...In which our heroine is no hunter, strictly a gatherer.

Exciting finds from that contraption they call the internet:

Philip Glass and Sesame Street. Oh yes. This is saved for a point and time that I'll appreciate it more.


44 Inch Chest, from the writers of the most excellent Sexy Beast.


If you aren't reading Ugliest Tattoos on a regular basis, you should be.

I'm so not hip enough for the year end lists over at Pitchfork. -50 hipster points!

I am, however, too hip for Rolling Stone's best albums and songs of the decade. Just because Bob Dylan released an album this decade doesn't mean you have to put it on the list.

Quentin Tarantino presents his favorite films of the year: I only agree with #2 and #8.

Lots of wonderful True Blood casting news. Yeah, it's trashy TV, but it's well-done trash.

Five word film reviews: An Education - Beautiful. Lovely. Unconventional. Nostalgic. Accurate.
A Serious Man - Directionless. Dark. Funny. Minor Coens.

A round-up of year-end film lists. I still need to see A Single Man, Up in the Air, Avatar, and Precious, although I'm not so excited about the last one. I really really really would love it if Kathryn Bigelow won Best Director for The Hurt Locker. 

According to the Myers-Briggs personality test, I'm an INFJ, the rarest of all personality types. Tell me this doesn't describe me. 


And finally, if you need a Christmas gift for me, look no further. I'd appreciate delivery of said item by either Seth Rogen, Jim James, or Christina Hendricks, but just if it isn't too much of a hassle. 

Yeah, it was kind of like this when Cassie and I saw them:

...In which our heroine looks ahead.

I have survived dear readers. As of today, I'm no longer deemed contagious by Columbia College and back in my dorm. Which was a total fucking mess when I returned thanks to my ever-delightful roommate. Alas, I am feeling better by the day, and honestly just want to get back to all of my classes at this point and start playing catch-up.

I register for the classes tomorrow that will make me a junior, which seems terribly odd. In a 5AM fever delirium I figured out a loose plan for the next couple of years: Continue majoring in Screenwriting, minor in Women and Gender Studies. Second semester senior year, go to LA and see if I can sell a script or get an internship before graduating. If I can't, I'm going to join Americorps and go to either Seattle or California, spend a year doing that and living, maybe applying to grad schools. It all sounds easy laid out as such, but I'm sure there will be a bunch of delightful speed bumps along the way.

Speaking of growing up, I am being pretty lame considering in three days I won't be a teenager anymore and won't have as much leniency for bad behavior. Stupid flu. I bitched a lot about 19 being a boring age, but it has by far been the most amazing, beautiful, creative, heartbreaking, stressful, and sad year of my life. I've grown in ways I can't explain, and some I can. I fell in and out of love, was wildly creative, adjusted to living in a big city and away from home, expanded my consciousness through methods legal and otherwise, and most of all decided what it is I'm meant to do in this life - at least I hope so. 20 sounds so old! Where does the time ago - I saw a commerical for the tenth anniversary of "...Baby One More Time" and nearly puked.

I am deeply embedded with the citizens of Twin Peaks. The first season is as perfect as television gets, and oh so wonderfully weird. I can't believe it was broadcast on network back in the day. The whole idea that a single mystery can bind twenty plus hours of a story is brilliant. And all this praise comes knowing even what the outcome of the show would be. Speaking of perfect television, Mad Men's season finale was fabulous. After a slooow season, Matthew Weiner amped up the stakes. I've come to realize that I hate Betty Draper with a fiery passion. It was nice to see subtle moments of character development for Don, Peggy, Pete, Harry, and Roger. Oh, and JOAN IS BACK, BITCHES. I was so glad to see her in her mod 'lil black pants and sweater-set, looking fierce as always. I also realized there are at least four people on Mad Men I'd make out with, now that's good TV! Something about television has appealed much more than film to me lately, maybe it's the Production II blues, but I really like the short-form and how well the nuances of character can be explored.

On a final note, I thank my grandfather and all the veterans for their service today. I can't imagine how much worse the horrors he saw in WWII were than what he actually told us about. Though I may not always agree with the cause, I'll always support the men and women who are willing to sacrifice and dedicate their lives to support it. Thanks, veterans, for doing something I never would or could.

I couldn't find an acceptable video of Neil Young's "War of Man" so this'll have to do.

...In which our heroine is in the trenches

Swine flu, Day 5. I am feeling somewhat better, but still pretty woozy. I can't do much of anything without feeling like I'm gonna pass out, but my fever is gone. I'm pretty sure I have a double ear infection now, which is unfortunate but not surprising. I do like having an excuse to sleep for 12 hours at a stretch.

I have no idea when I'm going back to Chicago - I have a bus ticket for Monday, but I'm guessing I'll need a doctor's clearance before I do so. I hate missing so much class, but I can't really do anything about it. I'm trying to remember the last time I had the flu, which was Christmas when I was eight, but as far as I can tell, this isn't that much worse. It came on quicker, but feeling shitty is still feeling shitty.

Watched Antichrist yesterday, and believe the hype, it's terrible. I can see why Cannes was all in a twist about it, I just don't know how anyone actually enjoyed it. A large part of the plot is poorly done sex scenes between Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg. The shock moments weren't even that shocking - maybe I'm just callous to violence but I was like yeah, she just severed his testicles and then performed self-circumcision, but it's so fake looking. Nevermind that the overall message is the inherent evil in women. Not worth anyone's time.

I started watching Twin Peaks too. I like it so far, weird as it is, and it'll help fill that Mad Men gap after Sunday. David Lynch gives me mixed feelings - he's either brilliant or bat shit crazy, but probably some of both. I really enjoyed Blue Velvet, but Wild at Heart and Mullholland Drive left me cold. My parents both loved Dale Cooper and company, so I'll probably like it as well.

Tonight's thrilling activity includes watching The Godfather Part II, which I have sadly never seen. I'm definitely in the higher tier of Columbia film students in terms of what I've seen, but there are still areas where I lack. A girl in Production II has never seen Star Wars, The Wizard of Oz, ET, Forrest Gump...the list goes on and on. This is sadly the case with a lot of film students, and I wonder what it is that made them want to go to film school then. The Dark Knight is often the answer, seriously. I love it too, but c'mon kids...

It's probably nap time again. I am just too much fun!

...In which our heroine survived, once again.

Of course Halloween weekend gets a ramble! It was my first time going out into the city for Halloween, and the city kept up its end of the bargain.

I know when we get off the blue line train at Logan Square and see Vincent Van Gogh and Amy Winehouse, we are terribly underdressed for the Dan Deacon concert. It's chilly and windy and smells like dead leaves (and the dirty ground) when we're walking to the venue with a ton of other scene kids. Emily and I play the "look at that fucking hipster" game, and have a hard time deciding who's dressed up. The shitty opening acts take forever, but one of them has these awesome neon green shark heads that move while they play their instruments. As always, Emily knows people there. Dan Deacon keeps yelling at people to move away from his table but no one does. We dance and drown in electronic neon bliss. Dan thanks us for not doing drugs. This really is a rave, with everyone dressed up like bumblebees and luchadores and the crazy 88s. Two dance contests later, I'm disgustingly hot but then "Woof Woof" comes on. It is an insanely fun show, but I'm so toasty I'm glad when he says thank you and goodnight. Of course then it is freezing outside, and I realize we have to take two trains and a bus to get back to Wrigleyville. This takes approximately one million years. We stop by Ben's apartment and I wonder where he got that obviously original Dark Side of the Moon poster, and if he misses his Johnny Cash t-shirt. We are cordial and friendly as always, and I feel bad when he says all he does is work and school. By now it is very late, and we stop at McDonald's on the way back to Emily's. The stuff we smoke is ungodly potent. We eat, and sleep within the hour. Her couch eats me alive, and at some point in the middle of the night, it sounds like her neighbors throw a body down their back stairs. My mom wakes me up with a phone call - she's in Philadelphia watching Pearl Jam close the Spectrum out, her 23rd and 24th shows. We discuss what we call "good groupie skills" and she tells me she was only twenty or so rows away, and I say Dan Deacon stood a foot away from me, because he did. Emily and I go back to my apartment - everyone on the train looks far rougher than us. I shriek with terror when we watch Candyman with Heidi, Telly, and my RA Megan. Heidi does outstanding gore makeup on Megan's neck, and Emily and I prepare our TV characters - she's Nancy Botwin, I'm Meg Griffin. The costumes are covered with tin foil, and we go to Chipotle. For some reason I get a new burrito combination which is quite delicious. Back on the blue line. We go to a party in a loft in Wicker Park, and the costume stopping is fantastic. On the train we sing Cher with a Rollergirl in drag and female versions of Dr. Gonzo and Raoul Duke. The party is awkward, and I want to go immediately after arriving. Strawberry jello shots are better than cherry or lime, I discover. Telly and I smoke one of her hand-rolled cigarettes and say hi to Wolverine and Catwoman. It's midnight before we can get Emily and Heidi, social butterflies anywhere, to leave. Back on that same trek from last night, except it now takes two million years. I run into Leah from class while waiting half an hour at the Belmont stop, and drunk or not, it makes me smile at how glad she is to see me. A girl eats her dropped Subway off the train platform and I grimace. She gets arrested a minute later for smoking on the platform. We finally get on the train, and to Kris's where everyone is GONE. Tyler gives me a Parliament,which tastes like last fall. I love the smell of tobacco in my hair, and get giggly, eating too much candy and watching Kris and Tyler do Wrestlemania impersonations. Grace falls asleep in her Audrey Hepburn makeup, and we don't leave until 3 or 4 - half our phones haven't made the switch yet. This is the latest I've ever taken the train. A very drunk Mike Tyson gets abandoned at some stop by his friends, and in his place a guy gets on and smokes a bowl, right in the middle of the car. A very scary homeless man sits behind us, and while I'm not paying attention, Telly grabs Heidi and I and tells us to move. I assume he has a weapon, but no, Telly says he was getting personally intimate. On the train. This is why I do not take it alone past one. I thank my lucky stars for making it home alive and not vomited on. The multitude of shit shows in the lobby is amusing. Amateurs. Bed has rarely felt so good, nor has brushing the sugar off my teeth, like my eight-year old self. Some things change, others stay the same.

Sara Quin (Telly) of Tegan and Sara and Meg Griffin make careers out of being awkward.

Heidi should've worn her helmet on Legends of the Hidden Temple...

Emily IS Nancy Botwin. And that is oregano and basil, I promise.

Obviously this is not the Dan Deacon show I was at, but we did this. So, so fun:

Dan Deacon Dance-Off from kata rokkar on Vimeo.
As an aside, why do no one's posts show up in my blog list anymore? And neither do mine. It still shows that my last post was actually the third one ago I wrote. And it says the same for Cassandra and Gallacher. WTF maaaan. How do I fix?

...In which our heroine is ill.

You know what sucks? Is when the antibiotic you're taking for your sinus infection works well for that, but makes you so sick you can't eat without puking. Or drink anything beyond green tea. But I can breath. Tough call there.

I officially broke up with Glee tonight. So much potential - too much in fact. Something I read today mentioned how they liked slow-burning story-lines more. I agree. Only three episodes of Mad Men left. Le sigh.

In all probability, I'll be going to the third, just announced Pixies show simply because: why not. How many more chances will I have to see them (few), and the opening band for that show is Bad Lieutenant, which features Bernard Sumner of New Order/Joy Division fame, which is as close as I'll ever get to seeing them. I digress.

Pre-production, and my first editing project are due tomorrow. I cannot believe it is midterms already, despite the fact that I only have one, and it's a project. I'm still not excited about my group for the film, but I can't do anything about it. I did make a couple of friends in that class - Leah, who has the most proficient liquid eyeliner skills I've ever seen, and Daniel, who ironically enough I met last year through you-know-who. They were roommates. Small world. We created the whiskey commercial scene from Lost in Translation Tuesday in class which was pretty fantastic. Set design and hair/make-up done by yours truly.

This is a ramble-y sort of post, just less artful. I ran into the boys tonight - smoking outside of Harold's Chicken, unsurprisingly - and I think Ben was actually glad to see me. I thank him for not being an asshole. Take note, men.

What is with the number of pregnant girls/moms I know on Facebook? There is not a more terrifying thought than being a mommy. You are girls indeed, not women, and birth control is $9 a month at your local Walmart. Being adult enough to have sex means you're adult enough to have a baby too, not get your bellybutton pierced afterwards. Kids today...

...In which our heroine lets things speak for themselves.

The most difficult part of this post was choosing a picture from the Emmys, which were horribly boring. Thank god for Nathan Fillion, and this:

C'MON...even the very gay Neil Patrick-Harris said he'd go straight for it. No one should be allowed to look that good. There's lots more where that came from. Too bad her finance looks like a goober, but then again, I'd probably be awestruck if I got to look at that everyday too.

One day I'll shut up about my massive girl crush on Christina Hendricks, and maybe even make a post without her it in, but that day is definitely not today. Little did I know when watching Firefly how much in love I'd be in love with these two. It's slightly naughty, so you're warned -

I'll plug Firefly again because she pops in several more episodes. Nathan Fillion and Christina Hendricks, have mercy. Please try not to die Cassie.

...In which our heroine is cautiously optimistic.

As expected, it's been nearly a week without a post. Busy, busy Katydid. But it's a good busy, a productive and optimistic busy. I'm liking it.

Classes have been really good so far. Wednesdays are my favorite and I had two wonderful discussions today - one about gender roles and the objectification of women in advertising, and the other about the language of domestic violence. Heavy, but interesting stuff. Math is a joke. Production II isn't going quite as wonderfully as I'd hoped, but it's still early.

And now I provide a warning: please, don't go see Jennifer's Body. It was even worse than anticipated, even though it was free. I really do appreciate the fact that Megan Fox is smokin' hot (and she is in the film) but she just cannot act. Everything is wrong with the movie - a bad script by Diablo Cody that attempts to deconstruct high school stereotypes but instead just enforces them, cheesy effects, poor editing/cinematography choice, and no real plot. I could get really film snob on the ideas presented on gender and the female notion of beauty and friendship, but I'll spare you. Everything that happens in the movie you can figure out from the trailer. EVERYTHING. Stay far, far away.

The season finale of True Blood proved that it is one of the best shows on television. Yes, it's campy and over the top and the central romance of Bill and Sookie is boring as shit, but damnit, it's fun. More Eric was certainly needed, and I'll miss Maryann, but season three will be promising. The Emmys are this weekend and Mad Men better win big.

And in this edition of Katydid in the City, I break my own rules, again. I made it a whole ten days into the semester before meeting a boy. Heidi fixed us up and we've hung out the past couple nights. There is a pseudo-date tomorrow. Details to follow about said boy as they become pertinent. He is a sweetheart though. Cautious optimism, that's the idea.

I would very much like some of those boneless wings from Wendy's at this present moment. And a Frosty. And like three middle bites of a double cheeseburger. And an iPhone. And a baby anteater. It's the Darlene wedding episode of Roseanne, which luckily I'm tired enough not to cry at. I will forever have a crush on David.

This is probably my favorite song off of the Fleet Foxes debut record. Lovely:

...In which our heroine absorbs.

Consumption of media, play it as it lays:

Funny People - I wanted to love it so, so badly and went away just feeling very blah. To be quite honest, nothing happens in the film, certainly nothing that I did not expect 100%. We talk a lot in my screenwriting classes about basic ideas of story - what are the stakes for the characters, what challenges them, what does the protagonist want - and the film fails on all of these levels. I'll skip the plot details because the trailer already shows them all. Judd Apatow needs a firmer hand editing - the whole subplot of Seth Rogen's roommates and love interest was essentially worthless, and I was more than antsy for the end after two and a half hours. Also, I swear every joke within in a dick joke, which wears thin quickly. I will say Rogen and Adam Sandler give pretty decent, understated performances and the cinematography is lovely. A big disappointment for me - probably the weakest Apatow affiliated film I've seen. Oh, and on a personal note, I really do not appreciate the use of "Jesus Etc." in affiliation to Seth Rogen's character, too many sad memories attached to that one. I almost lost it.

District 9 - A refreshing breath of individuality into my beloved sci-fi genre. Far and away, the most impressive aspect of this film is the amazing visual and make-up effects. It cost $30 million and looked like it could've easily cost $150 million. I loved the faux-documentary style mixed with the narrative film, and the lead, Sharlto Copley, plays dorky as well as anyone I've ever seen. This film has the distinction of only a few other films - Audition, Dead Alive, The Fly, 28 Weeks Later - that have ever made me feel sick, yay!A lot of the reviews I've read have remarked that it's the best sci-fi film of the decade which seems a little much, but then again, I'm hard pressed to think of anything that's better. I've seen better films, for sure, but this is just a solid, entertaining flick that shows how far a moderate budget can go.

Mad Men Season 3 premiere - I loved it, duh. But I mostly wanted to mention that the Parents Television Council filed a complaint against it for the gay sex and semi-boobs in the episode, but yet doesn't care that The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife (NSFW) - which put Henry & June over the top to be the first NC-17 film ever twenty years ago - is featured prominently. How times change. But that aside, a really beautiful episode. I love Don more and more, that smarmy bastard. I would've like more of the ladies, Joan, Betty, and Peggy, but that'll come.

Top Chef Masters - Caught up with this, my favorite food show. While I doubt I'll ever even attempt the dishes on here, but I love watching them get made. Everything looks so good - especially Chicago's own Rick Bayless and his gourmet Mexican food. I enjoyed the Masters edition because the disasters were fewer. It makes me want to improve my culinary skills.

The Dead Zone - Probably the least interesting Stephen King book I've read in its entirety - Gerald's Game and Lisey's Story were both given up on. I guess it's partially my own fault for knowing the plot ahead of time, but his style is weak in this one. I felt the characterizations were weak, and the macabre element wasn't explored enough. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't The Stand or The Long Walk.

Jim James: Tribute to George Harrison - Three posts in a row with him, but hey, I'm going through a hippie boy phase. This is a beautiful album, simply put. George has always had my favorite work as a solo Beatle ("My Sweet Lord" is one of my favorite songs ever) and Jim James doing stripped down versions? Oh yes. If you're a fan of either, I recommend fully. And you can even stream it for free. 

Picked up East of Eden and Bambi vs. Godzilla: On the Nature, Practice, and Purpose of the Movie Business for reading, American Beauty and the Alien trilogy to add the collection, although I haven't watched Alien 3 yet, on purpose. Taking Woodstock and Inglourious Basterds are musts for the weekend.

Since I mentioned it, "My Sweet Lord." I never tire of this song and it always makes me smile.

...In which our heroine has been lazy.

I have been negligent as of late. Family and friends have been taking up most of my time, which is not at all a bad thing. I'm so lucky that when I come home, I get to see all sorts of people - whether it be a  road-trip to Columbus with Josh and the wonderful Pomegranates or reuniting with my two oldest friends and some classy strawberries and cream tequila - and I treasure them all.

This trip back has really crystalized how adult my life is now. Things I've done, and things I've heard that would have been quite scandalous a year ago are said in passing now. Everything seems like it flies at an accelerated pace. The fact that I know people that are getting married or expecting is still weird though. I can't believe I'm going to be twenty in a few months.

Otherwise, I'll be back in Chicago tomorrow for Lollapalooza with friends this weekend. The must-see bands include Bon Iver, Ben Folds, Fleet Foxes, The Decemberists, Of Montreal, Depeche Mode, TV on the Radio, Animal Collective, and Tool.  I'm hoping that the mild weather hangs around, and the poster for this year is as cool as it was last year.

Katydid's TV Watch - So Maryann is a handmaiden of Dionysus on True Blood? Guessed that one, but I will say the season is really hitting its stride and I can't wait for the inevitable Eric/Sookie hookup, or to see where it all goes with the Fellowship of the Sun. As for Weeds...bleh. Shane getting shot was interesting, as is Nancy leaving Esteban, but the show has pushed itself to such an insane level, there's not much room to go from here. Andy sucking breast milk from Nancy - are you fucking serious? Mad Men starts in two weeks, praise the TV gods.

I can't believe I haven't seen Funny People yet, even despite the mediocre reviews, it pains me. The next good thing in the pipeline is Inglourious Basterds, which I maintain high hopes for. Started reading Down and Dirty Pictures by Peter Biskind. It's a companion to his book Easy Riders, Raging Bulls which was about the 70s Hollywood renaissance, and instead focuses on the rise of independent film in the 90s, as fostered by Miramax and Sundance. Fact and gossip, beautifully intertwined.

I'll let the new Coen Brothers, A Serious Man, speak for itself:

This seems an appropriate song for my current state. I couldn't find the naughty video from Eyes Wide Shut, so this'll have to do.

...In which our heroine goes three by three.

The new Gossip album, Music for Men, is out. Beth Ditto has my favorite female voice in rock at present, and she's just generally awesome. I'm declaring the first single, "Heavy Cross" the anthem for summer 2009, but the whole album is excellent.

The onstage camraderie between Neil Young and my least favorite Beatle in this performance of my favorite Beatles song from London makes my heart happy.

I can't get enough of Neutral Milk Hotel. It upsets me that Jeff Mangum can't perform anymore because of mental issues (and night terrors which someone else I know gets). But despite the shitty quality of this, the only live thing I've ever found by them, there's still something lovely about it.

Jennifer's Body looks disappointing. I still enjoy Juno quite a bit, although reading the script made me want to vomit. Diablo Cody appreciates the horror genre and all, but the red-band trailer is full of all kinds of nonsense. Megan Fox is hot, but her delivery is nearly unbelievable. I guess I just dislike how contrived the trailer is - "Cherry Bomb" in the background, the lesbian tease, the faux-scandalous dialogue.

On the other hand, the directorial debut of Robert Siegel, who wrote one of my favorites from last year, The Wrestler, looks really interesting. Big Fan got quite a lot of festival buzz, and looks to be a nice little dark comedy with one of my favorite comedians, Patton Oswalt.

So this is a remake of a Danish movie. Brothers seems like a typical fare kind of tear-jerker but Jim Sheridan is behind the camera, and he still made one of my favorite films with In America. We'll see.

Mad Men is the best thing on television right now. I'm about halfway through season two now, and I have a major girl crush on Joan Holloway, as played by Christina Hendricks. I've mentioned before how awesome her body is, so we might as well get right to it.

Am I the only one who hates Weeds so far this season? They're making Nancy as unlikable as possible. Last week's episode was an improvement, but there aren't any real stakes, or at least not enough is happening to make the stakes seem that scary. This was one of my favorite parts from last week.

Daria was such a badass show when I was watching it, not supposed to be, in my childhood. Emily brought to my attention it isn't on DVD, and that made me quite upset. I especially remember this assaulting my young ears. Now I just wanna watch some episodes...

Busy rest of the week. (500) Days of Summer tomorrow, training Wednesday and Thursday, dinner with the recently back in town Kris, then work next week leading up to Pitchfork!