As my first order of business at my new job, I am required to create a "top 100 movies" list, and I thought I would share. The movies we like are something that people are judged by everyday in this town. I think these choices do say a lot about a person, but try not to judge too harshly one way or another...
1.West Side Story
2.The Lives of Others (Germany)
3.American Beauty
4.Match Point
5.Little Miss Sunshine
6.Strangers on a Train
7.Hannah and Her Sisters
8.The Counterfeiters (Austria)
9.Traffic
10.Monster
11.Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
12.Babel
13.Juno
14.Volver (Spain)
15.Crash
16.Knocked Up
17.Little Children
18.Liar Liar
19.Once
20.Friends with Money
21.Virgin Suicides
22.Notes on a Scandal
23.Fargo
24.Everything Is Illuminated
25.The Life of David Gale
26.Spanglish
27.Rear Window
28.Aladdin
29.Sixth Sense
30.Back to the Future II
31.Chicago
32.Now and Then
33.The Upside of Anger
34.The Orphanage (Spain)
35.Meet the Parents
36.Ocean’s Thirteen
37.Center Stage
38.One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
39.Shakespeare In Love
40.The Shawshank Redemption
41.All the President’s Men
42.King of Kong (documentary)
43.Kramer vs. Kramer
44.Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
45.The Devil Wears Prada
46.Mean Girls
47.The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (France)
48.Pan’s Labyrinth (Spain and Mexico)
49.10 Things I Hate About You
50.The Crucible
51.Girl Interrupted
52.Wedding Crashers
53.Good Will Hunting
54.Sabrina
55.Taxi Driver
56.Eastern Promises
57.Arlington Road
58.Children of Men
59.The Exorcism of Emily Rose
60.Full Frontal
61.Jerry Maguire
62.An Affair to Remember
63.Blue Car
64.Sex, Lies and Videotape
65.Being John Malkovich
66.Erin Brockovich
67.Life as a House
68.Annie Hall
69.Margot at the Wedding
70.Baghead
71.Jesus Camp (documentary)
72.The Usual Suspects
73.Titanic
74.Network
75.Castaway
76.Romeo and Juliet (Baz Lurhmann)
77.The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
78.Annie
79.The People vs. Larry Flynt
80.Princess Diaries
81.The King of Comedy
82.Funny Games
83.The Labyrinth
84.Psycho
85.Badlands
86.The Hours
87.Sex and the City
88.Casino
89.Death at a Funeral
90.Boys Don’t Cry
91.Bubble
92.The Three Faces of Eve
93.The Breakfast Club
94.40 Year-Old Virgin
95.Back to the Future I
96.When Harry Met Sally
97.Solas (Spain)
98.The Family Stone
99.Mrs. Doubtfire
100.How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Friday, August 22, 2008
Sunday, August 17, 2008
The Other Side
HAPPENINGS: I think my blog audience will be proud to know that I am starting a new job tomorrow. And by my blog audience, I refer to the nine people I am sure have read this: Zach, Brian, Sue, Katie, Luke, Christy, Zach's mom, Zach's dad, I think Zach's sister. Of course, eight of these nine people already knew this bit of information so I suppose I am working under the not-so-humble assumption that there are others.
For the past month or so, I have been unemployed (excluding the few temp jobs I did here and there) after quitting my last job at the casting office. I left because of other possibilities that turned into impossibilities soon thereafter. I think that is all that needs to be said about that, and it turns out that I am happy with the transition even though things didn't turn out exactly the way I had picture them. My new job will be as an assistant to an agent at a talent and literary agency in Beverly Hills. I am anxious to get settled in there and see what the "other side" is like. I think it will be a good place for me to see what else is out there and open up to more possibilities. I will be leaving behind a life of two-a-days to the gym, Sex and the City DVD's, meeting Zach for lunch everyday, and the stress of unemployment. As nice as most of that sounds, I think I am much better off with a nice clean routine for now. Anyway, I cannot say much more about that. I haven't even started yet.
TIPS: Pineapple Express...eh...it was okay. I certainly laughed, and James Franco was darling, but it was slightly disappointing.
I kind of liked that new documentary, American Teen. It is strange in some parts, but I think it captures some really genuine moments that we have all experienced in high school. The movie follows four high school kids through their senior year: a popular girl, a band geek, a basketball stud, and an artsy outsider girl. While I still felt that parts were possibly edited or presented slightly out of order (not that I have any proof or special knowledge of that happening), something about it felt very true and reminded me of specific moments in my high school experience. Go Lancers.
For the past month or so, I have been unemployed (excluding the few temp jobs I did here and there) after quitting my last job at the casting office. I left because of other possibilities that turned into impossibilities soon thereafter. I think that is all that needs to be said about that, and it turns out that I am happy with the transition even though things didn't turn out exactly the way I had picture them. My new job will be as an assistant to an agent at a talent and literary agency in Beverly Hills. I am anxious to get settled in there and see what the "other side" is like. I think it will be a good place for me to see what else is out there and open up to more possibilities. I will be leaving behind a life of two-a-days to the gym, Sex and the City DVD's, meeting Zach for lunch everyday, and the stress of unemployment. As nice as most of that sounds, I think I am much better off with a nice clean routine for now. Anyway, I cannot say much more about that. I haven't even started yet.
TIPS: Pineapple Express...eh...it was okay. I certainly laughed, and James Franco was darling, but it was slightly disappointing.
I kind of liked that new documentary, American Teen. It is strange in some parts, but I think it captures some really genuine moments that we have all experienced in high school. The movie follows four high school kids through their senior year: a popular girl, a band geek, a basketball stud, and an artsy outsider girl. While I still felt that parts were possibly edited or presented slightly out of order (not that I have any proof or special knowledge of that happening), something about it felt very true and reminded me of specific moments in my high school experience. Go Lancers.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Was he a historical figure?
Everyone is on vacation:
Sue and Brian are on vacation somewhere with...
her family who is on vacation.
My parents just got home from a vacation in Italy.
Zach's family is on vacation in Los Angeles, and even took...
me and Zach with them out of town last weekend for a mini-vacation.
HAPPENINGS: My vacation was to see the Hearst Castle. This castle in the mountains is about four hours north of LA and overlooks the ocean. It was built by William Randolph Hearst who not only inherited his father's fortune in the early 20th century, but also built his own publishing empire. His castle was built on thousands of acres of Hearst property on which WRH would camp with his family as a boy. The castle took about 30 years to complete. That seems like a long time except when you compare it to the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, a cathedral that has been under construction since 1882...and still is. Anyway, this place was grand. I didn't know what to expect because castles are usually old. I had never really heard of a modern castle. It was beautiful, the kind of place no one deserves. It was full of artwork, structures, fountains, tiles, and tapestries from all over the world from different time periods. The view was the best view I have ever seen from a place that could be considered a residence. I won't go too in depth because I imagine you just have to see it, and any description of mine would never do it justice. It is just always really nice to take little trips in California because there are so many places to go within a reasonable distance, and this is definitely one of them.
INFURIATING: Zach beat all of us in a round of 20 questions with "Deep Throat". After concluding that this alive, famous, and American man was a historical figure but not a political leader, we starte running around in circles.... not even close. That is a good one.
TIPS: For one of the best steaks I have ever had, I would recommend The Lodge Steakhouse on La Cienega. This place was recommended to me by Jesse a while back when Zach and I were looking for a place to go for Valentine's Day. We went, and it was so good. We also saw Donald Faison with his girlfriend, Cacee Cobb, there (we had actually seen the two of them before the only other time we had gone to a nice steak place...weird). Anyway, I had the pleasure of going again when Zach's family took us last night for a sort of farewell-for-now dinner since they were leaving this morning. It was just as good, if not better, than I remember. While I would suggest saving it for special occa$ions like people in town or Valentine's Day, it is definitely worth a try.
Sue and Brian are on vacation somewhere with...
her family who is on vacation.
My parents just got home from a vacation in Italy.
Zach's family is on vacation in Los Angeles, and even took...
me and Zach with them out of town last weekend for a mini-vacation.
HAPPENINGS: My vacation was to see the Hearst Castle. This castle in the mountains is about four hours north of LA and overlooks the ocean. It was built by William Randolph Hearst who not only inherited his father's fortune in the early 20th century, but also built his own publishing empire. His castle was built on thousands of acres of Hearst property on which WRH would camp with his family as a boy. The castle took about 30 years to complete. That seems like a long time except when you compare it to the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, a cathedral that has been under construction since 1882...and still is. Anyway, this place was grand. I didn't know what to expect because castles are usually old. I had never really heard of a modern castle. It was beautiful, the kind of place no one deserves. It was full of artwork, structures, fountains, tiles, and tapestries from all over the world from different time periods. The view was the best view I have ever seen from a place that could be considered a residence. I won't go too in depth because I imagine you just have to see it, and any description of mine would never do it justice. It is just always really nice to take little trips in California because there are so many places to go within a reasonable distance, and this is definitely one of them.
INFURIATING: Zach beat all of us in a round of 20 questions with "Deep Throat". After concluding that this alive, famous, and American man was a historical figure but not a political leader, we starte running around in circles.... not even close. That is a good one.
TIPS: For one of the best steaks I have ever had, I would recommend The Lodge Steakhouse on La Cienega. This place was recommended to me by Jesse a while back when Zach and I were looking for a place to go for Valentine's Day. We went, and it was so good. We also saw Donald Faison with his girlfriend, Cacee Cobb, there (we had actually seen the two of them before the only other time we had gone to a nice steak place...weird). Anyway, I had the pleasure of going again when Zach's family took us last night for a sort of farewell-for-now dinner since they were leaving this morning. It was just as good, if not better, than I remember. While I would suggest saving it for special occa$ions like people in town or Valentine's Day, it is definitely worth a try.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Johnny Depp and Cell Phones
HAPPENINGS: It has been a good week since the quake. Zach's family was in town this weekend, and they were kind enough to allow me to be a part of the Weissmueller clan for the whole time. It is always nice to have people in town from Florida because it gives me a chance to step back and look at the city again from a new perspective. We went to a lot of the places that we have grown to appreciate since moving here. Some of these places include:
The Griffith Park Observatory - We like to picnic up there with what I refer to as the best sandwiches in the world from a wine shop in a little area close by called Larchmont Village. There is a nice view of the entire city and the "Hollywood sign" along with some carpet quality grass to sit on and some nice hiking trails.
Melrose Shopping - While Zach sat this one out, I had a good afternoon with the ladies strolling down Melrose in it's entirety. I was very good and did not buy anything, but it is always nice to look! I really like the vintage shops that sell used pieces that range from the tackiest thing I have ever seen to beautiful/classy lacy things.
UCB- The Upright Citizen's Brigade is a great comedy place. This weekend was the second time I have been, but I see myself going much much more in the future. I believe they do mostly improve shows there, and there is this one troupe called ASSSSSSSSCAT that is awesome. There is one guy in particular that makes me laugh every time he opens his mouth. The last time we went, Jenna Fisher (Pam from "The Office") was the guest host. This puts my "Office" celebrity sightings at two. I think the person I would most want to see next from the show would be Kevin. Also, we possibly saw Johnny Depp on our way out of the theater. The possible Johnny Depp was sitting at a table outside of a bookstore with a trendy hat tilted to hide his face a bit. No one was looking at him. Zach pointed him out to me, but by the time I looked, he was covering his face too much with the hat. We thought it might be something he was doing to research for a role, observing the "comedy scene". His mom independently thought it might be him as well so we sent her to walk back by to get a better look. By that time, he was mysteriously gone. So we either saw Johnny Depp or some weirdo pretending to be Johnny Depp so people would think they saw him.
Farmer's Market (Santa Monica) - Arguably my favorite place in the world is the Santa Monica Farmers Market. Oh it is so delicious! You can sample pretty much anything from fresh fruit to cheese to pesto sauces. I always get fresh squeezed orange juice (tangerine and blood orange juice is also available) and a huge omelet. Sometimes Zach and I split an omelet and a huge blueberry pancake. Everything is so good, and if you have been there, you know exactly what I mean. It is sunny and perfect all the time. They sell tamales, sausages, corn on the cob, fresh coffees, breads, crepes, and some more yummy things. I bought some weird purple potatoes to try cooking with. The farmer described them as more "nutty" than regular potatoes. I made them yesterday, and they pretty much tasted like normal potatoes except they were bright purple and not like beet purple but like crayon purple. I was almost scared to try them, but they were just fine.
Getty Center - This is a huge art museum on a hill. It is also an architectural landmark, but my favorite thing about it is the beautiful gardens. You can walk through a really nice area with some strange looking but beautiful flowers. The grass is like carpet, and there are also great views of the city. It is a nice relaxing place.
Restaurants...all the favorites: We wanted to show off our LA restaurant expertise after a year of long hard research. Some of the favorite include:
Toast (trendy, good menu..lots of choices...everything yummy)
Bosa Nova (Brazilian cafe)
Larchmont Wine shop (best sandwich in the world)
In-and-Out (where we have been known to sit a a table for 4 hours at a time discussing important issues with Sue, Brian, Natalie, and Brian McGuire...and by important issues I mean Dark Knight, how people we know are stupid, fool-proof Survivor strategies, who would make it the farthest on Survivor, how we could all get on Survivor without them knowing we all knew each other if that is even possible and then if we could all get on, how we would all make an alliance to get one of us to the end and agree from the beginning to split the money if we won.)
The Village Pizzeria - The best Slice in the city.
TIPS: If you order a salad at a restaurant or even a faster service type place like Panera or Corner Bakery, you may want to check out their website for nutrition facts beforehand. If you are ordering a salad in the first place, I assume you are trying to be healthy, but you may be doing the opposite. I ordered the harvest salad with chicken from the Corner Bakery last week in an attempt to keep my calorie count for the day under 1700 give or take. I ate it. It was delicious, but not as delicious as say the chicken pesto sandwich with chips and maybe even a cookie would have been. I looked up the amount of calories in my healthy treat and found that I had just scarfed about 1100 calories in a stupid salad. Also, somehow, they managed to squeeze in about 70 grams of fat! I don't think I could do this if I tried when I make a salad at home. I cannot imagine what in that salad would be 70 grams of fat. I know the dressing is a lot, but the nutrition facts for the dressing were 300 calories and about 15-20 grams of fat. I cannot fathom where the rest came from. Sure there were some blue cheese and walnuts sprinkled about, but I feel like you would have to eat a lot of that stuff to equal so many calories, and there is really not that much in this salad. This selection just so happened to contain more calories and fat than almost everything else on the menu including the pesto chicken sandwich and a bunch of heavy pasta dishes. Note to self and others: eat more pasta and sandwiches.
INFURIATING: The hand held use of cell phones while driving was banned in the state of California; the law went into effect July 1st. Only hands-free devices are acceptable now. This means that if I am driving my car, it is illegal for me to hold a cell phone up to my ear. However, if I am driving, it is perfectly legal to eat a sandwich, put on makeup, text message google for directions to the nearest Best Buy, and close my eyes all at the same time as long as I can do it well and continue to drive safely. This is a serious problem. I am not by any means trying to say any of the previous things should be outlawed. In fact, I am reminding myself what is at stake. I know it may sound like a good idea in theory, and there are those of you who would say, "Well, at least it will prevent accidents!", and you are wrong. There is no evidence that the act of holding a cell phone to your ear causes any more accidents than using a hands-free device. In a study at the University of Utah, researchers found that the likelihood of a driver on a cell phone causing an accident is the same when using hand held and hands-free devices. It is the conversation, not the use of the cell phone, that causes accidents. Should the use of cell phones in the car be eliminated completely? It is a more logical approach than simply getting rid of the hand-held devices. However, if it is the conversation and not the cell phone that is the distracting factor, should we get rid of conversation while in the car? Should having a passenger (especially a crying baby or a rowdy child) in the car be outlawed? Is listening to the radio a problem suddenly? And what kinds of other things should we get rid of? Should any and all distractions be removed by force? This is a step in the wrong direction.
The Griffith Park Observatory - We like to picnic up there with what I refer to as the best sandwiches in the world from a wine shop in a little area close by called Larchmont Village. There is a nice view of the entire city and the "Hollywood sign" along with some carpet quality grass to sit on and some nice hiking trails.
Melrose Shopping - While Zach sat this one out, I had a good afternoon with the ladies strolling down Melrose in it's entirety. I was very good and did not buy anything, but it is always nice to look! I really like the vintage shops that sell used pieces that range from the tackiest thing I have ever seen to beautiful/classy lacy things.
UCB- The Upright Citizen's Brigade is a great comedy place. This weekend was the second time I have been, but I see myself going much much more in the future. I believe they do mostly improve shows there, and there is this one troupe called ASSSSSSSSCAT that is awesome. There is one guy in particular that makes me laugh every time he opens his mouth. The last time we went, Jenna Fisher (Pam from "The Office") was the guest host. This puts my "Office" celebrity sightings at two. I think the person I would most want to see next from the show would be Kevin. Also, we possibly saw Johnny Depp on our way out of the theater. The possible Johnny Depp was sitting at a table outside of a bookstore with a trendy hat tilted to hide his face a bit. No one was looking at him. Zach pointed him out to me, but by the time I looked, he was covering his face too much with the hat. We thought it might be something he was doing to research for a role, observing the "comedy scene". His mom independently thought it might be him as well so we sent her to walk back by to get a better look. By that time, he was mysteriously gone. So we either saw Johnny Depp or some weirdo pretending to be Johnny Depp so people would think they saw him.
Farmer's Market (Santa Monica) - Arguably my favorite place in the world is the Santa Monica Farmers Market. Oh it is so delicious! You can sample pretty much anything from fresh fruit to cheese to pesto sauces. I always get fresh squeezed orange juice (tangerine and blood orange juice is also available) and a huge omelet. Sometimes Zach and I split an omelet and a huge blueberry pancake. Everything is so good, and if you have been there, you know exactly what I mean. It is sunny and perfect all the time. They sell tamales, sausages, corn on the cob, fresh coffees, breads, crepes, and some more yummy things. I bought some weird purple potatoes to try cooking with. The farmer described them as more "nutty" than regular potatoes. I made them yesterday, and they pretty much tasted like normal potatoes except they were bright purple and not like beet purple but like crayon purple. I was almost scared to try them, but they were just fine.
Getty Center - This is a huge art museum on a hill. It is also an architectural landmark, but my favorite thing about it is the beautiful gardens. You can walk through a really nice area with some strange looking but beautiful flowers. The grass is like carpet, and there are also great views of the city. It is a nice relaxing place.
Restaurants...all the favorites: We wanted to show off our LA restaurant expertise after a year of long hard research. Some of the favorite include:
Toast (trendy, good menu..lots of choices...everything yummy)
Bosa Nova (Brazilian cafe)
Larchmont Wine shop (best sandwich in the world)
In-and-Out (where we have been known to sit a a table for 4 hours at a time discussing important issues with Sue, Brian, Natalie, and Brian McGuire...and by important issues I mean Dark Knight, how people we know are stupid, fool-proof Survivor strategies, who would make it the farthest on Survivor, how we could all get on Survivor without them knowing we all knew each other if that is even possible and then if we could all get on, how we would all make an alliance to get one of us to the end and agree from the beginning to split the money if we won.)
The Village Pizzeria - The best Slice in the city.
TIPS: If you order a salad at a restaurant or even a faster service type place like Panera or Corner Bakery, you may want to check out their website for nutrition facts beforehand. If you are ordering a salad in the first place, I assume you are trying to be healthy, but you may be doing the opposite. I ordered the harvest salad with chicken from the Corner Bakery last week in an attempt to keep my calorie count for the day under 1700 give or take. I ate it. It was delicious, but not as delicious as say the chicken pesto sandwich with chips and maybe even a cookie would have been. I looked up the amount of calories in my healthy treat and found that I had just scarfed about 1100 calories in a stupid salad. Also, somehow, they managed to squeeze in about 70 grams of fat! I don't think I could do this if I tried when I make a salad at home. I cannot imagine what in that salad would be 70 grams of fat. I know the dressing is a lot, but the nutrition facts for the dressing were 300 calories and about 15-20 grams of fat. I cannot fathom where the rest came from. Sure there were some blue cheese and walnuts sprinkled about, but I feel like you would have to eat a lot of that stuff to equal so many calories, and there is really not that much in this salad. This selection just so happened to contain more calories and fat than almost everything else on the menu including the pesto chicken sandwich and a bunch of heavy pasta dishes. Note to self and others: eat more pasta and sandwiches.
INFURIATING: The hand held use of cell phones while driving was banned in the state of California; the law went into effect July 1st. Only hands-free devices are acceptable now. This means that if I am driving my car, it is illegal for me to hold a cell phone up to my ear. However, if I am driving, it is perfectly legal to eat a sandwich, put on makeup, text message google for directions to the nearest Best Buy, and close my eyes all at the same time as long as I can do it well and continue to drive safely. This is a serious problem. I am not by any means trying to say any of the previous things should be outlawed. In fact, I am reminding myself what is at stake. I know it may sound like a good idea in theory, and there are those of you who would say, "Well, at least it will prevent accidents!", and you are wrong. There is no evidence that the act of holding a cell phone to your ear causes any more accidents than using a hands-free device. In a study at the University of Utah, researchers found that the likelihood of a driver on a cell phone causing an accident is the same when using hand held and hands-free devices. It is the conversation, not the use of the cell phone, that causes accidents. Should the use of cell phones in the car be eliminated completely? It is a more logical approach than simply getting rid of the hand-held devices. However, if it is the conversation and not the cell phone that is the distracting factor, should we get rid of conversation while in the car? Should having a passenger (especially a crying baby or a rowdy child) in the car be outlawed? Is listening to the radio a problem suddenly? And what kinds of other things should we get rid of? Should any and all distractions be removed by force? This is a step in the wrong direction.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
becoming regular
I have been in Los Angeles for a year. The move here kick-started adult life for me. It made me a contributing member of society, and with that came a lot of responsibilities: bills, taxes, becoming a more educated voter, rent, getting things like the cable/Internet set up, taking care of my health and especially my teeth since I don't currently have dental insurance, worrying about things like insurance and what type of plan to get, and more. Dealing with these types of things really gets you in a sort of routine. I pay each bill at the same time every month, I have started cooking the same meals over and over again, I grocery shop every Sunday, and I do laundry every two weeks. There is something comforting about this responsibility routine. I think what I like about it is it gives me a sense of accomplishment to which I must reward. This is a tribute to all the things I do to reward myself for being an adult at which I have become "a regular":
GYM: This does not sound like a reward type of experience. I guess most people would think of it more as rewarding experience, but I actually like going to the gym. Zach and I go to the same gym 4 days a week in the mornings. I like spending that time together and making fun of people doing weird things on machines, but I also like the feeling it gives me to push myself on each machine. I also specifically like the gym we go to. It is possibly the lamest/smallest/nothing to it LA Fitness in LA, but it feels comfortable to me. We are friendly with the trainers there, and I like seeing some of the same people there everyday. We get tips from trainers who know we are "regulars". We have been going there for enough time now that I actually see results in other people's bodies, and I tell them. Is that weird? Also, the occasional BJ Novak (Ryan from The Office) sighting is enough to keep me going there for a long time to come.
CHINABOY EXPRESS: There is no other place I would rather be on a Thursday night than at Zach and I's favorite hot-spot, Chinaboy Express. If for some reason we are not able to go on a Thursday night, we will actually have a make-up night although Zach is much more serious about making sure he gets his than I am about getting my weekly fix. The ladies there know us. And by that I mean they know what we order, and my order is the most complicated, specific thing ever....we are talking half orange chicken but not a full half portion because I won't eat it all, half spicy chicken and veggies, two scoops of fried rice, and only the broccoli from the beef and broccoli. In fact, the last time we were there, I started to tell one lady what I wanted and the other pushed her aside and told her she knew and would take care of it. We can walk there from my apartment. This place is so obscure that I couldn't even find a picture of it online. While it is a place we really look forward to visiting every week, I wouldn't expect to go if you come to visit town on a Thursday night. I decided it is not a place I like to see through other people's eyes if you know what I mean.
BLOCKBUSTER: I visit blockbuster regularly no matter where I live in the world. There are three Blockbuster stores in the U.S. where I have at some point been "a regular". The one here is my favorite store. The regular staff consists of a sweet-but-talks-way-too-much-when-you-just-want-your-effing-movie-gay-guy, a smooth-talking-hits-on-me-every-time-Zach-is-not-there-even-though-he-knows-we-are-dating-Irainian-guy, and a very unpleasant-almost-angry-for-no-reason-seeming-Hispanic-girl with penciled-in eyebrows. I have an unreasonable sensitivity to judgement from Blockbuster employees so I feel it is important to establish good relationships with them. And by good relationships, I mean make sure they know you have good taste in movies before you start renting fluff. I have noticed that when I am new somewhere, my renting habits tend to be more quality. It is not until I feel like I have established a good sense of superiority with these people when it comes to movies that I will go for the occasional Nanny Diaries type titles, quickly followed by or possibly along with some Sundance-selected documentary. The Blockbuster in Gainesville was actually much more overall judgemental seeming than the one I go to here, surprisingly.
ACTIVIA: Of course this is probably too much information, but aside from becoming a regular at the above places, I have also become regular in the don't-you-wish-you-had-stopped-reading sense of the word. Activia is this yogurt that is designed to assist your digestive system. I fell victim to a promotion when a lady at the grocery store handed my two yogurts as a free sample last week. I was not even having particular digestive problems. I tried them, and they tasted so good, I decided to take the "two-week challenge" advertised on the back. I am eating one little 4oz tub everyday for two weeks, and I was promised results or my money back. I will just say I will not be needing my money back from the activa people.
GYM: This does not sound like a reward type of experience. I guess most people would think of it more as rewarding experience, but I actually like going to the gym. Zach and I go to the same gym 4 days a week in the mornings. I like spending that time together and making fun of people doing weird things on machines, but I also like the feeling it gives me to push myself on each machine. I also specifically like the gym we go to. It is possibly the lamest/smallest/nothing to it LA Fitness in LA, but it feels comfortable to me. We are friendly with the trainers there, and I like seeing some of the same people there everyday. We get tips from trainers who know we are "regulars". We have been going there for enough time now that I actually see results in other people's bodies, and I tell them. Is that weird? Also, the occasional BJ Novak (Ryan from The Office) sighting is enough to keep me going there for a long time to come.
CHINABOY EXPRESS: There is no other place I would rather be on a Thursday night than at Zach and I's favorite hot-spot, Chinaboy Express. If for some reason we are not able to go on a Thursday night, we will actually have a make-up night although Zach is much more serious about making sure he gets his than I am about getting my weekly fix. The ladies there know us. And by that I mean they know what we order, and my order is the most complicated, specific thing ever....we are talking half orange chicken but not a full half portion because I won't eat it all, half spicy chicken and veggies, two scoops of fried rice, and only the broccoli from the beef and broccoli. In fact, the last time we were there, I started to tell one lady what I wanted and the other pushed her aside and told her she knew and would take care of it. We can walk there from my apartment. This place is so obscure that I couldn't even find a picture of it online. While it is a place we really look forward to visiting every week, I wouldn't expect to go if you come to visit town on a Thursday night. I decided it is not a place I like to see through other people's eyes if you know what I mean.
BLOCKBUSTER: I visit blockbuster regularly no matter where I live in the world. There are three Blockbuster stores in the U.S. where I have at some point been "a regular". The one here is my favorite store. The regular staff consists of a sweet-but-talks-way-too-much-when-you-just-want-your-effing-movie-gay-guy, a smooth-talking-hits-on-me-every-time-Zach-is-not-there-even-though-he-knows-we-are-dating-Irainian-guy, and a very unpleasant-almost-angry-for-no-reason-seeming-Hispanic-girl with penciled-in eyebrows. I have an unreasonable sensitivity to judgement from Blockbuster employees so I feel it is important to establish good relationships with them. And by good relationships, I mean make sure they know you have good taste in movies before you start renting fluff. I have noticed that when I am new somewhere, my renting habits tend to be more quality. It is not until I feel like I have established a good sense of superiority with these people when it comes to movies that I will go for the occasional Nanny Diaries type titles, quickly followed by or possibly along with some Sundance-selected documentary. The Blockbuster in Gainesville was actually much more overall judgemental seeming than the one I go to here, surprisingly.
ACTIVIA: Of course this is probably too much information, but aside from becoming a regular at the above places, I have also become regular in the don't-you-wish-you-had-stopped-reading sense of the word. Activia is this yogurt that is designed to assist your digestive system. I fell victim to a promotion when a lady at the grocery store handed my two yogurts as a free sample last week. I was not even having particular digestive problems. I tried them, and they tasted so good, I decided to take the "two-week challenge" advertised on the back. I am eating one little 4oz tub everyday for two weeks, and I was promised results or my money back. I will just say I will not be needing my money back from the activa people.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Oh Arnold
I have already started to slack off in my blogging frequency. I pumped out a whole three in the first week, and then nothing. I hope this was a major disappointment to all.
HAPPENINGS: There was an earthquake today. I am not sure why, but I realized I am unreasonably calm about the possibility of a major earthquake. I realized during the one today. I was on the tenth floor of a glass building. At first it felt like someone was jumping up and down next to me. Then it began to feel like a really fat man was skipping down the hall. The building began to sway and things on the tables began to shake. At the most intense part, it felt like a wave was going through the building. I think the intensity of it was heightened because I was so high up in a tall skinny building, but overall it wasn't too bad. It lasted about 30 seconds. The moment I realized my abnormal state of calm was when people in the building were getting in doorways, and I went to go answer the phone. I guess I didn't freak out for the same reason people do freak out; there is absolutely nothing you can do about it, and there is no way to see it coming or plan for it. I think I am more likely to worry at least a little more about something that can be foreseen like a hurricane because it is hard to tell how much is enough when taking the proper precautions.
INFURIATING: My governor has decided that our tax dollars should go to funding the production of non-smoking adds to be placed at the beginning of PG 13 movies that include scenes with smoking. The next step will be placing anti-speeding ads before movies like 2 Fast 2 Furious, or adds that depict the dangers of jumping from rooftop to rooftop before films that glamorize it like Batman and Spider Man movies. Then we can start placing anti-shooting-your-lover-because-he-wants-to-leave-you-and-then-lying-about-it-and-pretending-to-be-pregnant-so-you-win-your-trial ads before movies like the PG 13 Chicago. I would rather our money go to PSA's before movies like Fool's Gold warning us how stupid what we are about to watch actually is.
TIPS: If you live in Koreatown, you should make sure no one is inside of the dumpster before you toss your trash in there.
Also, I just finished the first season of Mad Men on DVD (compliments of Natalie). I would recommend it to anyone except people who are or once were addicted to cigarettes. The show just makes cigarettes look so, well, just so cool. Unfortunately for those susceptible, it is not prefaced by any anti-tobacco spots. It is a show about advertising executives on Madison Ave in the early 60's. It is funny, it looks great most of the time, and it is interesting. Something else I really like about it is that it is a cable network series. I am getting really excited about the fact that cable series are beginning, in the past few years, to do so well. In a perfect world, all programming would come from premium channels like HBO and Showtime who can be more innovative with their projects since they don't solely depend on individual programs' ratings. Censorship by no means destroys television, but it dumbs and dulls it down. Something like 24 could be a much better show on HBO or even FX.
INFURIATING: My governor has decided that our tax dollars should go to funding the production of non-smoking adds to be placed at the beginning of PG 13 movies that include scenes with smoking. The next step will be placing anti-speeding ads before movies like 2 Fast 2 Furious, or adds that depict the dangers of jumping from rooftop to rooftop before films that glamorize it like Batman and Spider Man movies. Then we can start placing anti-shooting-your-lover-because-he-wants-to-leave-you-and-then-lying-about-it-and-pretending-to-be-pregnant-so-you-win-your-trial ads before movies like the PG 13 Chicago. I would rather our money go to PSA's before movies like Fool's Gold warning us how stupid what we are about to watch actually is.
TIPS: If you live in Koreatown, you should make sure no one is inside of the dumpster before you toss your trash in there.
Also, I just finished the first season of Mad Men on DVD (compliments of Natalie). I would recommend it to anyone except people who are or once were addicted to cigarettes. The show just makes cigarettes look so, well, just so cool. Unfortunately for those susceptible, it is not prefaced by any anti-tobacco spots. It is a show about advertising executives on Madison Ave in the early 60's. It is funny, it looks great most of the time, and it is interesting. Something else I really like about it is that it is a cable network series. I am getting really excited about the fact that cable series are beginning, in the past few years, to do so well. In a perfect world, all programming would come from premium channels like HBO and Showtime who can be more innovative with their projects since they don't solely depend on individual programs' ratings. Censorship by no means destroys television, but it dumbs and dulls it down. Something like 24 could be a much better show on HBO or even FX.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Will Arnett the next Batman?
I went to see The Dark Knight on Sunday afternoon. Although I was there with four other people, I had to sit by myself because the theater was so crowded. This movie broke a box office record, selling $158 million opening weekend. I don't tend to like superhero movies. I didn't go see Iron Man after being disappointed over and over again by movies like Transformers and Spider-Man 3. I feel like I have been trying for a long time to make myself enjoy these kinds types of movies, and it hasn't worked so I decided to give up and stop wasting my money. I am not going to tell you that The Dark Knight changed all of that for me, but what I will tell you is that it was the best superhero movie I have seen. My basis for judging movies usually consists of me asking myself how many other movies would I rather be seeing for the first time instead of the one I am watching. In this case there are several, but that definitely does not include any other superhero movies that I can recall. For what it was, this movie had interesting characters, and I think that was the biggest difference for me. Heath Ledger's performance didn't disappoint me even with all of the hype surrounding it. I guess my biggest complaint was the way Christian Bale talked when he was Batman. I heard his voice may have been digitally altered when he was playing Batman to distinguish his voice from when he was playing Bruce Wayne, but I feel like it sounded ridiculous. I thought it was a joke. I just don't know who to blame: Christian Bale or the digital sound guy. It pretty much sounded like Gob from Arrested Development's voice or maybe like the voice of the guy that narrates all the movie trailers. Anyway, overall it was a good experience which is more than I can say for anything else I have seen with comparable subject matter.
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