2009

Things that make me glad that I experienced 2009:

1. Movies

Up - Old man and a young boy scout go on an adventure together in this computer animated comedy that is touching and fun for the whole family. Sounds like I should hate it but this was the

A Serious Man - One of the most well put together films the Coen brothers have ever made. It proves to be both a very personal story and deeply philosophical, fusing the biblical tale of Job with the paradoxical thought experiment of Schrödinger's cat.

Inglorious Basterds - A culmination of everything I like about Quentin Tarentino movies (even has a short narration by Samuel L. Jackson). Brad Pitt and Christolph Waltz take this film to a completely new level. Plus B.J. Novak guest stars.

Star Trek - Wish I had seen this in theaters. It proves to be more like the old Star Wars movies than the Star Wars prequels.

[500] Days of Summer - Great chick flick for guys. Fun and carries with it an interesting message concerning true love.

District 9 - Great visual for a $30 million dollar budget. Intriguing characters and a lovable baby alien (in case your girlfriend gets bored).

Honorable Mentions (films I didn't see but were probably great): Up In The Air, An Education, Fabulous Mr. Fox.

2. Merriweather Post Pavillion by Animal Collective

-One of my favorite albums of all time. Fantastically engineered with a full sound and amazing vocal melodies. Also dancable at times.

3. This Star Wars Episode I Movie Review

-This entertained me immensely while I was dealing with a random bout of insomnia. It is far more well crafted and entertaining than The Phantom Menace ever was. This is the kind of thing I always hope to stumble across on the internet but rarely ever do.

4. Television

LOST - Arguably better than its ever been. If you haven't started watching it yet. Now is a good time to catch up. Season 6 is airing next month, the final season that will hopefully answer all of the questions that have been piling up over the years.

Dexter - Dark and addicting. Great performance by John Lithgow this season.

Venture Brothers - By far the best writing and animating I've ever seen in a televised cartoon serial. Mostly for a younger male audience.

Flight of the Conchords - Just as funny and clever as their first season. Displays a different brand of comedy than most television programs on today.

Jersey Shore - Entertaining, shallow, and too funny.

Also...Breaking Bad, United States of Tara, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Mad Men.

5. Youtube

- Great way for the entire family to waste countless hours of time. Constantly growing and changing. Plus HD. :)

Things from 2009 that left me confused:

1. Twitter

2. Lil' Wayne

3. Jon and Kate

4. Twilight

5. Meghan Fox

xmas

I got a digital camera for Christmas so I'll be able to post more videos. Merry Christmas!

Speak easy,

Neil

Sinterniklaas

Here's a pic my friend Chris took when I was in Boston. It looks like Santa is patting me on the head. It's an illusion! I am actually several feet in front of him and protected by a layer of glass. I was never in any real harm.

Just ate a small pack of Mike and Ike's and now my gums are bleeding. There's something a little unsettling about that.

I should be studying for French but I ended up learning Lady Gaga's Bad Romance on guitar instead. The universe works in mysterious ways.

Earlier today I came across this clip from the new Alvin and The Chipmunks movie (which is actually called The Squekwel! I thought that was just a stupid advertisement ploy.)

This blunt sexualization of CGI chipmunks kind of weirds me out. I'm not going to lie.

One more week and then I'll have a month off. Looking forward to it!

Speak easy,

Neil

Making Time

Lovely

she has a koala spirit

blue, soft, and endless.

Her kindness doves and spills

Like lava, it pours under doors.

creeping closer to plastic urchins,

the shards silken.

______________

We started reading "Tooth of Crime" in my Modern American Drama class the other day. It is an absolutely bizarre post-Apocalyptic play about an aging rocker. The play is written in a symbolic poetry style fashion. That is what I attempted to do with the poem above. Not sure if I really get the concept, but it's pretty interesting none the less. The picture is one I took of my cousin Carolan at Thanksgiving last week. Working on two papers due tomorrow and have another one to work on due next Wednesday. Sherman Alexie this afternoon! Probably don't have time to go but I will have to make time (might have to see Stephen Hawking about that).

Speak easy,

Neil

Red heat

Here is an excert of something I was working on when I should have been writing my Shakespeare paper.

______________________

I breathed heavily on the negative strip and polished it slowly. Any dust or scratches that appeared on the negative would show up on the print. You could make as many prints as you wanted from that one negative but once the negative was permanently damaged, that was it. That image, that black and white memory would be ruined and any print you made with that marred negative would reflect that.

When I got into the darm-room I made very sure that the door was closed tight so no outside light could get in. All of the photo paper was kept in a metal tin that resembled a sliding bread box except inside it had shelves where we put the paper. The room was dark, but there was some light on so you could see your way around. The lights were dark red so that they wouldn’t affect the paper. Also, red has a lower frequency on the electromagnetic spectrum, which makes it easier for your eyes to adjust. As far as our brain is concerned, red is the closest color to black. If that wave had a significantly lower frequency, it would be a radio wave. If it developed a higher frequency, it might be an X ray or a gamma ray. Red is the drop of point of the visible spectrum. If red’s frequency lowered the slightest bit, it would be heat.

I carried the photo paper carefully from side of the room to the other, making sure it remained untouched by any light that would darken the final print. Once exposed by the negative’s light from the enlarger, I carried the print to the developer solution where the liquids mixed and married to reveal an image. It showed itself slowly, a picture of a dilapidated house shying towards the surface. It is quite a beautiful and intimate process actually.

______________________

There is a Sherman Alexie reading tomorrow on campus that I am going to try to go to. He was on The Colbert Report last night.

Speak easy,
Neil