Cupid

Of all of the statues that I came across in Sarasota, I was most intrigued by this stone gentleman. I forgot to catch his name (or the name of the person he was based off of). The rest the shopping plaza in which Andrew, Dan, and I frequented was crowded with smooth, stone renditions of Roman gods (cupid and venus pictured below).


Although I am thoroughly enamored by all that the stone gentleman represents, at the end of the day I would much rather look at the female statues. They really do portray beauty in a very pure and classic manner.



I ran into this copper toned family when I was making my way from 2nd street to 11th street. Sarasota is very easy to make your way from one place to the next because it is all based on a simple grid system. Within the next 10 years I how to somehow because as comfortable and content as the bronze man appears to be.

Last night I arrived in Rhode Island, where I will be spending a few days until I have to move into my dorm room. This semester I am going to be rooming with Lev again (which is great because a good roommate is hard to come by).

Movies I've seen recently in theaters:

(500) Days of Summer
-Sweet movie. Saw it again this afternoon. Interesting cinematic elements as well as a new twist on the romantic comedy.

Inglourious Basterds
- Everything that I wanted Valkerie to be. Oscar worthy acting from Christoph Waltz (the antagonist). Compelling, smart, and - at times - thought provoking. A little quiter than the trailer would lead you to beleive, although there is still plenty of violence, detatched limbs, and dead nazis. Good movie to see in theaters.

District 9
- One of the most interesting science fiction fiction movies I have seen in a while. Cool and intriguing, with some social commentary thrown in the mix (although it doesn't get preachy like Happy Feet does). Not a film to pass up by any means.

Up
- If you haven't seen this film already, go see it. It's not often that I cry during a film, especially during a childrens film (especially during the first 20 minutes of a film). Possibly my favorite Pixar film thus far.

Speak easy,
Neil

"Chaos is yours and chaos is mine."

Last night I went to the Sunset Rubdown show (which was great and electric and everything you'd want from a rock concert that is set in the basement of a restaurant/club in Cambridge) and this evening I went to see Up (more depressing than I thought but they fit most of that into the first twenty minutes and also it has a lot of funny moments too). Driving in Boston is incredibly confusing and I would recommend getting into the city by using the T or getting a detailed road map before making any sort of trek. Also, if you are going by car, make sure that you find a decent parking garage. My friend Mike who was with me at the time mentioned that you are powerless to the parking garage. When you are leaving and you put the ticket into the machine and you see an amount of money on the screen, you have to pay it no matter what. You can't reason with the machine and you can't leave without paying it.



This video was taken by the guy standing two rows in front of me who had a completely shaved head and a blue polo shirt. It came out really good. I didn't meet him or anything, just found his video and blog through a Youtube search. The internet is nifty. There were three drummers during the song and there are little glowy balls positioned around the stage. Towards the back of the stage there were these weird trees with little disco balls nestled in them. It all made for very good atmosphere (something a lot of bands don't consider during their live sets).

There were two kids sitting in front of me when I went to see Up. One of them buried most of her head into a large empty bucket of popcorn about half way through the film. Once and a while I'll see kids do some spontaneous stuff, the kind they do without thinking or without trying to get a rise out of someone, and it's usually really funny. I guess most people just learn to be boring over time.

Speak easy,
Neil