Here Comes the Photographer

I’m shooting a wedding for a friend that’s coming up pretty soon – like a couple of weeks from now.  Every photographer I’ve talked to has said basically, “Don’t do it.  For the love of god, if you want to keep your friends and sanity, back out now!  Claim that you’ve got SIDS or SARS, or some other acronym, but just get out!”

The thing is, as a photographer, there are a billion ways to screw up someone’s wedding, and of course, this is the most important day in their lives.  These will be the pictures that they show everyone ‘til their dying day.

So, I’m a mite bit nervous, but I think it’ll go ok.  I’ve talked to both brides, and they both like my journalistic-style photos, and they both abhor the ‘produced’ feel that the pro photographers were offering.  They also have told me several times that they want the posed shots at a minimum.  They want candid shots and crowd shots and some other basics.  I think I can do that.

Frankly, I’ve worked with a lot of photographers who have done wedding jobs for strangers for pay, but I’ve only known one guy personally who is trying to do weddings full time.  He was/is not a sane man.

It seems like a particularly masochistic thing to do.  You insert yourself into some of the most intimate times of a couple’s lives and have to have the class and artistry to turn it all into ‘the’ history of the day.  And heaven help you if the only clean shot you got of the favorite uncle is when his zipper was down, or if your shot of the garter throwing shows the tattoo that the bride had been trying to hide all day.

I’ve got another photo job today, too.  I’m hoping there wont be any brides, grooms or uncles…

Drain Bed

'kay, no thoughtful post today. Just a couple of pictures.

Miniland has a waterfall:


and a bird:

Finnegan Begin Again

I’m a masochist in a lot of ways really. My school year starts a bit later than everyone else’s, and I’m very jealous.

I’m reading blogs about the first day of school and the bipolar sections. I’m reading about missing students and too many students and the ever-present students who are shocked - shocked! that work will be required in class. I’m reading about inventive ways of getting students involved from day one. I’m reading about the heads of fierce beasts that are not conducive to sign language. I’m reading about the flush of victory that you feel when the students get it.

Did I mention I’m jealous? Jealousy is a big part of it, but it's nervousness and excitement too.

I should be building PhD applications and knee deep in materials for my thesis. I should be cleaning and rearranging my tiny little room so I can move the rest of the boxes in. I should be back on my running schedule, but instead I sit here in my chair in my office living vicariously through those of you who have already begun again.

If I had a bit, I’d chomp it.

E Pluribus Sue-'em

The plot has stopped thickening.  After telling me he had no intention of calling her, the collections agency guy called my friend’s mom immediately after speaking to me.  I can only assume it didn’t matter to him if we all believe him to be a liar and in general a slimy human being.  I guess that’s just part of the job.  
In any case, the case is closing.  The agency will get a little bit of money from both my friend’s mom and myself (in small doses over time).  The slimy man will get his cut, and everyone will go home without resorting to legal joy.  
This is the best solution, I guess.  I’ll be able to unsuspend my license in a few weeks, although it just happened to expire while suspended, so I get to take the test again.  I’m sure that will be a barrel of laughs.  
Stewgad mentioned in comments that my friend’s not having insurance was the big problem in all this.  I do agree to a point.  If only she hadn’t let her coverage lapse, so many things would have gone more smoothly, and certainly never would have gotten to this extreme.  However, I have a hard time blaming others when I can legitimately blame myself.  I was the guy who was driving when I hit the other car.  That’s the fundamental start of all of this.  
The great thing is that all this trouble hasn’t soured our friendship.  Maybe someday much later we’ll have it out and accusations will fly, but for now we’re still friends and I’m lucky to have a friend like her.

An Archeological Discovery

The person who had this room before me was certainly a classy gentleman. Although I did take down from the wall the magazine pages hung in homage to Sapphic lust, the scotch tape he used to secure them that alternately ripped paint from the wall and refused to come down at all will provide forever a way of remembering him and his decorating wisdom.

Can You Hear Me Now?

Oh, fun. The ringer is dead on my cell phone. Is this just an excuse to get a new phone? If I hold on for another few months I get a new one with the contract extention, but if I buy one now I could still trade in my old one to get the new one and then ebay the extra one... hmm... options options... and they all involve money...

poop.

Trouble with A Capital T, That Rhymes with P and That Stands for Pool!

When I got home from the trip there was a letter waiting for me that must have arrived a day or two after I left.  There’s a story here.

Back in October, I was driving a friend’s car and got into a fender-bender.  No one was hurt.  There was a little damage to my friend’s car, and the other car’s bumper got banged up, but it didn’t look like there was any damage aside from that.  Anyway, it turns out that my friend had let her insurance lapse, and I don’t have insurance because I don’t have a car.  Not good.  I got a ticket for driving without insurance and paid a fine and had my license suspended for a year.  

The accident report had me at fault, which I expected, and soon after my, friend’s mom (the owner of the car) and I were contacted by the other driver’s insurance company to confirm there was no insurance coverage.  They said they were going to wait until all the estimates were in before taking any action.  I went to the legal clinic on campus and was given the sage advice, “Don’t buy anything big like a house or anything in the next several years, ‘cause they can take it from you.”  Pity, too, because I had great plans of real estate expansion during my grad career.

It seems that the estimates have become real life bills, because the letter that came for me was from a collection agency asking for a quite large sum that I obviously have no way to pay.  I got in contact with my friend and she told me that her mom was looking into options.  

All this seems to me the way that these things usually go, and I wasn’t surprised by any of it.

But tonight…

Tonight I got the phone call.

Wow.  I had never been on the other side of one of these guys.  He was good, but in a kind of immature way.  First, he left a message on my voice mail that said something to the effect of:

This is very important and this may be the only phone call you ever get about this.  I will explain this matter when you call me back.  This is very important.  

Is it me, or does that sound suspiciously like the wording on those sweepstakes mailings or spam email?  

In any case, I was on the phone at the time and the call came up ‘private’ on the ID, so I didn’t answer it.  I forgot that I had gotten a call, so I didn’t check my voice mail after I hung up.  About thirty minutes later (mind you this is in the evening, not business hours) I get a call from him.  

He told me that I had to commit to paying the money within one hour, or the company would sue me and the owner of the car, and have my license revoked for ten years.  I began to explain my financial situation to him, but he didn’t seem to listen (frankly, not that I blame him for that.  I have no doubt he gets all kinds of sob stories).  He then said basically that I should ask my parents, family, and friends for the money (I’m not.  Those who know me please don’t offer.) saying that if his license were on the line that he would gladly pay [insert obscenely large amount much larger than what they claim is due here] to get it back.  Then he went on a minor spiel about how important driver’s licenses are.  

Then I asked him if he had spoken to the owner of the car, seeing as how, as I understand things, we are both liable.  He said that he hadn’t talked with her and had no plans to.  Then he said he could get her on a three-way line and talk to us both, which I thought was just silly.  Then he did ask me if I thought she was trying to dump all this trouble on me by not taking care of all this.  I guess he was trying to see if he could make me suspicious or angry toward her.  Very interesting…  

I will say that he seemed to be very good at the whole thing.  He spoke with a great deal of intensity and confidence.  When I said that I couldn’t and wouldn’t commit to anything within one hour and that I had no property or saleable assets, he turned that into an ‘outright refusal’ to pay.  I thought with all the legal possibilities, that that was a particularly nice twist.

Really, his main problem, aside from the pushy absolutist manner (You could get served in seven days!  You may have already won!) , was the one hour deadline.  Obviously, I know next to nothing about this legally, and I’m sure he counts on that when he calls people, but a one hour deadline seems more than a little bit ridiculous.  Also, telling me that he had no intention of calling and trying to talk to a person that they planned to sue seemed even more silly.  Wouldn’t they want to see if they could recover the money before they started legal action?  I can’t speak for her.  Why not talk to her yourself?

I realize that I’m making light of a very serious situation, and that may not be the healthiest way to approach this, but it’s what I do.  I get through stress by overanalyzing and making jokes.  And running.  And eating.

I am trying to see if there are any ways out of this mess.  It wouldn’t be the end of the world if I lost my license, but it would be very awful.  I certainly don’t want anything to happen to my friend or her mother, but I’m not sure what my options are.  I guess I’ll be heading to the legal clinic again tomorrow.  The snake-oil salesman did mention that he would be willing to drop the amount ‘significantly’ if I were willing to deal, so there might be something there.  Frankly, I would want to ask to talk with someone else from their company, but that would probably tick them all off and not necessarily get me anyone better.

Ugh.

Sister Sylvia Stout

Ugh.  Where did I get all of this junk?  I cleaned out my room and I thought it was mostly done.  Silly me.  I knew I had a desk in the garage (I moved it down there for the re-carpeting).  I had forgotten the boxes.  Oh sweet lord, the boxes.  What’s in all of them?  How can I accumulate all of this junk?  I can see the promise in a Buddhist renunciation of material things.  Except I can’t give up my computer.  I would be a bad Buddhist, but I must strive to be a lighter being.  I’m going to tackle the mess in the garage.  I’m going to tackle the mess in my new room (isn’t it funny how you never realize how much smaller a new area is until you try to cram all of the stuff you had in the old area into it?).

I must clarify my life.

Anyone want to buy a desk?

More Moving Less Thinking

Oh, it’s good to be home.  

I had a big Italian dinner last night.  Cheeeezey bread and a little apple crisp thingie for dessert.  My landlords helped me move a little bit so I took them out to dinner.  I’ve still got a couple more car-loads worth of junk, but a friend said she’d help me out tomorrow, so I should be able to be out on time.  

Moving is emotionally draining.  I’m becoming a child again (or moreso than usual) I don’t want to leave.  I don’t want to go to the new place.  I don’t want to leave my friends (well, ok, the cat).  The kids (dog) at the new place won’t like me.  

Ugh.  At least classes don’t start for a little bit.

Harumph

Harry Potter Personality Quiz by Pirate Monkeys Inc.

Actually I kind of like that, but I usually get different answers on those INJF personality quizes.

Other news:
Tonight's photo gig went very well, and there are many many many more to do. I've got another one tomorrow!

I was supposed to start moving today. It didn't happen at all. I need to be out by the end of the month. Sometimes not having a car is a really bad thing. :(

Rogue's Gallery

Another note from the trip:  If you put 60 people under the age of 35 on a two week trip, you will get a soap opera.  

Evidence:

The first people who become noticeable are the people everyone hates.  

Enter the Ugly Americans.  Number one is an insecure 19 year old who thinks that proving every stereotype heaped on Americas will make people like him.  It doesn’t.  His most shining moment otherwise was acting as a translator between the Spanish folks and some English speakers.  He translated everything they said as either an insult or a sexual proposition.  Unfortunately, there weren’t any other Spanish speakers around at the time.

Number two is a missionary who has a nasty habit of getting drunk and attempting to sexually assault anything with breasts.  He also, unfortunately had been to Miniland before and regaled anyone within earshot, including locals, about how he knew better places that we should be going, and if we would only follow him instead of the tour guides, how much better life would be.  He also spoke a bit of the local lingo, but the less said about that, the better.

Next to become vivid are the first batch of lovers.  Boom.  Out of nowhere they’re crawling all over each other.  In the hotel, in the bus, in the restaurant, in the street.  Hey, listen, we’re happy that you’ve found each other, but come on now…

Then there’s the French guy I mentioned before.  There were several people from France, but only one French Guy.  Imagine Pepe LePew, Marky Mark and maybe a dash of Je ne sais quois, and you’ve got him.  He’s a good guy but sexual to the point of startling people.  He’s not picky – man, woman, good-looking, ugly, married, single, anyone is beautiful and available to him.  

Slowly the less extravagant people become visible.  Camera folks for me to chat with.  The running group and the vegetarian group, both of which I enjoy spending time with.  The guides themselves were wonderful people by and large, and were happy to talk about anything and everything.  Their leader was a fiercely nationalistic fireplug.  She came up to my chin (and I’m not tall by any stretch of the imagination), and she couldn’t stop talking or moving the entire trip.  At one point, when I was sure that no one had gotten a full night’s sleep, she was so hopped up that I figured she must have been on something.

As the trip moved on, the more subtle pairings began.  That girl is madly in lust with that guy.  All the girls love him, but he’s not paying them any attention.  He’s hanging around those two quite a bit more than is seemly, but who knows?  Then it becomes a bit more obvious.  He isn’t interested in her, but once his other options dry up, he’s happy to be with her.  The other he disappeared with one of the guides. Etc…  I really wish I had the anthropological training to see what was really going on.  

I did get one disturbing gossip update, but there’s no telling if it’s true.  Heck, maybe it’s all in my imagination.  Well, I know that that wasn’t in my imagination…

Trip Pictures

I haven't gone through all the pictures yet, so I'm just putting up a few. I'll get you some more later. These are all from the first day. It was so windy I thought I would be blown into the water a few times. Fun fun!

More later - enjoy!

I Found The Trip's Special Purpose!

As near as I can tell, I’m conscious again, or as close to it as I ever am. I killed the deadly jet-lag demon with a nice 9 hour sleep. I say killed, but it’s usually easier going this way around the world than the other way. I think. Maybe it just slunk away on its own.

So, I finally figured out what the whole trip was about! It was a blatant plea from the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Transportation (they’ve got the tourist bureau) that went out to the 60 members of the group, “Please! Please! Tell the whole world to visit Miniland!” Well, sad thing is that I can’t tell you where Miniland is, because it’s one of the places that would give you a decent hint in figuring out what I do here in the land of academe. In any case, they figured to invite us out for a bit of a tour and show up what’s up in Miniland. That way, when we all got home then we could spread the gospel of how wonderful the place is.

If it weren’t for the whole mild mannered secret identity thing, I probably would give you exactly the advice they would have me give you. Miniland is really more of a regional destination rather than a global one, but it’s got quite a bit to recommend it. Even though it’s marginally related to what I study, I’ve usually gone nearby, but I’ve never been there before. I know now that if I get the chance to go back, I surely will. The people I met there are truly some of the most kind and hospitable that I’ve ever met. I usually hate making generalities like that, but the only slightly negative experience I ever heard about was a street vendor that tried to get one of the group to pay a higher price for a little bracelet. For crying out loud, if that was the only problem I ever ran into when traveling, I’d be giddy. I’d also probably have a lot of expensive cheap bracelets, but that’s neither here nor there.

The scenery was gorgeous, as I hope you can tell from the one picture I put up there. Don’t worry, there will be many many more pictures. The cities were mainly sad and a bit run down, with pockets of bewildering high-tech wonders.

There’s a lot to say about this trip, so I’ll break it up a bit. I’ve got to run and get ready to go to a photo job tonight. It’s been awhile since I’ve done this kind of photo gig. I hope I remember which direction to point the camera.

I'm Back!

And exausted! The trip was very very odd, but in a wonderful way. There were Ugly Americans and Stereotypical folks from many nations. There were hot springs and irrelevent coorporate kickback visits. All this and much more when I regain consciousness!

Where, Oh Where Is Our Bedreaggled Blogger?

IMG_2434
Originally uploaded by Overread.

(If you know the answer, please don't answer that - just think to yourself how cool you are for knowing and move on with that knowledge)

I'm in the land of Far Far Away. Many have fallen to the perils of intestinal distress, but yet I'm still enjoying every meal. I've seen wondrous sights and outstanding human beings.

The trip itself is a surreal thing and only a funhouse minor reflection of what I thought it would be, but I'm having a great time and am truly lucky to have found myself here. I'm still not entirely sure how that happened.

There's another week to go here and then I'm back in the realm of reality. The housing situation has been resolved. I got the place that I wasn't too keen on, but at least I know I have somewhere to go home to when I have to leave my happy hovel.

Side note - I have a nasty habit of picking up people's accents. For the past week I've been chatting with groups of New Zealanders, Australians, British folks, French folks, and a couple of lovely Spanish folks as well as a handful of Asian nationalities to boot. I hope they don't think I'm mocking them, because I simply love accents and I'm only subconsciously trying them on for size. I quite like the British one at the moment...

That's all for now - take care my friends of the ether, I wish I could read all of your blogs now, but there's simply not enough time. Be well and try the chicken, or if you can't do both, then just be well.

I'm Leaving On a Jet Plane.

I'm nearly packed, and nearly ready to go. It's becoming a bit silly how tied to the electornics that I've become. I've got the cell phone (which I need on the trip to the airport, but I'll pop in the bag later 'cause it won't work in the Land Far Far Away), I've got the PDA, I've got the MP3 player, I've got a whole host of camera gear (still haven't decided if I want to bring the film body or not), then of course I've got the laptop and all it's attendant gear. It's really kind of pathetic. I don't doubt that I could go without, but I just don't want to. Is that like the 'I can stop any time I want to' thing? Perhaps...

I still have't gotten the travel jitters that I usually get for a long trip like this. I guess I haven't had time to think much about it all.

Cab in an hour or so, bus after that then a few hours at the airport then a double digit flight - oh joy.

The food better be good. :)

TACheckSportsTrip

Ahem…

Woohoo!!! The TAship is mine! My precious my precious, no one will take you away from me, my one and only precious. I had a phone interview and I guess I was good enough to get the prof’s ok, so now we can go with the ‘had it, lost it, in the running for it, lost it, got it’ scenario. If you had that on your play-at-home sheet, then you get the full points. Sorry to all those who played and didn’t win this time, but I’m sure there will be more opportunities to play.

Other random good news: I got an email from the billing office asking me why I hadn’t picked up one of my fellowship checks. This is odd because everything I get either gets direct deposited or mailed to me. Anyway, I run through my papers and it looks like they didn’t give me a full check some time in March, and so there was a check for the remainder sitting there waiting for me.

Now, if this were me losing money, I would be tweaked that they weren’t on the ball and didn’t get the numbers right the first time, but since it’s a black number in the accounts, I went over to the office with a smile. I did ask if they knew the story behind the check, not expecting much, and they had a little pow-wow for a bit and came back to me with the helpful information that the money was a fellowship grant from my department. Well, true enough, I guess, but I kinda already knew that. Convinced that nothing was to be gained by trying to figure it out, I kept my smile, clutched my check and happily strolled back to my little cave.

More fun info from the billing office: The guy next to me was trying to find out how he would get his athletic scholarship money. He also wanted to know if he could get a replacement ID there (In the billing office. Yeah.). From the way he was twitching and hopping all over the room, and the scattered thoughts that were flying all over the place, I really hope he was on some hard-core crazy drugs. Really. Because if this is the way this guy is naturally, our sports teams are in more trouble than they already are.

Trip Updates!

I leave tomorrow for the grand crazy tour! I’m not packed! I’m not prepared! I’ll be gone for about 2 weeks sweating like a racehorse at scenic spots and popping in on hyper-refrigerated universities. If history is any gauge, there will also be a lot of eating and drinking. If all that isn’t a surefire recipe for illness, I don’t know what is. I shall be strong however, and remain healthy until I get home and have to gear up for school. Then I’ll fall deathly ill – you just watch.

I have gathered some gifts to hand out bearing the University’s fine imprint, and I’m going to get a hat with the name emblazoned upon it, so that when we go out on the excruciatingly hot tour portions of the trip I can be a proper sweaty (but shaded from the sun) representative of my beloved school.

Also, because I have no car, I have to take a shuttle bus to the monstrous airport Many Miles Away. Unfortunately, the shuttle bus leaves from a place not serviced by the fine local public transport service, sooooo I’m guessing I’m going to have to take a cab to the bus to the plane. Ugh. And we wonder why the sky hangs heavy with lung goo.

I will be taking the laptop and hopefully I’ll be able to blog a little bit from the land of Far Away. I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to say without blowing my cover, but I’ll hopefully be able to have some stories of non-specific hyjinx.

Ok, that’s all for now, see you on the flipside.

Dukes of Hazzard

Oooo, it was bad! In a pretty good way though. No one was expecting art here, and on that score, there was no disappointment. There were editing problems, plot holes, bad acting, and much much more. On the plus side, there was plenty of what you expect, car chases, flaming arrows, yahoo-ing and accents of dubious southerness.

I will say that I was surprised by Jessica Simpson. She actually wasn’t as awful as I had expected, although he role was. It is painfully obvious that they were trying to give her part a bit more meat. They gave her a couple of lines that tried to play to the ‘smarter than the guys’ kick-ass woman type, but it never really came across. As far as other women characters – well, think of all the farmer’s daughter jokes you can remember and you’ll get the idea.

The other characters were hit or miss. I didn’t care for either of Bo or Luke. Neither of them seemed to be able to act, and they weren’t fun or funny enough to carry the show. Boss Hogg, Uncle Jessie, and Enos were all well cast. Sheriff Coltrane seemed just like Bo and Luke – just flat. He just didn’t incite any anger or disgust or humor at all.

For what it is, it was a good flick. Mindless (and I do mean mindless) fun, although probably much less so for people who hadn’t watched the TV show.

Dukes of Hazzard 5/10

My Snark Lessons Are Paying Off

Things that you say wanting to impress people that don’t.

I only listen to jazz.

Good! I like jazz too, but if you aren’t a musician, the minute you make any music choice a defining part of your life, and foreswear all other kinds of music (and this seems to happen disproportionally to jazz folks), you’ve stepped way over that line to the land of pretension.

Oh, I don’t know anything about (insert inane TV show here). I don’t have a TV.

Wonderful! I agree that TV is a generally a great wasteland, but it’s also a tool to used for good or evil, your choice. Not having a TV is fine, even inspireing, but telling me that you don’t have a TV every couple of minutes sounds like you are protesting a wee bit too much. Do you really just want to come over and watch my TV? ‘Cause I’ve got one, and I know you don’t, and it seems that you’re a bit hung up on it. I’ve even got cable.

Blah blah blah cabernet blah blah blah

Again, I like wine, and I admire those who can pair a good wine to a good meal, but being well-versed in wine doesn’t make you a better person, no matter how much you think it might.

Blah blah blah wasn’t as good as the book.

Of course it wasn’t! Nothing ever is! But more importantly, the movie is fundamentally different than the book. You can’t compare the two forms in equality. One may be better suited to a certain audience or serve a certain message because they are different. This is usually just a transparent effort by people who don’t read books often to tell someone that they read the book, and look at me, I’m smart because I read a book. Well, I’m not sure the novelization of the Dukes of Hazzard makes me respect your noggin any more than I did before.

Homeward Bound

Now the fun begins!

I think I’ve got a shot at two different apartments. Here’s the breakdown:

#1 –

· Old place

· Unseen dog (owner says he was being a bit of a spaz today, so he was in the master bedroom)

· Crazy Expensive

· One couple in the master bedroom, a guy (with my first name) in the other single room

· 1.5 baths shared by all

· 1 year lease

· Folks who live there seem a bit geeky, which is good

#2

· Slightly older place

· Seen dog who seemed a bit spooked to have me coming in there smelling like cat, but otherwise nice and cute

· More crazy expensive

· One couple in the master bedroom and a gal who just graduated in the other single room

· 2 baths – one of which I would share with said gal

· 3 month minimum 24 month max month to month lease

· Gorgeous location

· Folks who live there seem a bit ‘cooler’ than I care to be, but nice

I really hate this whole hunting process, when I eventually try to buy a house I’m no doubt going to be apoplectic. I always feel like I’m begging for them to accept me – that somehow this is all a validation or condemnation of me as a person. That guy had a little bit of a southern accent, should I play up the time I’ve spent in the south? That guy mentioned that he likes baseball, should I play up that I’m one of the university team photographers? I understand that it’s nerve-wracking for them too, trying to weed out the felons and psychotics and such with only a brief meeting, but in the end, they still have the house. I’ve got jack. Except for promises that I’ll pay them every month and that I won’t put bottles in the garbage disposal (apparently a problem with a previous tenant).

In any case, I’ve seen both places. I would be willing to take either one, but I’d prefer #2 mainly because of the lease length. Now I just sit back and pray that someone calls back and gives me an offer. I probably won’t find out until next weekend, and isn’t that grand, because I’m going to be on the other side of the world by then. So if neither of these goes through I’m going to string up a hammock in the office.

In Praise of Taxpayers

On a tangentially related note, I received the last of my GI Bill money and I just wanted to thank all you generous taxpayers for underwriting a portion of my education. I think this is another opportunity to say Yea Government!

We so very seldom talk about things that the government does well. I certainly think the GI Bill is an outstanding program. I only wish there were other outlets of service besides the armed forces that a young person could take advantage of to receive a similar stipend.

And so, again, I thank you all,

You MUST Pay the Rent! I CAN'T Pay the Rent!

The rental hunt goes on. I’ve come to terms with the fact that I was insanely lucky in finding the place where I am right now. I’ve also come to terms with the fact that in any new place I’m going to be paying significantly more than what I’m paying now. That doesn’t mean I am going to be happy about it. I should be numb to this by now though. I mean, once you’ve taken out student loans equaling the GDP of most African nations, what’s a little more debt among friends?

I’ve got one meeting tomorrow to go and see a place that looks good on paper, but it’s a full year lease, and I don’t like that much. On the plus side, it’s very near where I’m living now, and I really like the area. It’s a three bedroom job with 2 roommates already installed.

Roommates. Can I please get to a point in my life where I can afford to live alone, or at least with people whom I choose to live with rather than a selection of the ‘it could be worse’ crowd?

This is definitely a time where it would be nice to have a car. ‘Course a car payment plus insurance plus gas would probably cancel out any savings I would have on rent by living further away.

Link Dump - Jittery Novak Edition

We all know that we’re headed to hell in a handbasket, but it’s important to know the people stepping on the gas pedal. In our handbasket. That is going to hell. With us inside it.

Ok, so the imagery’s shot. Work with me, people.

Passed along by the fish, but seemingly old news to folks more on top of dystopian futures than I am is the new Conservative Comic (shouldn’t it be Konservative Komic?) Liberality. I’ll let them dig their own hole here:

It is 2021, tomorrow is the 20th anniversary of 9/11. America is under oppression by ultra-liberal extremists which have yielded governing authority to the United Nations. It is up to an underground conservative group (known as F.O.I.L.) led by Sean Hannity, G. Gordon Liddy and Oliver North to thwart Ambassador Usama Bin Laden’s plans to nuke New York City.

Although I will note that apparently Sean,G.G., and Oli are cyberneticaly enhanced.

Oy.

Next on the hit parade is a bit more up to date. During a show on CNN with Carville, Mr. Novak seemed to go a bit batty. Well, more batty than usual. He just said that it was all bullshit and left. (It should be noted that he left to stage right, but we probably could have guessed that). CNN has asked that he "take some time off." Current speculation is that:

A: He knew he was going to get drilled on Plame and Rove so he found a way to duck out

B: He is suffering a nervous breakdown and/or

C: He was drunk off of kiester (I can’t believe that Word doesn’t have this work in spellcheck (ask and the internets provide, glory be to the Randomhouse)).

D: CNN's been trying to nudge him out of their network for awhile, and this is a convenient excuse for them both.

Interesting thoughts all around.

Speaking of batty politicos, Kim Jong-il hit eleven holes-in-one when he played golf for the first time. I’m thinking he should go on the tour and use the winnings to feed his country, or buy a nuke or two – ya know, whichever’s easier.

Ok, politics are over, you can open your eyes now.

Have you ever thought that the alphabet is a bit, well… unstylish? I think that there is good cause to take another look at the lowly letters with which we’ve all be saddled. Changes are needed!

In Which Our Hero Discovers A New Trail

14.14km – 1:23’40”

Well, it turns out that I’ve been running a bit of a shortcut in my campus loops run. I came around the corner following another couple of runners and they seemed to dart off into the bushes. I glanced in after them and ‘lo I did behold an entirely new (to me) loop of trail that I could tack on each and every one of my beloved loops. So now each loop that was a little over 2km is now 3km-ish. Yea! So I decided that I could run the same-ish distance in 3 loops that I used to do in 4. Also yea! But, when I got done with three loops, I thought – Hey, what the hell, I’ve got new shoes! So I ran another loop and ended up with a little over 14 kilometers (8.79 miles). Wow. I haven’t run that far in a long long time. My breath is staying good, and my heartrate is getting a bit lower. I'm still getting used to the shoes, so I've got a blister or two and had a brief hint of shin splints, but that went away pretty quickly. All I'm getting that lasts is the muscle burn, so that's good indeed!

Now for all of you nattering nabobs that are thinking Wow, Mr. Overread, don’t you think that this running thing might be eating a bit too much into your schedule? I answer, Yes. Indeed it is. It’s a method not only for losing weight (which isn’t working as long as I keep eating the way I do), but also avoidance of work! What a stroke of genius!

Hazaah!

Running should only be attempted under the direction of a physician or other capable physical trainer. In a small sampling or runners, there have been a few instances of pain, broken bones, lacerations, sleeplessness, loss of bowel control, spelling problems, purchasing of overpriced accessories, unnatural desire for cheesecake of the photographic and gastronomic varieties, and death, and saying silly things like 'Hazaah!'

Forward... Penguin!

Yum! There’s a big block party out here. I’m such a lightweight. One margarita and I’m warm.

I did see March of the Penguins today, and it was pretty good. I’m going to probably suffer both slings and arrows when I say I wasn’t really blown away though. I think it’s another case of expectations vs. reality. Don’t get me wrong, I did really enjoy it, but with all the talk, I thought it might be better.

I do understand now what people are saying about there being a bit too much personification, and I tend to agree. Now I’m a guy who is genetically unable to refer to a pet as an ‘it,’ but I think they take it a bit too far when they talk about the penguins as devastated or ecstatic or such. Even if I left devastated by watching the penguins loose a chick, it would have been much more powerful to let the film speak for itself, rather than force very charged words into the mind of the penguin.

That being said, even though it was shot in some horrible conditions (and portions of the film show it), it’s a beautiful film. It’s a great story more than a great documentary, but if that’s what you are looking for, you can’t do much better. The penguins are also wonderfully cute and resilliant. It's easy to see why they hold the filmakers personification as well as they do.

March of the Penguins 7/10

Bonus:

There was a trailer for the new version of Pride and Prejudice. It looks pretty good. Kiera Knightley is gorgeous and all, but is it wrong that I’m in love with Judi Dench?

I Don't Know Why - I'm Just a Hairy Guy

Let’s hear it for maintenance day!

Laundry’s done, and there’s a haircut on the horizon.

I was also told to “pleae bring over a suite and a swimming pant” for the trip to Lala-land. I’m flattered that they think I can bring a whole suite over there. I’ll probably go for a pair of swimming trunks instead of just one swimming pant, too. I hope that will be ok.

Actually, the funny thing is that I don’t even have a suit. The last time I wore a suit was back when I was working in an office in NYC. That was about a decade ago. So, I guess I need to pick up a suite… er, a suit before I head out. I’ll actually probably just get a jacket and the other standard gear.

I’m in a very casual world out here. I feel pretty happy to realize that I don’t even have a tie in my apartment, but I do need to start building a more professional wardrobe. Later on, I’m going to be in trouble if someone asks me to be presentable, especially if I end up in a more conservative university when I leave.

Along similar lines, Stewgad had some points about dressing in the classroom that are really interesting. I agree that things seem to be more difficult in the wardrobe department for women. Even the most oblivious guy (for whom I might be mistaken) can just go down to the store and pick up a sports coat and some slacks, and be fine.

At least I’m banking on that.

It's Got To Be The Shoes

11.17km – 1:05’07”

New shoes today. I went ahead with Nike, because I couldn’t find anything better that actually fit. I’ve got teeny tiny little girly feet, and apparently none of the shoe makers see fit to put out many shoes in my size. So, Nike it is, and sweatshops be damned (the label tells me that the slave labor for these shoes came from Vietnam, so a hearty cam on to whoever built them).

I have to say though I really like them though. They’re a long sight better than the beat up things I was wearing last week.

Only problem is that I forgot the cardinal rule of new shoes: Take it easy while you break them in. I guess 11km isn’t taking it easy (I still blame Profgrrrrl).

Anyway, I’m working on a blister or three and I rolled my ankle a bit on the last loop, so I’m waiting to see how nasty that gets.

Easy Come, Easy Go(ing)...

Oh my, things can get ugly, can’t they?

Much drama has erupted about the TA slot in the fall.

For those of you playing at home, here’s the box score:

Fall – no chance for a TA slot. Don’t even try.
Summer (mid) – Congratulations! You’re a TA
Summer (mid +1 week) – umm… about that TA slot… how about maybe?

· Seriously, all the grief was only because of a couple of miscommunications (email, natch). It’s clear that everyone is acting in their own best interests and not out of spite or venom, which does make things a bit easier. As of today though, word is that I don’t have the position, but I’m still in the running against folks from the other department. The feeling I get is that I won’t get this job, but I’ll gain a lot of brownie points to be turned in later for… umm… brownies?

· My biggest worry is if I get the job but tick off a good number of folks I’ll have to work with in the process. That never ends well. Everyone I know that's in this process is good folk, and I really don't want to make waves with this. People tell me that I can be too accomadating at times, and I'm sure that I could press this much harder than I am, but I don't think it would help my chances, and I'm sure it would make enemies that I don't need.

· I didn’t plan on having the income, so I can survive without it, but it would make things a lot easier (especially with the fact that wherever I end up renting in the fall, it’ll be more expensive than where I am now).

· My argument about being more versed in Gruub still stands. I have no doubt that anyone they could get from the other department would be capable, but wouldn’t you want a TA who studies Gruub for a class in Gruub?

On the Other Hand

The best piece of television is the 'I Love The 70s/80s/90s' series on VH1. I've watched a lot of them before, but I'm watching I Love 1978 right now and laughing like crazy. I mean - seriously, Kermit the Frog singing 'Staying Alive?'

That's magic

The Sun Turned Black Like Sackcloth Made of Goat Hair; The Whole Moon Turned Blood Red

Calanders are out at the book store.

Calanders for 2006.

IT'S NOT EVEN AUGUST!

Best in Show

The final project display for the photography class happened today, and I think it went ok (no, you can't see the pictures. There were people and places in them that ought not to be spread about). The big plus is that class is done. Over.

This is nice because I can now turn full time to looking for a place to live and getting ready for the whirlwind tour. I did finally get confirmation. I'm leaving on August 11th!

I suppose this is precisely why I am feeling very very very laaaazy. I usually reward myself after difficult or unpleasant tasks, and while the photography class was neither, I feel like I want a reward.

So, why do all the movies look awful? I have to admit I'm tempted to go see Stealth, because it looks so bad. I mean, if you are hovering at 10% at Rotten Tomatoes, that's got to be an awful movie. Even better than that, Newsday's reviewer said:

After 110 minutes of this, atheists will storm monasteries and acrophobics will scale redwood trees, anything to find an oasis of calm.

That's great, right? Here's another one from Eric Snider:

I submit that when your movie is about a magical talking airplane, and yet the magical talking airplane is NOT the silliest thing about the movie, then you should not make any more movies.

Ok, I'm not going to go see it. Maybe I'll just get a good night's sleep. That's a reward, right?

Home

Finally.

Left home at 6am.

It's 11:30pm now.

long day. no internet all day long. Going through the DTs.

'nother long day tomorrow.

ugh.

Slot Machine

Flashback to last spring.

I hear that there is a class on Gruub* coming up in the fall, and since the TA slots are assigned rather higgledy-piggledy, I try to be assertive and approach the department folks and ask about the position. They tell me that there is no chance at getting the slot because the class is split with another department (the prof is from the other department), and that that department is crawling with grad folks hunting for TA slots like zombies after brains.

I’m a little miffed because I know the other department doesn’t actually have any grads who study Gruub in particular, and my department has a few grads who are working specifically in Gruub - myself included. And, of course, any time you see someone not trained in your field try to explain your field, you die a little inside, right?

In the end I was sad, but I understood that it was just that department defending their turf and if I were a grad over there, I would just be realizing that I can’t get a job with a degree from there and I’d better learn about Gruub pretty quickly. So, anyway, I come to terms with sorrow, and move on.

Today, I get an email (from my department) asking if I would like to TA the Gruub class in the fall.

Why, yes. Yes, I would.

Yea me! This is really huge, because none of us are really funded and this will take a big bite out of my debt-load in the fall. I’ll be able to eat! And pay rent! And maybe, dare I dream? Maybe I’ll be able to buy a book!

* It's really hard coming up with a fake name that doesn't actually mean something

Googlicious

My life needs to be google-able.

I just ran into a gal who was in my ballroom dancing class 2 (?) years ago, and we just had a nice half hour chat. She and the whole trio of gals from the class that I hung out with are all doing well and heading off to Europe for a little backpacking. She’s going into such and such a department but is having trouble with grades and roommates and such. Anyway, lovely little chat.

What is her name?

I can’t remember. She very cleverly wove the names of the other two in the trio into the conversation, but I couldn’t remember hers. Then at the end of the conversation, I thought I remembered her name but was too unsure to use it.

Wouldn’t life be better if you could just google it?

I Wouldn't Hurt a Couch - A Loveseat Maybe, but a Couch?

I was back in the hometown where I grew up. The neighborhood kind of looked like my grandfather’s neighborhood, but I couldn’t swear to it. My brother and I went out at night and were cruising around on what seemed to be non-powered Segways. Later, we are all at some restaurant and I try to pay for the meal with a credit card. It’s taking a long time and I ask why. The waiter says that the machine is giving him trouble because I was arrested earlier today (and he says this in a very ‘this happens all the time’ kind of voice). I try to argue that I wasn’t arrested, and of course the police are here now, and they tell me that it all has to do with vandalizing a couch.

Then the alarm went off.

Any amateur dream analysts want to give that one a shot?

Fitting

I'm looking online to see if there are any more socially responsible running shoe makers out there and I come across this.

Run Log. Stardate 7.26.05.

11.13km – 1:04’55”

Chilly and windy today.

The chilly was really nice (just to rub it in for those of you sweltering in the south), but the windy was nasty. I’m pretty happy with the time, because I felt pretty slow. I ended up a wee bit longer than the past two runs, and a little quicker than both of them. That’s good. Also good: My breath seemed very steady, even if my legs were a bit tired. I think part of that problem is that I’m well past the time to get some new running shoes. Maybe that’s a job for me tonight. I hate getting new running shoes because they always discontinue the shoes that I’m wearing, so I have to try a new style.

Wilbur's Teeth

I finally got the tickets for the mystery journey coming up in August.

A lovely woman called from several time zones away (it was 6am my time), and asked for an email address where she could sent the tickets. Groggy, but pleased (because I haven’t actually received an official confirmation that I was going), I told her my email address. She said to just look it over and call her back if anything needed changing.

Ten minutes later, I call her back. Oh, well, the itinerary has my last name as my middle and my middle as last. No worries, she’ll send the corrected itinerary to me in a jiff.

Ten minutes later I call her back. Well, as much as I would love an opportunity to tour the fair city where you work many time zones away, I would prefer that the plane drop me off somewhere closer to, say, where I live. That would be nice.
OH! I’m so sorry, that was my fault.

Yes. Yes it was.

I’ve mentioned before that the lead up to this trip has been covered with the marks of… well, something less than efficiency. Now, far be it from me to be ungrateful, but the only way you can tell if the horse is worth taking home is if you check out the teeth, even if it is a gift.

Snopes and the Mailbag of Terror

Snopes is the best site I've seen for debunking urban legends, but they've just put up a post listing some of the requests that they've gotten that they can't seem to (or won't) answer. Some of them are hilarious:

My younger sis heard: in order for a cologne/perfume/fragrance to be compatible to one's body chemistry, spray a sample and then lick it. If the taste stings the tongue, it is not suitable; no sting — it's a good match.

Please advise before I test the handful of colognes I've been using!

Never trust a guy who uses a handful of colognes.

I just read a blurb that pre-packaged foods can cause people to turn gay because of too much estrogen. If I was only allowed one question for snopes, I would ask if this is true. Is it?

We live in enlightened times.

Is Ciara a MAN????? PLEASE ANSWER ME BACK!!!!!

I love the urgency of this one.

A friend of mine asked me if I've ever hear of invisible witches or ghosts that suck the blood out of a person's arm while they are sleeping. Apparently, she saw "marks" on her boyfriend's arm and this was the story that he told her.

"Um, yeah, babe, haven't you heard of the invisible witches? They um... suck on your arm and leave those marks, see?"

I'm 19 and from Yuma, Az and I would like to know if this myth I'v been hearing is true? By masturbating it helps the chance by not getting cancer? Is that true?..also I'v hurd other myths about masturbation and don't know if those myths are true or not. But I would like to know about the question I asked before.

I think that's what Joycelyn Elders said, right?

My friend swears that you can't be prosecuted for stealing a dead body because it has no intrinsic value. Is this true?

I think there are questions you should be asking your friend, not Snopes...

I would like to know what does work and what does not work for getting rid of 'hickeys.' Such as the cold spoon trick, toothpaste trick, etc.

I heard that rubbing a hickey with a penny makes it disappear faster. Is that true?

Are these from the 'invisible witch' guy?

Is it true that a girl cannot get pregnant if her mate smokes the seeds of marijuana when he smokes marijuana, please tell me if this is true because a lot of people tell me it is true and a lot of people tell me it's not and I don't know whaether to believe it or notbecause this town lies a lot. thanks.

This town does lie a lot, doesn't it?

Can you give me ANY statistics about urban legends on the internet? Anything!!! My speech is due monday and I have to have a few statistics in it.

And thus a scholar is born.

I've heard that it is impossible to take a lightbulb out of your mouth once one puts it in, without either breaking the bulb or dislocating the jaw.

Do you know if this is true? I'm counting on you - my husband is really curious, and I don't want to have to drive him to the hospital...

Enlightened times, indeed.

via Pretty Hard, Dammit and Scrivenings

You're The Guns of August!

by Barbara Tuchman

Though you're interested in war, what you really want to know is what
causes war. You're out to expose imperialism, militarism, and nationalism for what they
really are. Nevertheless, you're always living in the past and have a hard time dealing
with what's going on today. You're also far more focused on Europe than anywhere else in
the world. A fitting motto for you might be "Guns do kill, but so can
diplomats."


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Steve Jobbed

I'm not a Mac guy by any means, but the new iPod Flea (video) looks really cool.

Trouble With A Capital T - That Rhymes With P, and That Stands For Pool

I tripped over an old name online last night. It is funny how seeing a name you haven’t even thought of in years can bring back worlds that you might as well have forgotten. The name belonged to one of the folks I knew in my theatre life. So, naturally, I had to start googling all the names that were now popping up unbidden.

Most of they folks I knew are still actors, or at least working in related fields – stage managing, writing, directing. One was recently in a couple of TV shows that I haven’t heard of. She was only doing bit parts, but I hope that gets better for her. At least she’s not doing zombie movies like she was when I last heard about her. (Although as an aside, I should say that I saw Shaun of the Dead and it was really funny)

I imagine this happens to everyone when reunions or old friends pop up. I started to think about what would have happened if I had stayed in the theatre. I usually jokingly say that I have neither the talent nor the cruelty to succeed in that world, but I think I could have made a living. Would I be in New York working tech on his show that sounds odd but intriguing? Would I be writing plays and hoping to receive the awards that she has been getting? Or would I be working a temp job in the day and watching the door at night like I was for so long?

I got lost in this reverie for quite a while last night. It’s a bit of a melancholy thing, really, seeing in your mind what you might have become. I have no regrets about my choices there, but at the same time it’s a pity that we have to define ourselves to the exclusion of other possibilities so that we can try to become well-versed in one area.

Maybe some day when I’m tenured somewhere, I’ll go find a community theatre that needs someone to play the 70^th trombone in the big parade.

Paper, Plastic, or Latex?

You know what I don't need to see at my grocery store? 12 year-olds making out amongst the chips and cookies. Or anywhere for that matter.

I mean come on. Get a tree house or something.

Wowzers!

That down there was post number 150!

Jeeze, shouldn't I have been working all that time?

Flashback

Just got back from a dinner with a colleague from long-ago who is teaching off in the land of Far Far Away. He’s back in the States briefly before heading back, and we got together for Mexican food and a couple of Dos Equis. He’s a very interesting guy, but he’s infuriating at the same time. I can’t believe all the stories he tells, because, well, they’re just completely incredible, but at the same time, I know this guy has lived through some really strange things. So, I’m generally at a loss when I talk to him. Case in point – The story about the daughter of the mob boss and the politico at the bordello? Tough to buy.

He’s also become very anti-American, which I can understand, but don’t agree with. When you live ten years overseas, and you have to explain why Americans vote Bush and seem to enjoy invading others, it’s tough to keep a positive outlook on the States.

The other thing he mentioned is that America has a lot of fat folks. The funny thing is that neither he nor I are particularly skinny, but I know what he’s talking about. The last time I came back from living overseas, I was stunned when I came back by number of overweight folks here. This reminds me that I need to run more and eat less (particularly Mexican with Dos Equis).

Reminiscing over old colleagues:

1. divorced the idiot, hates the new job, but it pays well

2. retired, thank goodness

3. still ruling with an iron fist and the kindest smile that fools everyone

4. headed home and got a real job

5. awaiting sentencing (probably will get 3 years from what I hear, but could get up to 10)

6. moved away to go to school

7. Trying to become a XXXXian citizen, but the wife will be furious

8. No idea what happened to him, but no one ever really liked him anyway

9. Moved to big city waaaay down south (borrowed money from friend – probably wont be repaid)

Wow, what an interesting bunch of freaks… er... folks… I’m sure I was the only normal one there. :)

Buzz Buzz

There is a bee in my office. I'm thinking of taking measures.

Load "Run",8,1

10.94km - 1:06’51”

It’s getting way too hot for this nonsense…

It's More Than Waffles They've Got There.

Oh, I almost forgot, thanks to the fish, the weird flash movie was recovered. It was Belgian, not Dutch, hence my failure via google. So, I present to you, with all due reverence, the Belgian farting pig.

Jane Austin Sings!

I seriously need to see more Bollywood movies. My brother introduced me to Lagaan a while back, which was great, and last night there was a screening of Bride and Prejudice, which is the Bollywood version of Pride and Prejudice (big surprise there). It was absolutely hilarious. Basically, what is so wonderful about it is that it’s like the old Hollywood musicals. Think Singing in the Rain or Brigadoon. Think sappy romantic stories with huge song and dance numbers.

This ought to sum it up nicely – the leads are walking along the beach in LA, and a song starts up. The camera follows them to reveal that there’s a gospel choir on aluminum risers on the beach singing the song. It’s so visually incongruous that it’s funny, but because it’s built into the genre, it doesn’t detract at all. The movie is poking fun at the type, but without stepping outside of it.

It’s just a riot.

I will say that although the movie is trying to play against some of the gender and racial stereotypes, there is a lot that they end up playing into by virtue of adapting P&P, and by virtue of the genre itself. I wasn't too bothered by it, but it might be because I'm a sucker for this kind of sap.

Bride and Prejudice – 7/10

Oh, yeah. I’m also madly in love with Aishwarya Rai.

Thus It Begins

I was told that I should be getting in touch with prosepective PhD departments and the folks I would like to work with, so I've started sending off emails to my heroes. One of the profs here told me to 'look for a person, not a school,' and I think that's pretty good advice, but I feel a little awkward just coming out of the blue and asking them about their programs.

Dr. 'wrote a book that I would have loved to write' would probably be choice #1, but she's at a uni that I don't think would accept me. Well, ya don't know unless you try, right? and what's a hundred bucks or so for the application fee among friends, right?

Dr. 'wonderful researcher but at a uni that I'm not terribly fond of' would be great to work with, but I've heard that grad folks just get completely ground up over there. I think I would be more happy at a less 'prestigeous' school that one of those big name cutthroat schools.

Dr. 'Young and full of incredible new ideas' would be ideal to work with, but he's also at a very top tier school, and is doing so much right now that I probably wouldn't ever see him even if he were my advisor.

Then there are the departments that have two or three people I'd like to work with. Problem is that so would every other PhD applicant.

Then there are the schools that look really great, with really nice departments, but with faculty that don't quite cover what I want to do. I think that's the kind of place I'll end up. It's not such a bad thing. What I'm doing is relatively new, and the kind of mentoring that I need could be done by someone who isn't doing exactly what I'm doing.

The fact is that in all honesty, I would happily anyone's anything for a fully funded PhD slot. Pathetic, but true.

Link Dump-eroo! Err... Literally.

Ok, cat stuff first:

This really should be on epinions. It's a product review of a kitten. Written by a geek (should I even need to say that?). I thought it was hilarious, and the pictures are funny, but hey, I'm a geek too.

Tut the barking cat. This is just odd. Funny, but odd.

Non-cat stuff

Very difficult web-based adventure type game.

Everybody Poops, sure, but have you ever seen such a peppy Flash video?

which reminded me of another Flash video via the Fish. Some people really love eggs.

A cute rabbit singing about how unexperienced he is.

There was one other Flash thing about a farting Dutch (?) boy and the chickens that farted into their eggs. Or something like that. Be glad I can't find the link :)

Who would have thought that this blog would end up as a dumping ground for links that I would otherwise forget about. Is this the beginings of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder? If so does that mean I will finally clean my office?

Moon Day!

Happy Moon Day!

36 years ago, man first set foot on the moon. Go outside and take a look at it today and allow yourself to get lost in the awe of that.

I’m sure that everyone who would go to this site (from the good folks at Google) already has, but I’ll link it anyway. The Fish would like to request that you make sure to zoom in to the closest level.

Oh Crap.

quoting Josh Marshall, "Bush swings for the fence."

10.96 km - 1:07'00"

The time ended up a lot faster than I thought it would. It felt like my legs were completely dead after only one lap. It's really hot out there too. I think I dropped 5 pounds in liquid weight. Eww... This was another run where I started out really slowly, so I ended up running long. I got a more consistant km pace time throughout the run though. I think that's a good thing.

That, and Sting and the Police might need to be moved to the bottom of the running music list.

I actually listened to the radio for after the first lap. It was weird. I can see what my sister says about commencials since she's gotten TiVo. It's just really odd to hear commericals again. That, and when they play something crappy, for some strange reason, the button that should send me to the next song doesn't work. Very odd.

Also, there were two kids out in the trails, maybe 12 or 13. One of them kind of jumped when I came around the corner, and then he turned around, back toward me. Their conversation stopped. On the next lap around, the kids were gone, there was a big wet stain where the stood, and the entire area reeked of beer. I wonder if they got caught by the roaving parental groups that keep blocking my trail, or whether they poured it out and went elsewhere of their own accord.

Potted

I did finish Harry Potter, but I won’t say much about it here.

Basic take:

• I liked it quie a bit
• I'm angry that I read it too quickly because now I have to wait for the next one.
• I'm angry that all the women in the books have become complete two dimensional cut outs, not that they were much more than that before.

Finally, much spoiling and thoughtful pondering is going on over at the Scribbler's Pixie Hut. Everyone else is linking there, and I want to be cool, so I will too.

Crashed

Ok, first off, Wedding Crashers.

It’s not a good movie. No one really expected it to be, I guess, but over at Rotten Tomatoes, I was surprised at its score. It looks like it’s doing better than I would have thought. I’m not going to give a full review, because anyone who has seen the trailer already knows as much as you’ll ever need to know about it.

It is funny, but only in the way you expect this kind of movie to be funny – you’ve got your sex jokes, and your jokes about sex. Then there’s some sexual humor, then there’s a lighthearted moment during sex. Later, there’s a man who falls in love with a woman under false pretences. The woman finds out the truth and is hurt, and the man tries all he can to get back together and they do (can we please lay off of this plot for a year or so? It's been working so hard for so many, I think it needs a little rest). And there’s some jokes about sex in there.

So, funny, but probably worth waiting for. By that I mean that it’ll be on expanded cable in less than a year. 6/10

Also, for all you gals out there, is Owen Wilson sexy? Why is it that beat up pug-men who can’t seem to comb their hair are in? Please tell me we aren’t going to do the 70’s all over again. I don’t think any of us needs that.

Bueller...Bueller...

I went to a Digital Workflow seminar in the city in place of the photography lecture. Wow, was it bad. At first, when the guy started talking, I thought he was mocking the Chris Farley ‘down by the river’ guy. Seriously. At the end of the seminar, I think he ran out of material, so he just started rambling on about CMYK and sRGB. For about 30 minutes.

Another example of another type of badness – he tells us that opening, altering and recompressing a photo in JPEG doesn’t really degrade the file, even if you do is several times. Ok, good information to know, right? But then he decides that he it would be better to show us. So he hooks up the camera, takes a picture of someone in the audience, downloads the file, moves it in from RAW to JPEG, makes an alteration, closes the file, opens it up again, makes another alteration etc… he did that four times.

Ye gods.

There was some good information, but it could have been delivered in a pamphlet. I think I was the only one from class who made it through the whole seminar, and I didn’t even win a door prize. None of this was helped by the fact that I only got a couple hours sleep, thanks to Mr. Potter.

Papercut - Check

Yesterday

11:00am - work
4:00pm - Wedding crashers
6:00pm - Harry Potter book bought
7:00pm - dinner with book in hand
2:30am - sleep

Got to run to class (a photo workshop in the city - woohoo!), I'll report more on all of the above when I get back.

I've Got A Golden Ticket!

The other thing I did yesterday was go to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I loved it. I remember watching and loving the original, but, as I’ve said, I’m used to Hollywood co-opting and abusing my childhood, so I tried to go in to the film with an open mind. I should say that I have always liked Johnny Depp, so I’m biased there too.

Some folks have said that this movie is darker and weirder than the original, but I don’t really think that’s true. It’s not true only because the original was a very deeply odd movie. It’s true that this is very much a Tim Burton movie, and that is a very good thing, but it also means that the weirdness of the movie is a la Burton. If you’ve seen his other movies, you’ll understand.

I was a little worried about the Oompa-Loompas, because I thought that would be the most difficult to translate. They set the Oompas’ songs to very modern tunes, which I think is probably a good thing, but sometimes didn’t seem to mesh well. This may be an age thing though, because I liked the hard rockin’ Oompas just fine.

Johnny Depp is a wonderful Wonka. He’s not Gene Wilder at all, but many of the things I liked about Wilder are still there in Depp. Charlie is well-cast and fittingly enthusiastic and empathy inducing. I didn’t know her but for the graces of IMDB, but Missi Pyle, the mother of Violet Beauregarde, was just amazing. She’s the super-pushy mother of the must-be champion child. I can’t tell if she’s a good actress or maybe she just has her shtick down well, but I just couldn’t keep my eyes off her. Like a car wreck. Wonderful. (I was also happy that they kept the line "Violet, you're turning violet!" I'm a sucker for that line)

Highly recommended, especially for fans of Burton or Depp, but hey, you were probably going to go see it already, right? 8/10

Oh, one big negative – the CG was ok in general, except when Violet turned into a violet. That looked bad. Just bad.

Also, you get a new trailer for Corpse Bride, Tim Burton’s next stop-action film. It looks incredible. Can’t wait for that one.

Amazon and Otters and Wizards, Oh My!

First, there are more zoo photos over at flickr, if you are interesting in such things as yawning otters.

Next, much sadness. I ordered the Harry Potter on Amazon.com, but I forgot to pick the correct shipping option! So no Harry Potter for me! What’s worse, is that when I came home, there was an Amazon box waiting for me, but it was filled, not with wizards and danger, but alas, with thesis fodder. So sad. Maybe I can fit Harry into my thesis somehow… In any case, the fine folks at Giant Megaconglomocorp Book City say that they are going to be releasing some of the reserved Potter books at 8 tonight. So, I’ll try that. If that works, I can read all night, be groggy and confused all day tomorrow!