Go Inside My Mind

2011-10-16T23:01:00.001-04:00

Click

2006-07-03T17:38:00.000-04:00

I got to see this at a private screening last night and it was a really good movie. Sandler has been off the mark with his last few movies, but this one definitely has the feel of some of his classics. The plot is very simple. Time is always running out in his (Sandlers) life and he wants a better way to control it. He's given a remote which can do just that. Conflict arises when the remote starts learning about what he skips and automatically does this. They were very creative with the remotes features, including a funny commentary track and even a "Making of" (though, it's not very pleasant for him nor us).

The movie has a lot of funny moments that are reminiscent of Sandler's past, but overall I'd say most of the comedy is at a more "mature" level. Sandler's grown up and you can tell that throughout. His ragey side does come out here and there, and it gets pretty hilarious at times. The film also has some drama in it, which leads to some real sentimental and despairing scenes (I almost cried twice)

The casting was great. Kate Beckinsale plays his wife perfectly, and she looks beautiful throughout the movie. His kids are also really cute as well, and not "Dakota Fanning annoying". Henry Winkler (aka The Fonze) plays one of the best father roles I've seen in a while. One thng I really appreciated was the aging process with these actors. They did an incredible job with makeup to make them look older. In line with this is the futuristic world that is portrayed. A lot of which, seems straight from a Spielberg film (A.I., Minority Report). That's something I did not expect from a Sandler movie.

Overall, this is a good movie. It has more depth than previous Sandler movies and if you're like me you'll be walking out the theatre with greater appreciation of your own life. In some ways this film feels like a remake of "It's a Wonderful Life". It's not the same story, but some elements are the same, and that's not a bad thing at all. When I first saw the trailer I thought it looked a lot like Bruce Almighty, which isn't surprising since it's written by the same people. Between the two I liked this one a lot more. This is also a really great date movie, so go see it.

***

V for Vendetta

2006-03-18T04:54:00.000-05:00

I saw it in IMAX. A very good film, that had potential to be great. It felt very much like Orwell's 1984, except the lighting and cameras made it feel too new. I would've like a better filter to make the world look more "future vintage" (you probably won't get this oxy-moron). Natalie Portman was sexy, and her British accent and acting overall were very good (except her crying, which felt too forced). As for "V", the mask kept making me laugh, but as the movie wants us to know, he is more than just a mask, he is an idea.

The film does lack action. Throughout the picture we are flooded with messages and images of a government that has overstepped it's boundaries. Although this is the (near) future, it all seems relevant to today. By today's standards V would be considered a terrorist, but because this is comic based he is a rebellious hero who is doing this for justice. There is very little in common in the style department between the Matrix and this movie. One cool fight scene towards the end, used what I'm calling "blade-time" which was similiar to bullet-time, leaving a path wherever his knife went. Like characters in the Matrix, V speaks in riddles and breaks things down philosophically.

Overall a very good effort for the new director, and a well written script by the Wachowski bros. I wanted a bit more from it though, maybe more character development and a darker (grittier) atmosphere. We're thrown right into the world, and then thrown back out of it. The ending felt a little stretched, but was very exciting to watch.

***

Rang De Basanti

2006-02-18T04:07:00.000-05:00

Few films that have come out in the last 5 years have moved me like this film has. It is an Indian movie that is getting a lot of critical acclaim and currently has an 8.6 rating on IMDB. It begins with an english filmmaker who wants to make a film about India's revolutionaries. She is the granddaughter of an English soldier who wrote about these rebellious leaders in his diary. Her dream to make this film was ruined when her boss cancelled the project. She was very determined though, so she still went to India by herself.

This film is not about her though, it is about India, both past and present. It's about the youth of India and their future, the troubled government, and it's about their culture. You feel every aspect of India's beautiful culture shine in this movie. The acting in this movie is incredible, I can't say enough about it. It does so many things right from a filmaking perspective. The unique editing, and cuts between the past and present were flawless. The soundtrack was a little off in some places, but were great for most of the scenes. I don't want to give too much away but this is one that I want everyone to see till the end. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, and if you're like me, it will touch your soul. A modern masterpiece.

****

It's one helluva town!

2006-02-12T22:36:00.000-05:00

So I got a new camera (yay!). It's a Canon Powershot A610, which I spent hours deciding on whether to buy it or not (see last post). I finally got to go out into my city and take some shots. There's tons of features on this camera to play around with and for the most part I had no clue what to use while on the go. I truly have a love affair with my city if you can't already tell. Enjoy!

Ooo I want that one..No wait..Yes okay I'll get it...Aw man, I changed my mind

2006-02-12T04:46:00.000-05:00

Fuck! Why am I always so indecisive. When I'm purchasing a product I spent hours (maybe weeks is a better time frame) trying to figure out the perfect choice. I often think I'm satisfied only to find out later that I regretted what I bought. My damn brain can't seem content on anything. I guess it's because I have been economically challenged (a.k.a. Po) my whole life. My mom has made miracles out of her income and I learned to manage my money as carefully as possible from her. I think my on again off again OCD has taken this to a whole new level though. I fringe at thought of people making snap/impulse decisions on purchases, Ahhhh!. I swear I become an expert on a product line when I'm buyng one from it, I'm awesome that way (self-esteem raised +5 points). I think i'm going to let my funeral arrangements (coffin choices, which urn, which cryogenic center, etc..) to be made by someone else because I'd be pissed in heaven if I made the wrong choice. "Awww man, look at me. That grain of wood doesn't go well with that suit"

CAVEAT EMPTORRR

Doom - Unrated Edition

2006-02-07T05:00:00.000-05:00

Horrible Movie.

It's like a Uwe Boll flick with a higher budget. I haven't seen the original version so I don't know the differences between the original and the unrated version, but this one had lots of swearing, some nudity, and some graphic shit (like this dude pulling off his own ear). Anyways, It didn't keep me interested whatsoever. I can't even consider it a movie, but more of a live action video game, but even then it's boring as all hell. Not much to say about The Rock's acting job. It wasn't that demanding of a role (talk a sentence here and there, do a little yelling, etc..) Just avoid this, and watch something like Alien, which is similiar in theme but like a million times better.

*1/2

Smooth Operator

2006-02-06T06:09:00.000-05:00

I've been feeling stressed for the last few months. Not quite sure what the problem is. I dunno, I just get really frustated without any real reason for it. I think I take things too seriously when I really should be enjoying life. Everything feels like it's happening at once yet there's not much going on in my life, what's up with that feeling? Ahhh. I think it's time for a major change in my life. I should move to iceland and join a cult where people worship moose and make daily sacrifices with their imaginary second born children.

I think I'm a part time OCD'er. I mean most of the time I don't give a shit about order or cleanliness, but then sometimes I snap and I start realizing all this dirt around me and go on this crazed cleanup. When i'm like this I feel like a depraved coke addict who's just lost their next hit somewhere inside a baby powder factory.

So, maybe im frustrated because I don't know which direction to go with my future career. My whole life I felt like I was on cruise control. I was confident in my ability to succeed. I'm still confident in my intelligence but I just don't which path to apply it to. I'm currently in the general masters program for Psychology, but I took this course last semester on animals and I totally want to focus on that. I wonder if it'll limit me and if I'd be able to make a good/long lasting career out of that. Oh me Oh my. I wish I had wealthy relatives so I could be one of those adults who just lives off of inheritance (like Hugh Grant in About a Boy). I am the protypical guy for inheritance money. All I want to do is do nothing. Get me?

New Look

2006-02-04T05:12:00.000-05:00

I said I was back but really I wasn't. I don't feel motivated to make posts here so I decided to change everything completely. I just got a new digital camera, the Canon A610 and it's pretty damn awesome. I will try and post more including pictures in the future.

Dance, this is the way they'd love if they knew how misery loved me

2006-01-27T00:27:00.000-05:00

I crave romance and I can't wait to see Tristan + Isolde. I'm every mans worst nightmare. I don't know that I've ever been romanced like I dreamed. Or if I've ever fully appreciated it when I was. Part of it is my own fault. I hate charming guys. I mean, I love them, but I see through them. They are heart breakers and you can never tell if they are being truthful. It's too hard. I think the charming ones are the types of guys that would romance you, though.

Michael used to surprise me with things a lot. He was really sweet. He owes me a ring. He's going to be really annoyed that I am messing up his blog with all my sissy whiny girl shit. :)

Part of me wishes I lived back in the old days where men worked hard and women took care of the children at home. That's hot. Another part of me wants to go to work and have the man stay at home. I'm too much of a people pleaser.

I was so naive up until sixteen. I really believed that I would have everything I wanted, when I wanted. What the fuck is that? It's not like I had an easy life, everything was so fucked in my house, but I still held on to those fantasies so tightly believing they would come true.

I am very blessed. I have my health and my family and honestly I prayed for that for so long. I guess when you grow up you realize what is important. Ugh, Degrassi Junior High moment.

Sorry about the estrogen, Michael.

New dame in town...

2006-01-17T23:58:00.000-05:00

This is Kate... Michael's ex-girl. I'm now contributing to his blog because neither of us have the drive to keep up with one on our own.

Michael has a date with a girl at the movies on Thursday night. They're going to see Underworld: Evolution. I'm sure he will review the movie on here. I would rather see Tristan and Isolde, personally. Romance is so amazing, but a lot of people hate those types of movies. Love feels so good, I don't understand how people don't want to feel that.

I could not sleep for the life of me Sunday night. My sister in law couldn't either, so we both found ourselves in the living room trying to get tired by watching television. I run through the movie channels, and I see "Hercules."

I was so excited because I haven't seen this Disney movie yet. I quickly turn it on and see:

... My sister in law burst out laughing.
We ended up spending the night watching 4 episodes of Elimidate (which consists of loose women and men with bigger egos than they can afford). That in mind, I suppose our night would have been somewhat similar had we just watched Hercules.

Greetings from NYC

2006-01-11T20:58:00.000-05:00

Creative Vision:M (geek post)

2006-01-11T03:23:00.000-05:00

This player is so hot. It basically has the best screen available and lots more features than its competitors. It recently won "Best in Show" at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

The best user interface I've seen

Album Art mode, allows you to navigate via album art. My favorite feature.

262,000 colors on screen, compared to 65,000 on ipods. The difference is crystal.

Specs
Capacity: 30GB hard drive
Size: 104 x 62 x 18.6mm
Weight: 163g
LCD: 2.5" LCD @ 320 x 240 Color Display
262,144 colours
Songs: 15,000 WMAs/ 1,000hrs (at 64kbps)
7,500 MP3/ 500hrs (at 128kbps)
Video: 120 hrs (MPEG4 videos) 1
Photos: Tens of thousands of Photos
Audio Battery Life: Up to 14 hrs playtime (MP3, 128kbps, 4mins/ song)
Up to 8 hrs playtime (WMA, 64kbps, 4mins/ song)
Up to 14 hrs FM playtime
Video Battery Life: Up to 4 hrs video playtime
Supported Audio formats: MP3, WMA (inc MS PD DRM), WAV
Support Video formats: DivX™ 4 & 55, XviD5, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG4-SP, WMV9, Motion-JPEG
Supported Photo formats: JPEG, BMP6, GIF6, TIFF6
Signal-to-Noise Ratio: up to 97dB
FM & FM recording: 32 preset stations
EQ settings: 8 presets & custom 5 band EQ setting
USB: 2.0
Organiser: Calendar, Contact, Task list
Power Charging: Charges via Power Adapter (2.5hrs only) or PC thru USB (6hrs)
TV Out: Yes
Photo with Music: Yes
Voice Recording: Yes
Removable Disk Storage: Yes
Album Art: Slideshow, Thumbnail, Zoom, Pan
Connectivity: Docking connector (USB2.0 with Sync Adapter)
Stereo headphone out with Wired Remote Support
Composite AV Out (NTSC and PAL)
Built-in Microphone

http://creative.com/products/mp3/

I'm back!

2006-01-08T05:39:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I doubt anyone who used to read my blog still does, but I'm back. Forgive me for abandoning this blog for those months. School and everything else took over my life. I'm not done yet but I will definitely make more time to writing. I'm currently looking for a new digital camera (4-5MP range) and I have no idea which one I should get. I like the Kodak V550 (or V530) and I might buy it.

Last year I watched a total of 309 movies (a lot eh?). This year I want to watch 400. I have no idea why I am challenging myself to do this, but hell, I really enjoy watching movies. I will hopefully be adding a new entry every day with a short (or long) review of the movie I've seen. I already need to catch up on this!

So yeah, that's about it for now. I'll be going to everyones blogs again and saying hello. I hope everyone is still around in the blog world. I got lazy with this blog template and just used one of the default ones. One day I'll customize it. I needed a change from the dark one I had. This one is quite bright.

Cheers! (sheesh that sounded British)

Munich

2005-12-23T21:23:00.000-05:00

I just got home from seeing this chilling movie that portrayed the tragic incident at the 1972 olympics in Munich, and the events that resulted because of it. If you don't know what happened in 1972, basically 11 israeli atheletes were held hostage in their hotel room by Palestinian terrorists. They were eventually all killed. This film shows this in great detail throughout the movie, first as it is happening in real time and later through the nightmares and visions from the main character.

**Possible spoilers (I'll try not to though)**

The bulk of this movie was dedicated to a man who does not exist. He is the leader of a group of people who don't exist. This is what the Israeli government wants him to believe and the rest of the world too. The government has names and pictures of the terrorists and it is his job to hunt them down and kill them. One by one. This role is played excellently by Eric Bana who shows strength, yet has a good emotional side as well (his wife calls him a "sentimentalist"). The rest of his crew is quite a mixed bunch. We have Daniel Craig, who I loved in Layer Cake, but whose role here should have been bigger. His blonde hair and blue eyes makes him look like a cowboy more than a jew.

This team is to have no contact with the Israeli governement. They have virtually unlimited funds left in a bank for them and basically must use their intuition and think like a terrorist to find those responsible. This is no easy task. You can't trust anyone, and you can't give them too much information. Throughout the movie this really sets in as there are a few incidences of betrayal leaving the team pretty paranoid.

The direction was very good for the most part with a few parts that dragged on too long. This film felt real. The use of handheld cameras like that found in Saving Private Ryan made some scenes gritty and raw feeling. There is a lot of graphic scenes in this movie which really took me by surprise. Spielgberg doesn't hide much. While watching the movie you almost want to take sides with Israel but there are counter-balancing scenes (like the one with a PLO police who just wants a home) that even it out a bit. Overall the sum is much better than its parts and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Acting was great all around, and the actors were cast well (esp. Mathieu Amalric). The dialogue throughout is very reminiscent of what is still going on today. The score by John Williams, though subtle, was pretty haunting at times. In addodyion, I liked a lot of the photography in the movie. There were also some really great reflection shots used, taking advantage of rear view mirrors, tinted windows, etc...

Although I think they could've cut about 20 minutes from the movie, by the end I was not bored, nor exhausted from the 2hrs and 44m I sat there. The movie made me tense at the end, and its last image was one I expected, yet I'm unsure right now if it should've been put there or not. Definitely one of the better films I've seen this year and it may even get some Oscar Noms. Go see it.

****

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finally I also saw some new trailers at the movie:

-Apocalypto: Mel Gibson film dealing with Mayans and some end of the world scenario. It looks pretty epic, but also very strange
-MI:3: Looks cool I guess, action packed trailer of course. Noticed Laurence Fishburne in there which is awesome.
-American Dreamz: From the director of About a Boy and In Good Company. This is one funny looking movie. Basically there's a preseident thats pretty much portraying Bush, and then theres an American Idol type show with a middle eastern contestant. I won't say anymore, but it looks like it'll be controversial.
Firewall: Harrison Ford brings it as usual but it feels the same as other movies.
-Inside Man: Directed by Spike Lee and starring Clive Owen, Denzel Washington and Jodie Foster. Oh Man this looks pretty great. There's definitely going to be some twists in this one and I won't say much about it.

Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire

2005-11-22T03:18:00.000-05:00

I just got home from watching the fourth installment of the Harry Potter series on IMAX and it was one hell of an experience. From beggining to end the movie never lets up and keeps you interested the whole way. I'd say it's the best one out of the four so far. The films themselves have been getting darker and darker and this one certainly doesn't dissapoint. All the actors and the character they play have matured so nicely and this movie shows a lot of that transformation. They aren't just innocent little children anymore, but coming of age adolescents discovering themselves and the opposite sex.
I must say the direction and photography in this movie was excellent. There are shots that you'd think came from the best cinematographers. I won't give away any of the story but I will say there was a great deal of excitement throughout accompanied by a lot of humour. One thing that may dissapoint some, was the absence of Gary Oldman. His voice was there but he "appeared" in a different form. It was hard at first to actually rate this against the other three, since I love them all, but as far as depth goes this one is the deepest I've felt into the world of Harry Potter and for that I rate this one best so far. Go see this epic movie, and try to view it in an IMAX theatre if you can.

****

PS: I haven't read the books (one day I will) so I cannot say whether they ruined it with respect to that. I've jsut finished reading the forums at IMDB and other places and people say that they are missing some good stuff found in the book. Those who have read the book might be dissapointed at these differences but I find this happens often when a story changes mediums. To me, it's best not to look at the movie as a direct page to screen translation but just as an adaptation of the story. There's only so much you can fit into those 2 1/2 hrs.

Pirates

2005-09-21T03:36:00.000-04:00

So was it two days ago that was the International pirate talking day?. Yeah that's pretty much the dumbest thing ever. Matt Good's album came out yesterday and I'll have to wait for my signed copy to come. The first disc of the album was leaked about a week before the album came out and many people got to listen to it. This is of course a common occurence. In all the vast amounts of internet communities I have been a part of, there hasn't been one that wasn't involved in some sort of piracy.

I don't really know why I'm writing this. I can't say i've had a perfect slate in that area but I do try and support artists. Sometimes I just think about how bad it's gotten and how worse it will get. With broadband internet spreading to the masses newly released movies (and some that haven't come out yet) are just hours away from personal home viewing. It's even worse with music. The dumb thing is when people complain about the quality of a music album yet they're stealing it. Perhaps if these artists actually got some money they could put it into better equipment and such.

The government really doesn't have a clue how to deal with this problem. With internet Privacy acts and other simliar laws they can't really stop the large population from stealing music. Programs like Napster, Yahoo! Unlimited and even itunes (blah) have made it reasonable for consumers to get their music and for artists to get paid. I'm sure some sort of progress is being made but billions are being lost every week. Billions.

Any software, music, movie, video game that you ever wanted is out there right now for free. Some require you to make an effort to look for them, others are considerably easier. If I had it my way I'd get rid of:

MIRC
DC++
Soulseek
Kazaa
Winmx
Limewire
Oink
All torrent sites
and so much others...

Users for the most part don't feel much guilt for what they steal. It's mostly due to the fact that the punishments are not severe enough, nor real enough for them to actually stop. I'm not here to judge you for stealing things (like I said my hands aren't the cleanest either). The whole internet should just be eliminated. It's hurt our society so much more than it helps. I know it brings the world together but man does it ever separate us from the real world too. It's one hell of a paradox. Anyways it's 3am and I just wrote this because I had nothing better to write about. School's a bitch right now.

Later

The "N" word

2005-09-17T01:49:00.000-04:00

Black man1: Hey nigga
Black man 2: What's up my nigga

Yeah what am I thinking writing this entry eh? Well I'm from the hood as most of you know. That hood being Brooklyn, NY. I am surrounded by black people. I'm probably one of the only non-blacks on my block. Since I was young I've heard them call each other the N word in a multitude of ways. I grew up with them and in a way I "acted black" too. I have used the word nigga amongst them and they didn't find anything wrong with it. That's the problem though, some activists say hey it's a good thing that they turned something so negative into a positive. Did they really? my answer is no. By saying it they've accepted what others have labeled them as. It's not positive at all. From the day they're born their parents teach them about white people and how hard it is to be black. They grow up with a major chip on their shoulder and it doesn't get easier.

Never have I seen a race take something offensive that was used by their enemies as if it were a good thing. I know they removed the "er" from the end and added an "a" instead but those letters mean nothing compared to the self defeat of using the term to begin with. You don't see Jewish people going around saying "Hey check out my cool swastika tatoo" Can you imagine if they did? or Chinese people going around calling eachother "Chinks"

The problem is only getting worse because the excessive use of that word in our media (movies, music, television, and internet) takes us away from it's origin and it's becoming more and more accepted into our vocabulary. I'm not talking about just blacks either, i'm talking about everyone. Sure it's still a little taboo, but in less than 5 years it'll proabably be used without any guilt whatsoever. Rappers who become poplular among white populations such as Kanye West say the N word a lot in their music (see: "Crack Music"). This will only have an adverse effect for blacks and they've had a hard time for much too long. As much as some think it's a positive use, this will backfire.

A final thing to think about: This society is still fucked up. It was only 40 years ago that we had separate water fountains, restaurants, and everything else for whites and blacks. FORTY YEARS. Do you have any idea how short of a time that is? I mean fuck, we think we're all nice and good now and think all that racist stuff was a long time ago. Well it aint and it's still prominent today in different forms. Our society needs major reform yet no one gives a shit about their own countries anymore. I will use whatever powers I have, whether it be as a Psychologist, a Sociologist or film director to help progress our community. Open your minds.

OHHHHHHHHH NO'S!

2005-09-15T13:41:00.000-04:00

So this was a popup I received the other day and I found the wording to be funny. Now I know Bush is a pretty bad president but maybe people are taking it too far when they start blaming him for naturally occuring phenomena. I'm also getting word that the court case for Tsunami victims Vs. Kim Jong-il is fast appoaching and let us not forget the day when Hitler started those forest fires (Smokey the Bear was fucking pissed). Now that i'm writing all this saracastic stuff I'm kind of getting jealous. I mean, you really know you've made it when someone blames you for a natural distater. Hell I'd even take a hurricane named after me. I don't remember there being a "Hurricane Michael", because I certainly don't remember me yelling and bragging to everyone saying Hey Hey LOOK AT ME IM A HURRICANE!!, which I obviously would've have done at the time. Since it seems like they're at the letter O right now, I guess i'll have to wait till next year.

Reflections

2005-09-13T01:52:00.000-04:00

Memories would be forgotten without these pictures, I regretted taking at the time. Stored away in a shoebox, collecting dust and waterspots from a leaky ceiling. I brought them to my chest, closed my eyes, and wept for you. Not that you were under the ground, nor that I didn't see you anymore, I just miss the person you used to be when you were younger. Time has changed us all I guess, for there was only so long that the innocence could last. I just wish I could get back to enjoying that smell of freshly cut grass and to times when I breathed the world in fully, closing my eyes for more than just sleeping. The trumpets seem to get louder day by day, playing their melancholoy tune of defeat.
For here I am and all that I have become....

A monster.

2005-09-09T22:36:00.000-04:00

So last night at like 3 in the morning, I walk into my kitchen, looking at my stove and said "Hey those pots look awesome!" So I whipped out my camera and decided to snap some pictures. I even went on a step ladder to get the aerial view. I decided to take some more as well.

Lifes Greatest Mystery

2005-09-08T02:11:00.000-04:00

Mr. Turtle How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?

I never made it without biting, ask Mr. Owl.

Mr. Owl, how many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?

Let's find out. One, two, three.

Crunch

Three

How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?

Crunch

The world may never know.

I HATE...

2005-09-07T14:18:00.000-04:00

Apple Ipods and it's fucking mindless drone users who think ipods are the best player there is because they don't do any fucking research and just buy "whatever's popular" I see so many white earbuds on the train with people who think they're fucking hip, but really look like morons who can't think for themselves. I hate Apple fanboys who can't see past their beloved computers and ipods to see that they suck in comparison to others. I hate that Apple has the namesake and money to pay off Cnet and other review sites, and have the money and domination over tv networks to broadcast their idiotic commericals and advertisements so that no one else sees any other motherfucking player.

I HATE reality tv shows and the cancerous virus infected epidemic that it has become. FUCK AMERICAN IDOL, FUCK SURVIVOR, FUCK BIG BROTHER, FUCK THE BACHELOR. You call this shit entertaining?, well FUCK YOU TOO. This is the demise of television. It has become so bad that many quality sitcoms that would normally come on during this time are being turned down and substitute with pure and utter SHIT. You want a fucking survivor show? show one where PEOPLE ACTUALLY DIE., maybe then I'll have some interest in it. It's not real when every fucking person looks like a fucking model and everyone survives.

I HATE people who always talk in a condescending way, especially when reffering to music. Those morons who call you stupid and retarded because you like a band that they don't like. NEWSFLASH: THE WORLD DOESN'T REVOLVE AROUND YOU, FUCKER. I also hate those people who brag because they know all these indie bands and they claim to like indie music as if they're all the same thing. Indie=short for independent. This does NOT mean they all sound the same.

I HATE idiots who smoke their whole life and get cancer and file lawsuits against the tobacco industry as if it's their fault and their fault alone. Yeah smoking is a horrible addiction blah blah blah, and oh I had no control over it BLAH BLAH BLAH. Oh please, give me a fucking break, in this day and age where information is everywhere you turn you mean to tell me you don't know the risks of smoking? You think you'll be one of the lucky one's who won't get cancer or any other ailments? I'll be the one laughing at your naive ass when you die.

I HATE bloggers who don't deserve any bit of the attention they have and probably only get it because of who they know and/or married to. I also HATE the commenters on those blogs who will praise the ever living fuck out of whatever garbage that person posts. For example a random picture of say SHIT will get comments like "Wow, that's beautiful" , "That's the best picture I ever seen" "I could hang that on my wall" "AMAZING!" "Holy shit, I could cry, this thing is so good" These same undeserving bloggers could say "I have nothing to say" and will get 100 comments of people saying "You're so funny!" and all other comments that will severely damage any ass-kissing meter. This may come off as jealousy but I assure you it is not. I don't blog for anyone but myself and I think I do a damn good job of expressing my many talents. I guess people who post nothing are expressing themselves too.

to be continued...

Wilted Rose

2005-09-04T03:15:00.000-04:00

You told me you made that with your hands, right after I used mine to destroy it. You looked up at me, and I swear I could've died right then and there. My anger, my anger. "I didn't mean to", I said. Her eyes full of tears, she walked over to console me. I pushed her away. "WHY!..Why are you comforting me after what I just did" She wiped her tears, and said in a muffled voice "because I love you"

I fell to my knees and began crying uncontrollably. I wrapped my arms around her legs, pressing my face against her soft skin. "Please forgive me, please, it'll never happen again!" I yelled. "Shhhh, it's okay" was her reply. I continued asking her for forgiveness, I couldn't stop. I tried picking up the pieces, but there was just too many. I wept more.

She kneeled beside me, embracing me. I whispered "I'm so sorry baby" over and over. The rest of the night, we slept right there on the floor. It was beautifully perfect. I stood in the middle of this room, breathing heavily, remembering that night from a year ago so vividly. I was surrounded by broken glass and destruction, and I was frozen, staring at the door you just slammed on your way out.

The Realm of Desensitization

2005-09-02T11:34:00.000-04:00

In the weeks following 9/11 the media flooded our eyes and our minds with disturbing images from ground zero. I was at college at the time, and my idiot of a roomate called me over to his computer to show me something. He showed me the body of a person who had jumped off one of the towers. It looked like someone spilled tomato sauce all over the place. A few months ago a member of an online community I'm a part of, posted a picture of a US soldier who was beheaded. Last night, I watched a movie called "Blood and Bones", about a man who rapes his wife and other people in some of the most horrible sequences I've seen in a while.

So why am I telling you all this? Last night while coming home from school. The image of the beheaded soldier popped into my head. It just came out of nowhere and left me feeling very disgusted. These images that people seek out, and others like myself witness unknowingly, are having a major imapct on us. Sometimes I feel like it's a good thing that I am desensitized to graphic images, because somehow it'll prepare me for seeing the worst in real life. For the most part though, I think it's doing a lot more harm than good.

I've felt different over the past few years, like a part of me is missing. When you get to know me, I'm as warm and nice as other people, but I think I'm making it hard for people to get to know me. I truly believe this strong outershell that I seem to have built for myself is one result of being desensitized to the world around me. It leaves me feeling like an emotionless machine at times and I hate it.

So is there a way to prevent being desensitized? Unless you live in a vacuum, I'd have to say no. From movies, television, music and the internet (especially), we are constantly seeing images that will stay with us for a long time to come. Although we don't know how big of an impact the media is having on our future psyche, I fear it's for the worst. I have no solution or cure for this societal epidemic. All I can do is try to understand how it's affecting me day by day, and trying my best to avoid these images that our brains weren't designed to process.

Back 2 School

2005-08-29T19:30:00.000-04:00

Blah! I hate school so much. Tommorow I'll be starting my second year in Grad school. I always get super nervous before going. I wish my summer vacation lasted a month or two longer, although by then I'd say the same thing. I don't know how active I'll be with this blog when I start school, but nothing will change. I only have two classes so it's not really a big deal. I need to figure out what I want to write my master's thesis on this year, and I need to find a sponsor too. It's going to be a rough semester. Hopefully some classmates I'm looking forward to seeing will make it smoother than I think.

Two Courses:

Physiological Psychology

Emphasizes the basics of neuroscience and behavior. Topics covered include a general introduction, structure and function of the nervous system, neural communication, physiology and neuropharmacology, neuroendocrine systems, research methods, sensory and motor systems, hunger, thirst, reproductive behavior, emotions, learning and memory, cognition, and mental disorders.

Special Topics: Communication in Humans and Other Animals

Are we alone as a symbol using species? Do others use signals to refer to things in their environment? Can other animals learn to communicate using symbols? Does language set humans apart from the rest of the animal world? What is the relationship between language, communication and thought? Is there a continuity of communication and mental experience across species? How do we know? How can we know? This course will compare human and animal communication processes. We will examine studies involving communication between scientists and apes, dolphins, and birds, and will focus on the biological and philosophical implications of this controversial area of research.

It's basically 4 hours of classes per week and the rest of the time left to study and party or whatever. I really should get a job this year. Fortunately I have enough saved up to pay for this year and most likely next year as well. By then I'll have my degree and be looking for a job. A 23 year old with a master's degree, that aint so bad eh? I'm the youngest student in my program.

Yet another movie idea...

2005-08-29T02:35:00.000-04:00

Making it all up as I go along. I have a modern samurai tale with a female lead, but I'm trying to come up with a background story for it. I don't know if I should set the story in ancient times, or current day, and whether it should be Japanese or not. All of my imagery has been inspired by Feist's "When I was a young girl" which might be hard to believe. Listen to it if you can. READ IT!

Background story take 1

Setting: Edo, Japan Year 1750

There once was a man named Toshiro who belonged to the Aoi (blue) clan. He lived his life like the rest of the samurai, by guarding his master Lord Hasigawa's castle. He was an honorable man who spent his afternoons walking through the meadows alongside the village. The other men respected him and regarded him as one of the best fighters in the clan. His rank was high and he has been loyal throughout his tenure. Everyone expected him to be the next successor to Hasigawa.

Toshiro was sent on a mission to a neighboring town, in order to force the Niiro (red) clan to surrender themselves to the Aoi clan. Though the niiro clan was not as large in number as the aoi clan, they were a more peaceful group. They were challenged by the Aoi clan three months prior, and two of their samurai were defeated. Toshiro knew his master was rather bold and extremely rude to make such a gesture, but he went nonetheless.

He expected the clan to attack upon his arrival, but to his suprise they all sat on the floor and bowed as he entered the main hallway of the castle. Seated at the front was Lord Shimura, a name heard across the land for his generosity and for the person to the right of him, his daughter. She was beautiful. So much so that Toshiro became nervous while looking at her. He studdered while handing Shimura the scroll from Lord Hasigawa.

While staying at this castle, Toshiro was treated as a friend. He feasted with the people he was told to be his enemies. One night while looking up at the stars, Shimura's daughter came up behind him and said "How beautiful the stars look, reflected in your eyes" Toshiro was taken back by this statement. Kaoru may have looked as innocent as a kitten, but she was as fierce and direct as a tiger. This was the first of many nights they spent in eachother's company.

Toshiro and Kaoru had fallen in love during these two weeks together. The samurai who had been loyal to the Aoi clan was now having second thoughts about ever returning to them. He stayed with the niiro clan and was welcomed. Two months had passed, and during this time Toshiro and Kaoru got married.

One Autumn afternoon, three samurai from the Aoi clan came to the niiro castle and demanded to see Toshiro. He was aware of what he had done, and knew he had to face the consequences. He was ordered to commit Harakiri (ritual suicide). Before leaving, he was able to spend the night with Kaoru where she revealed that she was pregnant. Toshiro was hopeful, yet heartbroken by this news. "Keep it a secret" he said to her, to which she agreed. He went on to say "allow him to learn the code of a samurai, and teach him of my death by the Aoi clan when he is ready" He sworn never to speak another word after this. The next morning he commited harakiri without any resistance and the niiro clan was taken over by the aoi clan.

Kaoru and her future child escaped with her father and the highest ranking samurai. They all intended to follow the last words of the dying Toshiro and raise his child to avenge his death. What none of them expected, was that they gave birth to a daughter...

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Okay that took about 30 minutes to write. It seems interesting enough, and not too complicated. It's supposed to be a simple revenge story in the same fashion as Kill Bill (I even left the ending in sort of the same way as Vol. 1). I still want to set it in present day, but I don't know how well I could transfer that to our time. I basically want to set up a story that shows some girl raised from birth as an assasin who kicks major ass, and later on hears of her father's death and wants to seek revenge. I see so much cool stuff going into this and it gets me very excited. I still can't believe the whole idea was inspired by listening to folk, rock, alternative, and metal music though. A period film with modern music in it, how would that go over?

Including:

Modest Mouse- I came as a rat
Wintersleep- Orca
Feist- When I was a young girl
Linkin Park- Nobody's listening
Queens of the Stone Age- Long slow goodbye

Any feedback of any kind will be appreciated. Even ideas for music that would make for good fight scenes and action sequences

Japanese Cinema Pt. 1

2005-08-27T21:36:00.000-04:00

My interest in movies really gained momentum after watching Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. I knew nothing about the film when I bought it, except that it was highly reccomended and directed by a man who has influenced so many other people. Most of us have hopefully heard the name Akira Kurosawa before, but I don't know if you know the extent to which he has influenced the film industry. He himself was influenced by American westerns when making Seven Samurai and others, so it's a bit ironic to have Seven Samurai remade into a western called The Magnificent Seven. The same with two other of his films Yojimbo and Sanjuro which was the basis for Sergio Leone's Fistful of Dollars, and For a Few Dollars More.

Kurosawas' Hidden Fortress influenced George Lucas to make Star Wars and specifically the characters R2-D2 and C3P0. There is also a touching scene in Saving Private Ryan where a man is looking for his arm which was cut off, and picks it up. This is an exact replica of a scene from the masterpiece Ran.

So why am I mentioning any of this? It's because Kurosawa has had major influences on my life and my future. I have such a strong interest in making movies and I owe this all to watching Seven Samurai. From there, I continued to watch other Japanese films and learned how great they were in comparison to those of Hollywood. I find the Japanese style is less focused on action and more on the overall aesthethics of our enviornment. Most Japanese directors take advantage of their surroundings, filling the screen with the most beautiful and sometimes surreal images. Here are just a handful of images that I want to show you. Many of them are what I thought were memorable from each movie, and others are to portray Akira's influence.

Here is a shot from the movie Dreams, which is based on Akira's dreams. It's a beautiful shot of young Kurosawa in the middle of a field of flowers looking up at the rainbow appearing after the bountiful rain.

This is just to show the characters that were the model for those in Star Wars and a fistful of dollars.

Ran (1985)

What a visual treat this movie was. It is based on Shakespeare's King Lear and transferred over to Feudal Japan. I love this movie more and more with every view.

Floating Weeds (1959) Directed by Yasujiro Ozu

This is the only Japanese movie mentioned that wasn't directed by Kurosawa. This movie has helped me (with Ebert's commentary) to realize how important composition and cinematography is. These two shots stand out just because of that red umbrella. I love it so much and would hang either on my wall.

As the title says this is just the first part on Japanese films. I intend to write much more about it in the future and the specific things that are influencing me as I write my own scripts. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I hope that it at least motivates you to watch one of these classic films.

More from my city

2005-08-23T03:50:00.000-04:00

Not everything in my city is costly, which is a good thing if you know me (I'm rather thrifty) For just 2.00 (train fare) you could see some of the coolest places. It's an advennture to just take the train to some random station and get off not knowing what you may find there (although it might help to know the "bad" areas ahead of time). Anyways here are some pictures for you ADD people.

A shot of some ferries that take you from Manhattan to Staten Island. They're bright orange and are free! You get a great view of NYC's skyline and of the Statue of Liberty.

This is the famous bull by Wall Street. It represents the stock market (bull market). I remember hearing that they wanted to remove it for some stupid reason, but thankfully they haven't. This is a great landmark that I can remember vividly loving from the first moment I saw it as a kid.

This is another place I remember seeing when I was a kid. It's just a regular office building or something, but I always found it cool that the shades were all green. Some open, some closed, it makes for a sort of mosaic that changes throughout the day.

This is one of the last remains from the World Trade Center. It was in front of the towers and used to be a golden globe atop a water fountain. I remember sitting by the fountain when I was younger looking up at the tall towers surrounding me. It looks very different now of course, and is it just me, or does it look like a face?

For me this is one of those perfect pictures that represents the direction society has headed in. The stone walls behind these people are filled with thousands of names of soldiers who lost their lives in wars of past. You see a man and his wife bargaining with this guy over some fake Gucci bag. I was disgusted when taking this photo. I just couldn't believe the lack of respect that they all had. It just feels like you could tell the type of people those buyers were just from looking at them. Money over morals it seems.

For you and for me and the entire human race

2005-08-19T16:39:00.000-04:00

You know, the pocket edition to the Idiot's guide to oral sex is the most useful book I ever bought. There are so many incidences when I'm out and I come across an opportunity to have oral sex. Since I'm no expert in this area, I just whip out my handy dandy pocket guide, read up on the pointers and I'm on my way! The ladies don't mind me pausing in between because I'm a pretty fast reader and they know they'll benefit from my advancing lessons. When it's my turn to receive, I just give the book to her and wait patiently for a few minutes. Sharing, it's what life is about.

The Pianist

2005-08-17T02:37:00.000-04:00

The Pianist (2002)

The image above sums up the devastation and horror that is seen in The Pianist. The movie takes place in Warsaw, Poland during the Holocaust. It tells the story of Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Jewish piano player who must struggle to survive Germany's reign of terror. This film was haunting. I won't go into specifics, but it shares a lot with Schindler's list. I just can't imagine how hard it would be to live through that, it was simply horrific. The role of Szpilman was played flawlessly by Adrian Brody, who with just his eyes showed how much pain he and other Jews went through during that period. The film was directed by the great Roman Polanski, who was actually part of a concentration camp as a kid in Poland. This is a true story of survival based on the book written by Wladyslaw Szpilman himself.

All throughout the events of this movie, I was in disbelief at how badly one human could treat another. This was only sixty years ago, how much have we changed? This type of oppression is still going on today in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, among other places. If it's anything like the things I've seen in this film and Schindler's list to a greater extent, then we need to help them any way that we can. I encourage you to watch this film.

****

All I have to do is dream

2005-08-15T16:16:00.000-04:00

I had a nightmare last night, and I made sure to notice what position I was in when I woke up. As usual it was on my side. I've talked to a lot of people and they don't recall there being any correlation between the position they slept in and the amount of nightmares they had. Ever since I was a kid my mom would tell me she'd get bad dreams if she slept on her back. I thought I was like that too but it was my side for me.

Does this happen to any of you? Next time you have a nightmare try and recall the position you were when you woke up. I know your body moves in different positions throughout the night, but I still think it has something to do with the pressure we put on different parts of our brain. Being in the field of Psychology i'd love to do some research on this topic to find out if there really is some sort of pattern.

I've always been interested in dreams, and I believe it's one of the biggest mysteries that we as humans have yet to uncover. I've even started writing a screenplay relatind to our dreams and how they are actually us but in a different world, and everythng we see in them really happens one time or another. It's titled "Parallel Universe"

Freestylin

2005-08-11T03:54:00.000-04:00

Line by line these lyrical rhymes will show the hysterical times within my mind. I play truth or dare like there's to nothing fear, but when I look in the mirror I see nothing is there. I think It's time to take a mental vacation, to keep me from thinking about this dire siuation. I wanna be without sensation, I'm going numb and there's no hesitation. My pen bleeds what my veins cannot, once again my heart just needs the pain to stop

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From the place that brought rap to this world, I'll take you back to my roots, and take your mnd for a twirl. I am... 6 foot 4, hard to the core, when you think im done, I'll give you some more. From when I was a kid I was raised by the street, all it did was make me crave for the heat, One day it'll lead me to my grave to sleep. They tried to take me out the hood without a fee, but they just couldn't take the hood outta me. I've been Intimidating my foes with this devastating prose, and I just wanted to show you how my story goes.
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I got talents that could stretch for miles. They're all balanced, just check the files. I bring clarity with this creative filled blog, It's a big disparity compared to the rest of that smog. Look through my archive and see all the skills, its much better than the others, deprived of thrills. I'm calling out every blogger to challenge this rhyme, you thought things were good? well now aint the time. I want all my readers to show me their flow, I know you're skills are lacking, but I just have to know. Maybe you should surrender yourself and don't even try, we know mindbenders like this will only make you cry

2005-08-09T16:43:00.000-04:00

The Destruction

Eight months ago, on a Sunday afternoon I heard people screaming inside my apartment building. I didn't know what was going on, but I looked outside my livingroom window and saw a blinding
orange light and crackling sounds from the flames that were now escalating my building, an image that still haunts me today. I went out into the hallway to see it clouded with smoke, I heard somone yelling "There's a fire, we have to get out!!" I ran back inside took my most treasured items (one of which was my childhood teddy bear) and evacutated the building.

In all the frantic, no one even called 911. I ended up making the call and 4 fire trucks arrived promptly. We all stood outside the building looking up as our buldiing was scaled by firefighters. Everyone's faces were filled with panic. About 40 minutes went by, and the firemen were starting to come out of the bulding.

We all went back into the building, and it was completely dark, with a strong suffocating smoke filling our lungs. I went up the stairs, all the way to my floor, and went inside my place. I walked out just to make sure it was actually my apartment I was stepping into. My bathroom was wrecked, there was a huge gaping hole stretching from the walls up to the ceiling. I walked down my hallway to see huge holes in my wall and debris everywhere. The same went for my kitchen.

My mom and I went to visit our neighbors to see how much damage was done to their place. First apartment, no damage. Second apartment, no damage. I was really hoping at this point that someone got it worse than us. We went to the floor below us, and I saw their wall had holes in it too. It might be wrong, but I was glad we weren't the only ones, although our damages turned out to be the most extensive.

The Beginning

So how did this fire start? Let me rewind a few months back. In Septemer 2004 the owner of the building just couldn't keep up with his debts and decided to sell the building to some Jewish people. I am not racist or stereotypical in any way, but forgive me if I come off as that in this entry. As soon as everyone heard Jewish people were taking over, everyone in my building was upset and angry.

There's always been a quiet rumor about Jewish people who take over buildings. It's been said that they've burned down buildings to collect insurance money, and to eventually get everyone out. They also find any excuse possible to evict you so they can move their own families and fellow jewish people into the building. This has been happening for as long as I lived in this neighborhood. I was definitely afraid. I was paranoid that they'd evict us and we'd have no where to live. I lived in this building all my life (22 years) and there's no way i'd want to leave it. I love living here so much.

The building had a laundromat ajoined to it, which the Jewish owners also bought. They decided the washing machines and dryers in there were not good, so they decided to buy new ones. They fixed up the place real nice, and everything was going smoothly.

As it turned out, the fires initially started inside the laundromat when one of the dryers got overheated (or something like that). Because my apartment was on the same side of the laundromat, the fire ran all the way up the gas pipes and did their worst inside the walls of my apartment.

Rebirth

After the fire, there was a sense of "connectedness" amongst the neighbors of our building. The same kind of feeling I got around my city during 9/11. For three months they worked on this building, fixing each apartment simultaneously. The owners used the insurance money they got to try and make this crummy apartment look like a palace. In my opinion they went overboard with the gold ceilings, but it is better than it was before.

I don't really know why I decided to write about all this today, but I just thought i'd like to share it with you guys. Ever since that night after the fire, I couldn't sleep. I mean, how could I? The building could burn down while we were all asleep.

I felt like I was some sort of guardian watching over the building as everyone slept. Till today I stay up really late (like 5 am), but I'm not sure if it's because of the fire, or because I'm just you're run of the mll insomniac.

In all my years of living here there was never a fire. Then the building took new ownership with a group that were known to start fires, and there was one. Although this sounds like too much just to be a coincidence, but in all reality it probably just is. Though I can't tell the future of this building and how long I'll live here, I do know i'll be able to withstand tough situations.

I want to see you fly again

2005-08-09T15:27:00.000-04:00

Four years ago today, we met. You were flyin high then, but now your wings have been clipped. I kept you close, because I never wanted to let you go. We've been climing this mountain forever, struggling to get to the top. My heart narrowed at times but there was always a place for you in it. As much as I wanted to write something happy for you to read here, Instead it seems like I'm writing about our struggles. It hasn't been a fairytale thus far, but I do believe the best is yet to come. When I reach the top of the mountain, to see the vast beauty of this world, will you promise to be by my side?

I love you

And the anchorperson on TV goes... La de da de da de-dadedade-da

2005-08-07T04:34:00.000-04:00

All photos taken by me, with some post processing done to some. They're all from all around my hometown of nyc.
Song of the moment: Sixteen Military Wives by The Decemberists

Happiness is a Warm Gun

2005-08-06T03:02:00.000-04:00

I'm obsessed with an idea for a movie. I love the feeling, yet I hate it too. It consumes me. It puts me in a brainstorming frenzy and I feel like I can't stop till I have something good written out. This movie is definitely different from any other thing I've thought of and probably won't appeal to most of you. I'll be making up most of this as I go along, just as a brainstorm exercise.

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The movie is filmed in a deep rich black and white:

There is a man who lives alone., He is secluded from society, and from his past. An outcast of sorts. He is losing his mind, his heart filled with hatred and loneliness. He only had one "friend"
He spends his time watching westerns. He gets fascinated with the good guy/bad guy . He has nightmares of using a gun to kill people. He's walked by the gun store many times before finally deciding to go in. He paces back and forth by the counter.The sun shines into the store window and reflects off the gun that would be his destiny.

I give you "Chrome"

The gun became him. It made him confident. It made him feel more powerful for the first time in his life. The chrome surface of the gun fascinated him the most and he made sure it was spotless. He'd often point it in the air, pretending to shoot invisble enemies. It became an extension of his hand. He slept with it.

He never intended on using it though, till that night when he was forced to. He enjoyed it. He wanted more opportunities. His only "friend" just happened to know some guys who knew other people, if you catch my drift. He killed without conscience, and did it with fucking style.

Soundtrack will include:

A Boy and his Machine gun - MGB
Orca - Wintersleep
When I was a young girl - Feist (I picture this so vividly during a stealthy attack scene; might be saved for a different movie).
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I won't go any further, most of what I have in my head are action sequences dealing with the gun, and just how good the shiney chrome would look against that black and white. Like I said I made up everything I wrote as I went along, but this should help me put a good story together. A lot of it can be cliche. I want some of to have a noire style, while other parts will feel like a cross between a Tarrantino flick and Scorcese's Taxi Driver. I haven't made a movie yet, but I have this confidence that I can make one. It feels good. Hopefully by writing some of this stuff out, I can stop thinking about it.

I think Pedophiles should get with Innocent looking midgets

2005-08-05T13:42:00.000-04:00

That's right! . So it's not the most politically correct thing to say, fuck em! My theory will pretty much kill two birds with one stone. Let me break it down for you:

Pedophiles: They're attracted to little fragile innocent people, usually (always) in the form of children. They're most likely not attracted to the age of the person, but the fact that they are bigger and stronger and have more control over them. Pedophiles are the lowest of the lowest among our societies' ranking, but my theory may raise them a few notches..

Midgets: or little people, or dwarfs, whatever the fuck you want to call these social rejects; they have it tough. I mean fuck, I asked my friend the other night if she would have sex with a little dude, and she was like she couldn't because she'd just start laughing her ass off. With his little short arms trying to grapple you, I can see her point. They want to get laid just as much as everyone else though, but it just aint easy for them.

Midgets pretty much look like children. Which can be very advantageous for them. Not only an they get into the movies at half price, they can shop for clothing at youngworld and Gap kids. The only thing they're missing is a good healthy relationship.

Theory: This aint rocket science people. You put one and one together and you just fixed two major problems in our world. Pedophiles aren't targetting our children anymore, and the little people of our world are having more sex than they ever dreamed of. This is better than the Save the Children Foundation.

There should be an organization set up immediately to get this thing in motion. Something along the lines of "Little People Beds for Peds" or LPBP. This is nobel prize worthy shit people, spread the word on your blogs today!

And if your a little person who also happens to be a ped, you're fucking screwed!

This just in...

2005-08-04T18:08:00.000-04:00

Speaking of Matt Good. Details have been released for his upcoming album. It's better than even I could even imagine. Big City Life is going to be on the album, and a video for While We Were Hunting Rabbits!

Here are the track lists of both releases:

Disc One (regular versions):

"Oh Be Joyful"

"Big City Life"

"Alert Status Red"

"Weapon"

"In AWorld Called Catastrophe"

"Hello Time Bomb"

"Load Me Up"

"Strange Days"

"The Future Is X-Rated"

"Everything Is Automatic"

"Rico"

"Apparitions"

"Indestructible"

"Symbolistic White Walls"

"Haven't Slept In Years"

"Alabama Motel Room"

Pony Boy"

Disc Two (acoustic versions plus lo fi b-sides and loser anthems):

"Truffle Pigs"

"Tripoli"

"Generation X-Wing"

"Apparitions"

"North American For Life"

"Advertising On Police Cars"

"Hello Time Bomb"

"Strange Days"

"Prime Time Deliverance"

"Flashdance II"

"Man From Harold Wood"

"My Life As A Circus Clown"

"Intermezzo: M.Good v M.Trolley"

"Flight Recorder From Viking 7"

"Life Beyond The Minimum Safe Distance"

"The Fine Art Of Falling Apart"

"Born To Kill"

"Enjoy The Silence"

"Fated"

DVD: Music Videos

"Alabama Motel Room"

"White Walls"

"Everything Is Automatic"

"Indestructible"

"Apparitions"

"Rico"

"Hello Time Bomb"

"Load Me Up"

"Strange Days"

"The Future Is X-Rated"

"Carmelina"

"Anti-Pop"

"Weapon"

"In A World Called Catastrophe"

"Alert Status Red"

"It's Been A While Since I Was Your Man"

"While We Were Hunting Rabbits"

Via Chartattack

Commonly misheard Matthew Good lyrics

2005-08-04T11:37:00.000-04:00

I've been a part of a few MG(B) online commmunities and from time to time we'd come up with lyrics that we heard that were either completely wrong, or just badly misinterpreted. Here are some of the ones I can remember. I've provided you with the exact time at which you hear it, so try and listen to these songs with these lyrics in mind and tell me if you hear them. Tell me if there are any lyrics that you misheard.

1.)
Song: Suburbia, Beautiful Midnight, at 1:15
Misheard: Baby if I was into men, you would be mine
Correct: Baby if I was in demand, you would be mine

2.)
Song: Avalanche, Avalache, at 2:52
Misheard: Taco bell shoes (C'mon tell me you don't heard that!)
Correct: Can't tackle, can't shoot

3.)
Song: Deep Six, Underdogs, at :22
Misheard: Deep six come to bed
Correct: Deep six come to bare

4.)
Song: She's Got a New Disguise, Last of the Ghetto Astronauts
Misheard: She's got a nudist guy
Correct: She's got a new disguise.

5.)
Song: Carmelina, Audio of Being, at 1:54
Misheard: Well it hides my clean cells
Correct: Well it hides my clean selves

6.)
Song: Hello Time Bomb, Beautiful Midnight
Misheard: Dirty enough like hot meatloaf (hahaha, my all time fav.)
Correct: Dirty enough I got me a love

7.)
Song: Tripoli, Audio of Being
Misheard: Where is my handgun? (especially at the end when the kids are saying it)
Correct: Where has my head gone?

8.)
Song: Suburbia, Beautiful Midnight,
Misheard: Who's coming with me? (like the line from Jerry Macguire)
Correct: Hells coming with me

Finally my friend Kate once told me that she went to a concert with her brother. Her brother didn't know anything about Matt Good or his music but was aware that his latest was titled "Avalanche". While MG was performing "Appartions" her brother thought he was singing appalachians, assuming there was some sort of mountain theme. Appalachianssssss

Go Inside My Mind, Finally

2005-08-03T03:25:00.000-04:00

Hey fellow bloggers. So how is everyone doing today? I'm just great myself, and guess what? I got myself a new blog. No no, this isn't the end of New York Minutes, the new blog, aptly titled Big City Life, will be reserved for in depth movie reviews and essays that I rather not bore the general public with. There will be a link to it on the sidebar, right by the one for my profile

On it, I've finally written an "About me" post. It's my first time writing one of those, and it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. It's not the most in-depth portrayal of myself, but you get a few hints here and there. Anyways check it out please, and do look in on the site from time to time. I must say it looks much better than this one. If you have any suggestions feel free to say them.

Big City Life

The One Night Stander

2005-08-01T04:46:00.000-04:00

This was all written in one sitting at 5 in the morning. It's a lot to read, and I don't know if anyone will actually read it, but if you do I hope you enjoy. It's fiction by the way.

I followed her scent up and down the streets of New York. I was close to her and knew it. I felt like fucking Toucan Sam. I followed my nose and it led me to a perfume store. Wonderful. Since I was here I decided to go in. I walked around the shop, surrounded by countless bottles that probably all smelled the same. They all read Eau de Toilet. It's been a while since I took french classes, but I do believe that translates to "toilet water" I guess the stereotypes about Parisian girls was correct.

The girl around the register sensed my confusion and walked up to me. "Hello, are you looking for anything in particular?" I don't know why but I blurted out "I'm looking for a girl." Thinking I was reffering to her, she loosened up her tense shoulders, smiled and said "Oh?" I smiled back at her and replied "yes, if you see her please call me at this number" handing her my business card in return.

I started out looking for the girl that won my heart in one night, and ended up getting with another. I hated it. A new girl every night; it was like drugs for me. God, I can't even remember her name. That night has been haunting me in my dreams for months now. I picture her smile, her beautiful eyes, even the dress she wore. If I don't find her soon, i'll go crazy.

That night was magical. It was different from any other night that I've ever spent with a girl. We strolled around Manhattan for hours talking about everything under the sun. Her smile was brighter than the streetlights we walked under. She made me feel different, I couldn't really explain it. She made me nervous. My usual confidence was absent, and I felt like a schoolboy with a crush. It was wonderful.

It was around midnight when she looked at her watch and told me she had to go. I tried persuading her to stay with me, but she told me she didn't know me well enough yet for that. Her innocence shined, and I stopped my pursuance. I told her how great it was to spend this night with her, and she replied while walking away "Me too, We'll have to do this again!" It wasn't until hours later that I realized I didn't have her number.

I've been looking for her ever since. I imagine in this city, it must be harder than finding a needle in a haystack. I just couldn't quit. That night she wrapped her hands around my eyes and asked me to make a wish. I told her "I wish for a thousand more wishes." I was at 999 now and I just wish I could see her again.

Something's been missing

2005-07-30T05:10:00.000-04:00

If there's one thing I love being, it's artistic. I used to paint a lot in the past, but.I haven't done anything in a long time and I'm kind of feeling that void right now. I think I might go out tommorow and purchase some canvases to paint on. I don't paint very well or anything, but it's really enjoyable for me and a very good stress reliever.

You can express your artistic ways with a canvas as I did in this impressionistic work seen here

Or with a camera as I did with this arrangement of dry rose petals

You can even show it with a 5 minute drawing in Microsoft paint like this one I just whipped up

If you're really lazy and want instant gratification you can make fun images using this online version of Lite Brite

So whether it's with a paint brush, a lens and shutter, your mouse, or any other way, go do something creative. I guarantee you'll much better for it. I know I will.

2005-07-29T15:42:00.000-04:00

Random rambling of the week:

So I just checked my inbox and I got an email from the White Stripes announcing new tour dates. For the last few months they've been starting these emails by saying "Hello children" I thought it was all cute and funny at first, but now it's getting to me. How dare they categorize me into such a population! I didn't open up your email to receive a condescending greeting. To compensate for my now inferior mentality, I've decided to say hi to everyone by saying "Hello children" This way they can all know how much better and more mature I am than them. It probably wouldn't work on a group of children though. I'd have to call them something opposite, like "Hello adults" Yeah that might work, because children hate growing up.

While on the topic of the White Stripes, I know the perfect role for Jack White to play. I recently saw A Clockwork Orange again, and if you haven't seen it, go now. It's a twisted, somewhat disturbing movie, yet it's so very entertaining. It's done by Stanley Kubrick (The Shining, Eyes Wide Shut, Full Metal Jacket..) so that pretty much explains it. Anyways back on topic, I heard rumors that they were going to remake this movie. As much as I'd hate for them to do it, I'd love to see Jack White playing Alex's character (played by Malcolm McDowell) in the movie. He'd be perfect at it. He looks the part and sounds like him too.

Alex and Jack White

Photo of the Week:

I've been showing off so much of Washington D.C. that I almost forgot where I actually live! So here's a nice skyline photo I took while riding the Staten Island Ferry.

Lyrics that stuck with me this week:

Throughout the week I heard a lot of music. Some of the lyrics in these songs stuck in my head, and others I could just relate to. They're worth listening to.

Helping the kids out of their coats
But wait the babies haven't been born
Unpacking the bags and setting up
And planting lilacs and buttercups

But in the meantime I've got it hard
Second floor living without a yard
It may be years until the day
My dreams will match up with my pay

Old dirt road Knee deep snow
Watching the fire as we grow old

I got a man to stick it out
And make a home from a rented house
And we'll collect the moments one by one
I guess that's how the future's done

-"mushaboom" by Feist

I am waiting 'til I don't know when,
'cause I'm sure it's gonna happen then.
Time keeps creeping through the neighborhood,
killing old folks, waking up babies just like we knew it would.

All the neighbors are starting up a fire,
burning all the old folks, the witches, and the liars.
My eyes are covered by the hands of my unborn kids,
but my heart keeps watching through the skin of my eyelids.

-"Neighborhood #3 (Kettles)" by The Arcade Fire

Do You Realize - that you have the most beautiful face
Do You Realize - we're floating in space -
Do You Realize - that happiness makes you cry
Do You Realize - that everyone you know someday will die

And instead of saying all of your goodbyes - let them know
You realize that life goes fast
It's hard to make the good things last
You realize the sun doesn't go down
It's just an illusion caused by the world spinning round

- "Do You Realize" by The Flaming Lips

The Moving Picture Pt. 1

2005-07-28T03:48:00.000-04:00

So as some of you mght have noticed, I like movies. In fact, I'm as obsessed with movies as Danielly might be with shoes. I love reading, watching, and studying them. Kate (active commenter and soon to be blogger) has had the pleasure of watching movies with me, and i'm sure she has mixed feelings about it. I think watching a movie with me can sometimes be like watching a movie with the audio commentary option on your dvd's. I have the habit of pointing out great angles and cinematography and pointing out the symbolism and forshadowing that would otherwise go unnoticed.

As this year started Kate and I wondered how many movies I saw in 2004. She thought it'd be cool if I kept a list of all the movies I watched for this year. She almost challenged me to watch one everyday, and to be honest I tried to. On my sidebar you will notice an ever growing list of the movies I have seen thus far. It gets updated every so often. I've also rated the movies on a star rating system, ranging from 0 to **** It's the same that Ebert and I just thought i'd adapt it.

I not only enjoy watching movies, I enjoy thinking of ideas for them. Since I was a kid I dreamt of doing something related to movies (after the whole "I wanna be a doctor/lawyer/baseball player" phase). I definitely feel a creative spark when dealing with this medium. It feels really natural for me. Looking for a career in the film industry has always been put on the back burner while I finish myy education. I'm currently in Grad school and i'll hopefully get my masters in less than a year (not to bad for a 22 yr old!). Anyway, after i'm done with that, maybe i'll be able to take some film classes at NYU (I better start applying for loans now!).

In the second part (if there is one) i'll add some movie ideas that have been in my head over the past few years.

2005-07-26T21:15:00.000-04:00

With just your name, you brought a spark to my heart.
Yet it was just a game, which you perfected like an art.
There were growing suspicions the more we talked
So opposite positions were how we both walked
You came back again after all this time
Was it to be my friend? or to really be mine?
Things have changed, yet we remained the same
Now we're estranged, and I don't know who to blame.

Peektures

2005-07-26T16:04:00.000-04:00

Untitled (just like my life)

2005-07-25T17:32:00.000-04:00

If you've read some of my past blog entries, then you know I like to write stories. Most of them are made up as I go along. They're just ideas really that i'll use to build upon. Here's one I'm going to develop further: As always it's unedited and a work in progress. It's really short, because I got tired of writing/thinking. I'll definitely add more soon.

Act I

Scene 1

I was lying in bed, pretending not to wait up for her. She usually came home around 2, but I guess she was working the late shift tonight .I heard the door slam downstairs and I knew she was home. As she walked around the house, her heels made the same sound I heard as they walked up and down the desolate streets. She opened the door, sneaking around so as not to wake me. My eyes were closed, pretending as usual to be sleeping. Normally I wouldn’t wake up, but tonight I wanted her real bad. She kissed my cheek, and I blinked my eyes as if I came out of a deep slumber.

I kissed her lips softly and quietly asked how her night went. She said the same thing she always did, “It was busy”. I kissed her again, as my hands moved slowly down her back. It felt good to touch her soft skin. I slid my tongue against the side of her neck and shoulder, a clear signal of my desire for her. She returned it by lowering her body against the bed. I lifted her hand against my cheek, kissing it ever so slightly. I opened her palm and pressed my face against it. The scent of money still lingered on her hand. It was the smell of fresh bills. I knew she’d been real busy tonight.

2005-07-22T21:27:00.000-04:00

Went to the Bronx Zoo on Wednesday (mostly because it's free that day and i'm incredibly cheap): Here's a few big sized pictures (dial-up users beware!).

Here's a nice shot of the Bronx River

This monkey was contemplating what he could trade for this nice leaf (or maybe he was thinking something else, let me know what you think!)

This Tapir and that little bird were striking up some rich conversations, mostly about their preffered glass of wine and such. Bunch of snobs if you ask me.

It was wonderful being so close to these gorillas. Here you can see the mom telling her kid the proper fist technique for pounding on your chest.

Here's a beautiful tiger trying her hardest to blend in with her environment. Not with those stripes!

Now for the close-ups! These animals loved modelling for me:

All in all, I had a great time at the zoo. I haven't been there in years and it really brought back some nice memories. I felt like a kid again that day, and that's always fun.

It's Hot!

2005-07-21T13:23:00.000-04:00

It's getting too hot to blog lately, or maybe i'm just getting more lazy. I went to the zoo yesterday so now I have even more pictures to show you guys! This might as well be labeled a photoblog now. Anyways here's some more from the District of Columbia:

The Washington National Gallery of Art consists of two huge buildings that contain masterpieces from every generation. It was great walking from the classic french impressionists like Monet and Van Goh, to greek and religous scultpures and eventually concluding with great modern works, from the likes of Picasso and Pollock.

Back home

2005-07-19T21:07:00.000-04:00

I had a really great time in D.C. I needed a little getaway from this city and this was perfect. Washington D.C. is a beautiful city filled with some really great places, cool architechture and incredible museums, which is my thing (i'm a dork, I know). They have like twenty museums all in the same area and the best part is they're all free! (thanks Smithsonian Institution!). I've been going there for about 15 years now, and I always look for new places to go and new things to see. It's such a big difference from nyc. One of the most noticable of these is how clean the city is, the train stations aren't all dirty and hot like those in nyc. It might be dirty, but when I saw the lights of new york on the drive back home, my love affair with this city was reaffirmed. I am glad to be back home.

Hey, how about some pictures!

One of my favorite places here is Union Station. it's a train station but it's so much more. It has a great shopping mall and lots of nice restaurants, a good movie theatre, and gold ceilings!

It's always nice taking a stroll around the beautiful gardens of the Smithsonian Castle. It's filled with cool flower arrangements, chirping birds, and the relaxing sound of water fountains all around you.

That's it for now, i'll add some more pics from my trip in the next few days.

Going to D.C.

2005-07-15T02:32:00.000-04:00

I'll be heading to Washington D.C. for a few days. It's sort of my home away from home, that I go to every summer. If I see the president i'll make sure I say hello for you (with my fists ). I'll be back with nice pictures and such.

Photo of the Week:

Photo by Michael Peartree (me)

I took this photo in DC last year, so I thought it deserves to be my photo of the week. It's of this cool water fountain in front of Union Station (it's of Christopher Columbus). I changed the saturation a little for this picture and I really love how it came out. This is a scan, since I can't seem to find the original.

Albums in Rotation

Wilco - Summerteeth

Bloc Party - Silent Alarm

The Decemberists - Picaresque

Modest Mouse - The Moon and Antartica

Feist - Let it Die

Movies of the week:

8 1/2 (1963)

Oh man, how do I explain this movie. Iit's directed by the very great italian director Federico Fellini. If you've seen any of his other movies (La Dolce Vita, La Strada, etc...) you can see he has a great visual style. This film is an exceptional example of this and is probably one of the most visually intense movies there is. It's about a film director (played by Marcello Mastroianni) whose creativity has run dry and the turmoils and pressure he has with everyone around him, including his wife, his mistress, his producers, and especially himself. The film can be looked at in a very psychoanalytical way. We see so many surreal images of his dreams and just the things that he sees when awake. It's sometimes hard to tell when things are real and when they are just fantasy.

It's all very hard to grasp, and I couldn't even watch it all in one sittting. There is sort of a mystery behind the movie title "8 1/2" Some say it's because he did 7 movies before, and this movie is about making a movie, and that movie that's being made is 8 1/2. It's deep stuff, and needs multiple viewings to appreciate it. Great acting, music, photography and of course story, It's a must see.

***1/2

Rhapsody in August (1991)

This is one of the last films made by my all time favorite director, Akira Kurosawa. This film doesn't have a huge plot or anything, it's a very simple film with a very simple message. Like many other of his films (Ran, Dreams, Madadayo, etc...), Kurosawa shows the devastating effects of war. He's faced the bombings by America first hand and was deeply scarred by it. Rhapsody in August is the story of a Nagasaki survivor who is getting the opportunity to spend the summer with her grandchildren. These children are very westernized and just don't seem to understand their old fashioned grandmother. After visiting the site where their grandfather was killed by the atomic blast, they begin to realize how deeply this has effected their grandmother and how hard she had to live.

This movie was so powerful. It has an eerie silence to it, that makes my heart sink. I found myself wanting to cry during many of the scenes. Even some scenes that weren't neccesarily sad still made me reflect on the struggles that the Japanese had to go through. The actress Sachiko Murase's acting as the grandmother is what made this film a gem. This was her last film, and I truly appreciate the work she has done.

This was my second time watching it, and it was just as good as the first viewing. It has such beautiful imagery throughout the piece. Akira Kurosawa never lost a step throughout his career and his films should be watched by all. Although this movie has a slow pace, it's certain worth a viewing.

***

2005-07-13T19:54:00.000-04:00

I used to skip this song a lot. It was one of my least favorites from his collection, It started playing, and I decided to listen to it. To really listen and picture everything that he said. I pressed repeat. It was worth another listen. It's like something clicked and I finally got it. If I ever get the chance to be in film school, i'd love for this to be my first script:

I made a movie about the end of the world
It was 12 seconds long and it didn’t have a plot
It just happens

And that’s why it’s in black and white
The characters don’t talk or move around
They just stare up at the sky, frozen
And the light, the light is numb, the light is off
The light is just a thumb nail sketch of God...

Somewhere, someone is crying
The camera sweeps over a desolate street
Holding a mother and her child
The kid is calm and she is shaking
The camera passes into the sun
Come at last to be undone
Panicking, she tries to run
The kid is calm

And then the credits roll
And every name is my name

-Matthew Good Band

Much more than a number

2005-07-11T13:05:00.000-04:00

The other day I read a letter that was sent to me a few years ago from one of my former neighbors. She was an elderly women who took care of me while my mom was at work. While reading this letter I was amazed at how "young" she sounded. She'd make a joke and then say "*laugh, ha-ha*" If I didn't know the writer, I would have assumed she was a teenager. A few years ago I was playing poker online. I was in a room full of people that all seemed to know each other. They were laughing and joking as if they were my age, but it turned out they were all in their 70's and 80's. I couldn't understand why they weren't "acting their age."

Those two little antectodes are just some of the many examples of the overall misconception of the elderly. Media, for the most part, has shown aged individuals in a bad lighting. Ageism is a problem in society. It's not as salient as racism, or sexism, but it's there nonetheless. In other countries and cultures the elderly are held with in the highest regards. In many African tribes for instance, the oldest member is usually elected leader and believed to be the wisest of the group.

Our culture has lost that grand respect for the elderly. They're made fun of, being called senile and weak. When they get to a certain age they're placed in nursing homes and left in the hands of health professionals. They might be old but they are still full of life, and vital to our society. The next time you see an elderly person, whether it's a family member or a stranger, try to put yourself in their shoes and understand how hard it is for them to live in our current society. Change is needed.

Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ageism
http://www.apa.org/pi/aging/ageism.html

Before I die..

2005-07-09T21:28:00.000-04:00

...there are many things I want to accomplish. Of all those things, there's one that's staring me right in my face.

One side complete, it looks so easy now

..but then you realize this fucker is alive

It's staring me down, challenging me, calling me names. It'll do anything to get me to pick it up...

One wrong move and you're screwed. It whispers this in my ear, fueling my anger and my determination. It will lose one day.

Oh Rubik how cruel you were to release this most devilish of puzzles upon mankind.

There are many things I want to do in life, and solving the rubiks cube is one. You probably think i'm insane by now but, Hey look it's in the air!

I really do need to get out more...

I'll be a tidal wave when I grow up...

2005-07-08T03:03:00.000-04:00

Michael's photo of the week:

Photo by Michael Peartree (me)

Michael's soundtrack of the week:

Wintersleep- Orca
Modest Mouse- I Came as a Rat
Jet- Get What you need
Limblifter- Vicious
The New Pornagraphers- The Laws Have Changed
The Doors- Soul Kitchen
Manic Street Preachers- PCP
White Stripes- Offend in Every Way
Queens of the Stone Age- Long Slow Goodbye
Sufjan Stevens- All Good Naysayers, Speak Up! Or Forever Hold Your Peace!

Michael's movie of the week:

The Brain that wouldn't die (1962)

I've seen a lot of interesting and cheesy movies this week and this would probably top the list. It's a movie that's bad in a good way. For it's time it was much gorier than most movies and has a sort of cult following. It depicts a story of a doctor who has gone mad with his ideas for a new kind of science where patients can be patched up with new and old parts and be brought back from the dead and have a prolonged life. When his girlfriend is caught in a fire, he only manages to save her head and promises her a new body. He puts her head on this table and connects all these these crazy tubes. He injects his special "serum" and whaddayaknow, she's alive again!. He really is quite insane and isn't even that shy about this fact. It's not scary or anything, just weird and amusing to watch. Of course everything isn't as planned for the mad scientist and he gets to see the adverse outcomes of the brain that wouldn't die!! Dun Dun Dunnn...Super cheesy indeed.

**

War of the Worlds

2005-07-07T17:39:00.000-04:00

*possible spoilers*

I don't know what to say about this movie. It had a lot of great moments, but was an overall disappointment. It felt like a combination of different alien movies including Independence Day and Signs. The story as told through the perspective of Ray (Tom Cruise) and his children was a very good way of showing the invasion. The first hour provides the audience with a great haunting sensation as we are given front row seats to the mass destruction that these aliens can do.

Spielberg has shown he can create scary films that makes the audience feel uneasy (see: Jaws and Jurassic Park), and this movie was no different. One of the creepiest sequences is when Ray and his daughter (Dakota Fanning) are in the basement and the alien enters searching for humans to destroy.The second half of the movie feels so rushed and just isn't interesting to watch. Tom Cruise did a pretty good job playing a bad father in desperate need of redemption. Dakota Fanning was fun to watch at first with her intellect and sophisticated dialogue, but after a while her screaming and whining became rather annoying.

The end, Dear God the end was the worst. If it's showed me anything, it's that Spielberg is a slave to Hollywood and their "happy endings." Overall the depiction of the aliens were spot on with the original drawings, but the script itself lacked depth and the glue needed to bind the whole thing together. They had good material to work with, but it seems like they just gave up on it half way though the movie. Good atmosphere, good score, bad movie.

**1/2

The Dream is Dead

2005-07-06T17:21:00.000-04:00

So I woke up this morning at 6:40 a.m. because I was totally excited to see if New York got the olmypic bid for 2012. I turned on the tv and the first thing I hear is "New York City has been eliminated" I was super pissed (mostly because I woke up so damn early for that shit). Anyways the olympics will be held in London for 2012. It's really a shame. I blame Sheldon Silver for rejecting the olympic stadium plans 20 or so days before the final announcement. New York really had to scramble to gain back ground, but it was too late. Life goes on, I just would've loved to have my city be the focus of the world (as if it wasn't already).

As Seen On TV

2005-07-06T02:14:00.000-04:00

Ch. 1

It happened a few days after the changes took place. The year was 2009, but none of that really matters now. I never knew how vital that medium was until people lost their lives over it. There were warnings telling everyone to adapt to the changes, but no one paid any attention. The citizens wanted a reason to revolt and now they had it. It was a rough time for most Americans, since the great depression of 2007. The disparity between the rich and the poor was greater than ever, with so many of us falling into the lowest brackets. 2009 was a hopeful year for us all. We had a new president who we put our faith in to bring us out of the depression and reunite us with the rest of the world.

I remember the day it happened. I was lying in bed watching Jeopardy on television. All of a sudden an emergency broadcast was shown. This was different than the one's I was used to. It had a 30 second countdown. Like I usually do, I switched the channel to avoid the annoying sounds of the broadcast. It was on every channel though, and the countdown was synchronous. 22 seconds to go, and I didn't know what would happen when it was finished. My heart started to beat faster. I looked out my window and my city continued just as usual. 14 seconds now. I'd never been so into an emergency broadcast before.

When the counter hit one, I didn't expect to see what I did. The television screen was black, no picture at all. I changed the channels and it was as if the tv was off. I went downstairs only to find the rest of the televisions in the same way. I knew this wasn't going to go over well with my neighbors and for the rest of the country for that matter.

work in progress

A few days ago I read an article detailing the transition from analog television signals to ones that are completely digital. The government has mandated laws that state the change will take place in 2009 and you must buy a television capable of this by that time. When the transition takes place, all analog televisions (the majority of tv's out there) will be useless and just output a blank screen. After reading this I thought about all the interesting things that could happen with the transition. I started to write this little story showing the possible consequences of our dependency to television. It's definitely a work in progress, and I don't know if I'll add to it. We'll just have to watch and see what develops in the years to come.

2005-07-05T00:46:00.000-04:00

Damn this really is the shortest personality test (especially compared to Mike's). It's pretty accurate too.

You are elegant, withdrawn, and brilliant.
Your mind is a weapon, able to solve any puzzle.
You are also great at poking holes in arguments and common beliefs.

For you, comfort and calm are very important.
You tend to thrive on your own and shrug off most affection.
You prefer to protect your emotions and stay strong

The World's Shortest Personality Test

Retrieved from Janet's cog blog

Happy 4th of July, America

2005-07-04T14:54:00.000-04:00

For some really amazing shots of the fireworks in nyc go here.

Photos by Michael Peartree (me)

2005-07-02T16:17:00.000-04:00

If only I had this much control over a woman

It's Friday!

2005-07-01T16:29:00.000-04:00

Actually friday is just like any other day now since I lack a job, and i'm not going to school. Whoo!

Okay, so I got a new mp3 player the other day and it's the best out there. It's the Cowon X5 (my version is the X5L whch has lots more battery life).

-20gb
-color screen
-35 hours of battery
-audio, photos, and video!
-sexy design
-drag and drop capabilities (no software req)
-limitless equalizers settings

It's clearly better than the ipod, but people just seem to just follow what's popular. You should see all the mindless looking drones in the subways around nyc.

Michael's songs of the week :

Bloc Party- Like eating glass
The Beatles- Anna (go with him)
Our Lady Peace- Automatic flowers
Metric- On the Sly
The New Pornagraphers- Execution Day
The White Stripes- The Denial Twist
Wilco- Theologians
Limblifter- Vicious
Jay-Z- Pop 4 Roc
The Weakerthans- Our Retired Explorer

Michael's movie of the week:

12 Monkeys (1995)

This is one of the best and most engrossing sci fi movies to come out for a long time. The acting performances from Brad Pitt and Bruce Willis are some of the best of their respective careers. This film has an incredibly haunting environment, and has a great twisted little plot. For a time traveling movie, it really keeps you wondering about a lot of things. It's the type of movie you have to see more than once to truly appreciate it. The dvd came with a documentary detailing the making of the movie. You can see a lot of the struggles that the director Terry Gilliam had to go through. From adapting somone else's script, to wonderining what ending to put in the movie. In retrospect we can see that the movie was a box office success and is highly acclaimed. If you haven't seen it yet, rent it.

***1/2

Laughter is the best medicine

2005-06-30T11:46:00.000-04:00

I was just listening to the late great Mitch Hedberg and he is by far one of the funniest comedians of our time. His rapid fire jokes, voice, and witty delivery make him so entertaining to listen to and watch. He died a few months ago, before everyone really got a chance to hear his stuff. If you haven't I really insist on you sampling some of his mp3's or buying his cd's (Mitch All Together, Strategic Grill Locations).

Some of his jokes:

-Have you ever seen the size of Pringles' containers? They look like tennis ball containers. I think Pringles' initial intention was to make tennis balls. But on the day that the rubber was supposed to show up, a big truckload of potatoes arrived. But Pringles was a laid-back company. They said "Fuck it. Cut 'em up."

-I was in downtown Boise, Idaho, and I saw a duck, and I knew the duck was lost, 'cause ducks ain't s'posed to be downtown. There's nothin' for 'em there. So I went to a Subway sandwich shop, I said, "Let me have a bun." But she wouldn't sell me just the bun, she said that I had to have something on it. She told me it's against regulations for Subway to sell just the bun. I guess the two halves ain't supposed to touch. So I said, "Alright, well, put some lettuce on it," which she did. She said, "That'll be $1.75." I said, "It's for a duck." And they said, "All right, well, that is free." See, I did not know that. Ducks eat for free at Subway! Had I known that, I would have ordered a much larger sandwich. "Let me have the Steak Fajita Sub - but don't bother ringing it up, it's for a duck! There are six ducks out there, and they all want Sun Chips!"

-I like the FedEx guy, 'cause he is a drug dealer and he don't even know it! And he is always on time.

-This product that was on TV was available for four easy payments of $19.95. I would like a product that was available for three easy payments and one fucking complicated payment. We can't tell you which payment it is, but one of these payments is going to be a bitch. The mailman will get shot to death, the envelope will not seal, and the stamp will be in the wrong denomination. Good luck fucker.

-All McDonalds commercials end the same way: "prices and participation may vary." I want to open my own McDonalds and not participate in shit. I want to be a stubborn McDonalds owner. "You got Big Macs?" "Nope ... we got spaghetti! ... and blankets."

-I had a box of Ritz crackers and on the back of the box of Ritz crackers it had all these suggestions as to what to put on top of the Ritz. It said "Try it with turkey and cheese." "Try it with peanut butter." Oh, c'mon man, they're crackers. That's why I got 'em — I like crackers. There ain't no suggestion: "Put a Ritz on top of a Ritz." I didn't buy 'em 'cuz they're little edible plates.

There's just so much more. He definitely will be missed.

Knee deep in trouble

2005-06-29T11:44:00.000-04:00

I haven't been updating this blog as much as I would like to. The other day I re-injured my knee and it's been draining me of any energy and motivation. About 5 or 6 years ago when I was in my last year of high school, I was playing basketball and someone ran straight into me, causing a large pop in my left knee. I couldn't walk for a few weeks, and it was so painful. The first doctor looked at my x-ray and said it was just a sprain, but when it didn't heal I decided to get an MRI. The results showed I had a severely torn ligament. The doctor said it's a fairly long recovery process and if you can manage to live without the surgery right now, then try. I had graduation coming up soon and I didn't want to postpone college or anything. I decided to put it off, and I started walking slightly better. I reinjured the knee twice in my four years of college, just by walking on it the wrong way, and another time when I stumbled on a few stairs.

I hadn't thought about the knee for a while and so I wasn't trying to be careful with any activities that I'd do. A few days the worst happened again as it severely locked up on me when I was walking. I couldn't bend the leg at all, and had to lie in bed all day. It was extremely stressful as I'm in graduate school and I still can't postpone my education. I panicked thinking my summer was doomed. I wasn't going to let that happened, so I started trying to straighten the leg, even with the excruciating pain it put me through. After doing this throughout that day, I heard another weird sound. It felt like something inside the knee went back in place. I slowly tried to straighten it out and to my surprise it felt fine. It was as if it didn't even happen.

The leg still feels a little unstable at times, and isn't perfectly well, but at least I don't have to limp or anything. I really wonder if there ever will be a time when I can actually postpone my life and get this surgery done. After grad school, I'll most likely have to get a job, and so that really limits my options. I don't know why, but the injury really has taken away some of my energy and I've just felt a little apathetic about everything lately. I'll try to get back to blogging on a daily basis.

2005-06-27T15:12:00.000-04:00

Ever have a dream where everything seems perfect. It's the type where you feel like it's too good to be true, and you never want it to end. Suddenly someone interrupts you, and you wake up to the sad realization that it was just a dream. You then spend the rest of your time trying your hardest to get back to that dream. You hope and you pray that it will happen again; that your head feels free without a worry in the world, and your heart has a reason to skip a few beats. But it doesn't happen, and the harder you try, the fewer chances you have of this dream ever coming back.

This is what my life feels like right now.

2005-06-23T03:25:00.000-04:00

The flowers are wilting, she forgot to water them again. She'll be home any minute now and I know just what she'll do. She'll greet me at the door, put down her things, and run herself a bath. It became her tradition as of late, and it wasn't growing on me. I asked if she'd like some dinner, and she'd make one of her trusted excuses. "Oh I had a huge lunch, and I can't think of eating anything else tonight!" I barely recognize her anymore, she's gotten so thin and her face feels so cold.

After her bath, she'd get in her nightgown and just lie in bed till she fell asleep. I often asked what was wrong with her, and she'd just give me half a smile and say everything's just fine dear. It wasn't fine though, and it was driving me crazy. I felt trapped inside with a stranger. Some that know me, might say I deserved this. I've done her wrong in the past, but she'd forgiven me, she just hadn't forgotten. There hasn't been an incident like that for over 9 months, yet the effects of it are lingering every day in this house. We're separated by these invisible walls, and I see no way of breaking them down.

A letter was affixed to the mirror when I woke up. I skimmed through it quickly, and fell to my knees crying. She left me, and this time there was no way of bringing her back. I knew it, I started swearing under my breath,. "Goddammit I knew it!" She ended the letter by saying "Your flower has wilted". I didn't look after her like I should've. Everyone had a breaking point and hers was reached. I watched the petals fall one by one, until there were none left. I looked down in horror as the blood trickled from the bathroom floor onto our bedroom carpet...our...bedroom carpet.

The Japanization of American Cinema

2005-06-22T17:07:00.000-04:00

It's no secret that Hollywood has run dry with original ideas. Take a look at most of the movies coming out of major studios. They're either superhero movies, historic epics, or remakes. Hollywood has been the epicenter of filmmaking for decades. Countries around the world have been inspired by America's movies. One of the best examples is Japan. In the 1940's filmmaking gained great momentum and has been a successful venture for Toho Studios and others. Akira Kurosawa was the most prominent film directors from Japan. With the release of Rashomon, many Americans finally got to see his genius and creative storytelling abilities. Three years later he made Seven Samurai, one of the best films ever made. Kurosawa was inspired by John Ford, an American filmmaker who did westerns. In this reciprocal relationship between the two countries, America adapted Seven Samurai into the class Magnificent Seven. This remake was accepted by all, yet after thinking about it more I find it wrong. Films like Casablanca or Citizen Kane are two examples of American cinema at its best, yet you won't ever find another country trying to remake it.

Fast Forward to today, and we have a growing epidemic of America stealing film ideas from Japan and other Asian countries. Most of these movies have come from the horror genre. Japanese directors really know how to tell a scary story because of their many folklores and culture. There have been a flood of movies that seemed perfect in their Asian form,which are being remade, and it makes me sick. The Ring series and The Grudge are the most salient examples when looking at this genre, but this is just the beginning. Later this year, America will be remaking horror movies such as The Eye, and Dark Waters, which were both very well done originally.

What really angers me is the news of a 2006 American release of a film called Oldboy. The Korean version was released in 2004 in Korea, and just this past January here in America (limited release). This is by far the best film of the year and that title will be hard to beat. It's the type of film that is scene for scene perfect. It's gritty and has a twisted plot. It does not need to be hacked up and remade.

What is this saying about Hollywood? That they can disrepect any other film markets whenever they want. America's imperialistic methods have been disgusting in every aspect of life, but films are my area and it really bothers me. The sad thing is people may not even get to see the originals because they heard it's the same as the remake. These remakes need to stop, does Hollywood think people can't read subtitles? just release the originals. I bet it would be a huge controversy if Japan decided to remake Gone with the Wind scene for scene, but it's okay if we do it with their films, because hey, this is America. Fuck you Hollywood.

Batman Begins

2005-06-20T11:34:00.000-04:00

The dark knight is back, and better than ever. I saw this movie on Saturday and it was one of the best super-hero movies ever done. When I first heard they were re-doing the batman series from the beginning I couldn't be happier. I felt there was so much more that needed to be done with this character that was obviously lacking with those of the 80's and 90's. Those movies were a spectacle, that I can only reflect on with laughter. Batman Begins is an intense action film, that has a very serious mood about it. I loved watching the origins and development of this character. Christian Bale seemed perfect for the role as well; having the good looks for Bruce Wayne, yet still having a dark mysterious aura about him. The supporting cast were also great. Michael Caine as Alfred seems like a natural fit, providing humor and inspiration for Wayne. I also enjoyed Cillian Murphy (28 days later) in the role of Scarecrow, although it would've been nice to see more of him. I got to see this on IMAX, which is just something you have to see to know how great of an experience it is. This movie left me feeling incredibly satisfied and is definitely the movie to beat for this summer. Overall it's one of the best of the year and I can't wait to watch it again. Go See it!!!

****

2005-06-17T19:07:00.000-04:00

Photos by Michael Peartree (me)

heehee

2005-06-16T23:28:00.000-04:00

From the local paper:

The High School Syndrome

2005-06-15T20:25:00.000-04:00

Every so often, when in social situations, I say to myself "Man this is just like high school." High school is probably one of the most influential social institutions of our society. It comes at an age, where you are maturing and ready to form relationships with others. In my high school and many others, there seemed to be an unspoken hierarchy. You knew where you stood amongst your classmates. Cliques were formed, and determined your popularity status. Belonging to a minor group usually meant and increased likelihood of being teased, looked down on and so forth, etc... I personally ranked somewhere in the middle, at times feeling like I could be placed on one of the two polar paths.

These types of group patterns existed during elementary school, and college as well, but I feel they are their most salient and crucial during the years of high school. I look at high school as a critical period for a person's life that may determine how they behave in future social encounters. Much of the relationship patterns I've observed over the past few years both in my city and on the internet (especially here), social networks that mirror those of high school. Groups are divided in life, and although an adult won't outright tease you, they'll be say things that show they are of a higher social ranking.

The High School Syndrome as I call it here, is the tragedy of society. It isn't always exhibited, but it is felt by those of differing statuses. It isn't the type of thing that one can easily remedy either. We live in a competitive environment similar to the micro version found in high school. When a person belongs to a certain group, they feel this need to validate this group, and thus lash out at an out-group. I wish I could be optimistic about resolving these social boundaries, but I feel this will continue as part of the flaws of being human.

Serpico

2005-06-14T19:23:00.000-04:00

I watched this movie last night, and it was really well done. It stars Al Pacino as a NYC police officer named Frank Seripico. The movie takes place in the 1970's and that's apparent by the amount of crime in the streets and of course the wardrobe of the day. Serpico just came onto the force and right away he's flooded with scenarios of cops not doing their jobs. He sees them beating up criminals, robbing people and just about every other thing that they themselves should be arrested for. The movie shows his struggles to be a good cop in a bad environment. The film has really great acting in it from all actors, and is a true display of human drama. I feel Serpico's anger when he struggles to get out of the corruption, but no one will listen to him. The film was real powerful and was directed by the well respected Sidney Lumet. The film received a lot attention when it was released in 1973, and was fairly controversial at the time. It really raised eyebrows on the amount of crimes that police officers were getting away with. I highly recommend it.

****

The Dream is Dying...

2005-06-12T17:15:00.000-04:00

About two or three years ago I started seeing people around my city wearing NYC2012 t-shirts. I got really excited, thinking we were going to have the olympics in my hometown. I found out that we didn't win it yet, but are one of the four or so candidate cities (others include London, Paris...). I thought it was way too early to start talking about something that was still a good nine years away.

Still I saw great hope and possibilities for the games being showcased here. Our city really hasn't been the same since 2001. I always feel like something's lacking when I travel. News came of an Olympic stadium/New York Jets stadium to be built on the west-side. Immediately there were tons of commericials both for and against the plans. As time got closer to the present, there was increased support to build the stadium.

Governer Pataki supported it. Mayor Bloomberg supported it. There were just two men in the way of approving the stadium Their names are Sheldon Silver and Joseph Bruno. Silver was against the project because he believed it would mean less attention and opportunities for his district of lower Manhattan. Even with promises by the mayor to look after this district, Silver voted this past Tuesday against the stadium.

The Olympic commitee praised NYC, and were actually in support of having the olympics here. It took one man's selfish reasoning to end the dreams of new yorkers and our supporters. The final decision for the olympics has not been decided yet, but with a lack of a stadium (a prerequisite for the games), it's almost a done deal. How could you think of your little district, and not of your city? I pity you Mr. Silver, just know Karma is a real bitch.

Update: The Mayor devised a new plan the other day to build a new stadium for the New York Mets in Queens. This stadium could also be the olympic stadium. In a letter I recieved via email from the executive director:

The plan includes construction of a new stadium for the New York Mets, which will be converted in 2012 into a modern, state-of-the-art, 80,000 seat Olympic Stadium. This plan is totally consistent with the Olympic X and is within the Olympic Park cluster, which was already planned for use for five Olympic sports - tennis, archery, water polo, rowing and canoe/kayak. The IOC Evaluation Commission toured the Olympic Park during its visit here and has seen all the arrangements for transportation and security, which remain in place.

The Olympic Stadium will be just 16 minutes from the Olympic Village and 24 minutes from the main hotels. In effect, we have moved the Stadium from the Olympic Square sports cluster to the west of the Olympic Village to the Olympic Park sports cluster east of the Village, so that all our detailed transportation plans remain in place. And, of course, there are existing highways and mass transit serving this site.

The cost of conversion for the Mets Stadium to the Olympic Stadium is projected at $250 million, exceeding the $142.5 million included in the Olympic budget for the Jets conversion. The State government, including the Governor, Speaker Silver and Majority Leader Bruno, have agreed to share the additional costs with the City.
In addition, the City will proceed with the development of the adjacent Willets Point area, which will include the Main Press Center and International Broadcast Center, just across the street from the Olympic Stadium.

We believe this is an outstanding plan made possible by the agreement just this week of the New York Mets to fully fund their new stadium, consistent with the Mayor's policy, then to allow it to be converted to an Olympic configuration and to play elsewhere during the 2012 baseball season.

A historical footnote: In 1946, the City's bid to host the UN fell apart. In just four days, a plan was developed to acquire the land in Turtle Bay, to pass the needed legislation and even to provide a temporary home for the UN in this very same park in Queens. Now, 59 years later, we hope that in a similar few days we have put together another remarkable plan that can again bring the world to New York in 2012.

We are enormously grateful to Fred Wilpon and the Mets, Mayor Bloomberg and Deputy Mayor Marc Shaw, who were tireless and resourceful, and so many others who have made this possible. Of course, Dan Doctoroff and his staff, especially Michael Kalt, led this whole effort, and our planning staff under Andrew Winters, was exceptional. The USOC, through Peter Ueberroth and Jim Scherr, have been enormously supportive.

We thank all of you for your encouragement and staunch support during this difficult week. The bid is strong.

Jay Kriegel

I'm going to keep my fingers crossed on this one.

If only things were different...

2005-06-12T02:09:00.000-04:00

Ever wonder what you'd look like if you were a different race? or what you may look like as you progress in age, or perhaps if Boticelli could paint you?

Find out these answers and more through this neat face transformation link

Examples:

I turned M. Good into P. Diddy (well not really):

Raymi thru the eyes of Modigiliani (c'est magnifique!)

The King of a Conquered Land

2005-06-10T02:23:00.000-04:00

Creative writing. I often start writing stories and poems without any clue what the next line will be. Most of them are based off of one line or word in my head that I now have to build upon. It's quite fun to work this way, as I never know how it'll turn out. I get a sense of satisfaction from doing so, just like I get from painting etc... I urge everyone to be as creative as possible, as you'd be surprised how much stress it can actually relieve. I'm not saying I'm a good writer or anything like that, I'm just saying I truly enjoy writing freeform/creatively.
Sometimes my freeform writing acts as a template for a movie idea, on which I can build depth. It'd be fun to take a writing class one day. I've had the thought "A blind man once ruled the world" in my head for the past few days, and my brain won't let it go until I do something with it. So here we go (I won't edit anything):

A blind man once ruled the world. His enemies once watched in the shadows, waiting for him to make that one mistake. He was a careful man, always taking small steps walking across the cracked sidewalks, of the deserted city. He wasn't built for the world he helped destroy. He lived amongst giants, yet he feared no one. Looking into his pale grey eyes, clouded by cataracts, you'd see nothing. No compassion, no hate, just apathetic gestures on an aged exterior. He lived alone, yet had a presence about him that kept everyone away. His enemies wouldn't dare come into the city anyway, let aone the country.

It was the middle of September, and the snow gently fell to the ground. It left a thin layer of frost, stil allowing the gravel and debris to be visible. Snowfall came even earlier than last year, but they said this would be expected. Besides, there was much more to worry about than that. The land was flat, you could see the horizon from any point in the city. The blind king usually walked all day throughout his kingdom. He was a proud indvidual, who depsite all warnings stayed in what was left of his home. The city was completely evacuated twelve years ago, during the Third Great Revolution.

In his earlier days, he led the strongest of rebellions against the former king of the land. His strategical mind, and enthusiam attracted followers. They began to worship him, as if he were a God. When he took over the land, he changed. All the good he promised, was overshadowed by his unending desire for power. He waged the most violent wars against his closest allies. Seeing the devastation of those lands, other countries quickly surrendered their land.

His enemies grew in numbers. They planned their first revolutionary attack on Christmas day, the day he chose as observance for his monarchy. The attack lasted only four days, and by the end 60% of his men were lost. It was the victory that was the momentum and motivation for all future wars. The king quickly rebuilt his army, but the damage was done. His enemies grew exponentially now. The Second Revolution was won in three days. For the king was not so careful with recruiting. He made the mistake of unknowingly letting the opposition on his side. He was surrounded by enemies. They were not a violent group, they only asked for their land back. The king, feeling vulnerable for the first time, allowed this to happen.

Years went by, and peace ensued throughout the lands of the world. Whispers started to be heard of a new army deep underground. Few people saw the blind ruler after the Second Revolution. He went into exile, ashamed of being defeated. The rumors were true, he was building a secret army, and along with it, a secret weapon. He obsessed over it, till it drove him to the boundary line between reality and fantasy. In preparation for any attack, the lands of the world united their armies and headed towards the blind mans kingdom.

Seventy thousand strong arrived ready to put an end to his reign of terror. They searched high and low for the king and his army, yet found nothing. Then one day, while searching the sewers of the city they found what they were looking for. It was no army. It was a group of scientists, surrounded by a large metal device. A man in the background yelled "It's a nuclear bomb!" The reactions to this outburst were mixed. Nuclear weapons of all kinds were said to be extinct. This was the age of progression, not destruction. Before they could even attempt to figure out what it was, a beeping sound started to be heard. It was a large screeching noise that paralzyed the few men down below. The whistling sound could be heard for miles around the city, and in the next moment it stopped. It was a strange quietness throughout the land, unlike any the world had heard. The Third Revolution was over.

The king's land lay in ruins. He had killed his own people. His greed, his madness, his demise. The pacifists tried to help those that survived the nuclear attack. All the cities were evacuated, most of them finding new lives in neigboring countries. No one ever found the king, and it was assumed that he had died with the rest of the unknowing souls that day. He emerged from seculusion in an island many miles from the site of the bomb. He knew he had no citizens to govern, ye the still believed he was king. Everyday until he died, he walked up and down the plains of city, defending his domain, if only in his head. It was a beautiful place till he decided to bury it in dust. If only his eyes could have seen, how he turned New York City into a desert wasteland.

That was longer than I thought, I was hoping for like 2 paragraphs. I don't know if anyone wil actually read through it. I just did it for fun, and it feels good. Now i'll get to read it. I'm sure I could develop it into a better story, but for a continuous writing experiment it turned out pretty decent.

Boredom makes you do crazy things...

2005-06-09T16:47:00.000-04:00

This shall be my random toy character photoshoot. You never know where you'll find the little plastic devils, but here we go:

Taz was trying to sneak out of my window, in order to wreak havoc across the city!

Yoda's quite the digital p.i.m.p. He's says to the ladies online: "See my lightsaber, you must"

Here we see batman (in pez form), probably using his pointy ass ears to eavesdrop on my calls!.

Patrick saying hello in his beefmobile, take that batman!

I spotted Fred Flintstone in all his John Goodman likeness, chowing down on some of my ice cream!, look at that fickle bastard grabbing his stomach in glee.

Finally we ended our day with a tux only party. Woodstock won for best dressed (as always!)

Come back next year, where we'll see the likes of roadrunner, bullwinkle, and spiderman (the dancing gay version)

2005-06-09T02:10:00.000-04:00

Whoa I just realized my blog looks crazy messed up when using Internet Explorer. If you want to see my blog how it's meant to be seen, please do yourself a favor and download firefox. I'm going to work out a few things, then hopefully it'll look better.

las memorias del iluminado

2005-06-08T03:55:00.000-04:00

I felt the heat get stronger, the closer you came to me. Your face lowered slowly, as you prepared to leave again. I couldn't look you in the eyes, for the pain was too much to bare. I stood by my window watching your shadow fade from my vision. The trees danced in your absence; their swaying motion inviting me to join in. I closed the curtains and lied in bed, thinking of all the people you'll be sharing your gift with next. I drifted off to sleep and smiled contently knowing i'd see you again. I can't put my finger on it, but there's just something about you, that brightens up my day.

The Little Things

2005-06-05T03:28:00.000-04:00

Photo by Michael Peartree(me)

I spotted you from the corner of my eye. You stood out amongst the crowd of look-alikes. My hands picked you up, and I felt happy to have found you. I smiled as though I had in my possession, the biggest secret known to man. Your colors have faded now, just like you knew they would. I took a picture of you, just so I could preserve the feeling of knowing a dying flower once made my day.

Trapped inside, Going in circles

2005-06-02T16:40:00.000-04:00

You wake up....

You're in a room, and you don't know how you got there....

The door is locked....

All the items needed are in this room, you just have to find them....

Try to escape The Crimson Room (click link)

It took me a while, but I finally escaped. Try to do it without looking up the answers. It's pretty satisfying. You'll probably need shockwave to play it.

Nineteen Eighty-Four

2005-06-01T16:49:00.000-04:00

Last night, I started reading George Orwell's classic 1984 again. This summer, i'll finally try to write a screenplay based on it. This was the first book I read that inspired me to make movies. I envisioned every scene, and the camera angles, etc... Although I haven't really followed this far fetched dream of mine, I believe I have a lot to contribute. I started writing the details of the script last night, and I wrote about 5 pages based on the first page alone!. It's going to be really difficult to accomplish, which is probably why i've been putting it off for so many years.

There's already a 1984 movie, that was actually released in 1984. When I first heard about it, I was really dissapointed, since it was my dream to make it. I recieved the dvd for christmas about two years ago, and it refueled my motivation to make it. That movie made a good portrayal of the main characters, and had a haunting environment, but it just didn't feel like the book. It didn't have the depth that I'd add to it. With technological advances that were lacking in 1984, a newer version would make it that much better.

I have a lot of screenplays in my head and some started on paper that need to be completed. Not really for the world, but more for me. I love movies a bit more than the average person (take a look at the amount I've watched so far in 2005 on the side-panel). Most of the movies I love, aren't your typical movies. I like the style and stories of many foreign directors including Kurosawa, Ozu, Renoir, and Fellini. The more I watch, the more I study them, analyzing the little elements that make them masterpieces. For the most part, this has been lacking from Hollywood for years. I don't know if there's even an audience for these kinds of films anymore, but there ought to be.

2005-05-30T13:11:00.000-04:00

life after her

2005-05-30T11:38:00.000-04:00

She got more confident the more she repeated it. The more she said it, the more torn my heart became. Tears felt warm down my cheeks, as if to comfort me from this cold cold world. In the card game of life, I am fucking solitaire.

Sleep it off. The sun that awakens you will be tbe beacon of rebirth. Be stronger than your will allows you to be. If letting go was the test, I'm failing miserably. Traditions are being missed, when change is in style.

Geeks Gone Wild

2005-05-27T04:00:00.000-04:00

I have no freaking clue. I'm making this up as I go along. It's probably only funny in my head. I also am posting it at 4:00 am, so keep that in mind too!

Geek 1: Hey you know a good place to leech off a fast connection?
Geek 2: There's this coffee shop in melville that has a wicked fast wi-fi connection.
Geek 3: That's an hour from here.
Geek 2: But just think about our latency speeds when we play warcraft
Geek 3: Maybe we'll win this time!
Geek 1: Haha yeah right
Geek 2: How will we get there though?
Geek 3: We could take the bus
Geek 1: I spent all my money on Pop rocks
Geek 3: No offense Geek 2 but maybe you could pretend you're retarded.
Geek 2: Very funny wiseguy, what's the point? do retards get on for free?
Geek 1: *shrugs*
Geek 3: They should, they have a hard enough life as it is!
Geek 1: Okay I got it!. Geek 2 you start arguing with the bus driver, and we'll sneak through the back.
Geek 3: Haha *snort* that's a nifty diversion!
Geek 1: I got the idea from scene 643 of Return of the king
Geek 3: So will you do it Geek 2
Geek 2: Okay, but you owe me for this.

To be continued.... or will it....just wait and see.....but maybe you shouldn't wait, because maybe it won't happen and then you'll be waiting for a really long time...or maybe not.

Brought to you by Pop Rocks. Once you Pop you can't stop!

Hey that's my slogan!

Why so it is, can I use it? I actually have the word pop in my name

I'll let you have it this one time, if you promise to touch me in my private area

Well that just came out of left field. Fine there I did it.

*giggles* Oh, once you pop you know you can't stop!

You're a sick motherfucker!

2005-05-26T03:52:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting by the window, trying to figure out my next move. The red flourescent that glared into my eyes, said I was staying at the HOT L. If I was here a few years ago I bet that sign woulda said something else. I have a lot of catching up to do. I owe her something, something big. she needs to know i'm serious this time around.

Dear Abbygail,

It might seem strange to be getting this letter from me, seeing how we recently met and all. You're the only person I can talk to lately. Every night, I look forward to those sparkling eyes of yours. They make up for the shit I have to deal with throughout my day. Things have been rough for me, but lately everything just clicked. You brushed me off a few times before, but I know i'm growing on you. When you provided me with my bill the other night, you smiled like you loved me. I imagined you did. You're more than just a waitress to me, you're a fucking angel. I'm sorry for swearing, I just can't help it. You're the only thing I've been holding on to these past few weeks.

I really want you to know how serious I am. I'm writing you this letter just to let you know that there's no need to worry about me. It's about time something happened, I just have to be the one to get it moving. My life felt wasted until now. Every day when I look in the mirror, I don't recognize my reflection. It's just a chiseled face hardened by hatred. They built me to be a killing machine. I need you abby, you make me feel like a fucking human again.

I don't think you even know my name. In time you will. I think back to my years serving this infested waste of country. Look what I helped to build abby. Back then, my seargent called me by my last name, as if that's all he knew. He hated me. Today everyone only knows me by my first. Nothing's changed though, they hate me too. By tommorow, the world will know me by my full name, and i'll be loved by all, but most important by you.

Work in progress

11:11

2005-05-23T23:11:00.000-04:00

I'm weakened by your absence. I ask for you daily, during our designated wishing time. I abandoned you for months, and now it seems you've done the same to me. I've searched for you, and all I've found are remnants of your past. I feel like I mourn you, although I do not know if you're dead. I'm forgetting you and that scares me. While you're off in wonderland, just know i'm in utter hell. Time to make a wish.

I can't tell you how the words have made me feel

2005-05-21T18:06:00.000-04:00

one more time,
i have crossed the line
now you wont be mine
anymore
one more dream
vanished up in smoke
now i have no hope
anymore

let it go,
the damage in your heart
let it go,
the damage in your heart
i cant tell you how the words have made me feel
i cant tell you how the words have made me feel

one more tear, falling down your face
doesnt mean that much
to the world
one more loss
itll lose in life
doesnt hurt so bad
anymore

let it go,
the damage in your heart
let it go,
the damage in your heart
i cant tell you how the words have made me feel
i cant tell you how the words have made me feel

one more tear, falling down your face
doesnt mean that much
to the world

let it go,
the damage in your heart
let it go,
the damage in your heart
i cant tell you how the words have made me feel
i cant tell you how the words have made me feel
i cant tell you, i cant tell you
i cant tell you how the words have made me feel

Singer: Weezer
Song: The Damage in Your Heart
Album: Make Believe

The Barometer's Rising

2005-05-21T02:52:00.000-04:00

She's sleeping, somewhere up there. Tommorow she'll be closer to me, yet still miles beyond reach. It's been years and i haven't gotten closer. Not mentally, not emotionally, and certainly not physically. I finally showed her my true face, after hiding behind masks. She begged to see me, she knew more than anyone else that there was beauty underneath this monster. I was disguised for too long, yet in an instant I flooded her with happiness. It left me feeling open, vulnerable to her. I couldn't let that happen, so I put on a different face and made her cry again.

Our Evil Empire

2005-05-20T18:36:00.000-04:00

Scroll down for a special message after my review:

So last night I saw Star Wars: Episode III. I've seen the original trilogy and I thought the mood was dark then. I didn't think Lucas could create an even darker atmosphere than that. The film starts off with a bang, as the audience is thrown right into the middle of a space battle. After this, everything goes a bit more slowly and I must say I wasn't that interested in it. There was a lot of drama between Padme and Anakin, and a bit too much mushiness for my taste. I like romance to be more subtle, like the original movies because it takes away from the sci-fi genre (especially for this film). The film is building up and I'm patiently waiting for it to get better, and then it happens. The transformation from Anakin Skywalker to Darth Vader was simply incredible to watch. It was what I paid for, it had me literally at the edge of my seat for the last 40 minutes. After the movie ended I had a feeling closure for this great epic, yet it left me wanting so much more. The prequels could not compare with the originals, even if we all wanted them too. Whether it was too much CGI, bad acting, lackluster plots or a combination of these, it just ddn't give you that "warm fuzzy feeling" like the originals did. The last 40 minutes of Revenge of the Sith not only saved this movie, but in a way redeemed Lucas for a lot of the mishaps he has done with these prequels.

Movie as a whole: ***
Last 40 minutes (or so): ****

On a final note, as I was walking out of the theatre a man was handing out these papers. I took a glimpse at it, but I didn't pay any attention to it. When I was on the train I decided to look at it, and it basically compared the Star Wars to our current situations in the world. The movie itself also seemed to be throwing punches at Bush. I'll post it here for you to read:

The Dark Side

It seems that in the times we live in Star Wars reflects a great deal of our world. If you look at our situation in Iraq you can see the Empire in full effect. Unfortunately we are part of the Empire. Bush Vader wants the entire world and all its natural resources to himself. This is for real and guess what? last months military's recruitment rate came up 43 percent short of there expected figures. I smell a draft coming so if you ever wanted to be a storm trooper your wish will soon be granted. In Star Wars we have the Empire and the Rebel Alliance. I urge you to become part of a true rebel alliance. If you can focus as much time and money on a fictional war then you have no excuses not to spend it on a real war which very soon you may be part of. Do not turn to the dark side of the force.

Links:

Troopsoutnow.org
unitedforpeace.org

In a Galaxy, Far Far Away

2005-05-19T15:04:00.000-04:00

Just a few more hours left till I get to see Episode III. Curse you nyc for being so populous!, if I lived in some suburban town I would've been able to see a midnight screening. I've been watching the original trilogy over the past few days and it's just incredible. Lucas really created some of the most memorable characters ever. Last night I finished watching the documentary on the trilogly, called "Empire of Dreams", and it was really great. It had so much details about the films and about Lucas, I recommend it to everyone (star wars fan or not). I shall post more after I see the movie.

Somewhere around the world, someone would love to have my first world problems.

2005-05-17T18:24:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting here, surfing the internet on a broadband connection, listening to my 5-disc surround sound stereo and wondering what color ipod I should buy. There's something wrong with that. I'm so concered with entertaining my self, that I forget about everyone else around the world. We've all taken so much for granted, and still will. I feel it's inevitable in the type of society we live in. We almost have to force ourselves to have greater awareness of worldy issues and those who don't have an ounce of the things that we have here. The food we scrape off our plates and throw into the trash, is a poor mans feast. I believe it's never too late to start helping, so stop isolating yourself from everyone else, and extend your hand.

2005-05-16T02:09:00.000-04:00

2005-05-12T18:45:00.000-04:00

Star crossed lovers
He moves, she smothers
She expresses love, he talks of others
He leaves, she says hello
She's clinging, he's letting go
She begs for one more day, he quietly looks away
He starts walking, She starts to pray
She stops talking, her arms start to sway.
He starts to run, she begins to chase
He said this is fun, her head lowers in disgrace.
Her patience now thinning, He ran till it was dawn
He looked back grinning, until he realized she was gone.

y'all come back now y'hear

2005-05-10T16:37:00.000-04:00

Your Linguistic Profile:

55% General American English

35% Yankee

10% Dixie

0% Midwestern

0% Upper Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

Kingdom of Heaven

2005-05-06T21:58:00.000-04:00

So I just got home from watching this. It's directed by Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Black Hawk Down....). It was a very good epic. It had similiar themes to Gladiator (One hero, wife and kid dead, father-like figure leaves him in charge of a city....). This movie was about the religious crusades and takes places in the 12th century. The direction and cinematography were top notch. There's a lot of symbolism in it, that Scott wants the audience to see with relation to the feuds between christians and muslims and our current events. Finally, although people will bash him before seeing this movie, Orlando Bloom was actually good in this movie. His character matured throughout the film, and by the end I was actually moved by Bloom's performance. The fight scenes are great, and reminded me of battle sequences in LOTR (Two Towers...), but better. All in all a good story, good score, and great war scenes. Scott definitely knows how to create the perfect environment for battle sequences to take place.

***

These Automatic Flowers Won't Do

2005-05-05T17:45:00.000-04:00

I got home just in time to see her. She was doing the same thing she's been doing for the past three days. Pulling out the petals one by one from the multiude of bouquets at her disposal. She stares out the window and I quickly hide behind my curtains, hoping she won't see me looking at her. She's looking in my direction, yet she's not really looking at all. Her eyes, lifeless as always, stare out as though lost in a fog. I want to help her, I want to make her happy again. I always thought she was love sick, pulling flowers out in a "he loves me, he loves me not" fashion. I never seen her whole face until now, she wanted me to see. I stepped back a few steps, taken by suprise. She wasn't lovesick at all, she just wanted to destroy something beautiful, just like he did to her.

2005-05-05T14:50:00.000-04:00

The nights are mine, in this insomniac city

2005-05-05T03:07:00.000-04:00

Sitting in this chair, glancing over at my bed. Wondering why I'm spending more time in one and not the other. My fingers and brain need to cooperate more often. If they do, then all the greatness my mind sees for me will transfer to this page. All I have are unfinished ideas waiting for me to stop being afraid. I can think back to days when it all came out so easily. You couldn't provide me with enough paper, for me to fill with every creative thought I had in me. From poems to raps, and from paintings to screenplays. I miss the inspiration I provided myself back then, but I know it's still there. I just have to let go.

2005-05-03T15:27:00.000-04:00

Her snow white face shined so bright, even though I could only see parts of it.
She was there just when I needed her, providing the light that helped me get through this night.
Sometimes I'd run away, trying to escape everything, but she followed me no matter what.
She looked over me, as I slowly went to sleep.
By morning she was gone, and I never got to say goodnight moon.