Hard To Be A Brother

The Darjeeling Limited is a difficult movie for me to review because I'm not totally sure whether or not I liked it. Let me preface by saying I'm a huge Wes Anderson fan. I even thought his Amex commercial was genius. I love his style of quirky, offbeat comedy.

This movie, however, was difficult for me. It's the story of three brothers on a trek through India to try to rediscover a relationship with each other. Along the way, of course, there are pitfalls.

I thought it was a good movie. It was cleverly written, and Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, and Adrien Brody all preformed well. It was a different kind of movie than I've seen in a long time, and I give it points for originality. The character development was great, as it is in all Wes Anderson movies.

It was also kind of slow and draggy at some points. It was also pretty pretentious. It was difficult to watch for me because it started off really strong, jumping right into the action and story, then slowed down just as quickly so the pace was off.

So, I think it was certainly passable, if not awesome. I'm just not sure if I liked it.

Halloween: Carry On; Bury All

Happy Halloween


When You Were Young and Wise

I'm going through a bunch of mixed CDs all titled with dates that were made around my freshman year of high school. I'm finding out I had truly appalling taste in music. Appalling and varied. One CD alone (07/15/2001) had Brandy, Neal Diamond, REO Speedwagon, BBMak, the Righteous Brothers (I went through a Top Gun phase, don't ask), Dashboard Confessional, and Alanis Morrissete. I find the occasional Jimmy Eat World, Greenwheel, or Incubus song that make me feel a little better about myself.

Thankfully my musical tastes have mostly improved. The internet has really helped me expand my musical horizons, so I never have to listen to the radio to discover new music. Thank God.

If I still liked the same music I liked in the 90s, today would be a sweet, sweet day. Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, and Tupac all have albums out today. Oh, the 90s.

Wasting My Time

I spent all afternoon making a birthday cake for my coworker. I received a call from my manager tonight saying my coworker had decided to take her birthday off, so not to worry about making the cake for tomorrow.

Um, thanks.

I guess they'll eat stale cake on Thursday, the next time my coworker works. I'm sure as hell not making another one, especially since I won't eat the first one to begin with. Bitches.

At Slow Speed We All Seem Focused

Sorry guys, this one is rambling. I may have had a wee bit of beer tonight.

Yesterday (after looking for cars) we did nothing but watch movies.

First up was Gone Baby Gone. It was really awesome, if you haven't seen it yet, go do so. It had drama and tension, twists and turns, and surprise ending. It was really well directed (see, Ben Affleck can do something well) and really well acted. If this doesn't do it for Casey Affleck, nothing will.

Then we watched several movies we had rented. First we watched Reign Over Me. I was surprised that I actually like it. As much as I love Adam Sandler's goofy roles, I tend not to like his serious roles as much (i.e. Punch Drunk Love). It was a little slow and meandering for me, but overall all it was good.

The second rental we watched was Evan Almighty. Yes, it was not as good as Bruce Almighty, but I didn't think it totally sucked. It was definitely more family/religious based, and I think religious themed movies are a hard sell. The special effects were pretty sweet, and I love Steve Carell and Lauren Graham. I might have just had super low expectations though, after all the horrible reviews I read.

Today (Sunday) I think I found the car I want. Its a Honda Civic. Realistically, all I care about is that the car gets good gas mileage and goes from A to B. I like smaller cars because I can't park worth crap. Its in good shape, has low mileage, and I can afford it.

Then we went to my nephew's fourth birthday party, which made me feel really fucking old. My boyfriend and I had literally just started dating when A1 found out she was pregnant. We got him a bucket of dinosaurs that came with volcanoes and rocks, and he was super excited about the rocks. If I would have known that, I would have rinsed a few off from the yard and saved my money. Oh well. My boyfriend and his brother promptly apprehended his transformers and played for the rest of the night. At least my boyfriend was Bumblebee. I was stuck talking to A2 (my boyfriends brother's girlfriend) all night.

My boyfriend got mad at me because I made a comment about how much weight she's gained. Not to her face, in the car afterwards. But for real, its like 30 pounds. She's still a teenager, she shouldn't be gaining weight this rapidly. At least I'm thinner...

That's Why We Make A Good You and Me

I just ate a pack of ramen noodles that expired a year ago. I didn't realize ramen noodles expire, and I didn't see the expiration date until after I ate them. I'm sure I'll be alright..... right?

So since I'm sure I'll be dead from ramen before morning, I'm being uncreative and posting a meme today instead of a real post. I need to save my last moments tonight for more important things. Like watching Pushing Daisies.

I saw this on several blogs recently...

1. Who is your partner? My boyfriend.

2. How long have you been together? 4 1/2 years

3. How long did you date? 4 1/2 years

4. How old is your partner? 24. He'll be 25 soon.

5. Who eats more? I eat more regurally, he eats larger quantities.

6. Who said "I love you" first? He did

7. Who is taller? He's about 6 inches taller

8. Who sings better? We're both pretty horrible

9. Who is smarter? I think I'm more book smart, but he has tons of creativity and such. He's about the ideas and I'm about the facts.

10. Whose temper is worse? Um, definitely me. He's been mad at me once. I've been made at him approximately 1,241 times.

11. Who does the laundry? Me. I'm not sure what our clothes would look like if he did it.

12. Who takes out the garbage? Him. I try not to go outside.

13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? We don't live together, so it depends on the bed. I don't like being pushed up against a wall, so it depends on which side is more open.

14. Who pays the bills? Again, we're not married, but I'm sure it would be me. I'm waaaay more responsible.

15. Who is better with the computer? God he is. He works with computers for a living.

16. Who mows the lawn? We pay a neighbor kid to do it.

17. Who cooks dinner? He's made dinner for me twice, if that counts. I'm definitely the cook.

18. Who drives when you are together? Him, I dislike driving. I go to school and work within a ten mile radius of my house

19. Who pays when you go out? Him, he makes twice as much money as me, and he works full time and I don't.

20. Who is most stubborn? umm probably me. He's pretty bad too though.

21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Him, I'm never wrong, silly.

22. Whose parents do you see the most? My mother, then his parents, then my father.

23. Who kissed who first? He kissed me, but only because I made fun of him for not making a move.

24. Who asked who out? Technically he said "I'm not doing anything tomorrow if you want to go see the Matrix" He's very romantic like that.

25. Who proposed? Neither of us, thankfully.

26. Who is more sensitive? Me usually. I'm not that sensitive though.

27. Who has more friends? I do, he is not sociable.

28. Who has more siblings? We both have 1 brother

29. Who wears the pants in the family? Its pretty equal. I'm bossier, but he's more manipulative.

Ever The Same

Thirty Days Of Night is a movie about vampires invading the northernmost part of Alaska, where it is nighttime for a full month.

While I appreciate this movie's attempt at originality, mostly it was the same old horror movie. Same basic plot about being trapped/isolated, same basic characters that are all just slightly flawed, but not so much that you don't still like them, same stupid love story. Some of the gore was pretty cool, the action was intense, and there were a few tense moments. Mostly its just slightly boring and repetitive. It was shot and acted well. I love Ben Foster, he always plays the weirdest roles. So, if you like horror movies, its not a bad one, especially for a vampire movie. If you don't particularly like horror movies, its really not a good choice for you.

I Will Follow You Into The Dark

My boyfriend is a geek. But at times, this is advantageous to me. He and his brother hooked up a projector to an extension cord and they projected movies onto a sheet that was pinned to the garage door. It was a chilly night but we were under blankets. We had popcorn and hot chocolate.

The movies we watched were two that I wanted to see, but that I was afraid would be bad. I was pleasantly surprised by both.

28 Weeks Later is the follow up to 28 Days Later. I'm not generally a huge horror movie fan, but both of these were well thought, well acted, and well written. This was probably the best sequel to a horror movie I've ever seen. Yes, to some extent it was formulamatic, but mostly it was really good. It was more of an action-drama than a horror movie. I think calling it a horror movie is limiting, because it was so much more than that.

The Invisible was promoted as a teenage mystery/horror movie, and it too was so much more. It was definitely more of a thriller drama. It was about a boy who was "killed" one night by a female thug and her friends, but his spirit was still wandering around, invisible to those around him. He has to lead others to his comatose body so they can revive him, so that he will be able to walk the earth again.

Pools of Sorrow, Waves of Joy

It's my water pump that's broken, not my power steering. My car is a peice of crap, and not worth putting real money in, so I think I may cut my loses and get a new car. Well, not a new car. A different car.

Anyways....

I saw Across the Universe last weekend. It's the story of two lovers from different backgrounds trying to make it work in the turbulent Vietnam era 60s. It's set to the tunes of the Beatles, much of the movie is in song.

I thought it was brilliant. Well acted, well sung, well directed. It was visually beautiful and engaging. I don't have much else to say, except that you should go see it, so here are a few random thoughts:

Evan Rachel Wood was less annoying than usual.

Jim Sturgess, I am in love with you. Call me?

When Universal makes that movie about Kurt Cobain, they need to cast Joe Anderson as Kurt.

Dana Fuchs should be a big star. She had one of the most amazing voices I've heard in a really long time.

When It Rains It's Sure to Pour

So, on my way home from work to night, my car started making popping noises, but I was already halfway home so I continued on. Then about two minutes from my house, on a very main street, my check battery and check brake lights came on. The car soldiered on, but when I went to turn onto my street I could barely turn the wheel, and it got worse as my street went on. The check brakes light went off halfway down my street.

My mom and brother took a look and they think my power steering is shot, but that doesn't explain why the check battery light came on. So, good times. Its been an awesome couple of days.

I Turn My Camera On

We're home... We had to rent a car because the dealership doesn't know how long it will take. The car could possibly be totaled, the radiator is shot, the a/c something cracked and snapped off (I don't know the terms he used) and the fan is pushed into the engine. It's a 2003, so its probably not worth too much. We will see.


Our trip to Colorado was really fun, except for the car trouble at the end.

Day One (Wednesday) was a travel day. We made it from St. Louis to Colorado Springs in about 11 1/2 hours, which is really good time. The picture is of the first time we could see mountains. And of a construction barrel.


Day Two (Thursday) we went to Royal Gorge. Its basically a bridge that stretches over a gorge. There's an aerial tram that also runs across the gorge, and an incline railroad that takes you to the bottom.




Day Three (Friday) we went to Pike's Peak. We decided against taking the railroad to to the top, because I'm not a big fan of sharing small smelly places with a bunch of tourists, so we drove to the top. When I say we, I mean my boyfriend. If you looking closely you can see the shiny silver flats I chose to wear on a mountain. I plan well. It was absolutely beautiful, but on the way down we got stuck behind a Toyota that was riding its brakes the whole way. We both had to stop at a rest station halfway down because of "hot breaks." For dinner that night, we went to the kind of trendy downtown area and had dinner at Phantom Canyon Brewery.



Day Four (Saturday) we drove up to Denver. We went to the Denver Art Museum, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and the Denver Aquarium. I really liked the art museum. We had lunch at Casa Bonita, a la Eric Cartman. We had dinner at the Cherry Creek Grill, which was nice, then went to see Who's Line with Brad Sherwood and Colin Mochrie. It was absolutely hilarious. If you have a chance to check them out, I highly recommend it. There was tons of audience participation, and it was funny from beginning to end.



Day Five (Sunday) we went to Cave of the Winds and took a tour there. It was a bit overly commercialized, but not as bad as some caves. Then Sunday night we saw Across the Universe, which was really great. I may write more about this later, but I thought it was really good.




Day Six (Monday) we went horseback riding through the Garden of the Gods. Unfortunately, I have no pictures of this as I was clinging to dear life to my saddle. I forgot how much horses terrify me. There's a reason I haven't been on one in ten years. My boyfriend, however, had a great time and made friends with our guide, a black, liberal, southern, poet cowboy. He was interesting. My ass is still crying. Then afterwards we went to the Air Force academy and looked around there.

Day Seven (Tuesday) I have no pictures of because there's nothing interesting in Kansas. I really started getting antsy when I saw a sign advertising Bob Dole and Arlen Specter's hometown.

Bonus: Day Eight (Wednesday) we spent the morning on the phone with the dealer, the car rental place, and the insurance company. We drove back home with the rental. They only had two cars available at Enterprise, and they were a Ford Focus or a Chevy Aveo. We got the Focus, which I believe to be the lesser of the two evils, but I could be wrong.

So all and all it was a great trip, I'm glad we chose Colorado. We didn't do any hiking like I thought we would, but that's probably okay.

Just Good Times

So, we had driven about nine hours already towards home. We had a nice dinner in Kansas City, we were making great time. Then my boyfriend ran into something (we think a coyote) going 80. The front grill of his car is smashed and its leaking fluid like a bitch. It wouldn't start, so we had to get it towed to the dealership in Blue Springs, Missouri.

We are now at a ghetto hotel close to the dealership. All the normal hotels were booked up. I didn't know there was such a run on hotels in Blue Springs, but apparently there is.

So for now, we are stuck. Tomorrow we'll either rent a car (which neither of us is technically old enough to do) or his dad will have to drive the five hours to come and get us. We don't know what's wrong with the car, how long it will take, etc. Good times.

Piece of My Heart


I tend to be very fickle in life, in school, movies, etc. I always want something different than what I have, and I skip aimlessly from one thing to another.

Music has been in some ways the aspect of my life that changes the most, and also my greatest constant. I listen to it when I'm happy, I listen to it when I'm sad, and everything in between. I’ve been wracking my brain to come up with my favorite songs, and I think I’ve actually done it. It won’t stop me from wanting to change it in a few minutes, but as of right now, these are my favorites.

The standard that I used was whether or not I’ve grown tired of it. Yes, I liked a certain boy band in the late 90s, but I was 13. They’re not something that’s stuck with me, and they’re not still relevant today. These are twenty songs that I’ve kept with me through the years. Some are older than others, but I love them all. They’re not in any order. Keep in mind I was born in the mid 80s, so there’s not really anything from the 80s on here. I like a lot of it now, but I didn’t necessarily at the time. And also, keep in mind, this means I was a child/teenager through the 90s and early 00s, so that’s certainly affected this list. I only used one song per artist, although some certainly could have been on here more than once.

  1. Don’t Look Back in Anger- Oasis
  2. Karma Police- Radiohead
  3. Silence is Easy- Starsailor
  4. She Says- Howie Day
  5. You and I Both- Jason Mraz
  6. Cannonball- Damien Rice
  7. Chocolate- Snow Patrol
  8. What’s the Frequency Kenneth- REM
  9. Glycerine- Bush
  10. Crush- Dave Matthews Band
  11. Jeremy- Pearl Jam
  12. Bittersweet Symphony- The Verve
  13. Buddy Holly- Weezer
  14. Santeria- Sublime
  15. Breathing- Lifehouse
  16. Everlong- Foo Fighters
  17. Macy’s Day Parade- Greenday
  18. Coke- Flickerstick
  19. Interstate Love Song- Stone Temple Pilots
  20. Transatlantiscm- Death Cab for Cutie

Well? What are your favorites?

Wouldn't You Like to Know Me

The lovely Sarcastica tagged me …

The Rules of this tag:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. List ten (10) random facts about yourself.
3. Tag eleven people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. These eleven persons would have to tag 12 people.
5. You could also tag back, if desperate!
4. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving them a comment on their blogs.

My Ten Random Facts:

1. I am a music freak. I’m both a snob and I like everything at the same time. As long as its middle of the road, not too hard or not too soft, I love it. I don’t want someone screaming at me, but I don’t want it to put me to sleep.

2. I am also a movie freak. Again, I like the middle of the road. I don’t want them to be too boring or drama-y., but I also don’t want them to be too goofy and stupid. As long as it’s mildly interesting, mildly funny, or mildly good, I’ll probably like it.

3. I am both anal-retentive organized and a complete slob. At work, I am an organizational machine. My DVD collection is alphabetized, my CDs are organized by artist (though not alphabetical), I know where everything is at all times. However, I hate to clean. There are clothes all over the ground in my bedroom, dirty dishes pile up, and I can’t remember the last time I vacuumed.

4. I’m fairly antisocial. Occasionally I like to go out and party, but most of the time I sit at home with my boyfriend and we watch movies or TV, or we go to the theater to see a movie. We rarely socialize with other people, except for when we hang out with my boyfriend’s brother and his fiancĂ©.

5. My boyfriend and I go out to eat a LOT. He doesn’t like to clean or cook and I get mad when I have to cook and clean all the time, so we go out.

6. I’m actually a fairly good cook, and a good baker. I make an apple pie that is insane, around Christmas I made TONS of cookies.

7. I try to eat moderately healthfully. I don’t eat red meat, except for the very occasional steak at Houston’s (because my boyfriend is obsessed), I try not to eat fried food or fast food, I check the labels on everything I eat because I have an irrational fear of trans fat and high fructose corn syrup. Now, notice I said try not to. I had a delicious turkey burger and fries at Fatburger for dinner. Oh Fatburger. It makes me feel good about myself to eat at a place called Fatburger.

8. I also have irrational fears of clowns. You just don’t know what’s going on in there. The makeup is unnatural; you can’t tell what they’re really feeling. You don’t know what they’re hiding in all those pockets. They are unnaturally happy, no one is that cheerful.

9. I am an art student, but I don’t think I’m particularly good at art. Before college, I hadn’t taken an art class since middle school. Thankfully for Interior Design, you don’t have to do a ton of “art,” just basic drawing and design classes. The interior design stuff I can handle, but give me charcoal and I suck. I mean you can tell what I’m trying to draw, but it’s not great.

10. When I watch live TV, which is rare, I still try to fast forward. Constantly. At every commercial break. I spent the first twenty years of my life without DVR, but these last two years have changed everything. I would be lost without my DVR. Yes, I realize what a loser I am.



So that's me... I'm not going to tag anyone, because most of you have been tagged already. If you want to do it, great. If not, that's cool too. Also, I don't think I know 11 people.




The Exodus Is Here

In a few short hours I will be on my way. A nice 13 hour drive. Good times. I have my Ipod ready, full of road trip playlists, I have a bag packed with licorice and Chex Mix (the bold party blend). So my blogging will be (even more) sporadic for the next week or so. Hopefully I am enjoying myself in the mountains and in the shopping centers of Denver (because this Macy's could have different shoes) but I am not much of a hiker in normal circumstances, so we'll see how the thin air treats me. I haven't been to Colorado since I was 12, when I was in shape.

Funny story, the trip ten years ago was with my church's youth group. I had my first "boyfriend" on this trip, and also my first kiss with tongue. I spent the eight hour drive through Kansas making out with Jeff on our tour bus with the youth minister two rows ahead. I broke up with him once we reached our hotel. What? Did you not have your first eight hour make out session while you were on a mission trip with your youth group?

Anyway, have a great week without me. I don't know how much time I'll have to blog, or even read and post comments, so we'll see. Now, I really need to get sleep.

I Can't Concentrate on Anything

So, I'm already running out of things to talk about. I think I'm not as interesting as I thought I was.

I've just been super busy with school and work recently, trying to get enough ahead that I won't fall totally behind when we go to Colorado on Wednesday. Oh well, either way I'm having a good time when we go, regardless of work and school. I finished packing earlier today, although I'm sure I'll go back through everything, and still forget half of what I need. I don't know that I've ever gone out of town prepared. I always forget silly things like my cell phone charger or clean underwear. Who needs panties, anyway?

In other news, I'm best enjoyed with Wild Meat.

You Are Chardonnay

Fresh, spirited, and classic - you have many facets to your personality.
You can be sweet and light. Or deep and complex.
You have a little bit of something to offer everyone... no wonder you're so popular.
Approachable and never smug, you are easy to get to know (and love!).

Deep down you are: Dependable and modest

Your partying style: Understated and polite

Your company is enjoyed best with: Cold or wild meat

I'll Take You To The Candy Shop

My manager bought a huge bag of assorted chocolate halloween candy for the office. Knowing my hatred of chocolate, she bought me a bag of caramel apple candy corn (it tasted better than it sounds). I didn't have the heart to tell her that I had sworn off of candy corn, thanks to Lewis Black. So I was choking down recycled candy all day. I'm pretty hopped up right now.




***Sidenote: The first time I heard my nephew, T, swear (he was maybe three at the time) was because my genius boyfriend was talking about this skit, and said "Son of a bitch!" and T repeated it, inflection and all. It was the funniest goddamn thing I had ever heard. His father, however, did not think it was quite as funny.

What Goes Around Goes Around

Thank God...

Lauren Graham is in talks with NBC for a new show based around her

I'm a Weirdo

For you geeks out there (like me!)....

Did you see that Nintendo is giving out up to 4 free Wii Remote jackets? I guess now they're giving the jackets with the Wii when you purchase it. Or with the Wii remotes when you purchase them. Something like that. If you purchased it before the switchover, they're giving it away. You just have to type in the Serial Number from the back of your console and request up to 4. We have four Wii Remotes, so I'm going for it.

Now if I'm playing Tiger Woods I don't have to worry about throwing the Wii Remote while the strap simultaneously breaks, because now I will have a better grip.

Just go here to get it.

Dream Until Your Dream Comes True

Absinthe is now legal in the United States. Apparently it has been for awhile, but I'm slow, okay? It’s being bottled under the name Lucid I think states are regulating whether or not its legal, and right now I believe you can purchase it in New York and Illinois. That could be why I haven't heard about this.

I’ve always been curious, especially since Eurotrip, but I’ve never had the opportunity. From what I understand, it tastes like ass, but I think it’d be worth it. I’ve always shied away from things I need paraphernalia for. Vodka you can drink straight out of the bottle.

You can read more here

This One's Optimistic


In a weird, daring experiment Radiohead (one of my favorite bands EVER) is offering their eighth and newest CD, out Oct. 10th, digitally only. The odd part is, they're letting the consumer pick the price. You can pay anywhere from $1 on up for the CD. They're releasing it independently of a label, distributor, or wholesaler.

What do you think? Are they going to lose a ton of money from people paying only a dollar? Itunes normally sells albums for $10 and most stores for even more.

Or will they make more money, from cutting out the middleman. Will people who normally download pirated copies pay a discounted rate for this CD?

Either way, I'm psyched about the album.