Books Galore!

I miss reading, I really do. Earlier this year, I tried my best to fit in a few pages on the bus or before class started. I enjoyed it so much but looking back on it, I don't know why I stopped. So this is my declaration that I will start again. And in the spirit of determination, here's a NYT list of the books of 2011.

Foreign Policy's "The Best 23 Books of 2011" also had a decent selection if you're looking for some non-fiction material. Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal definitely caught my eye from this list. Check it out.

Also, I <3 hyperlinks. Can't you tell?

Modern Skirts (Review) : Musical hit; Performance failure

I love the Athens, GA music scene -- these are the bands that I prefer and have crafted my musical tastes. So I was excited when I was able to be back in town to catch one of my favorite Athenian bands -- Modern Skirts (being opened by a new band that I have been following: Easter Island). Here are my thoughts (new album and concert):

The Music: Yay!
"Happy 81" from MS's latest album Gramahawk is automatically one of the best tracks. It gets it right and hits you from the first play. It embodies peppy beat-catchy lyrics that make Modern Skirts -- the Modern Skirts. The album, as a whole, is better than the previous release (All of Us in Our Night -- only a few tracks worth mentioning -- "Chanel" and "Like Lunatics"). Gramahawk delivers more tracks that capture the uniqueness of MS. Overall: I'm satisfied with the album (was worried for a bit with the last...)

The Concert/Show: Nay.
Some shining light amidst an ultimate failure. It started great! The Skirts began by doing what they do best -- owning the stage with a variety of instrumental accompaniments. The crowd loved the drums being beat out on the floor; cello brought out for a few of the songs. I am drawn to the Skirts and their concerts b/c they are able to re-create time and again that feeling -- the one you get when your friends bring out their guitars and jam out. Pull a wool of intimacy around everyone. The music pervades into your body, and the drum beat resonates in everyone. It's familial, and you feel alright. 

Sounds like a good start, right?

And then the show fell to failure. Props/dancers/abstract and artistic endeavors ensued making the audience lose focus. The song -- to be enjoyed and completely absorbed by all senses -- was lost amidst bad choreography, a very roughly practiced play-acting (in a very self-conscious manner that made it even worse), and just..............................
[Notice my Loss of Words.]

I was annoyed. People in the audience were upset.

I have been to concerts where "art" is incorporated into the show. You'll have the weird dancer shaking his fro; cardboard placed on the floor to stomp on (no kidding); and the like. This doesn't work for the Modern Skirts.

The allure of seeing the Skirts live is the performance of a band that makes it seem as if there is no real distance between those on stage and the people in the crowd. There is an intimacy between the band and its audience.  This is the Skirts's appeal -- and which was absent. Instead, the feeling of alienation set in.

The familiarity of a usual Skirt concert was lost with all the extra bodies on stage who appeared to be in on some personal joke -- they were having a separate party with the audience left merely to watch. Now the band has drawn a curtain into who is In and who is left Out.

I would have left except that I have a strange loyalty complex and here was a band that I had seen/grown with and so I couldn't just walk away (not this time, at least).  No one encored. I think some of the pubescent attendees liked the champagne being thrown at them towards the end when everyone on stage started dancing -- once again -- having their own party on stage. That's fine. It's fun, sometimes, to have one big send off. My advice: Just save it for one song and leave the music be.

How sad is it that I ended up closing my eyes for many of the songs so that I could attempt to capture that feeling of previous Skirts concerts and try to enjoy the music (and to avoid the distraction/horrible imagery/wrecked performance onstage)?

Disappointment. Sigh.

Highlight of the show: Easter Island (opening band I will write about later). And the couple of songs by Modern Skirts (left to their original appeal and absent the onstage party).

I love your music. Please change (back) the show.

Review: Martha Marcy May Marlene

I love independent films and have found a DC theater that runs just that!  May be it's the story lines that get me; the alternative renditions of emotion; the artistry built into this particular mode of expression.  Or may be I have a different scale of rating; an altered barometer of taste due to my childhood spent watching the classic movies where the era of censorship required imagination of the audience and creativity of the writers and directors to produce the overall message.  Who knows.  The point being -- I enjoy independent films.Will this explanation quell any discomfort on part of the reader in trusting my judgment?  Probably not.  But at least you know where I'm coming from.

My take:
Martha Marcy May Marlene plays like a case study of a college aged girl (though never enrolled) re-entering the everyday routine of WASP society after leaving a cult.  You won't cry -- there is no emotional attachment to the characters.  Instead, you just sit back and watch.  You observe the characters functioning in their individual spheres of living that, from time to time, collide and -- like floating bubbles -- push back on one another, failing to understand the other's trajectory.

The movie has a "past - present" setting with current events running into past events marking Martha's initial entry and emotional shapings within the cult.  It is best to view the past as snapshots.  There is a piece of her first introduction, then initiation, and pinpointed events that stick out in her memory as she moves in the present.  The viewer is left to connect the dots and, overall, the effect is done very well.  You, the viewer, can sew together the pieces and imagination fills in the gaps.  Each snapshot bleeds into the other, creating the sense of what happened to Martha.

Failures: 
One: I still don't understand why she left the cult.  Yes -- we know how she left (initial scene).  Yes -- we see the event that shakes Martha out of the haze of cult-mentality.  But the gap between these two scenes is too wide.  There isn't enough of a stepping stone for the viewer to achieve full understanding, just a dim comprehension. 
Two: The ending.  I'm not going to elaborate (to avoid spoilers) but I'll just let you know that I thought the "artistry" move absolutely failed.  It's not just me saying this -- the whole theater held their breathe for the subsequent scene to begin and, when the credits flashed on screen, I could almost sense the general exhale of "WTF." A collective WTF = director's artistry fail.

Favorite:
There is one scene (towards the end) where the two sisters stand looking at one another.  Martha's on the way to the lake and her sister is raking the yard.  Hardly any dialogue.  One shot--yet you get the sense of two worlds.  They exist in the same movie frame and yet you get the sense of two separate existences.  Amazing.


Final Thought: The Olsen Sister
I walked out of the movie theater thinking -- Ashley or Mary Kate probably could have played the role just as well (although -- I've never seen them ever truly act).  Olsen pulled off the character beautifully because her face is a canvas.  She has this clean slated look with clear yet projecting eyes befitting the character.  Yet -- so do the Olsen twins.  Add the ability to speak without looking as if you're reading off of a teleprompter and you've basically nailed the role of Martha.  Thus hangs the unanswered question:  Could this have been the serious acting debut of Ashley (or Mary Kate) that was passed up?  Eh.  They still have their millions.  Just not artistic (cinema) respect.

For the love of your South

Check it.

I actually haven't read this. But it's about the South. And manners. You <3

Words of Encouragement

For my INTL midterm, our whole class decided to share a googledoc and post useful information that our professor might test us on. It's been extremely helpful these past couple of days. If there's ever a quick question or any confusion, someone will send a chat message and the rest of us will put include our input. And because the settings have us all listed as "anonymous users", we have no idea who each user is.

As it gets closer to the test, the conversation shifts from academic advice to "You'll do fine" and "don't worry man". My favorite I've seen so far: "Dude, you'll be fine. Just put the entire alphabet at the top of your paper and say 'This is intell. Read it, love it, live it.'"

Technological Memory Clip: Remembering Steve Jobs

I like how the technology world paid their respect to the death of one of its gurus -- the way that Google included a reminder on its search page, Wired.com, and others turned and gave a nod of thanks and remembrance.  Ironically, the fluidity of technology means that you won't be able to go back to the page of such websites to document how they reacted to Jobs's death.

So here's a snapshot provided by the Washington Post

This way, when I want to go back (like in a book -- you turn back to a certain page or a photo album for purposes of memory and memorabilia) I can click on this link and remember how it was that the tech industry paid tribute today. 

Tweeting Wars: It's not Just Halo anymore...

Just wanted to put this out there...because I have no words. Seriously, if taken out of context, you would think this was a couple of teenage boys playing HALO. 


Tweeting Wars: NATO and the Taliban

Also, the Taliban's 90's text speech is annoying.  I find myself having to translate in my head.  

Bald Man Psyches Out Woman

(In an elevator)

Bald Man:  Can you push the button for ten?
Woman: Ok (turns to search for the number).

Confusion sets in.  The building only has nine floors.  The man bursts out laughing.

Well played, bald man.  Well played. 

The Republican Party should want to date me

The Republican Party should want to date me.

I don't mean that I am the compatible voter with the perfectly - matched ideology.  The statement above implies that I am the independent voter who the parties should fight over.  I am not the base which is married to the Party and (perhaps grumbling) will nonetheless arrive at the polls. I am the undecided voter who seriously considered McCain in the last election.  I am from the generation that fails to see the ideological warfare.  We tote a liberal mentality with room for social conservatism so long as it doesn't suffocate the individual.   

I am the uncommitted voter who the Republican Party should want to date.  Where are my flowers and candy? Instead, all I get are statements that turn me off on an ever lengthy list.  

I understand that right now is the time for energizing the base.  At this point, the primary election is a secondary thought.  The candidates must first woo and gain the support (and financial supply) from home before setting out on the journey abroad. The question remains, though:  Will I forget everything that was said from before?

Let's look at this from the dating perspective:  Boy starts to acknowledge you.  He always knew you existed but now he wants to date you.  You are the focus of his day.  He smiles and provides the niceties of courtship.  The girl smiles back in his direction but sends out the social network feelers:  Do you know him?  What happened last time?  He said that?  He pulled that kind of a shitty move?  Really?  What a (fill in blank with generation - specific negative term)!  Agh.  Gossip seeps into her mind and, even if she consents to date him, these thoughts remain in her subconscience ready to blossom at any reminder.  

Lesson: The candidates should prepare today's base-ladled statements for the future audience of independent voters because, eventually, you will want to date me. 

Highlight: (Group) Patriotic Millionaires for Higher Taxes

Patriotism from the upper echelon: Patriotic Millionaires for Higher Taxes

It's starting to be election season.  My mind's going to churn out some thoughts soon.

You always hear the same conversation (from both sides) on taxes.  This clip, however, starts off differently from the usual liberal/democratic spin.  Yes, there is the class warfare and benefits to a particular faction more so than to another.  But here is the heartbeat to the President's response:  Successful people today can trace the makings of their success and socio-economic climb to some form of public investment.  At some point or another, you turned to the federal government.  Don't forget the nation that raised you.  Public schools marked the starting point for the immigrant grandparents of today's privately educated upper east side.  Pell grants and state scholarships jumpstarted the innovation of the technologically elite.  Taxes are the patriot's dues or, alternatively, his contribution to the nation that bore him.

This same class warfare is seen in other fronts -- for example, military service.  You won't send your sons to the battlefield, fine.  Mark your service and pay for the beleaguered war at home.  The "necessary evil" is undergoing a PR grind and being churned out as the new patriotism.

Say what?

Things I've been thinking about:

1. I am craving a chicken salad. I am determined to make one. And it will be absolutely delicious (but not as good as the one from Ann Arbor).

2. The tests I have this week are all related to public health, nutrition, health promotion. To wrap off this week nicely, I really want to go see Contagion.

3. Speaking of public health, I find myself getting a bit frustrated when people as me the simple question, "What are you plans after college? What do you want to do?" I try to answer this by explaining my interest in public health and schools that might be a possibility for me in a couple of years.

But I'm still faced with the question of "Yeah, but what would you be?" And I don't know how to answer that. I guess I'm slightly annoyed with how easy that question can be for others who know what they want to do. If you're pre-med, bam, you're a doctor. Prelaw? Lawyer. I don't have a simple answer to that question. There is no label. There's no simple response of "dentist", "ecologist", "nurse", or "engineer". Instead I talk about fields of study and possible job opportunities. And once in a while I'll receive a look from someone who believes that I'm trenching forward partially blind because I can't concisely explain my goals and interests.

But I have a pretty good idea of where I'd like to end up and what it'll take to get there. That's all that matters for now.

Piercing woes

You second guess your nosering during a cold. It's not pretty. The mucus disrupts its attraction.

A Job Well Done

Today, at work, they gave me a sticker for a job well done.

I'm 24 years old. And an attorney.

Little things like stickers make me happy.

MmMMmmMm

Coffee and its superpowers

Quotation for Inspiration

  F. Scott Fitzgerald (pre - Gatsby, 1922):  "I want to write something new -- something extraordinary and beautiful and simple + intricately patterned."

Further insight by Matthew Bruccoli in his preface to The Great Gatsby: 
"Masterpieces are not accidents.  Geniuses know what they are doing or trying to do.  They need luck, but knowing how to use the luck is an essential element of a writer's equipment."

Thought

Must remain motivated.
Mind in gear.
Grateful.
Determined.
Future.


And the quotation of (my) day: "But for now the focus remains on the nation’s most dominant conference [SEC]."

Background Music

Artists with an underlying connection and commonality that they show up in my Pandora (and which I don't reject automatically):
MGMT
Josh Ritter
The Afters
Guster (Song: Satellite)
The estern States Motel
Life House (hit or miss with this one)
Matt & Kim (especially the song Dayllight)
Manchester Orchestra (fav so far: Don't Let Them See You Cry)
Jimmy Eat World (their post-punk albums. Fav song these days: Hear You Me)

Quotation and Music

"I found a love letter on my calculator." (JH on opening a calculator from the 10th grade). And, for a minute, he stopped to think if he was cheating on his soon-to-be fiancee only to remember that no, he is not.

Sometimes, you get used to the niceties of the superficial -- the hand that skims carelessly through the first layer of ripples that skate the surface without truly reaching the tidal wave. Let's avoid that.

A few songs to start off Summer 2011 Playlist: 
- Skinny Love (Bon Ivor)
- Caravane (Raphael Haroche)
- Chanel (Modern Skirts)
- Soul Meets Body (Death Cab for Cutie)

ATL, MIA, LIM, AQP

Two weeks ago I survived a sixteen and a half hour long flight. Even though the flight from Miami to Lima was only five hours long, it was a struggle. Maybe it had to do that we sat in the plane for about an hour before it actually took off or that there were no movies or TV shows to keep me entertained.

We reached Lima around midnight, and had at least four hours to kill before we could even re-check our baggage. Here I realized how handy my high school Spanish vocabulary could be. Sure, I couldn't speak in completely proper sentences, so maybe I partially fail. But I could sure understand enough and speak enough to buy the things I needed. I think that's all right for the first day.

The nigh

t we spent at the airport in Lima has to be one of the most uncomfortable nights, evaaaaa. I hurt. I slept, slouched, curled up, and tried anything to fall asleep in a small, compact chair. Needless to say, I crashed on the next flight and woke up to this:

Imma just gonna say it: I felt like I was looking at a scene from Lord of the Rings. NO HATERADE ALLOWED. We walked off the plane to the airport, which is absolutely adorable. It's a bit old-fashioned, small, and totally efficient.

The whole city is surrounded by mountains, making the weather outside pleasantly chilly. The clinic we're staying at has five floors. Because of the mountainous terrain, the entrance and actual clinic is the 4th floor and most of the rooms are below on the first three levels. However, we still have an amazing view:

We had a late light breakfast, and mostly everyone is catching up on their sleep right now. I'm mentally preparing myself to take a freezing cold shower in an already cold house. LEGGO.

Also, we are going grocery shopping tonight. I am so so so excited. They even mentioned maybe going to a farmer's market. Eeeeeek. Words can't explain.

En Route Conversations

Airport conversations are always interesting.  This is your chance to break from the bubble of your life and, for one brief hour's flight (or 11 hours overseas) enter into another's world. Someone who is unfamiliar and coincides with you purely on basis of buying a ticket.  Nothing could be more serendipitous.  These conversations can affect you. One may experience a variety of emotions: The realization of a common humanity. Understanding of a lifestyle so different from one's own. Or pure exasperation of, 'Really? This is the American public?'

Some highlights:
Hour and half conversation (Detroit to Atlanta). A naval doctor-in-training named Rory with whom I  discussed on gender psychology, post-traumatic stress disorder, our 20-something point in life and a psycho-analysis of his friend.  We ended it with insight into one another as if we had been friends for years.

Reagan INTL (DC to Atlanta).  Overheard: 15 minute discussion between two 20-some girls about facebook tagging. They were trying to tag each other but couldn't figure it out.

11 hour flight (ATL to London). A retired woman who sucked on her dentures but sweetly inquired about religion and family history.

Detroit Airport. The airport features its own set of internal sparrows.  One propped itself nearby, chirped and then flew over my shoulder.

Detroit Airport.  Sitting next to a college girl, I look over and gasp in delight as I realize she is watching Episode One of The O.C.  We have a brief discussion where I tell her I love this episode and cry.


Reagan INTL. "I am not checking in at Atlanta (on facebook) because I don't want anyone to know that I wa in that Godforsaken town."  A girl as she waits at the terminal surrounded by people destined and many originating from Atlanta, GA.

Objection: Basis on Patheticness

As I conclude this night of studying, I was watching a soap opera where the guy (lawyer) is cross-examining the witness and then the cliff-hanger is: "Have you ever had sex with the Defendant?"

I just finished reviewing Evidence.  I started screaming objections at the screen based on the context of the trial (you had to have known the whole story to understand that my objections had a strong case of being upheld).  And then, I countered myself. And then, I offered further support for my original objection.

Conclusion: Lame.

Book v. Movie War: Something Borrowed

As a novel, I place Something Borrowed in the same categories as Confessions of a Shop-a-holic (without the comedy). Both are stories that lightly address hard subject matter--one, a story about the 'other girl' that wrecks the monogamous relationship and the second a story about a girl in debt. I know--no one sees Shop-a-holic like that but it IS a comedic take on a bumbling young woman's life and modern consumerism.  One solution to escalating Something Borrowed into a more serious novel would have been to round the male characters (particularly Dex).  Regardless, it's a fun read (I thought), and I liked the ending. Too often you have the 'I'm independent and happy.' No one says that happiness and spontaneity require independence. 

As for the movie--good start. Obviously, there were some twists from the novel; however, they were well executed and actually contributed more to the movie-goer audience.  Overall, I liked the beginning and thought it reflected the mood/content of the book (right through Dex's confession at the bar and after). Then it fell flat. Basically, the writers forgot to develop the new relationship and skipped to the 'I love you.' Similar to the book, they forgot about the guy.  Yes, they spent a few extra scenes on him--but, once again, you were left with a really good-looking guy playing the part of a really good-looking guy. The movie was well acted and the reviews give credit to the actors (except the really good-looking guy). I don't think that's his fault--he worked with what he had (which was a type-cast part). 

The movie did a good job in portraying the friendship between Rachel and Darcy.  However, it falls short of the great insight provided in the book of two friends who, as opposites, suffer from a 'grass-is-always-greener' mentality.  You get a sense of that as Ethan relays to Rachel that Darcy never got into Notre Dame--however, this speech only pounds in the message if you had the layers of the relationship already explained up to that point.  Overall: The book wins on this regard but the movie fails somewhat.  However, both succeed in at least portraying the internal conflict experienced by the female protagonist (the movie falls short, again due to the fact that it skipped the development of the Rachel-Dex relationship). 

Regardless, I'm adding this movie to the chick-flick pile.  It's the kind of movie that I will probably pull off of the shelf after a rough week when I don't want any hard thinking and just images flashing before my eyes ending in a rounded and simple conclusion.