Fuck It

No update today. It just isn't worth it.

The Gaze, A Sighting, and My Paper

I. I apologize in advance, because this is kinda bad. Not bad in a kicking puppies kind of way, but bad in a lame sort of way.

We talk a lot about "the gaze" in film. The male gaze (which is supposedly what every movie supports in our patriarchal society that objectifies women and all that bad, bad, oppressive stuff) and the female gaze (which may or may not exist, depending on who you ask). And most of the time when I hear my teacher talk about the male gaze I subconsciously know that the word is gaze. G-a-z-e. You know what word it's supposed to be, so you hear that word.

It's like song lyrics...you can mis-hear something for six months, and then when someone tells you that it's "shoebox of lies" rather than "shoebox of life" and you don't hear the "life" anymore because you know it's suppose to be "lies". I don't know if that made sense. Anyway...I've always known they were talking about the gaze.

Until today when, for some reason, I totally heard Dr. Neupert talk about the male gays. And then I had to try not to laugh because, guys! The gays! We all experience the male gays. This movie is prime example of the male gays. Every film exhibits the male gays.

Ok, so that's probably only funny to me--I'll admit to being easily amused. But now I can't stop hearing the word as gays. If this keeps up, my film theory class is going to be awesome.

II. I totally saw Athens Andrew today. I don't think I've ever seen him on campus before, other than the concert. It was exciting. Are you always at that bus stop then? What bus were you waiting for?

III. I have two papers due at the end of the week. One on Friday and one on Thursday. I'm wondering if I should just bite the bullet and stay up all night tonight to start/finish the first one, or if I can be trusted to actually work on them. I don't know the real answer to this question. I'm pretty bad at finishing things before their absolute due date. But I'm very tired. Always very tired.

Late, as usual

So I missed posting yesterday, but most of you know why. Actually, we kind of had a blog-circle meeting, if you think about it. Anyway. Yeah...I was hanging out with the shady characters that I've linked to. We had pot roast and marshmallows and fire.

It was really cool to see everyone again. Strange, in that, "whoa, it's been such a long time." kind of way, but cool. And I found Emily's Mom's house without getting lost. You don't realize how long it's been until it's pitch black and you're not really sure why you feel like you should turn left.

As far as I know, the two Andrews spent the night with Emily and William, and the more I think about it, I kind of wish I had, too. Sleeping here alone was very strange, and I had to stop and get gas at 1:30 in the morning. It was cold. Plus, I don't see Athens Andrew as much as I could (considering he and I live in the same city) and I don't see Spartan Andrew ever at all since he's all rocking the North West vibe with Emily and William. But these damn papers need to get done, or I will die this week. I'll probably die anyway.

I bought a two gig jump drive for thirty dollars today. The one gigs were seventy dollars. Thanksgiving sales rock.

I just downloaded firefox for Edwin (the Macbook, for those of you who don't know), so that's exciting. I'm also so tired I'm dizzy. That's how it works around here.

It's Like Coming Home

I'm in Mississippi right now. The state motto is currently: It's like coming home. They're good, those Mississippi tourism people; it really is like coming home. It's fun for like...five hours and then you're ready to leave. No, really. Could someone come get me?

It's not that bad. Just dull. It's good to see my grandparents, though. We're coming back on Friday--Me, Matt, and Jenn--and their goal is to get back before 6:00 so they can get the dogs from the vet. So I should be in town for dinner, if there are plans. Additionally, my cell phone has no bars, so calling isn't the best way to reach me. I should get whatever voicemail you leave when we get back into service range. Oh, Em--thanks for calling. I didn't get your message until yesterday afternoon because I was lazy and didn't ever go get my phone out of my car. I hope I get to see you while you're in town.

Someone has flipped Daniel's annoying switch, and he's pestering me to use the computer. So that's all. Happy Thanksgiving!

Worth the Walk

If it looks like a door, feels like a door, and swings like a door...it's probably a door. If it looks like a looks like a pancake, smells like a pancake, and tastes like a pancake...it's probably a pancake. If it looks like an opera singer, acts like an opera singer, and sounds like an opera singer, it's probably...

Yeah, you guessed it. Athens Andrew.

I went to the concert tonight, and received a small tour of the School of Music from friendandneighbor Lauren. I got to use the computers in the lab, which was cool. And then we grabbed some seats...the upper balcony on the left.

The show was awesome. Like, seriously awesome. If you have any doubts about Andrew's potential to be an opera singer, you can forget them. I passed up a very important meeting and a Stillpoint dinner (and you know we litmag kids can really party) to make this concert, but it was totally worth it. I kid you not.

I'm a teensy bit biased because I'm a huge Sondheim fan and they had a Sondheim program, but it was great. What's particularly cool is that the specific person I came to see sang one of my favorite Sondheim songs. Of course, Sondheim songs are like BNL songs because I love them all, but there are a few that I just adore. I sang "I Remember" for my first Jazz Chorus audition. I love that song. Also like BNL songs, though, I'm really picky about they way they're preformed. Andrew more than did his justice.

Of course, the actual Opera part was awesome. I didn't get a video of that because my camera was acting funny, and it was too dark for me to switch to manual and change the exposure time. Speaking of which, Opera singers move around a lot--I think I maybe got two clear pictures the whole time. But anyway, this one guy sang a song in German (which is hard, because German isn't pretty) and jumped clear over a chair. It was pretty intense.

I think, pound for pound, the boys out-sang the girls. Not that the girls weren't good, but as a whole I think the boys were better.

And while normally I'd be all like..."Sucks you missed the concert, but it's your fault for not living in Athens." But this was good. This was my one of my favorite Sondheim songs. And it was awesome (and I'm not just saying that--this kid has great vocal control). So here you go:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9m-Qrl6y64

Notice how his sound is consistent. The mic on my camera sucks, and I had my hand over it for a while, and I was sitting at a kind of strange angle. A lot of the other performers went in an out of our hearing range. He's just that good. I'm totally impressed.

In other news, We're going to Mississippi for Thanksgiving, but I'm coming back Friday afternoon. Are there plans? Also, the were three first over the weekend: I drank my first Beer (I'd just never tried it), I baked my first pie (with help, of course) and I experienced my first fire (not in my room...just in the dorm itself). So there you have it.

Mutiny

Do you ever catch yourself thinking that it's too quiet and start thinking about the possible rebellions that could be forming against you?

No? Um...yeah, I don't either...not at all. No, seriously though, it's really quiet. Part of that could be the fact that my phone is lost. Not lost lost--I think it's in my car. But my car's in the deck and I really don't want to walk out and get it. And half the hall went to a concert tonight. But it's still quiet enough to be suspicious.

I think I might be getting Carpel Tunnel Syndrome. I also think I could be imagining that. I have pain in my elbow. Is that a symptom of anything cool?

Like our Athens Andrew, I'm dying. There is too much to do and not enough time. But we'll see how this posting thing holds up. New rule: Two posts in one day, or two posts on consecutive days count the same as every other day. Deal with it.

I'm going to go find Diane and see if she wants to watch Barton Fink. Hopefully I won't be ambushed by a band of angry residents on the way to her room.

Grumblings

This won't mean much to...anyone, I suppose. But I think at this point it might not matter. Anyway, I'm at one of those points where I'm frustrated with everything. And nothing's all that wrong. Seriously--it isn't.

Like, the FRC. We just found out that our renovation plans have been pushed back another year, which sounds like bad news and sort of is bad news, but it's really good news for me because I don't really want to move. I've lived in this building for three years. I've lived in this room for two. I like it here.

But I'm frustrated with the way things work and the people I'm working with. I'm frustrated that I have to remind people of simple rules that have been established since mid-August. I'm frustrated with the I'm-going-to-pretend-like-I-don't-hate-you-for-this-even-though-I-do emails I've been getting. I'm frustrated with the way the people in this dorm act like six-year-olds. I'm frustrated that Kim and Sheena and Rachana are frustrated. I mean, it's not like things will be that much better next year.

I just don't see that many problems with it this year. There are certainly things that could be improved, but I think a lot of that's the membership. And I don't know if I'll ever understand uptight people.

Also frustrating is when people ask questions that can be googled. For example, who Tony Hale is. I'm mostly teasing about that, but really...people have been asking me things that are easy to find online. It usually doesn't bother me, but for some reason it's been bugging the crap out of me.

Oh. And practical people--getting on my nerves. Doug wants to put a coffee house in the bottom of the dorm for next year. I feel like if Housing's willing to pay for it and Doug's willing to make it happen...why not? We're gaining space by doing it (we'd take over one of the storage rooms) and, come on...Coffee! But the people who speak up say that they think it'd take a lot of work. Am I the only one who's willing to fight for good coffee in the dorm?

I might as well say this, since it effects supposed readers of this thing anyway. We're going to Mississippi for Thanksgiving. But dad asked if I was going, which means that I have the option of...not going. On one hand, I have a buttload of work to do--I am not exaggerating--and having the house to myself would be ideal for productivity. And I'd love to see all the strays that are coming back to the Peach State. On the other hand, my grandparents aren't getting any younger, and I would like to see them. And I'm potentially missing Daniel's graduation in May, which would be two strikes against me. I don't know.

So...I'm frustrated with that, too. Why can't we go for Christmas? Eurgh. But anyway, everything's been bugging me lately. Even little things. I need another BNL concert to look forward to. Or a pet. Something.

Film Review: Stranger Than Fiction

(note: This includes minor spoilers for the film. If you want to be surprised, don't read it.)

It's been quite a while since I've seen a film in an actual theater. Months, actually. Not that I haven't been watching movies: I average about three a week, but they aren't current movies and the screening room for the Film Department is a tad pathetic.

But I had to go see Stranger Than Fiction this past weekend for one key reason: Tony Hale. I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm still hung up on Arrested Development. It was TV gold; there are scenes from that series that are still funny to me when I think about them. So if anyone from the cast is going to be in a movie, I'll probably find some way to see it.

Not that there aren't any other big names in the cast: Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Queen Latifah, Dustin Hoffman, and Emma Thompson all provide very valid reasons for showing up, and they're all fantastic in this movie. And, you know, if you're a Will Ferrell fan, you should definitely check it out, since he finally gets a chance to show a more serious acting style, but if you aren't--he gets hit by a bus. It's a win-win.

I'll admit, the ending is a little lacking compared to the rest of the film, and I wasn't too keen on the Will Ferrell/Maggie Gyllenhaal romance aspect (he's ten years older than she is, and neither of them are old enough for the age difference to be less disturbing), but overall the movie succeeds in presenting a wide variety of humor and a dramatic plot without being cliche. There could have been more action, I suppose, but it's more of a character-driven plot--if you're looking for explosions, you're not going to be pleased.

Go to see Will Ferrell get hit by a bus, stay for Tony Hale. Or vice versa--whichever is more appealing for you. But go see it anyway. It's totally worth it.

Ladies Night

I know none of you will be surprised to hear that the concert was awesome. But I have to say it anyway--it was amazing. There's something about being there, when they're on stage and just blowing you away and your face hurts from smiling and singing along and you can't stop moving to the beat; something about being directly part of that energy that's almost surreal. Like you're not really sure what you could have done to deserve having not only found something that makes you that happy, but being able to see it in person.

We had fourth row seats, but the killer part was they were more centered than I've ever really been. We were still slightly Steve-side, but we had a good view of everyone on stage. But, the thing is, they were right there. I'm sure I sound like a rabid fangirl, but I suppose there's no hiding the truth.

Mike Doughty opened. In my experience, it's hard to open for BNL because everyone's just waiting to see the Ladies. It's like the guy who stands in front of the coffee pot in the morning and tries to tell you something important, but all you're really thinking about is how much you'd like some coffee, so you end up smiling and nodding while thinking, "Great, now move." But Mike Doughty was actually quite charming, and won me over fairly quickly with a striking version of "The Gambler," followed by a sound-clip song that was a surprising amount of fun. So props to Mike.

But then the guys came on stage and everything was right with the world. The setlist is as follows, with the disclaimer that I'm not 100% on the order of some of the songs. This is definitely what they played, though.

Wind It Up
Old Apartment
Sound of Your Voice
Hello City
Great Provider
Just a Toy
Alcohol
Go Home
Second Best
Maybe You're Right
Down To Earth
Get In Line
Be My Yoko Ono
It's All Been Done
Bank Job
Angry People
Pinch Me
Take it Outside
One Week
Too Little Too Late
Brian Wilson
Easy
If I Had a Million Dollars
Call and Answer

Having never heard Great Provider or Just a Toy live, they were both exciting for me. Especially Just a Toy, because it's one of my favorite favorites, if that makes sense. Alcohol and Go Home (come to think of it, I don't think I've heard Go Home in concert before, either) were both really fun performances...but we're coming to the show stopper, man...get ready...Lars...take a deep breath.

Be My Yoko Ono...one mic, acoustic, with accordion and a Happy Days interlude. Yes--I'm serious. I know. We'll pause a moment to let you digest the mind-blowing awesome that was that performance.

The emotion in Ed's Bank Job adds a dimension to the song that probably can't be captured on tape. I don't know--as soon as I can download the concert I'll let you know if it translates, but I doubt it. It was pretty amazing.

Angry People was a highlight and not just because of the fun fight scene at the end of it. Steve has a way with that song--you can tell he likes it. Or if he doesn't, then he sells it well anyway. But the fight scene was neat, too. It reminded me of the Shopping dance.

Take it Outside was something I wasn't expecting to hear at all, but really awesome. Especially since for the first chorus Ed sung, "any other guy would want to settle outside," which I liked. Yes, I realize I just commented on one word being changed, but I feel like that's one of the fun things about live shows, and something that will please me even if it's small. And settle works in such a cool way.

If I ever manage to start my own country, Brian Wilson will be the national anthem. But only live. They do it so well--especially the first bit where they're all acoustic and harmonizing. It gives me chills.

Lastly (I promise I'll stop after this), I was very pleased that If I Had a Million Dollars was in our first encore and not our second for reasons I can't totally pinpoint. Call and Answer just fits so well as a closer. Not that Million Dollars doesn't--on the contrary, it works really well as a closer. But the fact that it wasn't a closer is cool.

So overall, a simply amazing venture. There weren't as many people there as I would have thought, but considering I sometimes feel like I'm the only person in Athens who likes BNL, I suppose I should be pleased that there were people there at all. I just hope they weren't discouraged--I love seeing them at the Gwinnett Center and I hope they come back next time. Ed actually mentioned in his adlib that he was a "Gwinnett kind of guy," which was both amusing and hopefully true. Having been to all three of their Gwinnett performances, as well as the 2004 performance at Lakewood, I'm a huge fan of the Gwinnett venue. Not only is it closer to home, it's more laid back. It fits them better, I think.

This also relates to their excellent showmanship. The Barenaked Ladies have always made it seem like they were excited to be in Georgia; it wasn’t just a stop they had to make on their tour. And whether or not they actually were excited to be in Georgia, it’s awesome that they take the time to play with the audience and make them feel important. You leave feeling like they really appreciated you coming to see them. You don’t get that with every band.

Worth mentioning though, is their effort to offset CO2 pollution and, by extension, global warming. The neat thing about it is that they've taken something that seems like an unfathomably huge problem and made it seem more manageable. I think a lot of environmental issues can seem like such a big deal that there's nothing you as an individual can do to make a difference, but the Barenaked Planet movement has taken the idea of Global Warming and put things in perspective as to how even little things like using recycled products and conserving energy can make a big difference. You can find out more by going to www.reverbrock.org/BarenakedPlanet. Anyway, they get major points for that.

I'd considered seeing if they would be meeting fans behind the venue afterward, but I wasn't sure what I'd say if I ever met them. I'd probably just start babbling. Or I'd stare at them while I shook their hands thinking, "Oh my god, I'm touching Jim Creeggan." I think I'm too enamored with them to have anything articulate to say, other than, "Wow, you're Steven Page," which I'm sure Mr. Page is aware of.

I'd really just like to thank them, though. I mean, first for just being as awesome as they are, but second for coming through Atlanta. I know their fanbase here isn't as big as it could be, so it's always exciting when the do come through town--and put on a hell of a show. So, wherever you are (Texas, tonight, I think): Thanks. You are rock and roll personified.

Pre-Concert Buzz

The second best part of a BNL concert is the excitement in the week beforehand. I've been totally stoked all week because...dude! BNL! Thursday! and now it's Thursday and I'm just bouncing. I can't wait.

I'm going home after I finish this message, since the concert is in Gwinnett. The plan is to hang out there and do laundry until Lauren gets to Alpharetta, then I'll go get pick her up and we'll head to dinner. And then it's concert time. :) After that, I'll return to Athens.

And it's that last part that has my mother all worried, but I've gone back that late before! It's my favorite time to drive! And I really don't want to stay. So I think I'll have to put my foot down. Which is always fun with my mom, let me tell you.

I'm afraid I can't wait any longer, guys. I'm going to go ahead and go home. Because the sooner I get home, the sooner the concert will be. If you don't hear from me for a few days it's because I've convinced the guys to take me on the road with them--I'll get a degree in Canadian Studies.

No Time

I feel like I've been running almost non-stop since Sunday night. We pulled off our presentation, though, and it went well except for the very last clip which we shouldn't have shown anyway (we were out of time). But of the three presentations I've done for this teacher, this, I think was the best. The handout kicked ass, but that's because I made it. ;)

But yeah. Things have been crazy. I still haven't totally finished the post from two days ago, and you'd think...hey, you're writing now, yeah? So go do it. But I'm halfway afraid that if I don't make a post right now there won't be one later, and Andrew and I are update buddies and I can't let him down. The long sentences are a result of sleep deprivation, I think.

I have my Creative Writing class in 45 minutes, which means there's like 20 minutes before I need to leave and head to class. I haven't read the stories for this week, and they're sitting next to me right now. But I'm not interested in them. Not really. And that class...I mean, there's a chance we won't even discuss the stories anyway. You never know with this guy. He seems like a cool person--he really does. And I'm all for hands-off teaching styles. But seriously. There's a point at which some sort of progress needs to be made.

Ok. I really should read. And finish my soda. Have you guys tried Vault? It's like sprite with caffeine. It's not the best, but it's better than it sounds. Absolutely horrible with mint gum, though. Trust me.

Coming Soon.

There will be a post here later.

Three Things

1. My friends and I went to a Bluegrass concert tonight. It was pretty awesome. How can you not like music with lyrics like this: "There's a rabbit in the log and I ain't got no dog / How will I get him I know (I know) / I'll get me a briar and I'll twist it in his hair / That's how I'll get him I know." Seriously. Plus, the tickets were free. You gotta love the FRC, man. The perks are great.

2. I though of an idea that's so creepy even I'm a bit bothered by it. Yeah, I know. So I'm thinking I might have to write something using it, but I'm not sure what form it should be in. Or if I can even handle it. It kind of makes me feel icky. (What's worse is that I bet it's been done before.)

3. I've lost my UGA ID and it's kinda bugging me. I've been good; everytime I've found a lost ID, I've tried to make sure it got back to it's owner. Mine has not surfaced yet. Those of you who aren't part of the UGA culture (heh, that's an oxymoron) might not understand how vital this is. I can't get the paper in the morning. I can't get into my dorm. I can't do laundry. This is distressing. Please use your psychic energy to will the ID card back into my pocket where it belongs.

(Oh, and I'm trying to update every other day for November. Anyone want to match that? We can be update buddies.)

Jett and Jordan

You might have noticed on Portland Andrew's blog that Theodore died. Theodore was my Betta fish...I got him at the beginning of freshman year. He was a good fish and a great friend--you can read more of an obituary-esque summary at my livejournal. I don't feel like reposting it here, and that post is unlocked anyway.

I was pretty sad about Theodore. Still am, actually, but the empty tank wasn't helping. It's ten gallons, so it's a fairly good size for a dorm room. Looking at that corner of the room and seeing the tank that didn't have Theodore in it was kind of depressing. And I felt like it was kind of a waste to dump all the water out when...you know...the tank was set up.

But I don't think I'm really ready for another fish, and the dorm situation is a little strange because whatever is in the tank needs to be able to come home for break. So what's the obvious answer?



The one that's in proper focus is Jett, and the blurry one towards the front (bottom left corner) is Jordan. They're my snails.

I don't know what kind of snails they are, really, but so far they seem to be having fun. Currently Jett's managed to climb to the top of the little driftwood piece, and Jordan's eating a plant.

Anyway, I'm fairly pleased. And they make Theo's absence a little less apparent, since there's something to watch in the tank now. So, you know, moving on is a good thing. You just have to start off slow.