Cinematic

Can you guess all these movies from just these letters?

gah - I only got fifteen

Long Live the Fuwa!

Man oh man do I loves me some Olympics.

Regardless of what you think of the Chinese government or the rise of nationalism among Chinese youth, or any number of other disturbing trends, I can't imagine many would say that that wasn't an incredible opening ceremony.

No content here, just a hooray for the games!

Maximum Odd

What's weird?

No... I mean... that is weird, but it's not the weird thing I was thinking of... dang, that was really weird. How do you think of those things?

Ok, so the weird thing is that I just got a copy of Maxim in the mail. Like addressed to me personally. They got the apartment number slightly wrong, but still. Maybe I accidentally signed up for it by not checking a box somewhere online? Is there going to be a payment due card sometime soon.

I don't even like Maxim. The photos are like soft-core porn for those who are afraid to buy Playboy, and it's all wrapped up with a 'hipper-than-thou' tone that's just condescending and really annoying.

Let's look at it in more detail:

62/141 - advertisements (not counting halfpages or quarterpage ads)per page. Now I know that's standard or maybe even a bit low for a glossy magazine with lots of photographers and models and writers to pay, but still, at that rate, you need to be paying me to read it. I won't wear your trademark on my shirts, and I'm sure as heck not going to suffer through Calvin Klein emo-with-a-trust-fund overload to get to what content may lurk inside.

That being said, let's look at the 'content.'

Editor's letter:
First paragraph -17 lines, gist: Maxim editors leave the office during lunch to eat. Look at all the big words I use! It reads like the blog of an unemployed English grad student. Hmmm...

First 'Article:'
(starts on page 20)
5 paragraphs on Autumn Reeser. She was apparently on the O.C. and now she's doing the sequel to the Lost Boys? Are there supposed to be stars here? She's pretty hot and all, but not very bright or interesting. Sample quote, "Sleeping or coma scenes are always great."

Sex article:
How to tell she's into you. Here's a good cut from that. It's a woman talking about how she let a guy she was attracted to know she was interested. "I once told a group of people at a bar that I was turned on by anal sex." Wonder of all wonders, it worked. "When I got up to leave, he ran after me and started making out with me in the street." Ah, young love. Firstly, holy crap. Secondly, maybe that's one of those things that's sexier when it actually happens than in print, but I'm pretty sure if I were either of those people, I'd be running to the clinic after that. And finally, this is the cue that we need to know about? I've been hearing about eye dilation and different body language, and hair brushing, when apparently all I needed to do was wait until the woman I'm into announces her fondness for anal sex?

Yeah. I'm not going to read this anymore.

Notes From A Coffee Shop - Revived

Dude.

Bike helmet.

Take it off when you come in to read your paper.

You look pathetic enough wearing your spandex and waaaaay too skin-tight bike jersey.

Tour De France is over.

You lost.

Seriously.

The Consensus of Genre: Postcultural dematerialism in the works of Gaiman

I'm sure I'm the last person in acedemia to see this website, but I absolutely love it. And on the off-chance you haven't seen it either, here ya go.

Communications From Elsewhere - The Postmodernism Generator

A special note at the end:

If you enjoy this, you might also enjoy reading about the Social Text Affair, where NYU Physics Professor Alan Sokal’s brilliant(ly meaningless) hoax article was accepted by a cultural criticism publication.

Tin Chef

Well, it may not look like much, but daaaaang it was tasty. Also, I errrr... made way too much. Anyone want to drop by and help me finish it off? I think I'm going to be eating this for the next two weeks.

Hot Hot or Spicy Hot?

Looks kinda fun, but will the spices go bad? These things aren't completely airtight.

Ever Dance With the Devil in the Pale Moonlight?

So.

Batman.

Is it good? Yes.

Were there problems? Oh my dear yes. Plot holes and magical technology and deus ex machina, but nothing you might not expect. Well, the fingerprint thing was absurd to to the point of laughter, but nothing too hilarious.

Is it the best Batman movie yet? Maybe. It certainly could be argued.

Did Heath Ledger do well? Yes certainly.

Oscar-worthy well? No. Nowhere near.

Which is Why I Disappear When Someone Says Let's Start a Choir

I know many of you are wondering where you might find a musical blog starring Neil Patrick Harris as a wannabe evil genius that happens to be directed by Joss Whedon.

Well, here you go. Never say I didn't give you nothing.

Also, keeping with the theme, this looks like great fun.

Edited to add: Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog is only going to be up online for free until the 20th (that's tomorrow, friends and neighbors). After that it'll be available for download/purchase. Here's the info.

Well, Crap

Root Canal.

Reheatables for the Week

My first attempt at a curry. What do you guys think?

Awkward Moving Blues

Oh, UPS, why couldn't you have come just half an hour later? I would have been here. No you've got to lug that big box around all day again today.

Please take an extra long lunch today. I'll be here as quickly as I can.

Also: Morning song today - "Night Moves." Shouldn't I be singing morning songs? I think I need to listen to song more Cat Stevens.

Line! Line?

One of the coolest things happened this weekend.

I ran off to Trader Joe's to get some stuff for the tortilla soup. I only had a few items, so I got into the 15-items or less line, but right before I got there a very heavily made-up very plastic-looking woman (I'm shallow - sue me) wheeled her heavily-laden cart into the line ahead of me. Ah, crap. Oh, well, no worries, I'm in no hurry. When she gets to the front of the line, she asks the cashier to grab her a bottle of some vodka and she walks off to peruse the bottled water options. Cashier guy was distracted helping another cashier and didn't notice her.

She finally returns with her two cute boxes of Fiji Propaganda, er I mean Fiji Water, and the cashier takes one look at her, takes a look at her basket, and tells her, "This is a 15-item or less line."

She kind of flounced, and batted her eyes, and I swear she shook her saline at him. She said, "oh, really? I didn't even see a sign." (read in a cutsie bubblehead voice) and stayed in line.

"Yup."

awkward silence.

Cashier guy walks around her to get my basket, which finally convinces her that she's not going to get her way.

Woohoo!

Seriously, it wasn't such a big deal. I really wasn't in a hurry, and I certainly wouldn't have made a scene, but I wanted to give cashier guy a tip.

Now Where Did I Put That...

Halfway through a recipe is not a good time to realize that the can-opener did not make it in the move.

On the other hand, the tortilla soup turned out alright, I think.

Other apartment and moving joy:

• Bookshelves are installed and happily carrying their load. Well, I assume they are happy. It's kind of like their life goal to carry books, right? The downside is that they are now pretty prominently featured instead of in boxes, and I get to look at them and be reminded of how many of them I need to be reading.
  
• There are still a lot of boxes that need to go away, but they are stubbornly refusing to go of their own accord.
• I think I've finally nailed down my route to campus. It's 4.3 miles each way according to Google. It's really not that bad though. Uphill in the morning and downhill in the evening. Fun Fun!
• My Zune went and bricked on me. I should say this is the last time I try to support a product out of spite. It's really isn't a bad product at all, I just wished it worked still. I have been podcast-less for the entire weekend. I've got an old Zen around here in a box somewhere. Why am I so dangerous for my mp3 players?
  

Overheard by Overread

Dafthead in the breakfast line:

"Can I get a muffin without any meat in it? I just want the bacon."

Ah, bacon. It truly is a miracle product.

Quick Review

Not much time for a full review, but dang. Wall-e is simply one of Pixar's best so far. It's right up there with Nemo and Toy Story.

Go see it. Now.

Where will I Eat?

Ok, it must be clear that I started this 'what song was going through my head when I woke up' thing to try to force myself into blogging more, but this morning's song was really disturbing:

Bonnie Tyler - Holding out for a Hero (Hil-arious video, by the way)

I'm pretty sure I haven't actually heard that song in at least months, maybe years. What in the world is going on in that little peabrain of mine?

Completely unrelated and uninteresting: The place that I planned on stopping at for breakfast when I bike in to campus is apparently not doing the mix you own omelets for the summer. Booo!

Class is trundling along nicely. I have to say I'm pretty impressed by the dedication of the students so far. Taking a year's worth of this class in 9 weeks, four hours/day is really tough. I think I may lose a few of them, but most seem pretty game.

More Songs in my Head

Today and yesterday were both from the Squirrel Nut Zippers. At least that makes sense because I found their CD while I was moving. Now it's happily nestled in my zune. For those playing at home, yesterday was Got My Own Thing Now, and Today it seems to be Hell.

So there you are.

I think I've found a decent route to campus on the bike that only hits a couple of major roads - the rest are nice residential roads. Only trouble is that there are two monster hills right at the beginning. Well, that'll wake me up, right?

Today it was a 35 minute ride. That's about 10-15 minutes faster than the bus, not counting time waiting at the bus stop. Woot! Now I can be even more pretentious and snobby than I already am! Should I get those clicky (spell-check wants that to be coliky) bike shoes and conspicuously carry around my helmet or something? I know the standard rule of prtentiousness is that I have to ask people constantly how much money they pay for gas and insurance, and then get overly astonished that they have to pay for parking. hehe.

I Don't Believe in Peter Pan, Frankenstien or Superman...

I might have mentioned that I almost always wake up with a song in my head. That sounds a bit more poetic than it is in actuality. Today's song? No, it wasn't the one that inspired the title, it was Motley Crue's Dr. Feelgood. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Ok song and all, but not a real tooth-bruthing anthem.

I wonder if these songs are predictive of the way my day will go. So far (admittedly 7:30ish), so good. I biked to campus today to test how long it will take. Bike handled really well, although I way need to think about another seat. It's been a long time since I rode every day. As for the commute, I think I'm ok if I get out early - that way it's still coolish and the traffic isn't too bad. It took me about thirty minutes, and it wasn't nearly as bad as a feared. I tried a less busy side-street than the one I planned on (ok, I admit it, I took a wrong turn, but it was a fortuitous one), and the scenery was actually pretty pleasant.

Let's hope class goes as smoothly.

And the way home is downhill, so there's that.

One More Thing

I have a serious crush on Anne Hathaway.