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| Wednesday, May 27th, 2009 | | 12:26 pm |
Utterly Charming
Michelle Lehman's award winning 7-minute short film Marry Me is an utterly charming tale of "a little girl who likes a little boy and a little boy who likes his BMX bike." I found it particularly sweet because I can't ride a bike at all. | | Tuesday, May 26th, 2009 | | 10:12 pm |
Ivy Ode
So Yale graduation has something called the Ivy Ode, a poem written by a graduating senior which is read on Class Day. Normally, I haven't been too impressed, but I was just at my cousin's graduation and I thought this year's Ivy Ode was actually really quite good: "Welcome Back Dinner" by Kate Hattemer Break's over. "This is the last first dinner back," Colin mournfully intones. My hand twitches for a pencil, but I won't let myself take notes on these old jokes, unremarkable, beloved, or on the affection that releaps for these faces. "The last first dinner," he says again. Don't remind us. We heard you the first time. They've put tulips on the tables, and a clutch of Easter eggs is on the mantel. The high windows decant sunlight, gobs of it: another sign it's almost the end of the year. Last time we returned the courtyard was covered with iced-over snow indented by footprints, like the plastic floor of the Ice Age exhibit in the museum at home. This time I was too sentimental for similes, flailed my card and almost cried to hear that last first beep. This is why I can't let myself take notes. "Do you have to wear that wretched green cardigan?" says Sarah. I think she means, "I'm glad we're back." When Kevin squints, I can see what he'll look like at forty. Then the solution comes. I'm delirious on Carribbean blend vegetables, perhaps, because I think, why, we'll turn around. Time's not a one-way river but a tree, and we'll shimmy down this branch, hold on tight and stay. Even when the reverie ends I can't shake that glimpse of the vista of breakable time. I'm running on a platform like the man in the physics problem, who's heartbroken, probably, and forever doomed to calculate the relative velocity of the train hurtling past him. How passe this must seem to Miss Nancy, sweeping up, who sees seniors lingering every spring, as if we're granted immunity from the real world so long as we stay at a dining hall table. "Bus your trays," she calls. Kevin's face sinks. He's twenty-two again, and will be, I know, for a while longer. "They always kick us out just as its getting fun," he grumbles. The symbolism's too obvious to write down, but I do anyway, for the sake of time, first, last. | | Wednesday, May 20th, 2009 | | 11:29 am |
Two Trailers
So, sadly, it appears that one of the movies I've been kind of looking forward to, Terminator Salvation, isn't very good. This is especially sad because I'm still going to watch it. Ah well, at least I'll have the new Pixar next week to get any bad taste out of my mouth. As a means of preemptively cheering myself up, I thought I'd share the trailers for two movies that are coming out this year which I am looking forward to. Trailers and my thoughts after the cut. ( Read more... ) | | Tuesday, May 19th, 2009 | | 12:25 pm |
| | 12:05 pm |
| | 9:10 am |
Glee
So I have enough friends who were/are in glee clubs and singing groups and choirs that I thought I'd post the trailer to Glee, the new Fox 1-hour comedy about a high-school glee club. I admit that from the trailer alone it's difficult to tell if we have a winner, but it's from the creator of Nip/Tuck which, I think, highly increases the likely that it will rock. I believe the show actually starts in September, but Fox is airing the pilot tonight, right after American Idol. Thoughts? Anyone know anything else about it? | | Monday, May 18th, 2009 | | 3:34 pm |
Umm... Okay, then
So, Seth Stevenson over at Slate has an article about the best ads from this years Clio awards. Included is this ad which is ... well, it's an ad in which an animated Abe Lincoln made from $5 bills meets and has sex with an animated lady made of... I dunno, Euros or something. It was so weird that I had to share. NSFW. Kinda. | | Saturday, May 16th, 2009 | | 6:04 pm |
Depressed main characters?
So a friend of mine asked me if I knew of any main characters on TV or in books who were depressed (preferably clinically, but otherwise is fine too) Funny thing is, I'm positive I do know some, but other than Eeyore, I can't think of any. Thus, I've decided to outsource my memory to the internet. So, can you guys think of any depressed main characters? | | Wednesday, May 13th, 2009 | | 11:07 am |
Wait, so they'll pay me to do this?
So, I originally wasn't going to post about this here, but I've been encouraged to do so, so I thought I'd mention that I've started blogging on Tor.com. Thus further exposing my geekitude to the world at large. My first post is on why ebook readers are going to kill the comic book store, and with any luck there will be more to follow at some point. In general, I highly recommend Tor.com, included among its amazing content are great book reviews by a bunch of folks, including Jo Walton, the author of Tooth and Claw and Farthing, a truly excellent Star Trek rewatch column by ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) ecmyers, and really solid short fiction, like Last Son of Tomorrow, by Greg Van Eekhout, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Check it out. | | Tuesday, May 12th, 2009 | | 12:45 pm |
| | 12:36 pm |
Notebook
This is incredibly neat: Dutch art student Evelien Lohbeck turns her paper notebook into, well, a notebook computer that accesses "youtube" and plays clips of her using her notebook as various and sundry devices. The combination of line art and live action footage is frankly quite beautiful. Ellen, does this count as interstitial? Noteboek from Evelien Lohbeck on Vimeo. | | Sunday, May 10th, 2009 | | 11:08 am |
Star Trek
So, way back when I was much more positive about the new Star Trek movie than a whole bunch of people I knew who will remain nameless. After watching it, I wanted to say that I thought that the movie seriously rocked, and that that it appears that 96% of Rotten Tomatoes agrees with me. It's not without some flaws or nitpicks, but, it was the perfect way to start Summer Blockbuster season: with a bang. Oh yes, and I wanted to say this too: Suck it, haters! | | Friday, May 8th, 2009 | | 9:30 am |
Polling my Friends List
So, as some of you know, I moving to Austin in August. I'm actually in Austin right now apartment hunting, and I thought I would poll people to see which of the two finalists they thought I should go for. (I've provided addresses in case anyone wants to Google map and streetview them, but I think I've included all the pertinent details) Option 1: 800 w. 5th St, Austin TX. About a block away from the Whole Foods, the bookstore and the gym. In a walkable, but clearly car friendly designed of town (two-four lane streets with crosswalks, etc... most of downtown Austin is like this). About a 15-20 minute walk from work. about 5-10 minutes from the downtown restaurant/shopping area, about 10-15 minutes from 6th St, the clubs and bar area. Option 2: 2nd St and Colorado (with frontage on Cesar Chavez), Austin TX). Right in the 2nd St District, the downtown restaurant/shopping area. This area is new, about 4 x 4 blocks and has been designed to be very pedestrian friendly (one lane rds, lots of little shops and restaurants). About a 10 minute walk from the gym, Whole Foods, and bookstore. Little bodega in the area, though. About 10-15 minutes from work, 5-10 minutes from the club/bar area. So, as you may have noticed, the two buildings are only about a 5 minute walk from each other, which means this probably isn't such a big deal, except, of course, in the 3-4 months where the temperature here is above 90-100. So thoughts? I'm going to apply for a lease at the end of the day, so early advice is best. | | Wednesday, May 6th, 2009 | | 11:48 am |
| | 11:34 am |
My First Dictionary
Some Storyreaders will remember Uncle Shelby's A,B,Zs, Shel Silverstein's brilliantly funny and subversive Alphabet reader, with entries such as "G is for Gigolo (with attached picture of flute) The gigolo makes Beautiful music. Tell mommy you want to get a gigolo today!" Well, in a similar vein, but conveniently delivered in blog form via the internet, is My First Dictionary by a library assistant in Leeds, which matches traditional childrens' book illustration, with definitions which may be a little less salubrious. It's safe for work, but not at all safe for children. I don't like it quite as much as Uncle Shelby, it lacks Silverstein's flair and consistency, but some of the entries are pretty great, for example: "Clone: A clone is a copy of a person, how would you know if your daddy had been replaced by a clone?" Anyways, I just figured some folks on my friends list would enjoy it. | | Monday, May 4th, 2009 | | 4:14 pm |
What I've Been Reading
So, I promised to be better about posting quick notes on what I've been reading, and then promptly failed to do so. In an attempt to make up for that, in no particular order, mini-reviews of some of the books I've been reading: The Translated Man by Chris Braak: A Lovecraftian police procedural in a brilliantly realized faux-Victorian world, and what I can only hope is the beginning of a new series. The book, incidentally is only available as an e-book or from lulu.com, the author deciding to skip over the step of having a publisher. Despite that fact I can highly recommend it as great pulpy fun. A Great Deliverance by Elizabeth George: The first of her Inspector Lynley books. Upper-class British Detective Inspector with Scotland Yard is teamed up with a lower class abrasive Detective Sergeant. Plus, there's been a murder. Very well written, but extremely dark, which makes me reluctant to recommend it to everyone. The Public Domain by Jamie Boyle (Non-fiction): The best single volume popular work on understanding our current system of intellectual property and the problems with it. I highly, highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in, or wants to learn more about, IP. Jamie was once accused of not actually writing a brief, because his writing was funny, and as we all know, lawyers have no sense of humor. The Enchanted Forest Chronicles (Dealing with Dragons, Searching for Dragons, Calling on Dragons, Talking to Dragons) by Patricia C. Wrede: Recommended to me by emilymorgan. Tons of fun. The adventures of a Princess who decides that she'd rather be captured by a dragon than mary the stupid prince from the next kingdom over. And then proceeds to do so. The later books continue the story from the perspective of a number of formerly supporting and new characters. I really enjoyed them. Definitely Young Adult, but sometimes that's what you really want to read. AK-47: The Weapon that Changed the Face of War by Larry Kahaner (non-fiction): This book had its interesting parts, but other than cocktail party facts (I go to very esoteric cocktail parties) really the book can be summed up in the immortal words of Mr. Samuel L. Jackson, "AK-47, when you absolutely, positively have to kill every last motherf***er in the room." Plus, I recently reread A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (non-fiction): The story of travel writer Bill Bryson's attempt to hike the entire Appalachian Trail. Funny and highly informative. Still a fantastic read. Still makes me afraid of bears. | | Tuesday, April 28th, 2009 | | 4:35 pm |
Because the Night
So Because the Night has been one of my favorite songs ever since I heard Natalie Merchant's version way back in high school. While the 10,000 Maniac's version will always remain the "true version" for me, this performance of the song, by Michael Stipe (of REM) and Bruce Springsteen (who wrote the original song), delivers 100% of today's daily dose of awesome. | | Monday, April 27th, 2009 | | 11:24 am |
The Quote Game
Tor.com is playing an excellent version of the quote game. So I thought I would let people know about it. For every quote you guess, you get to post one of your own.This was so cool that I thought I would launch the same game in my blog (also because a bunch of the originals have already been guessed on Tor.com). Since I'm a work and don't have access to my books at home, I'm using the same list that they are, so please try to guess them here before you go over to Tor. The line should be the kind of line you want to read aloud, and a line that’s memorable if you’ve read the book, but shouldn’t be a spoiler if you haven’t. Of course it can be a first line, or a last line, or a line from somewhere in the middle. I'm really interested to see what other quotes people come up with! The first dozen quotes to start you off after the cut ( Read more... ) | | Saturday, April 25th, 2009 | | 1:07 pm |
| | Friday, April 24th, 2009 | | 11:04 pm |
Life (TV)
Incidentally,the entire second season of Life, my favorite TV show from this last season is now up on Hulu, so catch for everyone who wanted to catch it but didn't because it wasn't free, well now's your chance. |
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