picture

Kristen and Elaine having fun (?, haha)

home for now

Still here in Chicago. Been hanging around the house mainly, and becoming fairly bored as is regularly obvious.

The Island: An interesting idea (the cloning), but the movie itself was just so-so. Watched the first quarter with two of them running, thinking there was something really wrong with the movie, but it really was just stupidity on my part.

Brothers Grimm: Not at all what I expected, but good. I liked it a lot, and although the bugs always freak me out, it was semi-interesting. Not really satisfying in the end, but that's allright. None of the movies I've been watching have really been fabulous.

Haha. Will post pictures soon. Whoopdeedo.

driven up the wall.

The Company: I don't know what I expected, but a true dissapointment unless you want to watch them dance around for most of the movie. Thought there'd be more revealing stuff about the dance company, but no. Pretty colorful though.

Serenity: OK. Better after the show for the movie itself was lacking. Good to end the show though, considering it didn't end with anything really. And satisfying for the cult I suppose.

The party season is almost over thank goodness, and I'm seemingly ready to go. And I've bought more books, always a highlight. Still still to bored to read them. And my huge magazine stack is almost finished, so I'll be off and reading them soon enough.

More movies...

Mad Hot Ballroom: very cute, very happy for the kids who were taught dance in grade 5. Makes me kind of sad that I dislike the dance teacher at Claremont so.

King Kong: Big and loud and long. And great. It really is such a touching story, although everyone knows what's to happen to our friend the gorilla in the end. Beautiful nonetheless.

Spirit in the Sky!

Twas the night before Christmas... and oh man, I don't do that.

Instead went to see King Kong. A terrific movie, a bit ashamed to go with my brother, but this is life.

In the words of Norman Greenbaum

Going up to the spirit in the sky;
That's where I'm gonna go when I die.
When I die and they lay me to rest,
I'm gonna go to the place that's the best.

(without the jesus bit, because I'm not one of those Jews for Jesus.)

dodo what?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4556928.stm

The dodo was found, or at least its bones were. I remember this bird being discovered in the dictionary perhaps and was the creativity for a game invented a long time ago. It was also the butt of our jokes. Poor bird becoming extinct and all.

Christmas, ah.

Saw this link:

(if you like audio books, and are dutifully celebrating the upcoming holiday)
http://thepenguinpodcast.blogs.com/podcast/



Reminiscent of the story of Jesus' birth we heard on NPR. ON NPR. How's that for non-religious america.

the sun.

So. The power extends beyond friends. To mother nature! And the sun. It melted a good bit of the ice, so now it's just dirty dirty Chicago as usual. And with the sun comes happiness? We hope so.

Saw Memoirs of a Geisha. I thought it excellent. Anna thought it colorful and pretty looking. She thought it was good too, but it really was just too wonderful for words. And since we didn't know what was coming, it really makes the movie better. Happy too, making it fabulous!

the power.

Turns out friendship is a mighty fine thing. And it's power is fabulous. Thanks to all of you who really care.

Watched Sense and Sensibility, which is a good movie I suppose given that I think I've seen it before, and never took the time to finish the book. But at least I tried to read the book, and that's a good thing of course.

If only I wasn't feeling so lazy, then I could start the stack of books I've got piled all up pretty like...

Symmetry in a mate?

A BBC news article:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4550000.stm

They said it was not clear whether it was the degree of symmetry itself, or an associated characteristic such as co-ordination, or the abilities needed to perform a complicated dance move - or better rhythm, was the key.

They add: "Does dance ability correlate with reproductive success? We plan to address this question with long-term data from the same study population."

Dr George Fieldman, a psychologist at Buckingham Chilterns University College who specialises in research into sexual attraction, said: "It's certainly true that people look for symmetry in a mate.

song

You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
Lennon/McCartney

Here I stand head in hand
Turn my face to the wall
If she's gone I can't go on
Feeling two foot small
Everywhere people stare
each and every day
I can see them laugh at me
And I hear them say

Hey you've got to hide your love away
Hey you've got to hide your love away

How can I even try?
I can never win
Hearing them, seeing them
In the state I'm in
How could she say to me
"Love will find a way?"
Gather round all you clowns
Let me hear you say

Hey you've got to hide your love away
Hey you've got to hide your love away

Sad

No - this isn't seasonal affective disorder. Just the regular kind. Plain ole sad, perhaps with a bit of torn up as well.

Given up?

Ah. Not so far as to say yes, however I seemed to have wholly slacked off all semester. Consider me not done, but perhaps done with the book blog. I'll just put them here to save myself the trouble :).

Semster was good, finished thank goodness, and that's perhaps the best part of all. Now home in Chicago once more with almost nothing to do.

Watched Great Expectations (BBC series) which was very interesting, and especially considering I hadn't read the book (shame on me? But Dickens is sometimes so dull.) the ending was fascinating. And good thing for the old man BBC commentator letting me know what was going on!

Read The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera while traveling home. Recommended by Kenji, but the book was most strange. And after talking to the people sitting next to me on the plane (two girls who had studied abroad in a theology school in jamaica), I almost felt bad. Such a interesting book comparing love and the love of love and so on. Maybe I did miss the point, I'll have to ask someone who's read it, unless someone wants to tell me. Oi.

And it's freezing.

Good Quote of the Day

Punctuality is the virtue of the bored.
     -Evelyn Waugh

Daily Activities and It Runs in the Family

I’ve spent the past few days sitting around the house mostly, with the exception of yesterday, and a few odd events along the way.  Yesterday Kristina came and we went to Penny’s Noodles to be met by Aya and her mother, and we all had lunch together.  Then Kristina and I came back to the house and watched TV and read the newspaper and hung out basically.  I went to the library a few days ago also, checked out some crocheting books, which I copied patterns out of, and a fiction novel which I finished off in 2 hours or so, but isn’t really worth mentioning.  

Rented It Runs in the Family yesterday and watched it during dinner with my brother.  It was a really interesting movie about a jewish family that was highly dysfunctional and had a whole lot of things going on at once.  I also liked the ending which was pretty much open, which sometimes I don’t appreciate, however it worked well I thought.  It wasn’t all that crappy, and although in the “comedy” section – wasn’t all that funny either.  But a good movie I’ll say.

I’m pretty much packed, up to 44 pounds for my suitcase, cutting it a bit close… and leaving tonight for California.  I’ve packed my bags, and I’m ready to go… [isn’t that some song??].  

Elementary School friends, then the Air and Water Show

Elementary school friends are definitely of a different caliber, or lie on a different place on the friend/relationship scale.  I spent the whole day [Saturday] with 3 others, and some of the day with one other who had to leave early, but we spent it in the usual fashion – meeting for lunch, seeing a movie, schmoozing outside for quite some time, relaxing back in someone’s house, eating more, talking more.. until we have to go.  It’s an interesting thing to feel so comfortable, but it makes sense considering I’ve known them since 1st grade, or in Elaine’s case – since 7th.  

We saw Must Love Dogs, a super cute romantic comedy movie that was touching and adorable and all things otherwise that’d come to your mind.  There were some really funny parts, made us debate internet dating as a valid form to find someone to spend one’s life with, and made us all warm and fuzzy inside.  Movies like this, although they may remain in some peoples “closets”  (aka – they have a secret love for the movie), are made to be enjoyed the way they are.  Not educational or really meaningful, but nice and sweet.  

It really was a fun day.  

Sunday I spent most of lounging around, but then we went to the air and water show on the roof of some building nearby the beach.  It really was a great view, and I have lots of photos of the landscape around, and only a few of the parachute jumpers.  OK, the planes are really tiny and just big in their loudness and I knew the pictures would be useless anyway.  

Photos will be put up here.  See for yourself.

Friday - day

A day spent out of the house is tiring.  Went shopping with David to many stores.  I bought some wonderful crocheting cotton only to find when I got home that there are two kinds of size 8 needles.  Now I need to go back to Jo-Ann’s, which is moving and thus has all of their things on super clearance, to buy the right kinds.  My crocheting is quite fun actually, made 1/5 of a scarf to see if I liked how it was going to look… and since I did I started with the 100 stitches to begin.  If only it would thicken out a bit faster.  I think it needs new yarn (to get at the store when I go again).  





Other than that, I went to Kristina’s house and met her and Aya and we talked and sat and watched TV and had fun.  Went to Blockbuster, but being the indecisive people that we are, reached no conclusion and went back with our hands empty.  Sat around some more, and then it was already late and time to go.  Aya and I played a dangerous game on the way home – car tag, or let’s see if we can see inside the other car as we drive at 55 miles per hour on the highway home.  And we did… and I think one of the pictures I took may have come out.  I was laughing almost the whole time.  Silly, yet oddly comforting.  It’s nice to think that almost nothing can be enjoyable like that, enjoyable even though we weren’t exactly together, just the idea of it.  Simple fun.  



Now -- if only I had thought to roll down the window the entire way. Darn.

A week of activities...

So there’s this new plug in for Microsoft Word that allows me to post my blogger entries right from it without having to type them in online.  Guess what?  That means no more spelling errors.  Cool.  Now I’m back in Chicago (as of Saturday/Sunday actually) and have been meeting people almost nonstop.  

Monday … Irene and Andreea, first for breakfast at a place in Lincoln Park called “Toast.”  Then we went to my house, played too many games of Rummikub and later went off our separate ways.  Or they did, considering I lived there after all.

Tuesday … Anna and I planned on going to a museum around 2ish, but then since I got a quick call saying it was time to see Megan and Elaine, I went off to Andersonville hoping for some nice cinnamon rolls at Ann Sathers.  Only, they aren’t open on Tuesday (those pigs!).  So we went to some other Swedish place across the street that was sufficient enough.  Then I drove to Anna’s house, seeing as how I was already nearby, planned to go off the museum only to get a call from some other high school friends who we met up with for lunch.  Irene (again), Cody, Julie, Garret, and us all had lunch, talked a bit, and left.  Then Anna and I went to the museum – Museum of Contemporary Art (downtown), walked around until their free hours opened, and saw some neat stuff.  The exhibit on display there was some man who worked with modern, industrial materials – aka fluorescent lighting.  It was neat, the structures he made, the colors chosen, and the way art should be.  The tour guide said something about how he didn’t want people to stop and stare at his art, that it really didn’t have that much meaning, and that’s how I think it should be too.  So the exhibit was great really.  And you can’t beat anything free downtown.  And a tasty dinner with noodles.  Yum.

Wednesday:  The beach with Irene and Andreea and Iris too.  Made a sand alligator, and the other pictures need some work before being put up.  Alligator will follow at the end of the post perhaps.  Was sunny and warm and nice, and we walked way too much around, but all in all it was fun.

Thursday:  (today) Finished The Mermaid Chair, read here to check out what I thought.  Anna and I met up, walked quickly through the rain to the CTA bus together, went inside the Adler Planetarium, which is so way cooler than I remember.  The exhibits were nice, as were two of the three movie-like things we passed through the exhibit.  Well done I’d say, and kept us interested for perhaps too long.  Lots of hands on types of things, good for the kiddies, some of which was too childish for the likes of us.  Then we went outside only to find it hot, sunny, and humid.  Took a walk until we found where the free trolley existed, took it to the Art Institute (we ate across the street).  Walked the wrong way, then the right way to Millennium Park, saw all the neat stuff there, listened to some orchestra and choir practicing, walked through the garden areas, walked over the metallic bridge that’s snaked shaped, and back to the train to go home.  What a day…

All this seeing of people makes me think back.  Someone on one of these days said they hated to think back, glad that it was all over, when the other person commented that it was nice to reminisce.  I don’t think I stand on either side, seeing as how I blocked out a good chunk of information, just because I thought it unnecessary, unlikable, or something else.  But the activities kept me busy, active (walking is still active, yes), and having fun.  And it’s nice to not have to think about a whole lot of crap including work that probably won’t make a difference in the long run anyway.  I just have to say that fun really is great.  And it’s been a long time since I’ve done so much blabbing on that maybe I’m turning into one of those people who loves the sound of their own voice.  Oh God, I hope not.  I hate those people, gah.  Let’s leave it here, because I’ve bored myself in writing this all out already, and it is now night time and thus sleep time already.  Signing off…  

Last Weekend-ish

Grandfathers 95th birthday led me to Florida for the weekend. Lots of family came, some who I barely remembered from times when I was at my grandparents house in the winter or something. On the plane flight I watched Madagascar which was OK for listening to while I read a magazine. There was a birthday celebration the following day where I saw all those people mentioned above. It's interesting to see some of these people, I think --> I'm learning more and more about my family from their discusssions. After the lunch party, I went back to my grandparents house with my aunt and eventually her cousin Martin and his wife Bonnie. My cousins too I'd suppose. They talked about their adventure club, about their parents, about cars they had back in the day. The stories were amazing, and some even fairly unbelievable.

My grandparents (remember old old now) recalled a story in which they took their adventure club on a cruise ship. Adventure Club = surprise event planned by one couple in a group of 12 or so, that had to be cheap, include fun and dinner. They packed up sandwiches, drinks etc. and actually went onto the cruise ship for something that they used to have [ but not anymore thanks to heightened security...] - a bon voyage party, where the people on the ship would meet each other beforehand. So they get on with their food, there is a band on the boat, and they leave right before the ship leaves. My grandparents must have been the funnest people on the planet. They used to have to dress up for this stuff - as shoeshiners, in fancy clothes -- only to be told they'd be plucking the chickens for their own dinner, but all in all they had a blast. They laughed so much, it just made me hungry for more.

The tradition in my family at this point is cards. Think real games and not poker. May I? a game invented by my aunt partly is a sort of mix between gin and well -- more rules. All in all we played I think 4 games of May I? as well as 4 of Spite and Malice [ a great 2 person game ].

Went home on Monday morning, to watch Monster-in-law on the plane (which was ironic considering I'd see it again on my way from LAX to Chicago). And that was OK too.

Made it home, finished Robots the movie, finished I Heart Huckabees (which was partly a let down, after all the hubbub). Anyway, it's good to see people having fun, and it's really good to get to hear all the stories before it's too late. I think I had startling thoughts when I went to bed about waking up and finding that my grandfather had just let go of life. But he's still a fighter and strong as you couldn't imagine.

And what should I do?

And what? oi. So instead of who knows what I watched The Pacifier. yeah yeah, stupid I know, but instead of doing whatever it was that I was supposed to be doing, I ate and ate (ok, so just dinner), and then watched right on along. And I have to prepare for some camping tomorrow, and then off to Florida for a 95th. Suppose I should get out and buy a card and whatnot that's needed. And return that book to the library. Well I suppose I'll be off and do all that stuff now. If only... eh. Life is tough enough. Back to things as normal.