Had a series of truly bizarre dreams last night. These are the ones I remember:
1) Waking up in the middle of the night because our microwave (which is from the 1800s and doesn't work) was giving off sparks. I ran to the bedroom, (because in my dreams I'm a complete spaz, apparently) and tried to wake up MrFig. He wouldn't budge and I had to freak out and yell "FIRE!" in his ear to wake him up. Finally he did. He marched into the kitchen and unplugged the microwave.
Conclusion: dream me is an idiot in panicky situations. Also, too much King of the Hill. You know, that one episode where they're volunteer firemen and they set the building on fire with a busted beer sign? That one.
2) There was some kind of evil institution that was kidnapping girls and turning them into idiots. By sucking out their brain power or something. So myself and a crack team of heroes (I think I remember my sister and one of my former students) decided to bust in and rescue the dumb damsels. To identify each other as 'smarties' we cut up a big day-glo sheet and glued bits of it to our hands. I remember it glowed. So then we went in, but the institution staff came in and we had to pretend to be dumb girls. An orderly came in to the room that I had run to and tried to read me a book. I had to pretend I couldn't understand anything and couldn't, for some reason, talk. Then he said "I'll make you a hologram!" and he tore a strip of paper from the book, folded it in half and said "TA-DA!"
Conclusion: too many Shutter Island trailers. Also, what the fuck.
3) There was a big dance/singing competition in this basement theater. There were some girls I knew from college there. So people went up to the stage in groups or by themselves, and they started singing and dancing. I remember one group of girls went up and lip-synched to a Beatles song I'd never heard but somehow recognized in my dream. I clapped.
Conclusion: I blame Jezebel. Harlot.
4) Went shopping at Macy's at the mall. There had been some gigantic sale, apparently, and almost all the shelves (in the 'Home' area) were empty. There were only a few shelves full of Christmas stuff, and some Easter things as well. I remember I fought my way through the crowd and picked up a sparkly, round Christmas ornament. It was expensive, but I remember thinking that I would convince MrFig that it was somehow vital that I have this. I went down the escalator but found myself at the baby section. OH NO. There was a table with a registry for a baptism, and I thought of how ridiculous that was before I got on the escalator going up.
Conclusion: the hell?
**
I think that's it. I can conclude that I watch way too much TV, too many ads, and that my brain is a moron when I sleep.
At least I get to wake up laughing?
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Sometimes I crack myself up
This was my response to this:
If I were an actor at the end of a junket I'd start answering questions in the most insane manner possible. Just to fuck around with the last-tier journalists.
“Which member of “The A-Team” do you most closely identify with?”
The van. Because it got rode hard and dirty, knowadaimean?
“‘Dynasty’: Krystle or Alexis?”
TEQUIIIIIIILAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
“You’re not even slightly sentimental for the 80s? “
The Tiki God in all of us demands a sacrifice to the great spirit of wine and coconuts. I, for one, will choose a small cockatiel and tie it to the strings of the wind and release it into a rainbow of pure mineral spirits and song.
Etc.
***
Yes, sometimes I like to save my own witty comments so I can reread them and feel pleased with myself. I am hugging myself right now, because I'm the funniest person I know. Plus, since I run the EE I can't really pick my comment for it, can I. I mean, I could, but...don't want to start a revolt, ya know? So I want to save it here and show it to you all like a plaque on my desk.
NO IT'S NOT SAD SHUT UP.
If I were an actor at the end of a junket I'd start answering questions in the most insane manner possible. Just to fuck around with the last-tier journalists.
“Which member of “The A-Team” do you most closely identify with?”
The van. Because it got rode hard and dirty, knowadaimean?
“‘Dynasty’: Krystle or Alexis?”
TEQUIIIIIIILAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
“You’re not even slightly sentimental for the 80s? “
The Tiki God in all of us demands a sacrifice to the great spirit of wine and coconuts. I, for one, will choose a small cockatiel and tie it to the strings of the wind and release it into a rainbow of pure mineral spirits and song.
Etc.
***
Yes, sometimes I like to save my own witty comments so I can reread them and feel pleased with myself. I am hugging myself right now, because I'm the funniest person I know. Plus, since I run the EE I can't really pick my comment for it, can I. I mean, I could, but...don't want to start a revolt, ya know? So I want to save it here and show it to you all like a plaque on my desk.
NO IT'S NOT SAD SHUT UP.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Book Review: "Contact" by Carl Sagan
How would we react if some day, out of the blue, we received some sort of intelligent message from outer space? How would the world change with the realization that there really are other intelligent beings in the universe? Would it change our politics, our social structure, our religion?
That's the question at the very heart of Contact. Ellie Arroway, a brilliant radio astronomer (she uses telescopes to listen for radio emissions from outer space) one day stumbles on a repeated signal coming from the vicinity of the star Vega. Through the use of SCIENCE! and complicated MATH, she and other scientists discover that it's a coded message to build a machine. What the machine will do, no one has any idea, and a lot of time is spent in trying to figure out if this machine should even be built in the first place.
That's the larger plot in a nutshell, but it's really a backdrop to the real meat of the story. Sagan introduces a lot of characters, each from very different backgrounds and nationalities, the better to try and give us as many perspectives regarding the message as possible. What he really wants to do is try and explore how different people would react to something like this. We have Ellie, who is a scientist but also somewhat of a romantic, so she takes the facts as they are while letting her imagination go wild about aliens and other worlds. We have a Palmer Joss, a pastor who argues with Ellie about God and religion, and how the message affects the view that God created and is constantly watching over the Earth. The great thing about these arguments is that they're not the cheap "you're wrong, and I'm right" bullshit that gets thrown around in most arguments of this sort. Sagan makes both characters equally intelligent and passionate, and it's pretty great to read. We also see the perspective of the President of the USA, her military adviser, and their counterparts from other countries around the world. The book is full of dialogue and argument, all of it changing as new levels to the message appear. There's really not a lot of action, and there are spaces that cover years as people argue about the wisdom of building the machine, who should go on it, what it will do, what will happen to the world, etc.
It gets a bit slow in parts, but I was rarely bored by it. The parts that I felt drag dealt with very complicated science and mathematics, the kind of stuff that makes me cross-eyed and I can't even begin to understand. Thankfully, though, these are pretty rare in the book and I didn't feel too bad about, well, skipping large paragraphs of what was gobbledygook to me. But other than that the book is pretty exciting, and the final chapters are just brilliantly done and unexpected. The only other problem with the book, though it's really not Sagan's fault at all, is that it was written in 1984, and some things might feel a little dated. But it's a testament to how strong the book is in that it still holds up well today.
The best thing about the book, to me, is how strong Sagan's female characters. After years and years of reading about vapid, largely stupid women protagonists (most written by women), it was refreshing to get a character like Ellie Arroway. She's brilliant and she knows it, and she's had to fight her way into being accepted by the scientific community. She's strong and imaginative, and doesn't take any bullshit. I loved her. Sagan also makes the President of the USA a woman, but it's just a fact he throws out, and it's never made into a big deal. It's just so rare to see not one, but two strong female characters in one book, and I was very happy about it.
So don't expect a lot of action or craziness with this book. It's thoughtful and takes its time. And it's a brilliant look at humanity and how we each react to different things, how we look at the world and our place in it. I recommend it if you want a more ponderous read than usual. And don't worry, it's nothing like the movie (which I liked, but I know a lot of people hated).
That's the question at the very heart of Contact. Ellie Arroway, a brilliant radio astronomer (she uses telescopes to listen for radio emissions from outer space) one day stumbles on a repeated signal coming from the vicinity of the star Vega. Through the use of SCIENCE! and complicated MATH, she and other scientists discover that it's a coded message to build a machine. What the machine will do, no one has any idea, and a lot of time is spent in trying to figure out if this machine should even be built in the first place.
That's the larger plot in a nutshell, but it's really a backdrop to the real meat of the story. Sagan introduces a lot of characters, each from very different backgrounds and nationalities, the better to try and give us as many perspectives regarding the message as possible. What he really wants to do is try and explore how different people would react to something like this. We have Ellie, who is a scientist but also somewhat of a romantic, so she takes the facts as they are while letting her imagination go wild about aliens and other worlds. We have a Palmer Joss, a pastor who argues with Ellie about God and religion, and how the message affects the view that God created and is constantly watching over the Earth. The great thing about these arguments is that they're not the cheap "you're wrong, and I'm right" bullshit that gets thrown around in most arguments of this sort. Sagan makes both characters equally intelligent and passionate, and it's pretty great to read. We also see the perspective of the President of the USA, her military adviser, and their counterparts from other countries around the world. The book is full of dialogue and argument, all of it changing as new levels to the message appear. There's really not a lot of action, and there are spaces that cover years as people argue about the wisdom of building the machine, who should go on it, what it will do, what will happen to the world, etc.
It gets a bit slow in parts, but I was rarely bored by it. The parts that I felt drag dealt with very complicated science and mathematics, the kind of stuff that makes me cross-eyed and I can't even begin to understand. Thankfully, though, these are pretty rare in the book and I didn't feel too bad about, well, skipping large paragraphs of what was gobbledygook to me. But other than that the book is pretty exciting, and the final chapters are just brilliantly done and unexpected. The only other problem with the book, though it's really not Sagan's fault at all, is that it was written in 1984, and some things might feel a little dated. But it's a testament to how strong the book is in that it still holds up well today.
The best thing about the book, to me, is how strong Sagan's female characters. After years and years of reading about vapid, largely stupid women protagonists (most written by women), it was refreshing to get a character like Ellie Arroway. She's brilliant and she knows it, and she's had to fight her way into being accepted by the scientific community. She's strong and imaginative, and doesn't take any bullshit. I loved her. Sagan also makes the President of the USA a woman, but it's just a fact he throws out, and it's never made into a big deal. It's just so rare to see not one, but two strong female characters in one book, and I was very happy about it.
So don't expect a lot of action or craziness with this book. It's thoughtful and takes its time. And it's a brilliant look at humanity and how we each react to different things, how we look at the world and our place in it. I recommend it if you want a more ponderous read than usual. And don't worry, it's nothing like the movie (which I liked, but I know a lot of people hated).
Monday, March 8, 2010
I suck at predictions, and some more thoughts.
Movie -- right! 1/1
Director --right! 2/2
Actor -- right! 3/3
Sup. Actor -- right! 4/4
Actress -- wrong! 4/5 (ARRRRGH DAMN YOU BULLOCK)
Sup. Actress -- right! 5/6
Animated -- right! 6/7
Art Direction -- right! 7/8
Cinematography -- right! 8/9
Costume Design -- right! 9/10 (knew it)
Doc. Feature -- wrong! 9/11 (should've known dolphins > Burma)
Doc. Short -- wrong! 9/12 (eh)
Editing -- wrong! 9/13 (I'm glad I was wrong)
Foreign Film -- wrong! 9/14 (honestly surprised)
Make-Up -- right! 10/15 (heh. though really not deserving)
Music -- RIGHT! 11/16 (yay Up!)
Song -- wrong! 11/17 (stupid Avatar)
Short Film Animated -- wrong ! 11/18 (stupid French)
Short Film Live -- wrong! 11/19
Visual Effects -- right! 12/20 (obviously)
Sound Editing/Mixing -- wrong! 12/22 (glad I was wrong)
Adapted Screenplay -- wrong! 12/23 (hmmph)
Original Screenplay -- wrong! 12/24
Sheesh. 50% right. This is what I get for not believing in The Hurt Locker enough, though I blame lingering bad memories of Titanic winning everything. I thought the Academy would suck up to Cameron again, but I'm very glad it didn't.
**
Some more thoughts on last night:
- WHY did they line up the nominees at the start of the show? They looked like cattle, and it was completely pointless. And THEN you give us 10 minutes of each getting their asses kisses by peers? STOP IT.
-Maybe it was the booze, but I really thought Ben Stiller was funny. It was probably the booze.
-The winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award must feel insulted that they took it out of the show. In favor of an interpretative dance montage.
-Good on them for honoring John Hughes, but they should have done it while he was, you know, alive.
Director --right! 2/2
Actor -- right! 3/3
Sup. Actor -- right! 4/4
Actress -- wrong! 4/5 (ARRRRGH DAMN YOU BULLOCK)
Sup. Actress -- right! 5/6
Animated -- right! 6/7
Art Direction -- right! 7/8
Cinematography -- right! 8/9
Costume Design -- right! 9/10 (knew it)
Doc. Feature -- wrong! 9/11 (should've known dolphins > Burma)
Doc. Short -- wrong! 9/12 (eh)
Editing -- wrong! 9/13 (I'm glad I was wrong)
Foreign Film -- wrong! 9/14 (honestly surprised)
Make-Up -- right! 10/15 (heh. though really not deserving)
Music -- RIGHT! 11/16 (yay Up!)
Song -- wrong! 11/17 (stupid Avatar)
Short Film Animated -- wrong ! 11/18 (stupid French)
Short Film Live -- wrong! 11/19
Visual Effects -- right! 12/20 (obviously)
Sound Editing/Mixing -- wrong! 12/22 (glad I was wrong)
Adapted Screenplay -- wrong! 12/23 (hmmph)
Original Screenplay -- wrong! 12/24
Sheesh. 50% right. This is what I get for not believing in The Hurt Locker enough, though I blame lingering bad memories of Titanic winning everything. I thought the Academy would suck up to Cameron again, but I'm very glad it didn't.
**
Some more thoughts on last night:
- WHY did they line up the nominees at the start of the show? They looked like cattle, and it was completely pointless. And THEN you give us 10 minutes of each getting their asses kisses by peers? STOP IT.
-Maybe it was the booze, but I really thought Ben Stiller was funny. It was probably the booze.
-The winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award must feel insulted that they took it out of the show. In favor of an interpretative dance montage.
-Good on them for honoring John Hughes, but they should have done it while he was, you know, alive.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
A gut reaction to the Oscars.
Some very quick notes on the Oscars:
1. Katherine Bigelow RULES.
2. For all this 'most successful movie of all time' bullshit (and it IS bullshit, for many reasons), Avatar took what, 2 Oscars? Just because a movie is pretty and makes money does not make it a good movie.
3. Sandra Bullock winning for a mediocre performance in a mediocre movie is just plain WRONG. I like her, and I like her movies, but come ON. That was ridiculous. Five seconds of any of the other actresses' performances looked better than her entire role in that movie. She shouldn't have won for this. What probably happened was that the vote was split between all of the others and Bullock managed to eke out a win by a slim margin. Still, very wrong. And she looked completely surprised by it, something about her body language said she didn't think she deserved it. And she was probably right.
4. Gabourey Sibide was hands-down the best dressed woman there. Loved her so much.
5. Good lord, but I hate Oprah Winfrey.
6. Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin were terrible. TERRIBLE. Their entire schtick at the start was painful and far, far too long. It had no life, no chemistry, no humor in it. It was cheap, is what it was. So low for these two actors. And Baldwin looks massively uncomfortable up there. Goes to show that just because a guy is hilarious at presenting awards and receiving them, doesn't mean that he will be good handling a crowd this size for so long. He looked angry and awkward. I'm going to start a rumor that they had a huge fight before the show and that made Baldwin pissed at Martin. Maybe the fight was about how terrible the writing was. Because, dude, that was terrible.
7. Speaking of Dudes, I'm so glad Jeff Bridges won. I love him and his entire family.
8. That thing where they have random people talk about the nominees for Best Actor and Actress? THAT NEEDS TO GO AWAY. Everyone looks so awkward, and the nominees look uncomfortable and that just needs to stop NOW.
9. Really, I did NOT expect Hurt Locker to win so much. It makes me happy. I love that a woman FINALLY won Best Director, and I love that this one quiet, thoughtful movie took home the award.
10. Interpretative dance needs to DIE. That was painful to watch.
11. I really, really need to watch Inglorious Basterds. Whoever is hogging it on Netflix needs to GIVE IT UP.
12. The Academy's sad attempt to draw in the young ones by bringing in the Twilight morons and She Who Shall Not Be Named Who Sounds Looks Like a Chipmunk was excruciating. Taylor Lautner can't speak a word without looking like an idiot and Kirsten Stewart always looks pained and angry. Keep them on MTV.
13. I still hold to my view that 2010 was a terrible year for movies. Really, if they had to draw from the likes of The Blind Side, you know they were in trouble.
14. Most of the dresses were gorgeous this year. There were a lot of the big, flashy, impressive dresses that I love to watch. But there were also some hideous things out there, the top 3 Most Hideous Looks Going to Charlize Theron (lovely color, creepy things grabbing her breasts), Jennifer Lopez (looked like the mesh people used in the last Project Runway challenge), and the absolute worst being Sarah Jessica Parker (bad hair, bad makeup, horrible shapeless dress with horrible accessory plopped in the middle). Runners up were Vera Fermiga (in a dress that would've looked better on someone else, and with different makeup) and Miley Cyrus, who just looked out of place as usual). Most WHAT IS THAT look goes to Zoe Saldana, no discussion.
15. People need to stop kissing George Clooney's ass so much. Yes, he's charming, but it's been done before. Just let it go, people.
Overall an OK show. The truth is that I feel there weren't enough great movies or performances to get excited about this year. Not enough flash, too much of the quiet stuff that no one saw. I hope 2010 is better.
1. Katherine Bigelow RULES.
2. For all this 'most successful movie of all time' bullshit (and it IS bullshit, for many reasons), Avatar took what, 2 Oscars? Just because a movie is pretty and makes money does not make it a good movie.
3. Sandra Bullock winning for a mediocre performance in a mediocre movie is just plain WRONG. I like her, and I like her movies, but come ON. That was ridiculous. Five seconds of any of the other actresses' performances looked better than her entire role in that movie. She shouldn't have won for this. What probably happened was that the vote was split between all of the others and Bullock managed to eke out a win by a slim margin. Still, very wrong. And she looked completely surprised by it, something about her body language said she didn't think she deserved it. And she was probably right.
4. Gabourey Sibide was hands-down the best dressed woman there. Loved her so much.
5. Good lord, but I hate Oprah Winfrey.
6. Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin were terrible. TERRIBLE. Their entire schtick at the start was painful and far, far too long. It had no life, no chemistry, no humor in it. It was cheap, is what it was. So low for these two actors. And Baldwin looks massively uncomfortable up there. Goes to show that just because a guy is hilarious at presenting awards and receiving them, doesn't mean that he will be good handling a crowd this size for so long. He looked angry and awkward. I'm going to start a rumor that they had a huge fight before the show and that made Baldwin pissed at Martin. Maybe the fight was about how terrible the writing was. Because, dude, that was terrible.
7. Speaking of Dudes, I'm so glad Jeff Bridges won. I love him and his entire family.
8. That thing where they have random people talk about the nominees for Best Actor and Actress? THAT NEEDS TO GO AWAY. Everyone looks so awkward, and the nominees look uncomfortable and that just needs to stop NOW.
9. Really, I did NOT expect Hurt Locker to win so much. It makes me happy. I love that a woman FINALLY won Best Director, and I love that this one quiet, thoughtful movie took home the award.
10. Interpretative dance needs to DIE. That was painful to watch.
11. I really, really need to watch Inglorious Basterds. Whoever is hogging it on Netflix needs to GIVE IT UP.
12. The Academy's sad attempt to draw in the young ones by bringing in the Twilight morons and She Who Shall Not Be Named Who Sounds Looks Like a Chipmunk was excruciating. Taylor Lautner can't speak a word without looking like an idiot and Kirsten Stewart always looks pained and angry. Keep them on MTV.
13. I still hold to my view that 2010 was a terrible year for movies. Really, if they had to draw from the likes of The Blind Side, you know they were in trouble.
14. Most of the dresses were gorgeous this year. There were a lot of the big, flashy, impressive dresses that I love to watch. But there were also some hideous things out there, the top 3 Most Hideous Looks Going to Charlize Theron (lovely color, creepy things grabbing her breasts), Jennifer Lopez (looked like the mesh people used in the last Project Runway challenge), and the absolute worst being Sarah Jessica Parker (bad hair, bad makeup, horrible shapeless dress with horrible accessory plopped in the middle). Runners up were Vera Fermiga (in a dress that would've looked better on someone else, and with different makeup) and Miley Cyrus, who just looked out of place as usual). Most WHAT IS THAT look goes to Zoe Saldana, no discussion.
15. People need to stop kissing George Clooney's ass so much. Yes, he's charming, but it's been done before. Just let it go, people.
Overall an OK show. The truth is that I feel there weren't enough great movies or performances to get excited about this year. Not enough flash, too much of the quiet stuff that no one saw. I hope 2010 is better.
Oscar Predictions 2010
There's really no reason for me to do this, as I've seen a grand total of 3 of the 10 Best Picture nominees, and even fewer from the other films nominated for stuff. But, I want to, just based on word-of-mouth and other people's predictions. So, here goes:
Best Picture:
I really want The Hurt Locker to win, if only so it'll make James Cameron shut up (I can dream). I think it will, because the Academy loves to be all holier-than-thou and really doesn't like awarding fantasy films. To be completely honest, I liked, but not loved The Hurt Locker. It was good, but not THAT good. But I hope it wins, just because I want a woman to get top honors. The only others I've watched are District 9, which was amazing but has no chance of winning, and Up will win Best Animated Feature, so it's out of the running here.
Best Director:
Kathryn Bigelow is my pick. But James Cameron might snatch it away, because of what he did with Avatar. Whoever wins this won't win Best Picture, I think. That almost never happens.
Best Actor:
I've only seen Jeremy Renner's movie. I don't think he'll win. I'll give this to Jeff Bridges just because he's awesome and it's about time he won something. I wouldn't be surprised if Clooney won, though, because apparently he's great in that movie, but I want The Dude to get it.
Actor in a Supporting Role:
I have seen NONE of the nominees here, but from everything I hear anyone except Christoph Waltz shouldn't even show up. I love Stanley Tucci, but I don't even want to watch The Lovely Bones.
Actress in a Leading Role:
Oh! I actually saw Julie and Julia! It was pretty much a terrible movie, but I did love Meryl Streep in it. Carey Mulligan will win though, because that's what I've been hearing. I'd LOVE for Gabourey Sidibe to win, because she's a fount of joy and I love her, but maybe she's too new to win such a big prize. Then again, I've never heard of Carey Mulligan, so who knows. Helen Mirren already won. Sandra Bullock's nomination is almost insulting.
Actress in a Supporting Role:
From what I hear, no one but Mo'nique should win this, even if I hate her apostrophe. She's a pretty cool chick though, so I hope she wins. I really want to watch Precious (screw it, I'm not writing that whole stupid title), but I'm also scared to. The dark horse here could be Anna Kendrick, though she bugs the hell out of me for two reasons: 1) she was in Twilight and 2) she was in Rocket Science, which I loathed. It's not fair because she's a good actress, but there you go. Gut reaction.
Animated Film:
I'm 90% sure Up will get it. It was a great movie, not my favorite from Pixar but it was another solid flick. I would love for Coraline to take it though, because it has some of the most gorgeous animation I've seen in years, and I love stop-motion stuff. Haven't seen any of the others, but I'm dying to see The Secret of Kells.
Art Direction:
I saw Sherlock Holmes and wasn't really impressed. I think Avatar will take this one pretty easily.
Cinematography:
Avatar will take almost all the technical categories, I'm sure. Like Titanic did--none for acting or screenplay, plenty of technical ones. Looks like it deserves them, too. I saw two of these! yay Harry Potter.
Costume Design:
Sherlock Holmes should've been nominated. Hmm. Based solely on how the Oscars usually work, The Young Victoria will win. They love them some period pieces.
Documentary Feature:
uuuh...any holocaust movies? No, really, they always win. I don't see any, though. So we'll go with the Burma movie because it's the best subject. What the hell do I know?
Documentary Short:
Um. Let's go with the China one. For no reason other than it's first on the list?
Film Editing:
Avatar, though I loved what they did on The Hurt Locker. It was so incredibly tense all the time, and the editing was brilliant.
Foreign Language Film:
A Prophet, because it looks fantastic.
Make-up:
I have no idea what El Divo is. Let's go with Star Trek because I really liked the makeup on people and I actually saw it.
Music:
I want Up to win because of how sweet the score was. But I think Avatar will take it.
Original Song:
I haven't heard any of these. Let's go with one of the Princess and the Frog songs, because Disney almost always wins these. Though I'd love for the dude named T-Bone to win.
Short Film Animated:
Wallace and Gromit are awesome, so let's go with that.
Short Film Live Action:
Uh. I have no idea. Let's go with The Door just because.
Sound Editing and Sound Mixing:
Avatar. I have no idea what the difference between these categories is.
Visual Effects:
Avatar. Star Trek had way too many damn sun flares.
Adapted Screenplay:
An Education because NICK HORNBY. YES.
Original Screenplay:
Give it to Tarantino. Just because the idea was awesome.
That's it! Stay tuned to see how right or wrong I was.
Best Picture:
I really want The Hurt Locker to win, if only so it'll make James Cameron shut up (I can dream). I think it will, because the Academy loves to be all holier-than-thou and really doesn't like awarding fantasy films. To be completely honest, I liked, but not loved The Hurt Locker. It was good, but not THAT good. But I hope it wins, just because I want a woman to get top honors. The only others I've watched are District 9, which was amazing but has no chance of winning, and Up will win Best Animated Feature, so it's out of the running here.
Best Director:
Kathryn Bigelow is my pick. But James Cameron might snatch it away, because of what he did with Avatar. Whoever wins this won't win Best Picture, I think. That almost never happens.
Best Actor:
I've only seen Jeremy Renner's movie. I don't think he'll win. I'll give this to Jeff Bridges just because he's awesome and it's about time he won something. I wouldn't be surprised if Clooney won, though, because apparently he's great in that movie, but I want The Dude to get it.
Actor in a Supporting Role:
I have seen NONE of the nominees here, but from everything I hear anyone except Christoph Waltz shouldn't even show up. I love Stanley Tucci, but I don't even want to watch The Lovely Bones.
Actress in a Leading Role:
Oh! I actually saw Julie and Julia! It was pretty much a terrible movie, but I did love Meryl Streep in it. Carey Mulligan will win though, because that's what I've been hearing. I'd LOVE for Gabourey Sidibe to win, because she's a fount of joy and I love her, but maybe she's too new to win such a big prize. Then again, I've never heard of Carey Mulligan, so who knows. Helen Mirren already won. Sandra Bullock's nomination is almost insulting.
Actress in a Supporting Role:
From what I hear, no one but Mo'nique should win this, even if I hate her apostrophe. She's a pretty cool chick though, so I hope she wins. I really want to watch Precious (screw it, I'm not writing that whole stupid title), but I'm also scared to. The dark horse here could be Anna Kendrick, though she bugs the hell out of me for two reasons: 1) she was in Twilight and 2) she was in Rocket Science, which I loathed. It's not fair because she's a good actress, but there you go. Gut reaction.
Animated Film:
I'm 90% sure Up will get it. It was a great movie, not my favorite from Pixar but it was another solid flick. I would love for Coraline to take it though, because it has some of the most gorgeous animation I've seen in years, and I love stop-motion stuff. Haven't seen any of the others, but I'm dying to see The Secret of Kells.
Art Direction:
I saw Sherlock Holmes and wasn't really impressed. I think Avatar will take this one pretty easily.
Cinematography:
Avatar will take almost all the technical categories, I'm sure. Like Titanic did--none for acting or screenplay, plenty of technical ones. Looks like it deserves them, too. I saw two of these! yay Harry Potter.
Costume Design:
Sherlock Holmes should've been nominated. Hmm. Based solely on how the Oscars usually work, The Young Victoria will win. They love them some period pieces.
Documentary Feature:
uuuh...any holocaust movies? No, really, they always win. I don't see any, though. So we'll go with the Burma movie because it's the best subject. What the hell do I know?
Documentary Short:
Um. Let's go with the China one. For no reason other than it's first on the list?
Film Editing:
Avatar, though I loved what they did on The Hurt Locker. It was so incredibly tense all the time, and the editing was brilliant.
Foreign Language Film:
A Prophet, because it looks fantastic.
Make-up:
I have no idea what El Divo is. Let's go with Star Trek because I really liked the makeup on people and I actually saw it.
Music:
I want Up to win because of how sweet the score was. But I think Avatar will take it.
Original Song:
I haven't heard any of these. Let's go with one of the Princess and the Frog songs, because Disney almost always wins these. Though I'd love for the dude named T-Bone to win.
Short Film Animated:
Wallace and Gromit are awesome, so let's go with that.
Short Film Live Action:
Uh. I have no idea. Let's go with The Door just because.
Sound Editing and Sound Mixing:
Avatar. I have no idea what the difference between these categories is.
Visual Effects:
Avatar. Star Trek had way too many damn sun flares.
Adapted Screenplay:
An Education because NICK HORNBY. YES.
Original Screenplay:
Give it to Tarantino. Just because the idea was awesome.
That's it! Stay tuned to see how right or wrong I was.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Book Review: "Rhett Butler's People" by Donald McCaig
Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind is my favorite book of all time. Tolkien's work follows closely, but doesn't come close to my utter adoration for the story of Scarlett O'Hara. It was one of the first books I ever read in English, back when I was in the 8th grade, and I will always remember Mrs Carter fondly for giving it to me to read. I've read it at least once a year since then, have the movie memorized almost line for line, and it never gets old. To sum up how deep my love really is, I will confess that I have read the insultingly bad "sequel", Scarlett, by Alexandra Ripley, almost three times in my life.
Let's get this out of the way: Scarlett was an abomination. It was a treacly, poorly written follow-up that butchered continuity and completely changed the characters into laughably caricatures. Worse: it turned Scarlett O'Hara into a childish idiot. While I won't deny that the Scarlett of Gone With the Wind was a massive fool when it came to men, she was never dumb. Alexandra Ripley destroyed one of the greatest stories of all time.
And yet, I read it repeatedly. And made myself forget that it was supposed to be part of the same saga. It just happened to have characters named Scarlett and Rhett. Then it wasn't so bad. But oh, every time I finished reading I wished desperately that someone else had written the sequel. I wished it had never been written. How could you follow up on it? And yet, I wanted the story to continue. It's not the sort of story you want to end. I have always resented Alexandra Ripley.
All this is a very long-winded way to say that I was really terrified of reading Rhett Butler's People. Would it be another heartbreak? Would I be completely disappointed again?
The answer is both yes and no. It's complicated.
Let's start with the good. The absolute best thing about McCaig's book is that it completely obliterates any traces of Scarlett. For that alone it should have a statue built in its honor.
The story begins long before the events of Gone With the Wind, and it's all about the inimitable Rhett Butler. We learn who he was before he met Scarlett and was doomed. We meet his family; his tyrant father, his almost-invisible mother, and his sister Rosemary. We meet his friends; both aristocrats and former slaves. It follows Rhett as he goes to war, and those chapters are beautifully told.
It's a great story, finally helping us figure out what made Rhett the way he is. The story follows every character and their stories, and what's best, it connects everything beautifully to the events in Gone With the Wind. It's so exciting for a fangirl like me to recognize places and characters from the original story, and to see how they were connected to Scarlett and Rhett throughout their lives. Even better is to read passages between the two characters that were never in Gone With the Wind--it's sort of like a 'deleted scenes' version of the book at times.
It's a well-written, well-researched and thoroughly entertaining story, even when it isn't focusing on Rhett. In fact, I almost enjoyed reading the story of Rosemary more than that of Rhett. McCaig fleshes out the characters and makes every story interesting. Well, almost every story. And here's where we come to the negative parts of the review.
For all that this is the story of Rhett Butler, this isn't the Rhett Butler we all know. He's a softer, much nicer version of the romantic anti-hero from the original book. And that means he's a lot less fun. Rhett's scathing sense of humor is almost completely gone, replaced by someone who broods entirely too much and who needs to stop whining already. Scarlett is also transformed. Not dumbed down as Ripley did, but...when did Scarlett become so mature? This is where the fangirl in me yelled "SHE NEVER CALLED HIM CAPTAIN BUTLER WHAT THE HELL?" at the book. Because I yell at books. There were more than a few instances where Scarlett and Rhett acted so much against character that I almost put the book down, and it didn't matter how much I had been enjoying the rest of the story.
The problem, as much as I can figure it out, is in tone. Gone With the Wind was a flawlessly written book, full of excitement and passion, with characters and plot turns that kept you engrossed and excited. And most importantly, it had a sense of humor. It was emotional: funny, tragic, frustrating, exciting, etc. It had lighthearted moments followed by deep tragedies, and the chemistry and energy between the characters always kept things interesting.
McCaig's book, I think, takes itself too seriously. It's a very Serious book. Rhett's humor is gone, Scarlett's insane logic is gone, the excitement is gone. It's a book about war, and loss, and it's very good at that, but I would've liked something else. It's a good book, and a decent sequel, but it could've been so much better.
Maybe I'm not being fair. I know I have ridiculously high expectations. But in the end, I have to say I was pretty happy with the book, while also somewhat disappointed. I liked the start, loved some of the middle, and absolutely loved the ending, because it's the right one. It wasn't great when it was following Rhett and Scarlett for the reasons mentioned above, but it was great when it followed the other characters. It changed Rhett and Scarlett too much for my liking, but it was good to hear from them again. It does a beautiful job with continuity and follows up on things I'd been wanting to read about for ages. But it also made me outright angry in parts.
As I said, mixed feelings.
In the end, I'd recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of the original. Because, if nothing else, you will never, ever have to read Scarlett again. And for that alone, I'm eternally grateful to Donald McCaig.
Let's get this out of the way: Scarlett was an abomination. It was a treacly, poorly written follow-up that butchered continuity and completely changed the characters into laughably caricatures. Worse: it turned Scarlett O'Hara into a childish idiot. While I won't deny that the Scarlett of Gone With the Wind was a massive fool when it came to men, she was never dumb. Alexandra Ripley destroyed one of the greatest stories of all time.
And yet, I read it repeatedly. And made myself forget that it was supposed to be part of the same saga. It just happened to have characters named Scarlett and Rhett. Then it wasn't so bad. But oh, every time I finished reading I wished desperately that someone else had written the sequel. I wished it had never been written. How could you follow up on it? And yet, I wanted the story to continue. It's not the sort of story you want to end. I have always resented Alexandra Ripley.
All this is a very long-winded way to say that I was really terrified of reading Rhett Butler's People. Would it be another heartbreak? Would I be completely disappointed again?
The answer is both yes and no. It's complicated.
Let's start with the good. The absolute best thing about McCaig's book is that it completely obliterates any traces of Scarlett. For that alone it should have a statue built in its honor.
The story begins long before the events of Gone With the Wind, and it's all about the inimitable Rhett Butler. We learn who he was before he met Scarlett and was doomed. We meet his family; his tyrant father, his almost-invisible mother, and his sister Rosemary. We meet his friends; both aristocrats and former slaves. It follows Rhett as he goes to war, and those chapters are beautifully told.
It's a great story, finally helping us figure out what made Rhett the way he is. The story follows every character and their stories, and what's best, it connects everything beautifully to the events in Gone With the Wind. It's so exciting for a fangirl like me to recognize places and characters from the original story, and to see how they were connected to Scarlett and Rhett throughout their lives. Even better is to read passages between the two characters that were never in Gone With the Wind--it's sort of like a 'deleted scenes' version of the book at times.
It's a well-written, well-researched and thoroughly entertaining story, even when it isn't focusing on Rhett. In fact, I almost enjoyed reading the story of Rosemary more than that of Rhett. McCaig fleshes out the characters and makes every story interesting. Well, almost every story. And here's where we come to the negative parts of the review.
For all that this is the story of Rhett Butler, this isn't the Rhett Butler we all know. He's a softer, much nicer version of the romantic anti-hero from the original book. And that means he's a lot less fun. Rhett's scathing sense of humor is almost completely gone, replaced by someone who broods entirely too much and who needs to stop whining already. Scarlett is also transformed. Not dumbed down as Ripley did, but...when did Scarlett become so mature? This is where the fangirl in me yelled "SHE NEVER CALLED HIM CAPTAIN BUTLER WHAT THE HELL?" at the book. Because I yell at books. There were more than a few instances where Scarlett and Rhett acted so much against character that I almost put the book down, and it didn't matter how much I had been enjoying the rest of the story.
The problem, as much as I can figure it out, is in tone. Gone With the Wind was a flawlessly written book, full of excitement and passion, with characters and plot turns that kept you engrossed and excited. And most importantly, it had a sense of humor. It was emotional: funny, tragic, frustrating, exciting, etc. It had lighthearted moments followed by deep tragedies, and the chemistry and energy between the characters always kept things interesting.
McCaig's book, I think, takes itself too seriously. It's a very Serious book. Rhett's humor is gone, Scarlett's insane logic is gone, the excitement is gone. It's a book about war, and loss, and it's very good at that, but I would've liked something else. It's a good book, and a decent sequel, but it could've been so much better.
Maybe I'm not being fair. I know I have ridiculously high expectations. But in the end, I have to say I was pretty happy with the book, while also somewhat disappointed. I liked the start, loved some of the middle, and absolutely loved the ending, because it's the right one. It wasn't great when it was following Rhett and Scarlett for the reasons mentioned above, but it was great when it followed the other characters. It changed Rhett and Scarlett too much for my liking, but it was good to hear from them again. It does a beautiful job with continuity and follows up on things I'd been wanting to read about for ages. But it also made me outright angry in parts.
As I said, mixed feelings.
In the end, I'd recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of the original. Because, if nothing else, you will never, ever have to read Scarlett again. And for that alone, I'm eternally grateful to Donald McCaig.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Books, books, twitter, life.
Two bits of news:
I've joined Goodreads in an attempt to keep up with my reading for 2010. Since I was late in finishing Cannonball 1 I was unable to join Part 2, though it was half as many books in the same amount of time. It's alright though, as I preferred to not do another marathon read and take my time about reading and reviewing as I settle into life in Dallas. I really want to get back into reviewing, because I really love doing it, but I found that when I tried to go back to books I had read months ago I had an incredibly hard time trying to remember how I felt about them. Which is my own damn fault of course, I should have been reviewing as soon as I finished a book, but I got lazy and I got further and further behind. I think I'll try and review some of the 40-odd books I left unreviewed (you can see the list on the right hand of the blog down there) but I probably won't review them all.
What I would like to do is review books I'm reading now. One of the most wonderful things about moving to the States, I've found, is the availability of great books in English. I've told you before how Honduras had one bookstore chain that sold books in English, and their selection was greatly limited--just about everything there was by Stephanie Meyer (blight upon the world), Stephen King (read everything by him), and other bestselling dreck. So you can imagine my utter joy at walking into a gigantic bookstore here, drawing a deep breath and taking in that wonderful smell that bookstores have and realizing --HOLY CRAP I WANT TO BUY EVERYTHING HERE. AND I'm not limited by how many books I can fit into my suitcase! It's intoxicating, is what it is. I have an ever-growing list of books I want to read (based largely on recommendations by Pajibans), and knowing that I can actually find them here is exhilarating. I had to keep myself from spending more money than I could on our last trip to the B&N, and limited myself to two books: Rhett Butler's People (review coming up!) and The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (which I have yet to start). I started the year with my husband's (don't get me started on how weird it is to write that word) copy of the massive The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, and I'm almost done with that. After two months. I'm hopelessly stuck at Justinian. I know I should, and I know that I can finish it, but every time I pick it up it seems to weigh a hundred pounds and it just repels my brain. And I don't quite know why, because I was enjoying it immensely so far. I think it's just that I can only take so much rape and pillaging and family murders before I get tired of it, you know? Even I have limits.
So, I'll make myself review a book this weekend.
The other news is that I've finally, after much resistance and pain, joined Twitter. I hate myself for it, a little bit. But truth is that there's a) there's a buttload of people I want to follow and it's the easiest way to do so, b) I love wasting my time on shit like this, and it's not like I have anything else to do, and c) I love talking about myself. And limiting myself to 140 words might be a challenge. As you see, I'm nothing if not long-winded. So, add me if you'd like, the username is "figgidaboudit". Clever, eh?
In other news, life is pretty sweet right now. We've sent off my paperwork to the USCIS, telling them that yes I did marry before the 90 day deadline was up, and starting my process to get a Green Card. It's a looooooong process, taking at least a year, during which I can't travel outside of the US (so Christmas in Honduras is most likely out, which makes me pretty damn sad). But I can start looking for work, which is pretty wonderful. Lounging around has its high points, but I'm ready to become a useful member of American society. I really need to start looking into getting my teaching certificate, and figuring out what exactly I'd like to teach. I think I'll look into teaching younger kids, because I nearly died from Middle Schoolers two years ago. Granted, I'm sure teaching in the US will be a vastly different experience (hopefully much, much better) so it might not be so bad. But we'll see.
That's it for now. Hope you have a good weekend!
I've joined Goodreads in an attempt to keep up with my reading for 2010. Since I was late in finishing Cannonball 1 I was unable to join Part 2, though it was half as many books in the same amount of time. It's alright though, as I preferred to not do another marathon read and take my time about reading and reviewing as I settle into life in Dallas. I really want to get back into reviewing, because I really love doing it, but I found that when I tried to go back to books I had read months ago I had an incredibly hard time trying to remember how I felt about them. Which is my own damn fault of course, I should have been reviewing as soon as I finished a book, but I got lazy and I got further and further behind. I think I'll try and review some of the 40-odd books I left unreviewed (you can see the list on the right hand of the blog down there) but I probably won't review them all.
What I would like to do is review books I'm reading now. One of the most wonderful things about moving to the States, I've found, is the availability of great books in English. I've told you before how Honduras had one bookstore chain that sold books in English, and their selection was greatly limited--just about everything there was by Stephanie Meyer (blight upon the world), Stephen King (read everything by him), and other bestselling dreck. So you can imagine my utter joy at walking into a gigantic bookstore here, drawing a deep breath and taking in that wonderful smell that bookstores have and realizing --HOLY CRAP I WANT TO BUY EVERYTHING HERE. AND I'm not limited by how many books I can fit into my suitcase! It's intoxicating, is what it is. I have an ever-growing list of books I want to read (based largely on recommendations by Pajibans), and knowing that I can actually find them here is exhilarating. I had to keep myself from spending more money than I could on our last trip to the B&N, and limited myself to two books: Rhett Butler's People (review coming up!) and The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (which I have yet to start). I started the year with my husband's (don't get me started on how weird it is to write that word) copy of the massive The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, and I'm almost done with that. After two months. I'm hopelessly stuck at Justinian. I know I should, and I know that I can finish it, but every time I pick it up it seems to weigh a hundred pounds and it just repels my brain. And I don't quite know why, because I was enjoying it immensely so far. I think it's just that I can only take so much rape and pillaging and family murders before I get tired of it, you know? Even I have limits.
So, I'll make myself review a book this weekend.
The other news is that I've finally, after much resistance and pain, joined Twitter. I hate myself for it, a little bit. But truth is that there's a) there's a buttload of people I want to follow and it's the easiest way to do so, b) I love wasting my time on shit like this, and it's not like I have anything else to do, and c) I love talking about myself. And limiting myself to 140 words might be a challenge. As you see, I'm nothing if not long-winded. So, add me if you'd like, the username is "figgidaboudit". Clever, eh?
In other news, life is pretty sweet right now. We've sent off my paperwork to the USCIS, telling them that yes I did marry before the 90 day deadline was up, and starting my process to get a Green Card. It's a looooooong process, taking at least a year, during which I can't travel outside of the US (so Christmas in Honduras is most likely out, which makes me pretty damn sad). But I can start looking for work, which is pretty wonderful. Lounging around has its high points, but I'm ready to become a useful member of American society. I really need to start looking into getting my teaching certificate, and figuring out what exactly I'd like to teach. I think I'll look into teaching younger kids, because I nearly died from Middle Schoolers two years ago. Granted, I'm sure teaching in the US will be a vastly different experience (hopefully much, much better) so it might not be so bad. But we'll see.
That's it for now. Hope you have a good weekend!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
I return...with politics and a rant.
A little bit of a delayed post, regarding the political situation in Honduras. I've been mulling this whole thing over for a while, and finally found the words to express how I feel. Mostly, anyway.
So it's all come to the expected, pathetic end. What was called a great revolutionary step, a life-changer, has come to nothing but a few deals made between powerful politicians. Supporters on both sides have once again been conveniently forgotten and they will likewise forget, taking their cardboard signs and anger home to live life exactly as they have been living it these past 20 years.
Honduras has a new President, yet another in a long line of powerful, rich men who have been destroying the country for years. Another puppet full of empty promises and zero gumption. The first thing he did? Strike a deal with Zelaya that allowed the mustachioed wonder to leave the brazilian embassy completely unscathed, so he could go enjoy the wonders of the Dominican Republic and Mexico. All those promises made by the interim government about bringing Zelaya to justice for his past crimes? Oh, those will just be forgotten easily enough, and in a few years Zelaya will come back to his millions and his estates, not a single charge on his conscience.
And Zelaya's promises to the poor people who supported him throughout? As any promise made by a politician, it'll be forgotten easily enough. He was with them as long as he could use them. The second he realized the masses could do nothing for him and the rich guys could, he completely forgot his stance of resistance or death. And the poor suckers who wasted their sweat, blood and tears marching in his favor will be forgotten, because what power did they ever have but the imaginary strength Zelaya kept claiming they had, but only as long as it suited him?
In fact, I would be utterly unsurprised if, in a few years, after the Constitution is changed to allow for the re-election of Presidents (and it will happen), Zelaya comes back and is elected again. Honduras has a short memory.
They'll forget that Micheletti violated the constitution and kicked out a sitting leader. Whether he deserved it or not is not the question. And I will readily admit that early on I was completely on Micheletti's side, jumping at anyone who called it a coup d'etat, saying that Zelaya deserved it. I came to realized that I too had been duped into believing that the ends justify the means. I now feel like an idiot for believing that. I now firmly believe that both sides of this equation acted out of nothing but their own interests and that nothing in Honduras has changed for the better. It's just more of the same.
And the other side--Micheletti's supporters--are equally, if not more embarrassing and pathetic. The day before Pepe Lobo took office my facebook was flooded by my friends calling Micheletti a hero and a defender of democracy. I cringed and wanted to put my head in my hands. The fact that there are people who firmly believe that Micheletti was doing anything but acting out of his and his friends' own interests is completely baffling to me. They call him a hero, conveniently forgetting that this man was once the president of congress and a great friend of Mel Zelaya. They forget that he almost ruined his own home city by running a transportation monopoly. They forget he is just another of the powerful group that has run Honduras to the ground and kept it where it's been and will always be unless things change. They'll forget he lost an election because the public hated him. They've bought all his lies and his empty statements and it's frankly just embarrassing and enragingto see.
Do they really believe that Micheletti and his cronies would have done anything of what they did had there not been an election coming up? They knew *exactly* what they were doing: by taking out Zelaya when they did (why they hadn't tried to bring him to justice before will remain unanswered forever, because no one wants to look back to that), they knew that Zelaya would try to oppose the elections, and so they could stand behind the incredibly strong banner of DEMOCRACY AND ELECTIONS to support their stand. And it worked! They knew the international community would never try to stop the elections, and they knew that without International support, Zelaya would lose everything he had. And it worked. The elections happened (as far as I know they were the only legitimate thing in this whole circus) and now it's all over.
It just makes me sad. Sad and frustrated because no one learned anything from this fiasco, and Honduras will continue on the same path it's been for decades. It made us look bad and irrational, and nothing will ever come of it. I remember my mother telling me, way back in June when this first happened, that it would all end with the politicians striking deals with each other and completely tossing aside all their promises and their supporters. And look where we are now. Zelaya is gone from the country, his crimes forgotten, and Micheletti is being called a hero.
It's pathetic.
So it's all come to the expected, pathetic end. What was called a great revolutionary step, a life-changer, has come to nothing but a few deals made between powerful politicians. Supporters on both sides have once again been conveniently forgotten and they will likewise forget, taking their cardboard signs and anger home to live life exactly as they have been living it these past 20 years.
Honduras has a new President, yet another in a long line of powerful, rich men who have been destroying the country for years. Another puppet full of empty promises and zero gumption. The first thing he did? Strike a deal with Zelaya that allowed the mustachioed wonder to leave the brazilian embassy completely unscathed, so he could go enjoy the wonders of the Dominican Republic and Mexico. All those promises made by the interim government about bringing Zelaya to justice for his past crimes? Oh, those will just be forgotten easily enough, and in a few years Zelaya will come back to his millions and his estates, not a single charge on his conscience.
And Zelaya's promises to the poor people who supported him throughout? As any promise made by a politician, it'll be forgotten easily enough. He was with them as long as he could use them. The second he realized the masses could do nothing for him and the rich guys could, he completely forgot his stance of resistance or death. And the poor suckers who wasted their sweat, blood and tears marching in his favor will be forgotten, because what power did they ever have but the imaginary strength Zelaya kept claiming they had, but only as long as it suited him?
In fact, I would be utterly unsurprised if, in a few years, after the Constitution is changed to allow for the re-election of Presidents (and it will happen), Zelaya comes back and is elected again. Honduras has a short memory.
They'll forget that Micheletti violated the constitution and kicked out a sitting leader. Whether he deserved it or not is not the question. And I will readily admit that early on I was completely on Micheletti's side, jumping at anyone who called it a coup d'etat, saying that Zelaya deserved it. I came to realized that I too had been duped into believing that the ends justify the means. I now feel like an idiot for believing that. I now firmly believe that both sides of this equation acted out of nothing but their own interests and that nothing in Honduras has changed for the better. It's just more of the same.
And the other side--Micheletti's supporters--are equally, if not more embarrassing and pathetic. The day before Pepe Lobo took office my facebook was flooded by my friends calling Micheletti a hero and a defender of democracy. I cringed and wanted to put my head in my hands. The fact that there are people who firmly believe that Micheletti was doing anything but acting out of his and his friends' own interests is completely baffling to me. They call him a hero, conveniently forgetting that this man was once the president of congress and a great friend of Mel Zelaya. They forget that he almost ruined his own home city by running a transportation monopoly. They forget he is just another of the powerful group that has run Honduras to the ground and kept it where it's been and will always be unless things change. They'll forget he lost an election because the public hated him. They've bought all his lies and his empty statements and it's frankly just embarrassing and enragingto see.
Do they really believe that Micheletti and his cronies would have done anything of what they did had there not been an election coming up? They knew *exactly* what they were doing: by taking out Zelaya when they did (why they hadn't tried to bring him to justice before will remain unanswered forever, because no one wants to look back to that), they knew that Zelaya would try to oppose the elections, and so they could stand behind the incredibly strong banner of DEMOCRACY AND ELECTIONS to support their stand. And it worked! They knew the international community would never try to stop the elections, and they knew that without International support, Zelaya would lose everything he had. And it worked. The elections happened (as far as I know they were the only legitimate thing in this whole circus) and now it's all over.
It just makes me sad. Sad and frustrated because no one learned anything from this fiasco, and Honduras will continue on the same path it's been for decades. It made us look bad and irrational, and nothing will ever come of it. I remember my mother telling me, way back in June when this first happened, that it would all end with the politicians striking deals with each other and completely tossing aside all their promises and their supporters. And look where we are now. Zelaya is gone from the country, his crimes forgotten, and Micheletti is being called a hero.
It's pathetic.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
The comfy life...
Oooh, boy, I'm a liar. I keep thinking I need to update but then get extremely lazy as usual and then just...feh. And not like there's nothing going on, it's just the over-consuming lazy whenever I open up this blog. See? I'm already bored and thinking of things I need to go look up.
I blame super-fast internet, a new TV and Netflix. Oooh, yeah, baby. Newlywed life is sweet.
But, really, life is good and exciting and I'm really liking Dallas so far. It's such a completely different place from Honduras, and maybe in a future entry I'll try to explain the many reasons why. This could be come a whole displaced-person type of account.
Anyway, I'll get back to my reading. Getting through "The Decline and fall of the Roman Empire", a massive history book that's got me completely hooked. It's just all murder, betrayal, depravity...followed by murder, betrayal, depravity and death. Brilliant stuff.
fun times! I promise to update more often, at least once a week. I'll force myself to stick to that.
I blame super-fast internet, a new TV and Netflix. Oooh, yeah, baby. Newlywed life is sweet.
But, really, life is good and exciting and I'm really liking Dallas so far. It's such a completely different place from Honduras, and maybe in a future entry I'll try to explain the many reasons why. This could be come a whole displaced-person type of account.
Anyway, I'll get back to my reading. Getting through "The Decline and fall of the Roman Empire", a massive history book that's got me completely hooked. It's just all murder, betrayal, depravity...followed by murder, betrayal, depravity and death. Brilliant stuff.
fun times! I promise to update more often, at least once a week. I'll force myself to stick to that.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
a much needed update...
I have so much to write here that I don't even know where to start.
It's been just about the craziest two weeks of my life, and definitely the happiest. After months and months of planning and stressing out, everything went off perfectly and we had the best wedding I could have possibly imagined. Everything worked. Everyone had a great time and hey! I'm now a married lady. Hasn't really sunk in yet (I think it'll be a while) but a gigantic weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I feel so incredibly at peace now. I can actually plan ahead now! I don't have to pack bags and leave again! I finally get to stay here for good!
Tha
Anyway, I'm gonna try to write up a few entries here about the two weeks we've had. And I'll have photos. Lots and lots of photos. Pre-christmas, Christmas, pre-wedding, wedding, Galveston, New Year's, etc etc etc. As it'll still be some time before I have to seriously start looking for work (paperwork needs to be done, etc), I can spend the time really organizing photos and videos and share with everyone who couldn't be there.
As for now though, let me just wish everyone a happy new year, and may 2010 bring you oodles of good stuff and joyness and all that. Thank you all SO MUCH for the wonderful messages, cards, gifts, etc, etc, etc that you sent me and Graham. I'll thank you each individually when I can but for now I don't want you to think I don't appreciate everything. Because holy cow, I do. I love you guys, thanks for making 2009 so awesome :)
It's been just about the craziest two weeks of my life, and definitely the happiest. After months and months of planning and stressing out, everything went off perfectly and we had the best wedding I could have possibly imagined. Everything worked. Everyone had a great time and hey! I'm now a married lady. Hasn't really sunk in yet (I think it'll be a while) but a gigantic weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I feel so incredibly at peace now. I can actually plan ahead now! I don't have to pack bags and leave again! I finally get to stay here for good!
Tha
Anyway, I'm gonna try to write up a few entries here about the two weeks we've had. And I'll have photos. Lots and lots of photos. Pre-christmas, Christmas, pre-wedding, wedding, Galveston, New Year's, etc etc etc. As it'll still be some time before I have to seriously start looking for work (paperwork needs to be done, etc), I can spend the time really organizing photos and videos and share with everyone who couldn't be there.
As for now though, let me just wish everyone a happy new year, and may 2010 bring you oodles of good stuff and joyness and all that. Thank you all SO MUCH for the wonderful messages, cards, gifts, etc, etc, etc that you sent me and Graham. I'll thank you each individually when I can but for now I don't want you to think I don't appreciate everything. Because holy cow, I do. I love you guys, thanks for making 2009 so awesome :)
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Transported
I'm in Dallas!
Keep meaning to post here updating and it just keeps...slipping. Too many things to do (not really, I lounge around while Graham's at work), people to see (Graham. Too cold to go outside), countries to conquer (true), etc.
Anyway, I'm here and it's awesome and I'm already starting to think about the future--something I haven't been able to do with any clarity for a very, very long time.
19 days to the wedding. eeee!
Keep meaning to post here updating and it just keeps...slipping. Too many things to do (not really, I lounge around while Graham's at work), people to see (Graham. Too cold to go outside), countries to conquer (true), etc.
Anyway, I'm here and it's awesome and I'm already starting to think about the future--something I haven't been able to do with any clarity for a very, very long time.
19 days to the wedding. eeee!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
THE END Of THE CANNONBALL!
I have finished the Cannonball! DONE. 100 books in 1 year. No idea on the page count yet, but maybe I'll have time to count. It was pretty brutal at the end, and in the past three days I read four books. All the way through, too.
I had planned on finishing with Gone With the Wind, one of my favorites, but I started it too late and didn't want to rush through it. So I grabbed yet another Grisham and zoomed through it. It was pretty good, too.
In the next few days I hope to finish the reviews (yes! all 40 of them!) and write Best and Worst lists as well as recommendations by genre, etc. I do like writing the reviews a lot, even if they're not widely read or published in Pajiba anymore. And I'll always have them up for quick reference in case anyone asks me for a particular book.
'm so happy I finished. A lot of my reads were re-reads, as I have very limited access to new books and had to supply myself from my shelves as well as my dad's. I'll do a count, but I also read a lot of new books, and it was a great experience. I read books I had never given a chance to before because I was afraid I wouldn't like them, and discovered some great authors along the way. I revisited old favorites, and by writing the reviews I was able to finally articulate why I liked or hated a book. And I look forward to reading some more.
I won't be participating in the second Cannonball Run, but of course I'll keep reading and I hope to be able to do reviews for everything I read from now on. It's just so damn fun.
I loved this challenge. And I'm happy I finished, even if it was a little late. Huzzah!
I had planned on finishing with Gone With the Wind, one of my favorites, but I started it too late and didn't want to rush through it. So I grabbed yet another Grisham and zoomed through it. It was pretty good, too.
In the next few days I hope to finish the reviews (yes! all 40 of them!) and write Best and Worst lists as well as recommendations by genre, etc. I do like writing the reviews a lot, even if they're not widely read or published in Pajiba anymore. And I'll always have them up for quick reference in case anyone asks me for a particular book.
'm so happy I finished. A lot of my reads were re-reads, as I have very limited access to new books and had to supply myself from my shelves as well as my dad's. I'll do a count, but I also read a lot of new books, and it was a great experience. I read books I had never given a chance to before because I was afraid I wouldn't like them, and discovered some great authors along the way. I revisited old favorites, and by writing the reviews I was able to finally articulate why I liked or hated a book. And I look forward to reading some more.
I won't be participating in the second Cannonball Run, but of course I'll keep reading and I hope to be able to do reviews for everything I read from now on. It's just so damn fun.
I loved this challenge. And I'm happy I finished, even if it was a little late. Huzzah!
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