So, I think I need to come to terms that until I find something worth writing about again that I should give up blogging at least temporarily.
I don't know what needs to change.
I don't understand why I can't write anymore.
I don't feel like I can devote so many words online in a public space unless I am contributing something that's not completely vain and selfish.
I don't think I'm communicating with anyone.
I don't have anything to share.
Let's face it... I'm a dull person. I don't want to sound melodramatic, but I probably will, when did I become so empty? Nothing to contribute, nothing interesting to write, nothing noteworthy.
Well, hopefully I'll get back to it sooner or later.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Monday, December 15, 2008
A Christmas Tale
So, I started this post awhile ago and am only now finishing it...
And after work on day after Thanksgiving, I went to a movie by my lonesome and I thoroughly enjoyed it despite the length. At over two and a half hours long, A Christmas Tale is a French black comedy set to the theme of the family holiday celebration. Arnaud Desplechin is truly a master of his craft. (I recently viewed his 2004 film Rois et Reine (Kings and Queen) also starring Mathieu Amalric and Emmanuelle Devos.) He had so many throwbacks to classics that it was difficult to catch all the references. The music of Bernard Hermann, the suspense of Hitchcock...
I cannot begin to describe how compelling each of these characters are. The movie is about a family. The mother (played by the ever beautiful Catherine Deneuve) is dying of cancer and her old husband is supportive and very loving. She has four children, three of which are still alive - Elizabeth (Anne Consigny), the eldest is a sad, depressed playwright and mother of a trouble teenager. She is the only tiresome character in the film, but not so much that you do not find her feelings unbelievable. Henri (Mathieu Amalric), the middle child, is a womanizing crook and art dealer who loves nothing more than to be honest and crude, and make the lives of those around him more difficult. He has disdain for his mother and loathes his older sister for banishing him from the family. Their younger brother, Ivan (Melvil Poupaud), is the quiet, sensitive husband and father of two who loves nothing more than to see everyone in his family happy. Mixed in with these main characters are their significant others, children and other random family members. Anything out of the ordinary to them is quite plain, like their guest at the holidays, Roseaimee, their now deceased grandmother’s ex-lover. Emmanuelle Devo’s character of Faunia is quite entertaining. She always finds Henri’s harsh criticisms of the family and crude words laughable making it less awkward (or more at times) for those involved. She is truly a constant little beam of happiness in the film.
The story is such (Minor Spoiler Alerts): Having banished her brother from the family five years earlier, Elizabeth is reluctant to see him come back to into her life at the holidays. Junon, the mother, has cancer and all of the family members are getting blood tests done to see if there is any hope that they have compatible bone marrow for a transplant. With the prospects of not finding a suitable donor or finding one and then being a victim of Graft-versus-Host, Junon is frightened of her prospects – either die from the cancer or die from the treatment of trying to beat the cancer. There are two compatible donors in the family, Henri and the grandson, Paul. While Junon debates on what to do and whether or not Henri is to be trusted, there are other goings on within the family. Henri and his estranged nephew, Paul begin to bond. Sylvia (played by the beautiful daughter of Catherine Deneuve and Marcello Mastroianni, Chiara Mastroianni), Ivan’s wife begins to doubt her relationship with her husband and looks to another man who was tossed aside in their youths – Simon (Laurent Capelluto), Junon’s nephew who grew up with the family. If I remember correctly, the movie follows the family for 4 (or 5) days during the holidays and sees them fall apart and grow together and fall apart again when the holidays are over. I would like to give away the ending, mostly because it caught me off guard, but I won't. What I can say about it is that despite the dark subject matter of the majority of the film, it seems that everything can be reconciled with a simple gesture.
I cannot sing this movie enough praises. It is heartfelt, has a modest ending and never ceases to entertain. If you don’t go for the story, at least go to see Mathieu Amalric, as he is wildly entertaining with his antics. Emmanuelle Devos lights up the screen as Amalric’s girlfriend and is absolutely charming. I have read many reviews praising Deneuve, Amalric and Mastroianni, but Devos is unbelievably real in this film. She is just a gem.
Anyway, that was my rave about A Christmas Tale, and now there is little opportunity to see it as it has currently been whisked away by the up and coming Oscar contenders. Ugh. It has begun. Below is the trailer. Don't let it fool you... while the film is funny, it is not as funny or quirky as this makes it seem.
For now I must leave you. I may feel compelled to write a post about the energy crisis and holiday travel, but until then au revoir.
And after work on day after Thanksgiving, I went to a movie by my lonesome and I thoroughly enjoyed it despite the length. At over two and a half hours long, A Christmas Tale is a French black comedy set to the theme of the family holiday celebration. Arnaud Desplechin is truly a master of his craft. (I recently viewed his 2004 film Rois et Reine (Kings and Queen) also starring Mathieu Amalric and Emmanuelle Devos.) He had so many throwbacks to classics that it was difficult to catch all the references. The music of Bernard Hermann, the suspense of Hitchcock...
I cannot begin to describe how compelling each of these characters are. The movie is about a family. The mother (played by the ever beautiful Catherine Deneuve) is dying of cancer and her old husband is supportive and very loving. She has four children, three of which are still alive - Elizabeth (Anne Consigny), the eldest is a sad, depressed playwright and mother of a trouble teenager. She is the only tiresome character in the film, but not so much that you do not find her feelings unbelievable. Henri (Mathieu Amalric), the middle child, is a womanizing crook and art dealer who loves nothing more than to be honest and crude, and make the lives of those around him more difficult. He has disdain for his mother and loathes his older sister for banishing him from the family. Their younger brother, Ivan (Melvil Poupaud), is the quiet, sensitive husband and father of two who loves nothing more than to see everyone in his family happy. Mixed in with these main characters are their significant others, children and other random family members. Anything out of the ordinary to them is quite plain, like their guest at the holidays, Roseaimee, their now deceased grandmother’s ex-lover. Emmanuelle Devo’s character of Faunia is quite entertaining. She always finds Henri’s harsh criticisms of the family and crude words laughable making it less awkward (or more at times) for those involved. She is truly a constant little beam of happiness in the film.
The story is such (Minor Spoiler Alerts): Having banished her brother from the family five years earlier, Elizabeth is reluctant to see him come back to into her life at the holidays. Junon, the mother, has cancer and all of the family members are getting blood tests done to see if there is any hope that they have compatible bone marrow for a transplant. With the prospects of not finding a suitable donor or finding one and then being a victim of Graft-versus-Host, Junon is frightened of her prospects – either die from the cancer or die from the treatment of trying to beat the cancer. There are two compatible donors in the family, Henri and the grandson, Paul. While Junon debates on what to do and whether or not Henri is to be trusted, there are other goings on within the family. Henri and his estranged nephew, Paul begin to bond. Sylvia (played by the beautiful daughter of Catherine Deneuve and Marcello Mastroianni, Chiara Mastroianni), Ivan’s wife begins to doubt her relationship with her husband and looks to another man who was tossed aside in their youths – Simon (Laurent Capelluto), Junon’s nephew who grew up with the family. If I remember correctly, the movie follows the family for 4 (or 5) days during the holidays and sees them fall apart and grow together and fall apart again when the holidays are over. I would like to give away the ending, mostly because it caught me off guard, but I won't. What I can say about it is that despite the dark subject matter of the majority of the film, it seems that everything can be reconciled with a simple gesture.
I cannot sing this movie enough praises. It is heartfelt, has a modest ending and never ceases to entertain. If you don’t go for the story, at least go to see Mathieu Amalric, as he is wildly entertaining with his antics. Emmanuelle Devos lights up the screen as Amalric’s girlfriend and is absolutely charming. I have read many reviews praising Deneuve, Amalric and Mastroianni, but Devos is unbelievably real in this film. She is just a gem.
Anyway, that was my rave about A Christmas Tale, and now there is little opportunity to see it as it has currently been whisked away by the up and coming Oscar contenders. Ugh. It has begun. Below is the trailer. Don't let it fool you... while the film is funny, it is not as funny or quirky as this makes it seem.
For now I must leave you. I may feel compelled to write a post about the energy crisis and holiday travel, but until then au revoir.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
The Holiday Movie Season Continues!
I see a lot of movies. This revelation is probably going to lead to me starting a movie blog about all the movies I see. Despite my constant grievances of my lack of money, I still am out seeing movies quite often. Since Synecdoche, New Yorkand Role Models, I have seen Quantum of Solace, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Australia and A Christmas Tale. I would really like to get out and see Slumdog Millionaire at the behest of my sister, Milk, Rachel Getting Married and The Class (when it finally comes out). And now I will commence with my thoughts about the above movies.
First, Quantum of Solace. I didn't hate it. I enjoyed it while I was viewing even though I caught myself rolling my eyes quite often at the outlandish action sequences and bad dialogue. It was a good action movie, but not a good James Bond movie. I felt myself getting bored with the constant action and the boring dialogue that punctured it. Since I have recently been on a Mathieu Amalric kick I was delighted to see him in the movie as the villain, Dominic Greene, but I think he could have been used more. He is possibly one of the most talented actors around with a wide range of characters (see The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and then Rois et Reine... he can definitely do evil.
After being sick with the pneumonia, I went out to Zack and Miri Make a Porno with a friend.
It wasn't a great movie, but it wasn't bad either. It was funny and the members of the cast were all great and deadpan, especially Craig Robinson. The movie was, however, a bit predictable. I thought it was, at times, a little awkward, obviously, but a good throwback to pornos of all generations. Justin Long was hilarious in his cameo as a gay pornography star. It was a traditional, predictable love story set to some very strange circumstances, but all in all it was raunchy good humor even if it did drag at moments.
While Phill was here visiting we saw Baz Luhrmann's Australia. It was epic and cheesy and Faramir...er...Neil Fletcher (David Wenham) did irk me a little bit. I thought that the acting was all around superb even though the characters were archetypal. Hugh Jackman definitely deserves his title of Sexiest Man Alive, or at least deserves being called sexy. The most compelling character in the movie, I thought, was Magarri one of the drover's workers. I just thought the actor was great and the character was a nice, sensible balance to the cold, uncompromising drover (Jackman) and Kidman's stuck up, uncompromising English lady. Trying to push the film's social justice issues seemed out of place and awkward even though injustice should never be scoffed at. The cinematography is amazing and the sets and direction are quite good as well. I thought it was a bit too long and could have spared us a little bit of the middle section... It does make me want to visit Australia, so I guess if that was a purpose of the movie that it accomplished that... I doubt it was though.
I think I need to devote a whole post to A Christmas Tale just to do it justice. That will be my next post.
First, Quantum of Solace. I didn't hate it. I enjoyed it while I was viewing even though I caught myself rolling my eyes quite often at the outlandish action sequences and bad dialogue. It was a good action movie, but not a good James Bond movie. I felt myself getting bored with the constant action and the boring dialogue that punctured it. Since I have recently been on a Mathieu Amalric kick I was delighted to see him in the movie as the villain, Dominic Greene, but I think he could have been used more. He is possibly one of the most talented actors around with a wide range of characters (see The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and then Rois et Reine... he can definitely do evil.
After being sick with the pneumonia, I went out to Zack and Miri Make a Porno with a friend.
It wasn't a great movie, but it wasn't bad either. It was funny and the members of the cast were all great and deadpan, especially Craig Robinson. The movie was, however, a bit predictable. I thought it was, at times, a little awkward, obviously, but a good throwback to pornos of all generations. Justin Long was hilarious in his cameo as a gay pornography star. It was a traditional, predictable love story set to some very strange circumstances, but all in all it was raunchy good humor even if it did drag at moments.While Phill was here visiting we saw Baz Luhrmann's Australia. It was epic and cheesy and Faramir...er...Neil Fletcher (David Wenham) did irk me a little bit. I thought that the acting was all around superb even though the characters were archetypal. Hugh Jackman definitely deserves his title of Sexiest Man Alive, or at least deserves being called sexy. The most compelling character in the movie, I thought, was Magarri one of the drover's workers. I just thought the actor was great and the character was a nice, sensible balance to the cold, uncompromising drover (Jackman) and Kidman's stuck up, uncompromising English lady. Trying to push the film's social justice issues seemed out of place and awkward even though injustice should never be scoffed at. The cinematography is amazing and the sets and direction are quite good as well. I thought it was a bit too long and could have spared us a little bit of the middle section... It does make me want to visit Australia, so I guess if that was a purpose of the movie that it accomplished that... I doubt it was though.
I think I need to devote a whole post to A Christmas Tale just to do it justice. That will be my next post.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Positively 44th Street
I was trying to be clever with the title. I yet again failed. It is a play on words, or moreover, numbers. Some of you may know, the house I live in is situated near the intersection of 44th and Fessenden. And Positively 4th Street is a Bob Dylan song. See, now the title lost its charm.
And this is where my post begins.
As a frequenter of lyric site SongMeanings.net and their forum over there, I find that there are such threads like, "I'm getting a drum machine," or "lyrics so bad they're GREAT." However there are also generic threads such as the one I am going to discuss with you all today - favo(u)rite lyrics. (I also don't want people to think I'm angry at them for this post... because, really, it's all about the music.)
I posted a few different lyrics - all but one Dylan. And I just cannot get over the way the song Positively 4th Street makes me feel. I cannot help but smirk at the snarky lines like:
You say you lost your faith
But that's not where it's at
You had no faith to lose
And you know it
I don't care who this song is about or who the lyrics are directed towards, it's a great song to listen to if someone who's supposed to be your friend makes you angry. Instead of that heavy metal, skip to the Dylan. This song will reassure you that whoever "did you wrong" will get what's coming to them. And it might make you a little happy... like it makes me.
Really, what Bob Dylan says, albeit much more eloquently, is, "Fuck you, you backstabbing, good-for-nothing, fake, do-anything-to-get-ahead parasite." Be thankful I'm not a songwriter.
So, I'm going to leave you with what I left those SMers, my favorite lyrics:
And now I know you're dissatisfied
With your position and your place
Don't you understand
It's not my problem
I wish that for just one time
You could stand inside my shoes
And just for that one moment
I could be you
Yes, I wish that for just one time
You could stand inside my shoes
You'd know what a drag it is
To see you
Thank you.
For nothing. (as Dylan would say)
(Sidenote: for those of you who read this on F-book (if there are any at all), realize that this is imported from my blog.)
And this is where my post begins.
As a frequenter of lyric site SongMeanings.net and their forum over there, I find that there are such threads like, "I'm getting a drum machine," or "lyrics so bad they're GREAT." However there are also generic threads such as the one I am going to discuss with you all today - favo(u)rite lyrics. (I also don't want people to think I'm angry at them for this post... because, really, it's all about the music.)
I posted a few different lyrics - all but one Dylan. And I just cannot get over the way the song Positively 4th Street makes me feel. I cannot help but smirk at the snarky lines like:
You say you lost your faith
But that's not where it's at
You had no faith to lose
And you know it
I don't care who this song is about or who the lyrics are directed towards, it's a great song to listen to if someone who's supposed to be your friend makes you angry. Instead of that heavy metal, skip to the Dylan. This song will reassure you that whoever "did you wrong" will get what's coming to them. And it might make you a little happy... like it makes me.
Really, what Bob Dylan says, albeit much more eloquently, is, "Fuck you, you backstabbing, good-for-nothing, fake, do-anything-to-get-ahead parasite." Be thankful I'm not a songwriter.
So, I'm going to leave you with what I left those SMers, my favorite lyrics:
And now I know you're dissatisfied
With your position and your place
Don't you understand
It's not my problem
I wish that for just one time
You could stand inside my shoes
And just for that one moment
I could be you
Yes, I wish that for just one time
You could stand inside my shoes
You'd know what a drag it is
To see you
Thank you.
For nothing. (as Dylan would say)
(Sidenote: for those of you who read this on F-book (if there are any at all), realize that this is imported from my blog.)
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Holiday Movie Season
With the holidays fast approaching and along with them comes the cream of the crop as far as movies are concerned. Finally, there will be movies coming out that bring us out of the drudge that is the fall movie season. I am growing ever weary of logging onto RottenTomatoes.com and seeings all top-five grossing movies at the box office with a "Rotten" rating. Beginning now, we are seeing movies that are getting "Fresh" reviews of 70% and greater and it feels amazing to know that the fall is soon over.
That being said, I did see two movies this weekend - Synecdoche, NY and Role Models. They could hardly be further from each other in tone and content, and it feels good to know that movies can still keep me thinking about them long after I left the theater (like Synecdoche, New York... pronounced: Sin-eck-doe-kee for your knowledge.
First: Synecdoche, NY. I could not believe the way this movie made me feel. The images were so surreal, but the acting and the emotions were so undeniably real that it had me so unbelieving and empathetic at the same time. Charlie Kaufman could not have found someone better to direct his movie. It is brave and genuine, and, most of all, heartbreaking. I didn't cry at all during the movie, but when I was walking to the metro, I found myself in tears and almost to the point of sobs.
I saw this movie by myself. I know... there's not much sadder than going to a movie by yourself on a Friday night, but I feel that if I had company, I would not have enjoyed it as much as I did. I still do not think I understand it. It will take at least two more viewings to do so, but I have rarely felt so moved by a film. It is truly a work of art. I don't remember which review I was reading, but one person said, "Love it or hate it, you will leave the theater and be thinking about it for hours." I was thinking about it for hours. I had to be with people after the movie, so I went and hung out with some friends... Thank god... and we watched the South Park movie and I temporarily forgot about my mortality.
On Saturday night, I saw Role Models. It was formulaic and shtick-ridden, but I thought it was funny nonetheless. The little kid who plays Ronnie was too damn funny. It was well acted and not necessarily very original, but it was genuinely funny and after Synecdoche, NY that was all I really needed. Paul Rudd is as great as ever as the eternal cynic and Seann William Scott plays the immature party-man (rather than boy). As Andrew said during the party scene, "It's Stifler, again." Agreed. (I love Seann William Scott, as he is from Minnesota and shares my birthday.) But all in all, none of the actors drag this movie down and I am still surprised by how much I laughed.
Also, snakes.
Thank you.
That being said, I did see two movies this weekend - Synecdoche, NY and Role Models. They could hardly be further from each other in tone and content, and it feels good to know that movies can still keep me thinking about them long after I left the theater (like Synecdoche, New York... pronounced: Sin-eck-doe-kee for your knowledge.
First: Synecdoche, NY. I could not believe the way this movie made me feel. The images were so surreal, but the acting and the emotions were so undeniably real that it had me so unbelieving and empathetic at the same time. Charlie Kaufman could not have found someone better to direct his movie. It is brave and genuine, and, most of all, heartbreaking. I didn't cry at all during the movie, but when I was walking to the metro, I found myself in tears and almost to the point of sobs.
I saw this movie by myself. I know... there's not much sadder than going to a movie by yourself on a Friday night, but I feel that if I had company, I would not have enjoyed it as much as I did. I still do not think I understand it. It will take at least two more viewings to do so, but I have rarely felt so moved by a film. It is truly a work of art. I don't remember which review I was reading, but one person said, "Love it or hate it, you will leave the theater and be thinking about it for hours." I was thinking about it for hours. I had to be with people after the movie, so I went and hung out with some friends... Thank god... and we watched the South Park movie and I temporarily forgot about my mortality.
On Saturday night, I saw Role Models. It was formulaic and shtick-ridden, but I thought it was funny nonetheless. The little kid who plays Ronnie was too damn funny. It was well acted and not necessarily very original, but it was genuinely funny and after Synecdoche, NY that was all I really needed. Paul Rudd is as great as ever as the eternal cynic and Seann William Scott plays the immature party-man (rather than boy). As Andrew said during the party scene, "It's Stifler, again." Agreed. (I love Seann William Scott, as he is from Minnesota and shares my birthday.) But all in all, none of the actors drag this movie down and I am still surprised by how much I laughed.
Also, snakes.
Thank you.
This Whole Blogging Thing is Not Working Very Well
So, apparently, I am not cut out to have a blog.
I have problems remembering to post my life.
This is it...
Go Phillies! That was exciting.
Election night was fun and I am very excited for the 4 years.
One more NASCAR race left and then I will have no sports to watch until... oh wait... until AU Eagles basketball starts in two weeks.
I have problems remembering to post my life.
This is it...
Go Phillies! That was exciting.
Election night was fun and I am very excited for the 4 years.
One more NASCAR race left and then I will have no sports to watch until... oh wait... until AU Eagles basketball starts in two weeks.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Baseball is over. Carl Edwards Wrecked everyone. And I am 21.
Baseball is officially over (for me). I have decided to root for the Phillies. You're welcome, Jayne. The Phillies are going to the NLCS. That's all I have for now.
Today, at Talladega, Carl Edwards started the "Big One". Atta boy, Carl. Just watch Jimmie run away with the Championship. The worst thing about it is that he took two of his teammates with him.
I officially turned 21 on Friday. I went to a concert with a friend on Friday night at Jammin' Java in Vienna, Virginia. It took us 3 hours to get there. No one's fault, per se... Okay, it was both of our faults. We rock. I will no longer attempt to go to NoVa. Ever. Again. Funfax is not so fun, as it turns out. And it is massive. So, we saw The Bird and the Bee. It was the second time I (we) had seen them live and it was a lot of fun.
The Bird and the Bee have only put out one full-length album, so generally the concerts are shorter. It was very cool to hear songs from their upcoming CD (due in January) called Ray Guns are Not Just the Future. Jammin' Java is this super tiny space that fits less than 200 people, so the experience was unbelievably cozy. I had a great time with a great friend and had a few great drinks in celebration of my 21st birthday. It's a good thing I didn't have to drive.
Needless to say, it took us 20 minutes to get home.
Today, at Talladega, Carl Edwards started the "Big One". Atta boy, Carl. Just watch Jimmie run away with the Championship. The worst thing about it is that he took two of his teammates with him.
I officially turned 21 on Friday. I went to a concert with a friend on Friday night at Jammin' Java in Vienna, Virginia. It took us 3 hours to get there. No one's fault, per se... Okay, it was both of our faults. We rock. I will no longer attempt to go to NoVa. Ever. Again. Funfax is not so fun, as it turns out. And it is massive. So, we saw The Bird and the Bee. It was the second time I (we) had seen them live and it was a lot of fun.
The Bird and the Bee have only put out one full-length album, so generally the concerts are shorter. It was very cool to hear songs from their upcoming CD (due in January) called Ray Guns are Not Just the Future. Jammin' Java is this super tiny space that fits less than 200 people, so the experience was unbelievably cozy. I had a great time with a great friend and had a few great drinks in celebration of my 21st birthday. It's a good thing I didn't have to drive. Needless to say, it took us 20 minutes to get home.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Keeping up with the Blogging.
Keeping up with everything lately has just been a little hard. So, here's a quick rundown:
Baseball is now sad. I attended (probably) my last game of the season earlier tonight. It was wonderful and magical and all around fulfilling. I'm going to miss those chili cheese fries. But don't worry, Nats. I'll be back in April. On a side note: Annika and I saw CLINT on the Metro train after the game. Yes, she almost had a heart attack. The Twins make baseball not so sad, however beating the White Sux earlier tonight 9-3 to keep the dream alive.
NASCAR: Greg Biffle, surprise, surprise, won his second race in a row. Roush Fenway cars took the top three spots in the race with Carl Edwards finishing third. With the third place finish, Edwards is now leading the Chase for the Championship by 10 points. I wish I could have been in Dover. The parts of the race that I saw were INTENSE.
Music... I have really been into Bob Dylan as of late. Really. Listening to Biograph and Blood on the Tracks mostly. I really am enjoying it. Some of the music is snarky and full of attitude, while others are just sad and reminiscent. Lately, "Positively 4th Street" and "Up to Me" have been frequent plays. Ugh... I just can't get over how long it has taken me to realize what I have been missing out on by not delving further into Dylan's collection beyond the standards. So, I'm writing a paper on Dylan's Blood on the Tracks album and I think it's interesting that he has said about it, "I find it hard think that anyone can enjoy listening to that kind of pain." Or... something of that kind. I know it's in the book that I just finished, but, eh, I'm too lazy to find it now.
So anyway, that'll probably be my only blurb this week.
Baseball is now sad. I attended (probably) my last game of the season earlier tonight. It was wonderful and magical and all around fulfilling. I'm going to miss those chili cheese fries. But don't worry, Nats. I'll be back in April. On a side note: Annika and I saw CLINT on the Metro train after the game. Yes, she almost had a heart attack. The Twins make baseball not so sad, however beating the White Sux earlier tonight 9-3 to keep the dream alive.
NASCAR: Greg Biffle, surprise, surprise, won his second race in a row. Roush Fenway cars took the top three spots in the race with Carl Edwards finishing third. With the third place finish, Edwards is now leading the Chase for the Championship by 10 points. I wish I could have been in Dover. The parts of the race that I saw were INTENSE.
Music... I have really been into Bob Dylan as of late. Really. Listening to Biograph and Blood on the Tracks mostly. I really am enjoying it. Some of the music is snarky and full of attitude, while others are just sad and reminiscent. Lately, "Positively 4th Street" and "Up to Me" have been frequent plays. Ugh... I just can't get over how long it has taken me to realize what I have been missing out on by not delving further into Dylan's collection beyond the standards. So, I'm writing a paper on Dylan's Blood on the Tracks album and I think it's interesting that he has said about it, "I find it hard think that anyone can enjoy listening to that kind of pain." Or... something of that kind. I know it's in the book that I just finished, but, eh, I'm too lazy to find it now.
So anyway, that'll probably be my only blurb this week.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
I Remain Hopeful.
I do. I really do. I really believe the Twins can get their act together to end up taking the upcoming series against the White Sox, maybe, just maybe, they can take the division. The wild card is out of reach by now. After last night's "heartbreaking" turn of events at Progressive Field against the Indians, the Twinkies just need to get out of this funk. Come on, boys! I believe in you.
In other baseball related fandom, if by chance the Twins don't make the playoffs, I must pick another team to root for in the playoffs. Inherently I will root against the Brewers at all costs (if they make it to the post season), but which team to root for? I might have to pull an Annika and root for the Rays just because they're the Rays. I have Phillies and Mets fans for friends and a Cubs fan for a grandmother, but cannot see me crossing over to the light side of baseball (National League) for the post season. Who should I root for just in case??
In other baseball related fandom, if by chance the Twins don't make the playoffs, I must pick another team to root for in the playoffs. Inherently I will root against the Brewers at all costs (if they make it to the post season), but which team to root for? I might have to pull an Annika and root for the Rays just because they're the Rays. I have Phillies and Mets fans for friends and a Cubs fan for a grandmother, but cannot see me crossing over to the light side of baseball (National League) for the post season. Who should I root for just in case??
Sunday, September 14, 2008
The Chase has begun!
So, I spent my afternoon/evening watching NASCAR and taking a very long, very fulfilling nap. But, the NASCAR race in Loudon, NH was very exciting indeed. The 300 lap race was filled with excitement and surprises as the first of the last 10 races was today. The rain decided to hold off and there was a full race ran despite a red flag for a five car crash. The first surprise of the afternoon was a malfunctioning/breaking part on Kyle Busch's M&M Toyota Camry. A bolt on his front sway bar had broken and he almost rolled his car a few times. After Steve Addington and the boys did some work on the car, Busch was back out on the track until lap 83 where he spun out. After that he was finished... never getting back on the lead lap and finishing 34th and 13 laps back.
Busch did not have the worst finish of the day for the Chase drivers... that would be Roush Fenway Racing's Matt Kenseth who was the hardest hit in a five car wreck on lap 229. He'll have to battle back in the weeks to come if he wants to do better than 12th in the Chase.
It was a good day for Cousin Carl (Edwards), however. The 99 Office Depot car cruised to a 3rd place finish which put him into 1st place in the Championship points, tied with Jimmie Johnson who got second in Loudon. He was just as happy for a 3rd place finish as he has been for some of his wins. He was running poorly in all three practice sessions going into the race today and wasn't expected to run very competitively at all.
The biggest surprise of the day, though, was the winner of the race. A Chaser that no one had really seen as a big factor. Sure it was the first race of the Chase, but a win sure does a lot for momentum and points. The number 16 Roush Fenway Ford driven by Greg Biffle passed Jimmie Johnson with 11 laps to go.
Busch did not have the worst finish of the day for the Chase drivers... that would be Roush Fenway Racing's Matt Kenseth who was the hardest hit in a five car wreck on lap 229. He'll have to battle back in the weeks to come if he wants to do better than 12th in the Chase.
It was a good day for Cousin Carl (Edwards), however. The 99 Office Depot car cruised to a 3rd place finish which put him into 1st place in the Championship points, tied with Jimmie Johnson who got second in Loudon. He was just as happy for a 3rd place finish as he has been for some of his wins. He was running poorly in all three practice sessions going into the race today and wasn't expected to run very competitively at all.
The biggest surprise of the day, though, was the winner of the race. A Chaser that no one had really seen as a big factor. Sure it was the first race of the Chase, but a win sure does a lot for momentum and points. The number 16 Roush Fenway Ford driven by Greg Biffle passed Jimmie Johnson with 11 laps to go.
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