Success with Cinema

I have been on a good streak of movie watching lately (ie two movies) and I'd like to share with you my thoughts.
The first movie I have to recommend is Little Miss Sunshine. I heard good things about this movie back during the Sundance Film Festival and made a mental note to go see it. Suprisingly, my mental note stuck and when I saw previews for the movie, I remembered that I had wanted to see it. It surpassed even my high expectations. Every single one of the characters is spectacular and I think at any given point in the movie I wanted to swoop in a hug at least three of them. Steve Carell's character was both different than any other role I have seen him play, but also just as infectious and odd. I've never really liked Toni Collette, but she really won me over. Alan Arkin is also in this movie. I now know who he is. For years I just assumed when I saw Alan Arkin they really meant to write Alan Alda. I can't remember anything else I have seen Alan Arkin in, but I know I have, and I can't remember liking him as much as I did in this movie. The kids, Duane and Olive (which I happen to think I fantastic names for children, especially Olive) are great and at one point, really nicely show the connection siblings have with one another. I don't want to give too much away, but there is a dance scene at one point and I was literally holding my arms tense to keep them from dancing along. Go see it.

The second movie was Transamerica. I have had this movie from netflix since April, but finally yesterday I had some time to watch it. I heard equally good things about this movie, and always assumed it would be good. But I knew it would be really really good when my father a.) liked it and b.) didn't even know the transexual character was played by a biological woman. I don't watch Desperate Housewives and I can't recall seeing Felicity Huffman in anything else, but I do know that I am now a big fan. I don't know how she got in the headspace of a male to female transexual, but she did and I couldn't have believed her more. Throughout the movie you go from thinking this is the weirdest person ever, to really adoring her. It is sad and funny and wonderful. What made it good was the story showed you a glimpse into the life of a transgendered person without saying, "Here is the life of a transgendered person." It is the cross country adventure and the trepidation of a new relationship(not sexual) that is the lens through which the lifestyle of this character is shown and I think it is marvelous.

So there are two suggestions. Other movies I hope to see in the coming year (some out, some not) are Running with Scissors (I read the book and enjoyed it),Half Nelson, BEERFEST!!!!! (I place it in capitals and exclamation points because that is just how excited I am to see this movie), The Illusionist. . . that's all I can think of, though I know for a fact there are more.

First is the worst...

I was listening to pandora.com which, if you are unfamiliar, allows you to put in bands or songs that you like, and they play it, along with similar sounds that you also might enjoy. It can be pretty hit or miss, especially until you put in a lot of songs you like. So I was listening to my Roisin Murphy Station and up pops a Madonna song. I really don't enjoy Madonna and haven't heard one of her songs in the last 7 years. But I understand some people really love her and claim she is quite the songstress. I have never really disagreed, mostly because I really enjoy the song erotica and would be forced to question my taste. Anyway, the song that came on was I Love New York from her Confessions album. Not only was it bad, it was really, really bad. I'm sharing the lyrics with you to illustrate just how bad it could be.

I don't like cities
But I like new york
Other places make me feel like a dork
Los Angeles is for people who sleep
Paris and London
Baby you can keep

[Chorus]
Other cities always make me mad
Other places always make me sad
No other city ever made me glad except New York
I love New York [X3]

If you don't like my attitude
Then you can F off
Just go to Texas
Isn't that where they golf

New York is not for little pussies who scream
If you can't stand the heat
Then get off my street [repeat]

[Chorus]

I love New York [repeat]
Get off my street [repeat]

I'm sorry, "I like New York, other places I feel like a dork"? I mean, I haven't heard lyrics like this since my trash talking days of four square during recess circa 1989. Seriously, once I accused little Becky L. of ripping one and she countered with, "whoever smelt it dealt it." Not wanting to be out done I starred her down, then rolled my eyes and said, "Becky, whoever made the rhyme did the crime." There was no coming back from that. Madonna must have been listening in on our Girl Scout dance competition when my BFF Katie and I danced our pants off to Wild, Wild West by Club Escape (of which I just looked up the lyrics to and they discuss safe sex. How progressive.). When we told those little bitches, who stole our song Cocomo from the Beach Boys, to F off, we smacked hands then flipped our permed hair around and muttered, " hey, why don't you dorks just go play some golf." While we didn't realize that it was in fact us who were the golf playing dorks in the group, our attitude got the point across and no one stole our song again. Who knew then in my life that dancing may not have been my future career as I dreamed, but rather I could have become a world-renowned pop singer/songwriter. Though I don't really like yoga or nasty red strings tied around my wrist, and I think that is part of the package. Oh well. Madonna, congratulations for succeeding, however the hell you did it. Just stay away from my secret lyric book, thief.

On another note, a Kelly Osbourne song just came on (which is funny because she covered that Madonna song, Papa don't Preach) called Entropy. 1. I might have to give up on this station. It doesn't seem to really understand what I am all about like my Fiona Apple station does. 2. I was thinking yesterday that if I were ever to get a personalized license plate it would say Entropy4. I choose it over enthalpy and Gibbs free energy for its rock n' roll implications and brevity.

Nothing a little aloe won't fix

As you could tell by the pictures in the previous post, I was in South Carolina recently. It is one of my favorite places on earth. We stay close to the beach and so it is easy to come and go from the beach whenever the mood strikes you. It isn't a crowded beach and the best part of the whole day happens at 6 pm when EVERYONE leaves and you have the entire beach to yourself. The water is incredibly warm, like 80 degrees warm and you can really just float all day long. I like spending time with my parents there too. My mom is a beach bum at heart and can stay out there all day, no break. My dad only comes out at the 6 pm hour, and just floats in the water. Also, they both insist on wearing aquasocks into the water. Always. Yes they still make aquasocks, as incredible as that might seem and if you have ever met my parents, especially my father, then you can imagine the sight of them in aquasocks. Yikes. Also, I love beach hair more than anything too. I love the salty in the hair and it is just wild and lighter and awesome. Then when you shower, it is like silk. Love it. We ate shrimp, no crab this year though. I just love it there.
I went to the Air and Water show yesterday, and despite having a considerable base tan from South Carolina, I burned myself badley. And I couldn't even burn myself evenly either. The right side of my body is much more red than the left and I think it looks just a little bit ridiculous. And it hurts. But the air show was nice and it was a perfect day for it. Whenever I go to the lake (which isn't as frequent as it should be, but getting better) I realize how much of an asset it is. I'd like to get a pontoon boat and just float on the lake all day eating hot dogs and drinking beer.
I finished reading The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank and I have to recommend it to all of you. I put off reading this book for a long time because while I loved the cover, I hated the title. Finally I gave in and really enjoyed the entire book. It makes you realize everyone has their quirks and maybe I'm not so strange after all. Maybe. You can read it in a day and be the better for it.
Mostly now I am filling out secondary applications and waiting for school to start in a week. All the schools ask why you are applying to their school in particular, and it is hard to come up with clever and sincere sounding reasons. I feel they wouldn't look highly on me if I said, " You had the lowest averages for GPA and MCAT scores and I feel if you lower your standards just a little more, you might squeeze me in. " Somehow, I don't think that is the kind of candidate that they are looking for. But you never know.

Time to aloe my burn.

South Carolina

It's too pretty for words.

Can you say clogged arteries

This is all I can think about.

Just shoot me

I'm going on vacation to our usual spot in South Carolina. It's been a good four years since I last bought a swimsuit and I was in a masochistic mood so I figured I should go look at some. I went to Target and since it is approaching the end of swimsuit season, everything was on sale. I was looking in the clearance aisle and I found a tankini suit that looked pretty cute. I went to try it on and it voila, it fit. The bottoms were perfect. The top was a little big. While it fit nicely in the bossom, the mid section was loose. I thought it was a little strange but also thought "how nice, this hides all the right places." As I was looking at myself in the mirror I thought, "Man, this suit would look awesome on a pregnant woman...oh fuck." Of course the only suit that I found and liked was a maternity suit. I hate how Target just lets you flow right into that section with no warning, at least not until you see the elastic waste jeans. I previously bought a maternity skirt masquerading as a regular skirt there. When I got home, took the tag off and realized it was a skirt for preggers my pride did not allow me to ever wear the skirt in public. Dancing around my room maybe, but not in public. I still seriously considered buying the swimsuit mostly because it fit and was on sale. But I realized I would never be able to live something like that down. But I do know this, when I get pregnant, especially in those early months before the belly bulges, I will look awesome in maternity wear. I also know the next time I go through the humiliation that is swimsuit shopping will be at least 5 years away.

Hexed

How do you know if someone castes a spell on you? I think I was just cursed by a witch. I was driving home and the light turned red while I was waiting to turn left. Admittedly, I was in the cross walk, but I couldn't reverse because there was a car behind me. This woman with crazy hair begins to meander across the street. She was a little on the plump side and had gym shorts on with a cut off t shirt showing her belly. I was looking and began to give the, "Im sorry I'm in the cross walk" look when she starts talking to me and pointing at me in a very menacing way. It's about 100 degrees here, so thankfully I had my windows up and air on. She starts walking towards me pointing and twisting her fingers. She didn't even blink. She just starred at me, talking and pointing and walking. She got to the window of my car and poked it a couple of times. I think I may have been hypnotized because I could not look away from her. She had rotten teeth and old dirty fingernails. While I am not an expert at reading lips, I'm pretty sure the words coming out of her mouth were not english. She was saying them with the kind of hatred and disgust reserved only for cursing the guy that knowingly gave you syphilis. I really think she may have caste a spell on me. Luckily, my trance was broken when a bus was turning into the lane she was standing in. She walked on and I certainly didn't watch her. I'm afraid my hair will start falling out, or I'll get some skin condition that causes me to ooze stinky puss and bleed from my eyes. If I was hexed, how do I reverse it? Do I find the witch who cursed me, bring a burnt lamb offering and ask for the antidote? Truth be told, if this woman was a witch, and I was cursed, I think all I would need to bring her would be a crack pipe and a rock and she would wave her hand and my skin would heal and my hair would grow back. She just seemed like that kind of witch. Either way, I'm saving the fingerprints she left on my car, just in case.