...In which our heroine presents 2008: The Year in Music

Like Chemguy, I generally don't listen to enough new music. I tend to stick to old favorites and that's about it. But even still, I've made plenty of new discoveries this year in music, they just aren't necessarily from 2008.

RADIOHEAD
This is the year I finally started listening to Radiohead. The rumors were true--they are the best rock band of the past fifeteen years are so. I've found that there isn't really ever a bad time for Radiohead, whether it be studying, cooking dinner, or as background. Thom Yorke's voice reminds me of Neil Young, and Jonny Greenwood is a damn fine guitarist. What else can I say that hasn't already been said? And they killed at Lollapalooza.
SOUNDS LIKE: Themselves. Radiohead is the standard.

THE DECEMBERISTS
I came across "O! Valencia" because I liked the title of the song. A lot of songs by The Decemberists I began to listen to simply because they had cool titles--"The Mariner's Revenge Song," "My Mother was a Chinese Trapeze Artist." I like the huge sound of the band, kind of like a more folky, less choral Arcade Fire, in addition to the incredible wordplay used by frontman Colin Meloy-- "Meet you on the soft verandah/my sweet untouched Miranda." And he's pretty cute, which doesn't hurt.
SOUNDS LIKE: Robyn Hitchcock + Arcade Fire - God

NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL
I'd always heard praise for the Athens' band's pretty much one and only album, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea but it was one of those albums I just kept putting off listening to. That was stupid, because it's a brilliant album. Beautiful songs backed by Jeff Mangum's not-so beautiful voice, but still it all works. And apparently the whole thing is a concept album about Anne Frank. Sure, that's cool.
SOUNDS LIKE: REM + Afghan Whigs - all the passive agressiveness of Greg Dulli

GIRL TALK
I've already praised the genius of Greg Gillis on here. Feed the Animals is my second most listened to album of the year, behind Radiohead's In Rainbows. Because there is such a musical variety within, I never get tired of it. It's hard for me to pick a favorite mash-up, but I'm particularly fond of Lil' Mama's "Lipgloss" with Metallica's "One."
SOUNDS LIKE: A music history lesson of the new millenium.

FLEET FOXES
A lot of online and print magazines have the Foxes self-titled debut high on their year end lists and they're right. Goregous Applachian harmonies from four scruffy lads. "White Winter Hymnal" is a perfect song for cold weather and the music is incredibly dreamy.
SOUNDS LIKE: The Beach Boys + My Morning Jacket

T. REX
I love Bowie, but had never listened to the often lauded band of Marc Bolan. Electric Warrior is an awesome relic of the glam rock era, full of lots of grandiose guitars and lyrics. Everyone knows "(Get it On) Bang a Gong" which is on this album, but "Mambo Sun" is definitely my favorite.
SOUNDS LIKE: The made-up, superstar band from Velvet Goldmine

ROCK N' ROLL: 1950-1975
I was kind of into the whole classic rock Zeppelin/Floyd/Beatles thing when we went to the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame on spring break. But visting there was the closest thing I've had to a religious experience in a while. I'm a sucker for nostalgia and memorbilia and the trip to the Hall of Fame made me realize there was a whole bunch of early rock that I was missing from my life. So I went down the list of Hall of Fame inductees and augmented iTunes. The Motown sound has been a big favorite, especially the girl groups, Sam Cooke, and Otis Redding. I've also quite enjoyed the 1960s hippie movement--CSNY, Cream, The Allman Brothers Band.
SOUNDS LIKE: Heathen music, made for damn dope-smoking, fornicating hellions

Enjoy Katydid's music picks of 2008

SeeqPod - Playable Search

...In which our heroine (ridicules) reviews "The Spirit"

I didn't want to go see The Spirit last night. Like really didn't want to. But Benjamin Button is three hours long and I got voted down by the rest of the group to see it at ten.

I like Frank Miller. Sin City, the comics and the film, are goregous explorations of noir characters and themes. His ark of Batman comics gave us The Dark Knight, at least partly. While I don't consider 300 to be a "good" film, it falls into the category of movies that I think of as "Fucking Awesome" with its counterparts Wanted and Shoot 'Em Up.

But please, do not ever let the man write and direct another film on his own. While it is clear that Miller has a distinct vision, he needs all the help he can get translating that vision into a clear narrative form. To call the visual look of The Spirit something like Sin City Part 2 is a great insult to Sin City. I could say so much about the film, but all the fanboys beat me to it. A couple of shots are cool looking, but the plot and dialogue such as "I'm going to kill you all kinds of dead" are just horrifically bad. We even get Samuel L. Jackson dressed in full SS attire at one point...as he is a Nazi. Yes, it was serious.

I could say the one redeeming factor of the film was the femme fatales within, but they weren't even good eye candy. Eva Mendes looks pretty good (trust me, the semi-nude shot of her is the high point of the film) but they even make my #1 girl crush Scarlett Johansson look awful. One of the things I like so much about Sin City is that while most of the female characters are hookers, they own their sexuality and are never victims--they generally just kick a lot of ass.

Gabriel Macht plays the Spirit himself and my god, someone needs to stop watching Clint Eastwood movies. MOVE YOUR FACE, STOP GROWLING AND EMOTE GODAMNIT! Jackson needs to stop being in such campy movies, he's becoming a self-parody.

Don't go see The Spirit unless you are A. alright with wasting eight dollars in order to see how bad the medium of filmmaking can go; B. trying to escape death; or C. highly intoxicated.

However, the company was good. It was once again the dude fest of high school, with me as the only girl, and I couldn't have been happier sitting in Waffle House at one in the morning.

...In which our heroine is once again, a geek.

From Filmdrunk, this is one of the weirdest shorts I've ever seen. The animation and Dick and Jane style is pretty cool, but the rest of the video is kind of out there. It's called "Rabbit" and is directed by some guy named Run Wrake. Nothing says Christmas like trippy cartoons.


In the week's other cool video find, there's this synthesis of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Pink Floyd's "Echoes." I saw 2001 for the first time a couple of months ago, and although I really like Kubrick, I still don't know if I think the movie is totally brilliant or totally bullshit. The visuals are of course stunning, and while the traditional score of the movie fits, this is a pretty interesting fusion. Ben told me that Kubrick wanted Pink Floyd to do the score for 2001 and while they declined, after seeing the film they decided to compose a piece of music specifically for it. " The length of "Echoes" is 23:31--the length of the final segment of 2001 is 23:32. Yeah, I'm a geek and watched the whole thing, and just like "Dark Side of the Rainbow," it works out pretty well.

...In which our heroine doubts her fellow man.

Somedays, I love my job. Nothing says Christmas like when two dads bring in their two small children to eat, behave kindly...then dine and ditch. With their kids. They even made the boy ask for change for a five so that they could all leave unnoticed. Because you can eat $32 worth of food, and not pay or tip your broke college kid server.

IT'S TWO DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS. How can people be so cold, especially when they're in front of their children? I was not pleased. Dine and ditch is made for dumbass high schoolers, not forty year old fathers.

And it really bothered me because I understand broke. I really do. This is going to be the smallest Christmas we've ever had and I'll be happy for $50 in grocery money. My parents told me not to buy them gifts because they can't reciprocate. And we aren't even close to worst of it. I feel a great deal of sympathy for those on the lower side because I know we're always just one bad break away from it, one hospital stay or broken down car. My family has never and will never be affluent, but I could call my grandmother right now and ask for fifty dollars and she'd get it to me however she could. We always tip generously, donate to charity what we don't have. And for the most part, I notice that those who have the least give the most at work too.

But please, don't steal from others who need money too. Do you really think that Bob Evans employees are millionaires, that anyone working at that shitty restaurant doesn't need the money? If you don't have the money, then simply don't pretend like you do. Of course my brain immediatley went to "But what if they don't have any money for food?" That would have been fine, but then I remembered the fathers got the two most expensive meals on the menu.

I live my life my one simple philosophy: Go good, put it out in the world, and that good karma will come back to you, someday, someway. That's all I expect from others. Drop your spare change in the Salvation Army bucket. Hold a door open for an extra second for someone. Take five minutes to talk to the homeless man who sparks up a conversation with you and your boyfriend. Make someone's day, and yours will be made in return.

Enough with the cheese, I think the Animaniacs can explain the true value of what's important this holiday season best:

...In which our heroine talks that upcoming day.

The gods of muzak at Bob's have decided that this year we need to run Christmas music in a continuous stream. If I hear "White fucking Christmas" one more fucking time I'm going to go apeshit with some sausage gravy.

But nonetheless, I guess I am kind of in the Christmas mood. My favorite Christmas movie, Love Actually is on currently and despite the fact that it makes me miss Ben, I love it. I know most of the dialogue verbatim and have turned it into the de facto family Christmas movie, aside from Christmas Vacation.

I maintain that there is a specific correlation between your age and the wonderment of Christmas. I wish someone would just buy me a Barbie or some Lisa Frank shit. But I did ask Santa for The Dark Knight, and the real treat comes when I go back to Chicago and Ben and I go on our super fancy date.

I don't have to work on Christmas Eve which is a major bonus. I always feel bad for the people who come into Bob's on holidays and you can just tell that going to get some greasy homestyle food is the highlight of their day, that they have no one else. I try to be as kind as possible to these people but they still make me sad.

Enjoy a couple of my favorite Christmas moments from various media:

Rudolph goes to the Island of Misfit Toys, also known as Columbia College-


Clark Griswold loses it-


The Rugrats teach us the true meaning of giving-


Opus of Bloom County gets his biggest Christmas wish-


When I was younger, my dad decided this episode of Tales from the Crypt was a good choice to watch on Christmas Eve. That evening ended with me crying so hysterically I puked. I couldn't find the episode, but apparently the same segment is in the 1972 film-


The end of Love Actually, although the full thing isn't on Youtube-

...In which our heroine is getting back into the swing of things.

Home. Yeah, I'm kind of bored out of my mind. It isn't a bad bored, but just an adjustment from what I'm used to. I worked last night and that was actually pretty fun, especially since now I have a purpose to work for.

We got a Christmas tree today and I think I'm going to make some cookies tonight. I can't believe Christmas Eve is a week from today, how the time flies. I wish we still had little kids around the family because Christmas just isn't as fun when toys are replaced with practical shit like grocery money. I want a Barbie damnit!

The Wolverine trailer is kind of cool...but it is me who says so.

Everyone needs a Danny Trejo t-shirt in their life.

Bloons Tower Defense 3 is the best yet. I've wasted far too many hours on it already.

Having Bravo again makes me quite happy. I'm currently enjoying my fifth straight episode of Top Chef. I paged through the cookbook a while back, and I realized that I couldn't cook one damn thing from the show--it's amazingly complicated.

I miss Ben something awful. Gallacher, I'll never know how you did four months--I can't stand it after four days. Four down, fourteen to go.

...In which our heroine reviews "Milk," talks more film stuff.

I saw Milk Thursday night, as it was student night at the AMC in Chicago. With such a strong cast, Gus Van Sant at the helm, and an exploration of issues I'm interested in, I had to go.

The film is very good, very well made, especially in terms of sound and editing. Sean Penn is fantastic as Milk, the first gay man ever elected to public office, and well supported by James Franco, Diego Luna, Emile Hirsch, and Alison Pill. Milk is an interesting character, and one I'd like to know more about. Still though, as well done as the film is, it just didn't strike the emotional chord that others this year have. The plot was structured in a very typical rise, success, and fall of one man way, something I won't blame on the screenwriter, whose first script is Milk. I just thought it was almost too typical in terms of plot. However, it still rates as a must-see for awards time, if for nothing else than the performances within.


Speaking of awards season, and since I'm a total and utter geek, here are what I've got so far as to the best films I've seen so far this year: The Dark Knight, The Wrestler, Milk, Slumdog Millionaire, Iron Man, Wall-E, Pineapple Express, Tropic Thunder, and Burn After Reading.

***

My first semester of film school is over, so I'm going to try and take an inventory of all the new films I've seen so far, since living in Chicago. It's nice to not really watch TV anymore, and just watch films instead. I'll vaguely put them in order of how much I liked them:

Citizen Kane

The Graduate

Ratcatcher

It Happened One Night

In the Mood for Love

28 Weeks Later

Punch-Drunk Love

Magnolia

Salaam Bombay

Scorpio Rising

The Wrestler

Slumdog Millionaire

Milk

Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Burn After Reading

Choke

Burden of Dreams

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

The Limey

The Bicycle Thieves

All That Heaven Allows

Glengarry Glen Ross

The Battle of Algiers

2001: A Space Odyssey

Stay

The Last Laugh

Nothing But a Man

Ashes and Diamonds

A Man Escaped

Four Little Girls

The Kid

Un Chien Andalou

The Birth of a Nation

Rashomon

Halloween (the remake)

The Crime of Monsieur Lange

Battleship Potemkin

Silent Hill

Salo: 120 Days of Sodom--this is the most extreme film I've ever watched. I thought things like Crash (the Cronenberg one, not the shitty Best Picture) and Audition were bad but good lord. I didn't watch an entire portion of the film, it was just too much. And it is from the 1970s, so the shock should have lessened. It didn't.

These are the films I can remember, plus countless other clips and short films. It was a good semester.

...In which our heroine is going home.

This is going to be my last night in Chicago for quite a while. I'm going home to work, friends, and family--all the familiar places. I should be excited by this fact.

I'm not.

I want to selfishly, childishly, stupidly stay here. I want to be able to curse the cold and look out my window to see the Sears Tower. I want to be able to eat a South Loop Club cheeseburger and go to Belmont. I want to be here.

It is amazing to me how quickly my notion of home has changed from Cincinnati to Chicago. How home now seems like foreign territory, like I'm a guest. When we were at Neil Young the other night (I didn't write about it because the evening was a near total disaster) and mom and I were fighting, my dad of course bestowed the Neil on me--"Once you're gone, you can't come back."

As it was with Thanksgiving, of course I'll be glad to see everyone, and this time I truly will get to see everyone. I feel ungrateful and selfish that I'd rather waste time with Ben than go home to people who really want to see me.

This is a stupid train of logic, and I know it. I have to go home and work to support myself here, but that doesn't make the leaving any easier. Being in a relationship has made me selfish in a way I never understood before, and I'm having a hard time dealing with the thought of prolonged separation from the person whose made me the happiest lately.

This post is precisely why people hate blogs. Just someone whining about their problems that aren't really problems at all and pretending like other people should care. At least I have someone to miss, and someone to come back to.

Anyways, enjoy my favorite Christmas song in the meantime while I pout like a five year old about something I shouldn't be pouting about:

...In which our heroine mourns.

Bettie Page, my very favorite pin-up girl of all time, died today at 85 from complications from a heart attack today. She's been much of a recluse in the past fifty or so years, but is an interesting character. She thought there was nothing wrong with her nude, or even bondage photos because she knew that they made people happy. Then she found god and gave it all up. The movie is nothing special but The Notorious Bettie Page does a decent job explaining her life story, and features a decent performance from Gretchen Mol.

I love the idea of pin-up girl beauty. The red lips, the kitch, the full hips and breasts--I love it.
To me, beauty is not a six foot tall woman weighing a hundred pounds, it is this:

I tried to find some other not totally obscene pictures of Page, but she was on the more taboo side of the pin-ups. Just Google search to find some of her best work.

...In which our heroine reviews "Slumdog Millionaire"

Despite the flesh-ripping wind, the group went out to see Danny Boyle's latest, Slumdog Millionaire on Friday night. I really like Danny Boyle films--from Shallow Grave to Trainspotting to 28 Days Later. Hell, I even like A Life Less Ordinary, despite the prescence of Cameron Diaz. I had purposefully not watched a trailer for the film since I'd already read so much about it, I didn't want to be spoiled further. The National Board of Review named Slumdog best film of the year earlier in the week, so I had to go. (Check out their other winners too.)

So, to the movie. As a film school brat, I watch films differently then most people and because of that, I was able to enjoy technique as much as plot when watching the film. A lot of things that I have learned about this semester were applied, in terms of sound and editing to match scene transitions especially. I won't give away much, but the film is about "slumdog" Jamal, a street kid from Mumbai who grows up living the shittiest life imaginable. Even the footage of India chosen for the film is rough--garbage everywhere, general filth, and poverty.

Anyways, the basic plot follows Jamal as he is on the Indian version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire," but interwoven with that are scenes of Jamal and his older brother Salim as children in Mumbai as they try to survive, how Jamal found the answers to the game show, and after the show as he is accused of cheating. I wasn't impressed by the plot from early reviews, but through editing and script, the story becomes really compelling. And of course there is a love story in there too, as Jamal pines for Latika, the girl he grew up with.

Jamal is played by Dev Patel, and the rest of the cast are total unknowns as well, which will keep a lot of people from seeing the film. Don't. Go see it as soon as you can. Your heart will be happy at the end, your spirits lifted. It made me cry, which isn't the easiest task for films. A lot of awards contenders are equivalent to a kick in the guts (Atonement anyone?) but this is finally an uplifting film with a really good chance at the Oscars. It is very Dickensian, both funny and sad, but totally worth seeing. Everyone loves a good heartwarmer, and this is it. And the music kicks ass--MIA with traditional Indian music, "Paper Planes" being featured prominently.

Danny Boyle, you haven't let me down yet.

***

Katydid's Official List of Films she needs to see before the Oscars: Milk, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Revolutionary Road, The Reader,Frost/Nixon, and The Edge of Heaven.

...In which our heroine propositions Santa.

If I or anyone I knew had an unlimited funds, these are the totally unecessary things I would ask for:

An iMac

Actually, this is something I'm going to have to buy myself in the next year for the purposes of film work. In terms of editing software, Final Cut Pro is becoming the industry standard, and I'm going to have to become a Mac girl.

Freaks and Geeks: Yearbook Edition

Easily my favorite television show ever, the new DVD set has a whole bunch of added stuff, including a yearbook with cast photos. Ben and I watched the first three episodes last night (Kathleen has the old box set) and no matter how many times I watch this show, I am still totally enamored with it.

Batman: The Complete Animated Series

In case you don't already know this, I am a thirteen year old boy at heart. This show provided me hours and hours of entertainment as a child, and made me forever in love with the dark knight. Plus, for a kids show, it is a really great exploration of the Batman mythology.

Any and everything from Sephora


Despite being a teenaged boy at heart, I die a little bit everytime I go in Sephora. I could spend copious amounts of money on the beauty products there, which I can report, are actually worth the money--I still have a little thing of eyeshadow I bought there two years ago. This kit is a mere $38.

An Anteater

I'm not joking when I say I want an anteater as a pet. I think they're adorable and insane looking. You can keep them as pets, but they're expensive and difficult to care for. Still, I would love to play with one for a while.

Led Zeppelin Reunited with Robert Plant

Really original, I know, but a girl can dream...

***

What I REALLY need for Christmas is luck in my search for Chicago apartments. After the new year, Emily, Lane, Ben and I are going to start looking for a place together. That should be a new and totally interesting adventure. Getting an apartment means being here this summer, which means cutting the cord from Cincinnati. But summer in the city...I can only imagine.

...In which our heroine talks ch-ch-changes.

I just got home from my last D&P class and it really seems now like the semester is over. I cannot believe that my first semester of college is nearly over.

I could never put into words the way I have changed thus far already in my college career. I feel little like the girl that graduated in May or stepped foot in Chicago in August. Everything just feels different. I feel independent, more resolved than ever to succeed. I've learned to live away from home, with friends only as my family now. I know what it is to have siblings now. I know how to grocery shop, how to maintain a budget, how hard it is to do homework and go to class when you really don't have to.

From an academic standpoint, I've grown so much when it comes to understanding the constructs of film and what goes into making the moving image look compelling. I have written four short films, and seen in excess of 50 new films. I know the different types of camera lenses and how to spot discontinuity editing. And I love it. As a moviegoer, I watch films from a totally different position now. Susanna put it well in D&P today "Once you go to film school, suddenly you can see the man behind the curtain, and some of the magic is gone." Yeah, it is, but now I'm just compelled to start writing films of my own.

From a personal place, as cheesy as this may sound, I know now that being with someone is what was missing from my life to make me truly happy. Although it has only been two weeks officially with Ben, I really am quite content. I'm admittedly behind the curve on the whole boyfriend thing, but now that I have it, life has been pretty sweet. Ben is so sweet, so funny, and gets all my nerdy passions. I still don't want to rush anything with him in terms of the relationship, but things have been really good so far. Any boy that you can watch From Dusk Till Dawn with and appreciate Salma Hayek's ridiculous hotness in addition to that sweet gun-baseball bat-cross thing Harvey Kietel wields is a keeper.

I, your humble heroine, am continually changing and things just keep getting better. As fall turns to winter and snow starts to fly, I feel more hopeful and happy than I've ever been. This is the life.

...In which our heroine forgot to put a title on this.

Home to Chicago again--this time greeted by the first real snow fall of the year. Snow in the city makes all the urban grit pretty, at least until it turns into black slush. I'm going to be in a Christmas kind of mood very soon.

I only have two weeks of school left and a lot to do this week, but it is very tolerable, certainly less so than high school. Actually, that's been the theme for most of first semester: lots of work, but still far less than high school.

Wednesday before I left, my Development and Pre-Production teacher Susanna had a conference with me to pretty much say that I should go into screenwriting instead of cinematography. Of course I'd like to write as a profession, but I'd also like to eat. Susanna told me I could make it, but it's a lot to think about.

Anyways, Girl Talk has been a recent favorite thanks to Ben. I thought I had obscure music taste, but the boy is ridiculous. Girl Talk is a DJ named Greg Gillis who doesn't just mash-up songs, but makes entire albums out of fused song samples--mostly contemporary rap over classic rock. At one point, I heard Beastie Boys, NIN, and Paula Cole. His latest, Feed the Animals, was very critically acclaimed, and I enjoy it quite a bit:

...In which our heroine isn't shocked.

I visited Bob Evans today and it was great to see everyone there. Thanksgiving was lovely, as always, but I'll be glad to head back to Chicago.

The real news of the day came from my fellow Bob's employee. I found out the reason that I haven't seen you-know-who in a while around campus is because he no longer attends my school. After about thirty seconds of letting that sink in, I realized that I knew this was coming. I hadn't seen him for like a month, and even then it was on accident. I knew that college would be a struggle, but he didn't even make it a semester. I do feel...bad isn't the right word...more like disappointed for his sake, but nonetheless, I'd be lying if I said my life wasn't a lot less stressful without him.

I am quite excited to see everyone tomorrow. I still cannot believe my freshman year of college is nearly half over. I can't wait to hear all the latest scandals, and more than anything to laugh. My circle of friends keeps growing and I certainly do not hate it.

I'll be back in Chicago Sunday afternoon, and I'm amazed how much I miss everyone already. Emily and I have decided six weeks without the boys is too long--they're coming here or we're going up there. Forget abscence making the heart grow fonder, that's too damn long of a time without Ben. Leaving school...coming home...relationship obligations--I guess that my ascent into grown up land continues.

...In which our heroine heads out.

Leaving for Thanksgiving is a very collegiate experience. The fact that I have to "go home" is totally weird and seems like too adult of an action.

The dorms are empty and depressing. Emily and I are in full emo mode because the boys are already gone.

Headed back to Ohio again, and the more I go back, the more it feels like that isn't home anymore. Chrissie had it right--I think my city is gone.

...In which our heroine is thankful.

Yeah, it's not Thanksgiving yet, but Emily's post got me thinking about how genuinely lucky I am, this year more than ever.

Living in Chicago and attending Columbia has been an absolute dream come true for me so far. I'm doing what I want to be, have met the people that are best for me, and gotten to do things that are beyond awesome. And it just keeps getting better. I feel so privleged that my family had enough faith in me (and that IB prepared me well enough) that college so far has felt less like work and more like pure bliss.

As of late, my bliss has been amplified. I let Ben switch my claddagh ring from avaliable to taken Saturday night. We aren't official yet--things are still very new, but we're headed in that direction. He's the boy I waited for all through high school. We're so similar it is scary, but I don't want to jinx anything since it is still in the early stages.

I take the bus home Wednesday night with Emily and get to see lots of family. Thanksgiving is a big deal for us and I'm excited to eat greasy southern food, sitting on the floor of my grandma's house, laughing about stories from when I was a 'lil one. I get to see Cassie, and all those fine upstanding citizens I spent high school with.

I am so, so lucky, I feel somedays like I'm going to wake up from this life and its all going to be a dream. Some days I feel like I don't deserve all this--all these wonderful people who I care about and who care about me. And for that very reason, I am thankful.

...In which our heroine has stuff from all over.

I've been bumming it pretty hardcore the past couple days, but some cool stuff has come into my crosshairs.

• Popwatch let me know that The Sandman is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary. I'm preaching to the choir here, but they are some of the finest comics ever, with my favorite arc being book seven, Brief Lives. Since Watchmen is coming, maybe we'll get a Sandman movie eventually. Also, there's 5 Ways Sandman Changed the World.
• Not that I'm advocating drug use in any way, but Erowid is a fascinating site with all sorts of information about any drug you can think of, with risks, experiences, legality, etc., for everything from caffeine to heroin.
• Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Greatest Singers is pretty decent, but more interesting are the actual ballots cast by musicians.
• I don't really care about Chinese Democracy, but Chuck Klosterman's review of it makes me smile.
• As much as I want to see my family, the prospect of being away everyone here, with one person in particular, is not appealing. Nor is Christmas Break. Why can't there be a stupid Bob Evans in city limits...
• Do yourself a favor and watch the trailer for The Wrestler, I think it's a lock for a Best Picture nominee, and certainly a nomination for Mickey Rourke:

...In which our heroine wastes more time.

Another treat from Ben, this is "Strokin'" by Clarence Carter, because everyone loves the use of claymation to explain the horizontal tango.

...In which our heroine is addicted.

This ladies and gentlemen, is Grow Cube. The actions of the game are simple--place items on the cube in a certain order so that the cube can thrive as an ecosystem. So simple, but so entrancing. Emily and I spent all day Sunday trying to beat it and its various incarnations...V. 2, V. 3, Grow RPG, and the others on the left side of the page.

Go ahead, try and play it without winning. I dare you.

...In which our heroine does the classy thing.

I had a kickass 19th birthday. My friends here provided a better day than (most) of my high school chaps, I have to say. Samson bought me a dozen goregous roses, Ben bought my dinner, and the roomies got me an Amazon gift card.

The whole weekend was pretty awesome. On Thursday my mom mailed up "A Birthday in a Box" complete with party hats, cake, and balloons from most of my previous 18 birthdays, and a couple gift cards for Chipoltle and Subway. Friday night my meal of choice was White Palace, where we all wore Little Mermaid and Snow White party hats and had a fantastically greasy dinner. Then we headed back here, did cake, and played Apples to Apples.

Of course the real treat of the weekend was Cassie getting to come up. I was up all night Friday since she got in at 5:30 Saturday morning. Even the security guard remarked as to our joy when I got her from the lobby.

My latest fascination besides Seth Rogen has been anteaters. Weird, I know, but I think they are the cutest things and want one for a pet, which you can do. So Cassie, being the best on picking up on these things, adopted a giant anteater for me from the WWF. I now am the proud savior on an anteater in the wild, and this one. His name is Boris.

Cassie and I spent a lovely day in Belmont after lunch at Tamarind, the amazing Asian place around the corner. I miss spending time with her--we have such a unique bond and can totally anticipate each other's ideas. It was a good birthday--no one got alcohol poisoning in my living room, and I didn't declare my love for anyone, which were the high(low)lights of last year.

The real event of the weekend was Saturday night when I did something totally sophisticated, along with Cassie, Emily, Samson, Ben, and Lane.

We went to a strip club. The Admiral Theatre to be exact.

Ever since I turned 18, I've wanted to go to a strip club, simply because I am a curious person. I wanted to see the entire atmosphere, from the girls to the patrons to what kind of music they played. So we ventured way out into the north part of the city, on an insane train and bus ride that felt like it took two hours.

Our Heroine's Observations on a Strip Club:

-The dancers were far more normal looking than I thought. They had real boobs for the most part, and a couple were actually pretty.

-The Admiral was far too classy to be totally fun. None of the strippers touched the patrons, even in the nude lap dances that occured two feet away from us on the floor of the place.

-No poles = no bueno. I wanted to see some really cool acrobatics on the poles. However, stripper heels are intense, and the wearers are to be comended for walking around on seven inches of lucite.

-No one goes to a strip club to see girls dance to Tom Petty's "Running Down a Dream." NIN and Tool were nice to hear, but not a single stripper made an effort to dance in any fashion to the music. They just kind of gyrated on their own.

-Call them trashy, call them sluts or whatever, and while many of them are, strippers have more cajones then I ever will. Putting your no-no parts on a stranger is something that must take time to get used to.

I'm glad I went for the experience. I wasn't weirded out by it at all, although I wished for more enthusiasm on the part of the dancers. It was interesting, and I found myself looking at their faces more often then not.

Between the club and something my mom said to me, I had a real mind check about getting older. Some of the strippers looked younger than any of us girls and had to be barely 18. I really wonder what happened in their lives to lead them to the Admiral. I wanted to talk to them, find out what drives them, how they wake up and look at themselves in the mirror.

My mom was talking to me on Friday and offhandedly said, "When I was 19, I was already with dad." That is crazy. My parents got married when my mom was 20 and my dad was 21, which is next year. I guess its the generation gap, but getting married in a year seems like the most bizarre idea in the world. I don't even know what I'm like on my own yet...and to be married, wow. That was a shock to even comprehend.

...In which our heroine keeps getting older, her life's been funny that way.

So I'm 19 today. Woohoo...an in-between age. Nonetheless, there's a fun weekend planned. Cassie will be here tomorrow to spend the day, and tonight we're going to White Palace, the most fabulous diner in the city.

19. Last year of my teens. It doesn't seem like I've been 18 for a whole year already. Time passes so quickly.

...In which our heroine considers a career change.

No, not really, but after these acting gems found by Ben, I think even I could be an actress. We've watched them all at least thirty times...

Ryan O'Neal, Oscar-worthy


The best WTF line ever


Most inexplicable


And the best of them all, from the cinematic masterpiece known as Troll 2

...In which our heroine thinks the honeymoon is over.

It snowed today for the first time. Not much, but a few flurries. Winter has come to Chicago all of the sudden. By 4:30 it is totally dark and sooo windy. Even my midwest blood isn't ready for this.

I've already started to hibernate--tonight consisted of biscuits and gravy and There Will Be Blood. We spent Saturday in Belmont and nearly froze to death. But we did finally go to Pick Me-Up Cafe, which has the best jukebox in the universe: Tom Waits, Radiohead, the Pixies, CSNY. I could've made out with it.

The title of this post pertains to the roommates. Emily and I get along really well, which is a suprise to me considering we had our issues a few years ago. Julia is fine most of the time, she's just never here with work and school. But Kathleen...yeah, es no bueno. The first few weeks it seemed as if we'd get along the best. She is wicked cool, but there are major flaws with her as a roommate. She doesn't clean up after herself--has left dishes until they grow mold, leaves a trail of destruction around the room.

The biggest issue is that she's inconsiderate. Her boyfriend was here for like the fourth time this weekend and her solution for that was to drag her mattress into the living room. Yeah, that's awesome to walk in on. Kathleen is always in everyone's buisiness and tries to play all angles of a situation. She loves drama and lied to Emily's face tonight.

It could be much worse, but it's been a stressful situation. The girl just does not know how to take care of herself sometimes. Which sucks because she can be really awesome on occastion. The stress has translated to the whole group, and lots of little conflicts are going on. Joy.

...In which our heroine reviews "Let the Right One In," then rants.

Emily and I ventured far into the north side of the city last night to hit up a preview screening of the Swedish kiddie vampire romance, Let the Right One In.

The film follows a shy, bullied boy named Oskar who meets Eli, the mysterious new girl in his apartment complex. Of course she's a vampire and of course they form an uneasy alliance that turns into love. I won't spoil much else about the plot, but I thought the movie was good but not great.

There were some unecessary plot elements and the movie didn't get going until the second half. However, the cinematography and use of lenses was outstanding--as were the exterior shots of snow covered landscapes in addition to the color palette. The performances by the young leads were solid. I think this is a film worth seeing, but not amazing. Emily liked it more than I did, but her comment after the film spurned the main focus of this post.

Am I the only one who is incredibly tired of Twilight? Perez today was talking about how advance screenings of the film are already sold out and insiders are calling the film the next Harry Potter. The books have been in Entertainment Weekly like 47 times already and all over the film blogs I read. I take major issue with this.

I have not read any of Stephanie Meyer's books in the series and have no desire to because they bother me. Vampire novels about vegetarian vampires who wait until marriage to have sex...I do not understand. But then in the fourth book the main vampire, Edward, who I am so tired of seeing girl-worship for, has to eat his vampire baby out of heroine Bella's stomach? That doesn's seem to fit.

The author is a Mormon, and it is totally fine if she wants to write about Mormon ideas but the entire idea of vampires is inherently violent and lustful. The two cannot go together. I have plenty of friends who love the books but I just refuse to read a series of books that homogenizes vampire culture. However, Robert Pattinson who also played Cedric Diggory in Goblet of Fire is Edward and he's more than a little easy on the eyes.

After seeing Let the Right One In last night I was even more perturbed with all the Twilight madness. The film I saw features young children in brutal acts of violence--there is no filter, yet at the same time a sense of innocence and sweetness is pervasive through the film. This is why Twilight annoys me so. If you want to see a movie about vampires, see a movie about real vampires, not abstinent vegetarians.

The goth in me is just bitter I guess.

...In which our heroine presents more thoughts on the election.

After the elation of Tuesday, I needed some time to process all that happened and give a better recap of my thoughts on what happened that day, so here you go.

I had no real intention of attending the rally in Grant Park--I was very concerned about things getting ugly, as Chicago has a tendency to do--the RAs warned us about going as did my parents. But when it became apparent that the boys had tickets and we were their chosen ones, I knew that I'd be pissed at myself forever if I didn't take the chance.

I voted for the first time with no issues or no waits in line around noon on Tuesday. I swear I didn't even know Nader was running again until some guy handed me a flyer outside the polling place. QUIT IT.

We initially were going to head over to the park around 7:30, seeing as the gates were supposed to open at 8:30, but the organizers ended up opening them around 6, so we headed over, of course not before a stop at Baskin-Robbins. The streets were flooded with Obama supporters and vendors, some of them already comfortably numb. I got a free button from some weird guy who called me princess--ah, Chicago.

Getting into the park intially, on the Congress brigdes was the clusterfuck I expected. That checkpoint was first, then two more, then eventual metal detectors. This all took about an hour, but was much less annoying then the bassackwards way of getting in Grant Park they set up for Lollapalooza.

Once we were in...it was to be totally cheesy and cliche...magical. The level of excitement in the air was high, and the idea of a collective goal and optimism was totally there. We didn't have a particularly good view of the stage, but then again I never really have a good view with my shortness. The crowd cheered wildly every time CNN announced a state for Obama, and once Ohio fell, we were all waiting for the axe to drop.

And at the top of the 10 o'clock hour instead of announcing west coast states, CNN announced Obama as President. There have been few other times in my life where I've felt so purely happy. There were hugs and tears and shouts--the atmosphere was fantastic. We danced and waited for the man himself to make an apperance.

A McCain fan I am not (even less so for Palin) but his speech was well done. Obama finally took the stage around 11...and you know the rest. Screaming "yes we can" with 200,000 of my close personal friends was pretty damn phenomenal. If you watch the video embeded in the last entry, the camera shows Lane and Julia at the 12:58 mark, and I'm just too short to be seen.

As for Obama himself, I am far from thinking he is America's savior. Last night's South Park did a great episode on that very thought. Obama is still young and does indeed lack some experience. I don't know if all his plans for reform will work--some may fail miserably. But when my family asks me why I voted for Barack Obama, the answer is simple. I see in him a desire for a change, an ability to hope for the best and strive to fix things that I didn't see in John McCain. I see a vision and I see hope. I see a first-generation American who is going to attempt to make my life better. And that's all I need to hear.

The stage crappily viewed, I'm short, deal with it


A few folks attended the rally


I just like this one


Everyone loves liberal girls


Liberal boys...they're okay too, I guess

...In which our heroine makes history.

Yes kids, of course your trusty heroine has awesome friends, one of which (Ben) who was kind enough to give his +1 for the Obama rally tonight in Grant Park to her.

It was fucking awesome--no other way to say it. The electricity in the air was buzzing as soon as we left our building, which is about eight blocks from Grant Park. The total elation when CNN cut to an Obama victory at 10 PM was as fantastic as anything I've ever experienced.

I saw history get made. I saw the first black President of the United States give his victory speech blocks from where I go to school.

I saw it. I was there.

The defining moment of my generation took place right in front of my eyes.

...In which our heroine lets the narcissist out.

I would be lying if I said it was a totally awesome Halloween weekend. It wasn't. For whatever reason, we all caught a case of bad karma and it definitely put a damper on things. Wes got robbed in Grant Park, Samson stumbled home by himself at 5 AM, Lane and Emily both got sick...But the best reality check of the weekend came from the fact that Ben got busted on Halloween for pot. Him getting written up was unfortunately what we all needed in order for us to realize we need to calm it down for a while. Still, I felt absolutely horrible that it had to happen to him when we've all broken the building rules.

But nonetheless, we still found time to look cute.

The roommates: Julia, Kathleen, Robert Plant, and Emily
A fratboy and Sarah Palin
Some droogs, because nothing says Halloween like homicidal rapists

Me and the Columbia BFF, Kelsey before Rocky Horror

These two studmuffins, Ben and Lane, are the objects of mine and Emily's affection, I know you're jealous

The apartment in proper Halloween fashion
Hey, for once Bugs gets to be the emo kid

Paulie and Juno, adorable

...In which our heroine reviews "Zack and Miri Make a Porno"

Despite yesterday being Halloween, I absolutely had to go see Zack and Miri Make a Porno. From the moment I heard "Seth Rogen in a Kevin Smith movie" I was smitten.

Long story short, I loved the film. I would go as far to say that it's Kevin Smith's most heartfelt film, even moreso than Chasing Amy. It also happens to be his dirtiest film--everyone's used to lots of sex talk in his films, but now we have pretty graphic sex scenes to go with the talk. I'm amazed he appealed it down to an R--I think it probably should have been NC-17.

The trailers for the film make it seem like all humor no heart, which becomes a nice suprise when you see the film and it is just so goddamn cute. Yes, a cute Kevin Smith movie. Like take your girlfriend to go see cute. Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks have amazing on-screen chemistry, just like the old friends they play in the film and their relationship seems totally realistic. And the supporting players--Smith regulars Jason Mewes and Jeff Anderson, along with Craig Robinson from "The Office" and real porn stars Katie Morgan and Traci Lords, provide the usual, fantastic supporting cast you'd see in a Kevin Smith film.

There are definitely a couple of moments that border on pure, conventional cheese, but only a couple. But, there are two scenes in the film that totally elevate it. Spoilers in the black. Zack and Miri finally do make a porno in the film, but as Zack says "they meant to fuck and ended up making love." The sex scene between the two on camera is the most genuinely sweet I've ever seen. It doesn't feel at all as something forced, more like you're intruding on something you shouldn't be watching. The awkward fumbling, the nervousness, the excitement--it feels so real it'll stop you in your tracks. It was also nice to see a legitimately hot sex scene between two actors that aren't drop dead goregous. The other great scene is the day after the sex, when Katie Morgan asks Miri if she can hook up with Zack at a party. Miri reluctantly says yes, and the wordless exchange of looks between Zack and Miri as Zack makes his way to the bedroom without Miri is phenomenal. It didn't hurt that Kevin Smith set the scene to "Hey" by the Pixies.

The film's been getting average reviews, but I think it's much better than that. I really want to see it again, if not only for the ginormous crush I have on Seth Rogen, made all the worse by the character of Zack. Besides Clerks, this is easily my favorite Kevin Smith movie.

Halloween, which ended up on a reality check, was not the best ever. I'll have pictures and stories tomorrow.

...In which our heroine has a malevolent mindset, part two.

I have Halloween on the brain, so today I present horror scenes I enjoy. Well, technically not enjoy, but appreciate. All of these are NSFW.

The Scariest: Audition, 1999
I hate the torture porn of the Saw and Hostel films but this film is the exception. Here, the torture actually serves a narrative purpose and isn't just there to make you vomit. This is a great horror film, and if it was American, it would be considered a classic.


The Grossest: Dead Alive, 1992
As a rule, I don't get grossed out by horror films. The gorier, the better. But this scene has literally made me want to puke every time I've watched it. And it's not even that bloody.


The Prettiest: Suspiria, 1977
This Italian film was the last to use three-strip Technicolor and thus why the colors pop. Thank heaven for Dario Argento, because then there'd be no Asia Argento, who is half goregous, half insane.


The Funniest: Evil Dead 2, 1987
There are no bounds for my love for the Evil Dead trilogy and its star Bruce Campbell. The first time we watched this movie, Kendall fell off the couch and laughed for a solid ten minutes at this scene.


The Most Entertaining (according to Katydid): Near Dark, 1987
No one has ever seen this movie, but I adore it. I remember my mom getting incredibly pissed at my dad for letting me watch it, but I turned out no worse for the wear. So sickly funny and creatively shot.


The Worst but I Still Love it Anywyay: Pet Sematary, 1989
I like a lot of realllllllly shitty horror movies, but this is probably my favorite. The movie is so bad, especially compared to the book, but I just can't help but watch.


I have a sick mind for enjoying all this so much, but I just can't help it.

...In which our heroine marvels.

This is a perfect album, especially for a COLD fall day. It breaks my heart every time I listen to it. The album sounds like it should be sung by convicts around a campfire. Although it makes me sad, Nebraska reminds me of fall and winter mornings when you're chest is on fire but your hands and face feel like they might just break off, and exhaling frosty breath makes you dream of hot chocolate. Born to Run is the quintessential Springsteen album, but this one will always be my favorite.

...In which our heroine thinks about home.

Being at home this weekend was surreal. Everything was so strangely familiar, yet so distant. Sitting on my couch, taking a shower, sleeping in a quiet, DARK, bedroom...it was just weird.

I didn't sleep on the bus Thursday night. On the exit and return trips to Chicago, married creepsters who fidgeted a lot decided I was a good seat partner. Oh, Megabus. Of course I was wired on convenience store coffee by the time I got home, and so when Dad picked me up, we had lots to talk about.

Thus I slept until 2 PM on Friday. Then I headed over to see my grandma and aunt to have dinner. But the real event Friday night was of course, seeing Cassie. She damn near killed me when she hugged me, but that embrace made the married creepsters so worth it. We went to JR's new house in Clifton, got slightly intoxicated, and watched Fantasia--a perfectly us evening. As a college student, I should drink more beer than water but the beer I had Friday night was the first I'd had since school started. It was so, so delicious.

Saturday meant Valley Thrift, Gabriel Brothers, and El Rancho Grande, three fantastically Hagen family activities. I got lots of warm clothes and boots for cheap, which was a good decision considering that winter was totally here when I got off the bus last night. Dad asked me what I needed for my birthday...I said computer speakers since mine broke. The two of us got to spend some alone time together to go get them. I then got to play all the cool stuff I've found while here for Dad--a 15 minute "Cortez the Killer," the Afghan Whigs covering "Can't Get Enough of Your Love."

Overall it really was a splendid weekend. I do miss things about Cincinnati--mostly the people--but not enough to not want to come back here.

I'm not really looking forward to slaving away over sausage gravy at Bobs over Christmas break, but its going to be necessary. Trying to get back together with those people is going to be weirder than weird. But, even weirder is going to be getting back together with the high school chaps and trying to do exactly that, be high school chaps. I just feel so different than I did even two months ago--especially in terms of people who I hang out with. Should be interesting...

In other news, I am in love with this song currently. I seem to know where this video takes place...

...In which our heroine gets in a malevolent mindset.

Halloween has been my favorite holiday since I had a notion of what a "favorite" might be. It was a huge deal when I was little--I loved being scared but always ended up overdoing it and that's probably why I did and still do have night terrors on occasion. Crypt Keeper and Freddy Krueger were the earliest characters to scare the shit out of me, but my favorite movies as a kid were Addams Family Values and Beetlejuice. Forget Christmas, I'm all about the scary stuff.

We're having a party here in 2602 next Friday. I'm on playlist and movie selection duty. The SPB is holding a live showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show Thursday at midnight which is a must-attend.

The love of Halloween over the years has translated into a love of horror films. Yes, I have seen Halloween 1-5 and Return of the Living Dead 3, in addition to many other bad horror films Sci-Fi channel shows. I miss a certain set of twins that I used to watch all manner of crappy frightfests with, especially the zombie ones.

My recomendations for pure scare factor would be Candyman, The Strangers, Halloween, Hellraiser, either Dawn of the Dead and 28 Days/Weeks Later. My favorite genre of horror is what Sam Raimi lovingly titled "splatstick" with choice picks like Evil Dead 2, Army of Darkness, Shaun of the Dead, Return of the Living Dead, Slither, and Dead Alive. As far as obscurity, try Audition, a really freaky Japanese film from about ten years ago, or Near Dark, a kickass vampire Western with Bill Paxton and Adrian Pasdar.

Retrocrush has a couple cool lists up...100 Greatest Horror Film Performances, 20 Best Zombie Films, 100 Coolest Monsters, and 100 Scariest Movie Scenes, which has a horrible choice for #1 2 East 8th doesn't get Bravo so I don't get to watch their list of 100 Scariest Movie Moments for the tenth time.

While I'm home this weekend, I need to pick up some Stephen King book to read, although I don't think much of anything can top last year's choice, Pet Semetary, which still gives me the heebie jeebies thinking about it. (I think it's one of King's best and his scariest.)

I think my building is haunted. The boys on eight have reported shut down computers turning on and playing music, TVs turning on, and blinds magically opening. Chicago itself has a cool haunted history--just look at Candyman, yet another reason I'll never go to Cabrini Green.

Anyways, I digress. But this is the scariest thing I've seen so far all season, a Predator pumpkin:

...In which our heroine is a busy bee.

I have tons to do this week before I can head home on Megabus Thursday night--final papers to work on about Technicolor and The Professional, readings to attend for Creative Non-Fiction Week, Halloween festivities to plan. But in the meantime, lots of randomness.

• Some idiot finally agreed to it. Haunted is being made into a film by some director I've never heard of. I liked the idea of the book being an HBO miniseries, but on the big screen I bet half the content of the book will have to be cut.


• Neil Young has being doing some awesome stuff on his current tour. I can't wait to see him in Chicago...during finals week.


• Showtime ordered Dexter through season five. Dad and I aren't even done with season two yet, but this is good news.


• "Buffalo Stance" by Neneh Cherry is a great homework song. Actually, my entire synth-tastic, 800 song iTunes 80's playlist is.


• Apparently, the ending of Watchmen has been changed. I don't wanna know, but you can.


• Watching the international cut of The Professional greatly improves the film, which is already in my Top 5.


• The Bicycle Thief isn't as good as history would make it out to be, but Citizen Kane totally is.
• It's October and I need a scary book to read. Suggestions, please.


• My friend Samson found out his roommate Wes deals ecstasy out of their room (which is two doors down.) What a lovely buisiness plan. Don't do ecstasy kids--it takes ice cream scoops out of your brain.


• I am totally excited to come home with weekend. Not for the city, but for the company:

...In which our heroine wishes a happy birthday.

I have nothing today except for fangirl worship of Viggo Mortensen. It's his 50th birthday, which now places him in the category of old man crushes along with George Clooney and Daniel-Day Lewis.