know someone (we’ve all had it before!). We were just able to talk to each other very openly, honestly, and easily from the moment we met. However, it was mostly Tim and Andrew who were ricocheting off each other’s jokes that day. I sat back and observed, laughing all the while and fully enjoying myself. Gig ‘Em Week was interesting to say the least, and of course a lot of fun. As fate would have it, Andrew, Caleb, and I hung out a lot, and got to know each other better. A synopsis of the events that took place can be found written in wall posts between Andrew and my walls on Facebook, as Mary can contest to.

This is how I put it to Ashley: “You know when a person just walks into your life, and you know they were meant to be there all along? And you will never be the same because of them?” Yeah, that’s basically what it’s been like. Just randomly, one day, Andrew walks in on my seemingly normal, easy-going life, and just completely sweeps me off my feet. Literally, in some cases (he’s teaching me how to beat people up…more on that, later). But you know that things aren’t normal when you are already finishing each other’s sentences by the end of the first week that you met. And that you know exactly what the other person is thinking at any given moment. And it’s not due to the fact that we know each other extremely well; we have literally just met. It is in major part from the fact that we think exactly alike; to the point it is quite freaky. And that doesn’t happen. It just doesn’t happen. There have been many people whom I can understand really well because we think alike. That’s different from thinking exactly the same. We have the same opinion about a lot of subjects, and the phrases “I know exactly what you are talking about” or “I know exactly how you feel” have never been said with such sincerity, truthfulness, or so often in our deep conversations. It is like we have known each other all our lives, but are just now realizing it and getting to spend time together. This kid never ceases to astonish me and cause me to fall in love with him over and over again. Another overused phrase: “Andrew Wagner, where have you been all my life?!” Ironically, not that far away; our paths very close to one another, but never quite crossing.

So I will spare you all the mushy-girly details on this thread, because those are best saved for girl time (or not at all if y’all don’t particularly care). But who knew Andrew Wagner was such a romantic guy? Not I.

“Sometimes people come into your life and you know
right away that they were meant to be there, to serve
some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson, or to help
you figure out who you are or who you want to become.

You never know who these people may be - a roommate, a
neighbor, a professor, a friend, a lover, or even a
complete stranger - but when you lock eyes with them,
you know at that very moment they will affect your
life in some profound way."

-Author Unknown

Why am I not at the football game?

Here I am, sitting in the basement of Cavanaugh Hall. I'm in pajamas, sitting cross-legged on one of the plushiest couches on this whole campus-- none of that college cardboard that they tell you is a seat. I have blankets and books piled around me, a laptop balancing atop the rounds of my knees, and Cavanaugh's big screen TV flashing in front of me. The basement is a surprisingly pleasant place to be mid-afternoon, for there are large windows near the ceiling and homey upolstery colors stretched across the furniture. It's not claustrophobic at all. It's especially not claustrophobic right now, because the nearest person is at least fifty yards away and no one is in the building.

It's game day. I can hear our school cheers and the brass section of our band as clear as day through these concrete walls. On the big screen TV, I'm watching the Notre Dame vs. Michigan State game while it plays out in real life not 100 yards away from my dorm. I purchased season tickets last spring but I never went to pick them up. The last two home football games I have spent here, a two-minute walk from the stadium, burrowed underground beneath books and beneath blankets.

Sophomore year, I made a list of things I wanted to change about myself and I practiced them religiously until they became a second nature for me. Thanks to these gradual changes, junior year was the year of my life when I liked myself more than I ever had. Senior year was great. As a college freshman, I was who I wanted to be. Then this summer, I made a list of things I wanted to change again-- many of them qualities that I used to have but which slipped from me in the last year.

Things didn't work like they did sophomore year. This summer, I failed a lot of the resolutions that I set for myself. I'm still failing them! One of the bullet points was this:

3) Nothing's more important than being there. Go to every social event that you're asked to attend or that you've committed yourself to attend.

And yet here I am, sitting in the basement of Cavanaugh Hall, not participating in this extraordinary opportunity for ND camaraderie. I've received texts from no less than five people saying, "Hey-- where are you? Are you feeling alright?" I continue to be here. And the worst part? I like it here.

I like the solitude. I like getting work done. I like yelling at the television when Clausen's passes go awry or when Floyd makes his touchdowns. I like that the building is empty. I like that I am comfortable. I like that I can watch the instant replays. I like that I'm so close to the action and yet alone. I like that I can ice cream. I like that I have time to write a letter to Brian and post on the Girls' Tent Blog. I like that I am separate.

And here's the meat of the inner conflict: this is not even close to being the change I want to see in the world. But it makes me happy. Man... what of that?

I need better will power. "Be the change" is so much more important than "Be comfortable."

---

Guys, I've been having weird dreams. They all have the same theme, but they're enacted differently each time. They're worrying me a lot. I wish I were a more candid person, and I would tell you all everything right here.

Oh, hey-- I also saw U2 last weekend. I'll tell you about it soon.

Any chance that any of you could find a way to Chicago this year? Any time at all? Please?

And finally: Rose, your posts are something I always look forward to. I read them with great attention. But I'd like to pull everyone back on here! Tell me things that are happening in your lives. It doesn't have to be long. I miss y'all.

Love, Mary

Inspiration Comes from the Oddest Places

“"When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"

"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"

"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.

Pooh nodded thoughtfully.

"It's the same thing," he said.”

-A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

Tim Burton: Introduction, "Vincent," and "Frankenweenie"

Note: In honor of Alice in Wonderland, which is to be released March 2010, I have decided to do an overview of Tim Burton's work to date beginning with his early career with Disney. Enjoy!

"Vincent Malloy is seven years old,
He's always polite and does what he's told.
For a boy his age he's considerate and nice,
But he wants to be just like Vincent Price."

This opening narration from Tim Burton's 1982 "Vincent" could just as easily be used to describe Burton himself as it could the over imaginative slight morbid main character in the short. His long time love affair with early horror films, especially those of famed director Vincent Price and the exploitative, sensational films of the 1950s, is prominently displayed throughout his work lending his films a unique, distinctive visual style that is both instantly recognizable and highly imaginative. Additionally, his quirky personality and difficult home and school life have led to scripts centered around a lonely, misunderstood outsider with whom audiences both instantly sympathize and relate. This winning combination of style and story has quickly propelled Burton to one of the most popular directors in Hollywood.

Burton started his career as an animator for Disney who recruited him right out of college based on his hand drawn short "The Stalk of the Celery Monster." After being removed from The Fox and the Hound due to his roadkill-like concept art, he was reassigned to The Black Cauldron. He often relates this work to having a piece of his brain cut out and preferred to work on his own, more macabre shorts.

The first of these is "Vincent," a six minute animated short about a young boy who imagines that his life is like a movie by his hero Vincent Price, who actually narrates the short. The piece is set to a poem that Burton originally intended to turn into a children's book. It features black and white animation with stark lighting and harsh, distorted shadows creating an eerie, Gothic feel that would soon become a trademark. It also introduces his preferred heroic archetype of misunderstood outsider while at the same time, making fun of it to give it a lighter, more kid-friendly tone. It went on to screen at several film festivals and to win the Audience Award at Ottawa International Film Festival, but Disney didn't know what to do with it, so after giving Burton a pat on the back they put it to the side and all but forgot about it.

Burton's second short made under Disney is "Frankenweenie," a half hour, live-action short about a child Frankenstein who brings his dog Sparky back to life after he is hit by a car. Shot in the same black and white, Gothic style as "Vincent," this short takes a slightly more serious tone, developing strong family relationships as well as the love between a boy and his dog while managing to both spoof and homage his favorite classic horror films. Although this film is imaginative and charming, Disney deemed it to be too frightening for children and fired Burton for wasting company resources. Of course, this did not stop them from later releasing both shorts on their DVD release of The Nightmare Before Christmas once Tim Burton had become a name in the film industry.

Now free of Disney's restrictions, Tim Burton was free to pursue the promising artistic direction he had established in his early shorts.

Treasure Planet

"Now, you listen to me, James Hawkins. You got the makings of greatness in you, but you got to take the helm and chart your own course. Stick to it, no matter the squalls! And when the time comes you get the chance to really test the cut of your sails, and show what you're made of! Well, I hope I'm there, catching some of the light coming off you that day." -John Silver

Disney's Treasure Planet is a futuristic sci-fi version of Robert Louis Steven's Treasure Island, a tale about Jim Hawkins who is part of a crew in search of Captain Flint's treasure only to discover that the ship's cook, Long John Silver, is a pirate planning a mutiny in order the get the treasure all for himself. In this particular version, Jim Hawkin's is voiced by my future Hollywood bestie, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, which on its own would make it worth watching. However, this also came from an interesting time in Disney animation. Having only intermittent success since Aladdin, Disney was now being challenged by Fox and Warner Brothers as the dominant family animators. And the threat wasn't coming in their typical genre.

In 1999, Warner Brothers released The Iron Giant, a sci-fi adventure film directed by Brad Bird. Though it was poorly marketed and under released, this charming story about a boy and his giant space robot gained a level of critical acclaim that Disney had not seen since 1994's The Lion King. The next year, 20th Century Fox released Titan A.E., a post-apocalyptic sci-fi adventure film about Cale (Matt Damon) and Akima (Drew Barrymore) as they search for a space station that can save mankind. Though this film also underperformed due to poor marketing, it must have been a blow to Disney's ego and consequently forced them to expand into the heretofore untouched sci-fi adventure genre with strong male leads searching for excitement and their spunky female love interests to help them.

Thus, Disney released Atlantis: The Lost Empire in 2001. Michael J. Fox voices Milo who, on the eve of World War II, has found a map to Atlantis. However, when he gets there, he discovers that Atlantis may need more help than it can give. Although Atlantis did better than the other two movies in theaters, it still did not make enough in the US to cover its production costs. Unfortunately, Disney could not blame this on poor marketing like The Iron Giant or Titan A.E. as was reinforced by the generally average to poor reviews it received. Accused of having a general lack of character and plot development, perhaps Disney had just strayed too far from what they knew. They were willing to give it another shot the following year with Treasure Planet.

With this, finally, they had done it. By using their already established skills of adaptation, they too had produced an family-friendly animated sci-fi film that had relatively good reviews on par with Titan A.E. Disney even went all out on the animation, layering 2D animation over 3D to create a unique and stunning visual effect. Plus, they made a new first by simultaneously releasing it in regular theaters and IMAX. It was a success! In everything but box office figures that is. High DVD sales and good reviews weren't enough to make up for a box office flop and Disney washed its hands of that crazy fad to return to more comfortable movies like 2003's Brother Bear.

And so the animated sci-fi genre ended soon after it began, but not without leaving a few gems worth watching. The Iron Giant and Titan A.E. of course but I would personally add Treasure Plant for it's stunning animation, well-adapted plot, and charming lead. If you can forgive the feel-good Disney end added to the original Treasure Island story, I think you'll find the lack of romance an interesting twist to the Disney formula. It's an adventure story pure and simple with the most developed relationship that of father/son. These short-lived sci-fi films show a great deal of potential in children's entertainment that could be equal to the Disney princesses given the right marketing. Each of these thrilling tales has it's own cult following and hopefully that will be enough to respark interest in the genre soon.

The Boy With Green Hair

“Please don’t tell why his hair turned green after you’ve seen The Boy With Green Hair!”

The Boy with Green Hair is a sci-fi movie released in 1948 about a boy whose hair turns green the day after he finds out he’s a war orphan. A fairly obvious parable for how wars affect children, this is a pretty average movie which is not nearly as entertaining as its name suggests. However, was is interesting is the theme song for the film, none other than “Nature Boy” by eden ahbez. If you don’t recognize the name, you’ll definitely recognize the song as it is the opening in Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! The original recording of the song plays throughout the film creating an odd effect because of its modern associations. Funny how things happen... 2 stars.

“There was a boy,
A strange enchanted boy.
They say he wandered very far, very far
Over land and sea.
A little shy and sad of eye
But very wise was he.

And then one day,
A magic day he passed my way
And while we spoke of many things, fools and kings,
This he said to me,
"The greatest thing
You’ll ever learn
Is just to love
And be loved
In return.”

"Shoot That Motherfucker"

Tonight I was bored. I wanted to watch TV. "Wanted" was on. I heard it wasn't very good, but I though maybe it wasn't THAT bad and figured it would nevertheless be entertaining and action-packed.

Apparently, no one impressed upon me just how bad this movie was. I thought if I had to hear James McAvoy say "oh my God" again or see another close up of his sweaty, vein-popping face, I was gonna flip. His American accent was believable, but it was still weird. And annoying at times.

The part where James McAvoy jumped through a window and started shooting people was pretty badass... I have hard time seeing him as a badass though.

Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of his. But I just didn't enjoy him in this movie.

This movie did keep me busy for about an hour and half or however long it was, but it wasn't worth it. Shucks. I could've watched SVU or House instead.

Well, now I'm kinda tired but I'm probably gonna watch Buffy or something before I go to bed. That way, I will have weird dreams about vampires instead of about killing my father and shooting dead pigs.

Memorable Movie Quotes

“And our bodies are earth. And our thoughts are clay. And we sleep and eat with death.” -Paul, All Quiet on the Western Front

“I love him because he's the kind of guy who gets drunk on a glass of buttermilk, and I love the way he blushes right up over his ears. I love him because he doesn't know
how to kiss, the jerk!” -Sugarpuss O’Shea, Ball of Fire

Vivian Rutledge: “I don't like your manners.”
Philip Marlowe: “I'm not crazy about yours. I didn't ask to see you. I don't mind if you don't like my manners. I don't like them myself. They're pretty bad. I grieve over them long winter evenings.” -The Big Sleep

"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die." -Roy Batty, Blade Runner

"I'll meet you at the place near the thing where we went that time." -Aaron Altman, Broadcast News

Phyllis: "There's a speed limit in this state, Mr. Neff. 45 miles an hour."
Walter: "How fast was I going, officer?"
Phyllis: "I'd say around 90."
Walter: "Suppose you get down off your motorcycle and give me a ticket."
Phyllis: "Suppose I let you off with a warning this time."
Walter: "Suppose it doesn't take."
Phyllis: "Suppose I have to whack you over the knuckles."
Walter: "Suppose I bust out crying and put my head on your shoulder."
Phyllis: "Suppose you try putting it on my husband's shoulder."
Walter: "That tears it..." -Double Indemnity

"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!" -President Merkin Muffley, Dr. Strangelove

"If I'd been a ranch, they would've named me the Bar Nothing." -Gilda, Gilda

"If it weren't for graft, you'd get a very low type of people in politics." -The Politician, The Great McGinty

"L-I-V-E! Live! Otherwise, you got nothing to talk about in the locker room." -Maude, Harold and Maude

"Well, I've wrestled with reality for thirty- five years, Doctor, and I’m happy to state I finally won out over it." -Elwood P. Dowd, Harvey

"Oh, no, it wasn't the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast." -Carl Denham, King Kong

"In my case, self-absorption is completely justified. I have never discovered any other subject so worthy of my attention." -Waldo Lydecker, Laura

"I think people should mate for life, like pigeons or Catholics." -Isaac Davis, Manhattan

"In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, and they had 500 years of democracy and peace. And what did that produce? The cuckoo clock." -Harry Lime, The Third Man

"I've always been myself, even when I was ill, only now I seem myself and that's the important thing. I have remembered how to seem." -King George, The Madness of King George

"We are only as God made us, and many of us much worse." -Narrator, Tom Jones

"Give me wine, I drain the dregs and toss the empty bottle at the world. Show me our Lord Jesus in agony and I mount the cross and steal His nails for my own palms.... I look upon a pinhead and I see angels dancing." -Rochester, The Libertine

Chungking Express

"If memories could be canned, would they also have expiry dates? If so, I hope they last for centuries." -Cop 223

Chinese director Kar Wai Wong's Chungking Express tells the story of two Hong Kong cops both disconnected and lonely in the big city. The first story is about Cop 223 (Takeshi Kaneshiro) who has been dumped by his long time girlfriend and decides that by the end of the month he will either win back his girlfriend or lose her altogether. In the second, Cop 663 (Tony Leung Chiu Wai), recently dumped by his girlfriend, catches the attention of an eccentric waitress (Faye Wong) determined to help his find happiness again.

This beautifully shot, impressionistic film is not plot driven or even necessarily character driven. It is emotionally driven and so powerfully so that you get lost in the poetry of the camerawork and the depth and honesty of the characters. Loss, heartache, isolation, new love, and hope are all brilliantly portrayed with the help of the wonderfully understated but well-written script. With its skillful use of color and motion and its subtle storytelling ability, this poignant film will take your breath away. 5 stars.

It Was All Yellow

Here's why last night was awesome:

Coldplay's amazing and impressive music talent

Kaz

Tim

Chris Martin's rhyme about Texas, accompanied by a harmonica... and the way he inserted "Dallas" or "Texas" into quite a lot of songs

*Included something like "...Texans make a fuck of a lot of noise... everyone we play to is great, but we hear they do it best in the Lonestar state"

Chris Martin in general

*Quotes I remember: "Thank you for giving up your Tuesday to come see us 4 poor Englishmen(I don't think he said poor, but it was something humble like that :] )" after the opening song- "Oh wow, that's a lot of people." before starting the wave- "and you too in the front who are wondering what on earth we're doing in the back. hehe" also "we're gonna start off by the big balloon that says VIVA, whatever the fuck that means... I'm kidding"

Big yellow bouncy balls

Free, live Coldplay album

Cell phone wave

Steak 'n Shake's steakburgers and classic chocolate malts

Being united with thousands of people by one common interest

Butterfly confetti

Really cool video and lighting effects

Mistakingly think I won at Speed. Super Embarrassing. Very funny.

I can't think of anything else, but that was probably the best concert I've ever been to! I have re-fallen in love with Coldplay. Wish all of you had been there :)

The videos are indeed uploaded

These are all the camping trip videos that I should have shared with you ages ago. And now, after uploading all the video, I have realized that most of it is Jordan.

Love, Mary

A Sweet Serenade from Jordan:


The Smile of a Well Digger:


Caleb, It's a Beautiful Day:


Casa Blanca Does NOT Suck:

Cry-Baby

"Juvenile delinquents are everywhere. Right here in this community. Boys with long hair and tattoos who spit on the sidewalk. Girls who wear tight slacks. Hysterectomy pants, I call them." -Mrs. Vernon-Williams

John Water's Cry-Baby is a fun-loving, campy musical set in 1954 about a "square" turned "drape," Allison Vernon-Williams (Amy Locane). Tired of being good, Allison falls hard for Wade "Cry-Baby" Walker (Johnny Depp), named for his ability to shed a single tear, who (crazily enough) has got it bad for Allison. But between Allison's disapproving boyfriend and grandmother and Cry-Baby-obsessed Lenora, the two have some difficulty finding their happy ending.

One of Johnny Depp's lesser known and John Water's best known movies, Cry-Baby is a quirky and original romance that features a wide array of interesting supporting characters and random humor that reminds us why we love musicals. It does an interesting job of retelling the boy-and-girl-from-opposite-sides-of-the-tracks story and is completely charming while doing it. I've seen it a couple times and it has become one of my favorite musicals from sheer camp value and soundtrack alone. If you have any fondness for the 50s and its music, you'll love this movie. 4 stars.

Somebody Hit The Lights

There was a faint scent of cinnamon in the air, candles all around, and near silence. It was eerie, yet peaceful.

This is what my house was like earlier tonight--for about an hour. We don't know why, but the power went out. My dad says it's because of the heat. Seems like the power always goes out at night, never during the day. Weird.

The impervious darkness and unnatural silence are usually rather unnerving to me. I always hurry to find the nearest flashlight and the rest of my family and ask continually when the power will be back on.

Tonight, however, was a little different. After I lit a few candles, I ate my leftover ice cream [didn't want it to melt of course ;) ] and spent some time reading my book about Mary, Queen of Scots.

During this time I realized just how bright a single, small flame is. I find it amazing how powerful the natural light God gave us is and how calming and comforting it can be. [I also discovered that the ice dispenser on the refrigerator is run by electricity. For some reason that seemed silly to me.]

After a while, my dad decided to go out front and see if the other houses were out of power and it turns out only those on our block of the street were. When I went outside with him, I was able to again experience the beauty and power of natural light. The moon. It is a day or two past a full moon, but it still was so bright in the clear sky and rested next to a planet that might have been Jupiter (I don't really know much astronomy). The street looked almost blue and everything else was dimly lit not by the reflection of lights inside the houses or street lamps or porch lights, but by pure, gleaming moonlight.

We both went inside and my dad proceeded to complain that his iPhone was dying and that he wanted to play solitaire on it since he couldn't watch TV or surf the internet like usual. I offered to teach him how to play solitaire with real cards, but since he didn't feel like it, I played by myself while listening to Norah Jones on my iPod.

Even though I did cheat a little by using my iPod, I really enjoyed the simplicity of sitting at the coffee table with my dad, playing cards in the candlelight while petting my dog and reveling in the lack of synthetic light and stream of media that I'm constantly bombarded with. yet also drawn to. I admit I spent a lot of my day on Facebook, surfing the internet, and watching TV. It's not that I don't enjoy them--I usually do--but not as much as I should and there's something about them that makes me a feel slightly empty for wasting time with them.

These things are not bad, but they aren't genuine and I found that I actually cherished the time I spent reading in a hot, dimly lit kitchen much more. It's times like these that I kind of wished that I lived in different era.

When the power came back on, my dad let out a triumphal "yes," but I was slightly disappointed. My dad commented on this and also told me about how when he was kid they didn't have color TV or air conditioning, etc. I find it odd, then, that I appreciated the lack of electricity much more than he did, but perhaps that is why. I have been so spoiled and surround constantly by so many different kinds of lights and sounds and artificial time wasters that getting back to the basics and experiencing things in their natural state is a rare and unusual sight (or should I say gift?).

It must be savored because it will disappear as quickly as it came. And if you don't pause to enjoy the beauty of such things, your life just might be missing something.

Just a thought...

Good night

So I've decided I need to post a blog. Except I haven't had anything blog worthy to blog about yet. Then today this happened and I decide to tell you about it.
I'm going to warn you ahead of time, this is kind of graphic.
Today while I was riding my bike I passed by a tree next to the sidewalk. I thought I saw something on the ground in front of it move, so I decided to double back and check it out. There on the ground I found four baby birds that had fallen out of their nest because of the heavy rains earlier that day. The birds were too young to fly or even walk. A few of them didn't even have any feathers yet. I caught my breath when I saw that all of them were covered in a swarm of ants. But they weren't dead yet; they were still kicking and fighting to get up. It was so sad. I knew there wasn't much I could do. As I stood there, one of them just stopped moving all together. I couldn't just take one home...could I? I mean its mother wouldn't take it back would it? I took out my water bottle and rinsed some of the ants off of the oldest and, well for lack of better words, the least dead bird and then cradled it in my sunglasses. It's eyes weren't open yet and it kept opening and closing its mouth while trying desperately to stand. I stood there for a few minutes without a clue of what I was going to do next. I attempted to brush off the remaining ants as I looked around for the nest. I didn't see one so I looked around for a place to put it off the ground and away from those stupid ants. I couldn't find a good spot. I stood on the sidewalk and finally resolved to put the bird in the bag I had on my bike and take it home. Probably not the best idea but I had to do something I HAD to. Walking away felt like failing to stop and render aid. I'm not sure why I felt so strongly about it but I did. As I turned carefully to go back to my bike, sunglasses cradle in had, the bird struggled a bit too much. I flinched as it fell to the sidewalk with a sickening splat. I turned got on my bike and rode away as fast as I could.
I felt so bad.

Gerry

"Fuck the thing! It's probably just some thing at the end of the trail." -Gerry

And with these words, the two Gerrys who are hiking in a "wilderness area" get utterly lost where they walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and very occasionally talk. That is the entire plot. I'm not summarizing or exaggerating. That's it. This extremely arty movie is directed by Gus van Sant, stars Matt Damon and Casey Afflack, and is co-written by the three. Which couldn't have been that hard considering how little dialogue there is. This is a movie in which nothing happens very slowly. As a metaphor for life, it is interesting enough but it's definitely a movie to watch while doing something else. Like watching paint dry. Then you could double your enjoyment. If someone recommends this movie to you, it's as a joke. Fair warning. 2 stars.

Good Queen Bess

"I would rather be a beggar and single
than a queen and married."

Tonight I watched the movie Elizabeth (prequel to Elizabeth: The Golden Age). I've already mentioned my love of reading about royalty in the sixteenth century, which is now expanding to include rulers from all era's from the 1100's with Eleanor of Aquitaine to the 19th century with Queen Victoria of England.

I'm particularly interested in Tudor England, but especially fascinated with Elizabeth. In my view she is the perfect representation of "girl power." As lame as it sounds, it's true. She was called the Virgin Queen because she was determined not to marry and be ruled by a man (I think it would be naive to believe that she really was a virgin, but who knows?).

Many liked to say that she was not pretty or desirable enough, but as a Queen this would not have mattered. If Elizabeth had wanted to marry somebody for love or alliance, she could have. For those of high birth marriage was a means of improving status or wealth and often resulted in unhappy circumstances, especially for women. Yet it was almost unthinkable for a woman to not be married and therefore under control of her husband instead of her parents.

I do not envy them, which is why I admire Elizabeth all the more. Most of her advisors wanted her to get married because like all men, they believed a woman was unfit to rule.

Proved them wrong didn't she?

As we all know, she reigned for about 45 years, part of which was England's Golden Age. The defeat of the Spanish Armada, English unity and uniformity of religion, and the founding of many English colonies in the Americas (including the lost colony of Roanoke) are all credited to her name and era (and lets not forget Shakespeare). Not a bad resume, eh? She also survived many attempts and plots to end her life or right to rule.

Admittedly, she probably had her fair share of luck in overcoming economic and military difficulties and she had many flaws, but despite all that she did a pretty damn good job of ruling England, a mighty empire, and did so as a lone sovereign.

Like I said, I do not envy the plight of women in the 16th century (well, throughout history really). Many of us enjoy (or perhaps it's just me? :] ) imagining ourselves as overseeing great kingdoms, wearing long, ornate dresses, wearing a crown, owning palaces and castles, and dancing at court. But as tempting as that all sounds, I would never trade my life now for a chance to live like they did back then, especially not as a person of royalty. Privacy, peace, and guaranteed safety were uncommon and I don't even need to go into how much I detest the position of women at the time.

No, I am too independent and creative to have been happy in such a place. I wouldn't mind owning one or two of those dresses or a tiara though...

"They are most deceived that trusteth most in themselves."

"There is one thing higher than Royalty:
and that is religion, which causes us
to leave the world, and seek God."

"Those who appear the most sanctified are the worst. "

-quotes by Elizabeth I, Queen of England, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, 5th and last of the Tudor line

On another note, I checked out IMDB after watching Elizabeth. Did anyone know that Lily Allen plays one of her Ladies in Waiting??

Public Enemies

"You ain't going nowhere. I'm gonna die an old man in your arms. We're too good for 'em. They ain't tough enough, smart enough or fast enough. I can hit any bank I want, any time. They got to be at every bank, all the time. That's why we're on top of the world. Ain't nobody can lay a glove on us. No ... I ain't going nowhere. Neither are you. What you got to say about that?" -John Dillinger

As we all know, Public Enemies is about the life of John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) starting with his prison escape in 1933 and taking us through his crime spree that drew the attention of the newly formed FBI and ultimately made him into Public Enemy #1. Christian Bale plays Melvin Purvis the FBI agent trying to take him down, Marion Cotillard plays his girlfriend Billie Frechette, and Billy Crudup plays J. Edgar Hoover. Several well-known gangsters from the time period such as Pretty Boy Floyd and Baby Face Nelson also make appearances.

I expected Michael Mann's Public Enemies to be a summer blockbuster but what I didn't expect was gritty cinematography and sound design in a period gangster movie. With handheld camera work, frequent tight facial closeups, and a fair amount of location sound, the action scenes are much more real and startling especially when compared to the highly romanticized style of most period gangster movies. This, combined with the depiction of both gangsters and FBI men as lunatics capable of atrocities makes an interesting variation to the usual noble cops or noble gangster idea. Dillinger himself is of course depicted through rose-colored glasses. Although he is shown shooting guards or cops, he is the most admirable of the criminals and is redeemed of all shortcomings through his love for and devotion to Billie Frechette. Also, for an action movie, it's not afraid to have quiet moments or linger on a person's face as they are thinking. The acting was all-around convincing, the characters engaging, and it never for a second felt like two and a half hours. I highly recommend it. 4 1/2 stars.

Movies to Look Forward to This Summer

In answer to your question Mary, these are the movies we must see this summer:

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Of course. Midnight showing and all. July 15

(500) Days of Summer
Marc Webb. Joseph Gordan-Levitt. Zooey Deschanel. Need I say more? July 17

Adam
Adorable looking movie about an autistic man and his neighbor. July 29

Julie & Julia
Meryl Streep and Amy Adams in a movie about Julia Child and the woman who cooked her way through Child's cookbook. Passion. Ambition. Butter. August 7

District 9
Comedy? Drama? I don't know, but aliens in India equals me in a theater seat. August 14

Ponyo
Looks like another classic from Studio Ghibli! With the voices of Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Liam Neeson, Lili Tomlin, and the Jonas Brothers youngest. August 14

Inglorious Bastards
Quentin Tarantino's World War II epic starring Brad Pitt, BJ Novak, and Mike Meyers. How could this be bad? August 21