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So, dropping from really good, thought-provoking films like The Last Temptation of Christ, and alarming, (alright, TERRIFYING) docu-dramas like Jesus Camp, comes a disturbingly low-budgeted film that is, in fact, so low budget I could swear they've hired a former porn star as the main actress. Her eyebrows attest to this.
C Me Dance is, based on the trailer, an annoying, dialogue-filled drama emo rant from those same idiots that work for Kirk Cameron.
I have nothing against Christian films where the outcome is worth the effort. This movie isn't even worth the paper the movie tickets are printed on! And what's terrifying, it's in North Carolina.
It is disturbing to me that such a low-budget, bad-acting film is getting into theaters. This is not an indie flick, like Slumdog Millionare. It's not even going to make you think, nor is it comfortable brain candy.
To put it plainly: it's ANNOYING. The producers try to cover the craptastic acting and lamesauce makeup jobs (seriously, Satan has no eyebrows a la Angel in vamp form), with the thunderous trumpets of how badly you're gonna burn in their extra hot toaster oveny Hell if you don't fight the demons and praise Jesus.
No, really. That's the extent of it.
I've got nothing against the film except that I think it's really fucking bad, and that I'm not going to pay seven dollars to be preached to. I can go to church if I want that!
But the sheer audacity of the numbers speak for themselves. The movie only grossed 30,000 dollars on opening weekend, and opened on 150 screens. In the movie world, that's PEANUTS.
The biggest part that bugs me is not even so much the plot (although that needed some serious work), it's the acting. When I first saw the trailer (and yes, I was made to suffer that trailer in a real movie theater, not on Youtube), we actually thought it was a joke. Or a public service announcement. Or a low-budget soft core PORN film. The acting is just crappy. Maybe if they'd spent a little more time or gotten a better studio to finance it, it could have been a good film.
As it is, it was better off going straight to video.
C Me Dance is, based on the trailer, an annoying, dialogue-filled drama emo rant from those same idiots that work for Kirk Cameron.
I have nothing against Christian films where the outcome is worth the effort. This movie isn't even worth the paper the movie tickets are printed on! And what's terrifying, it's in North Carolina.
It is disturbing to me that such a low-budget, bad-acting film is getting into theaters. This is not an indie flick, like Slumdog Millionare. It's not even going to make you think, nor is it comfortable brain candy.
To put it plainly: it's ANNOYING. The producers try to cover the craptastic acting and lamesauce makeup jobs (seriously, Satan has no eyebrows a la Angel in vamp form), with the thunderous trumpets of how badly you're gonna burn in their extra hot toaster oveny Hell if you don't fight the demons and praise Jesus.
No, really. That's the extent of it.
I've got nothing against the film except that I think it's really fucking bad, and that I'm not going to pay seven dollars to be preached to. I can go to church if I want that!
But the sheer audacity of the numbers speak for themselves. The movie only grossed 30,000 dollars on opening weekend, and opened on 150 screens. In the movie world, that's PEANUTS.
The biggest part that bugs me is not even so much the plot (although that needed some serious work), it's the acting. When I first saw the trailer (and yes, I was made to suffer that trailer in a real movie theater, not on Youtube), we actually thought it was a joke. Or a public service announcement. Or a low-budget soft core PORN film. The acting is just crappy. Maybe if they'd spent a little more time or gotten a better studio to finance it, it could have been a good film.
As it is, it was better off going straight to video.
Oh God. Thank God. I'm here!
Apr. 1st, 2009 11:03 amTom comes home tommrrow. You have no idea how thrilled I am. I wasn't expecting him until April 9th.
Mr(s)? Smith Goes to Washington
Mar. 10th, 2009 09:20 amSo I'm in Washington DC for Spring Break, and ironically, I leave tommrrow, and I'm just now posting. But it's okay.
Liz and I have been tromping around the outsides of the city, exploring, checking out the campus, having fun.
We generally get in by eight or nine o'clock, exhausted from having walked different suburbs of Washington. Yesterday we went to Silver Spring, where I found amazing 30-40s tawdry paperback novels. You know the kind I mean, with a seductive looking woman and a leering man? Pulp fiction is what they're called now, but they're not exactly that.
Here, have an example:
In any case, I found five of those little lovelies, but I only bought four of them, because one was too expensive.
Today I finally manage to get some work done at U of Maryland's gorgeous library. Then tonight, Liz is going to show me how to dry paint with acrylic. It should be interesting.
Oops, I have exactly ten minutes to catch a bus!
Liz and I have been tromping around the outsides of the city, exploring, checking out the campus, having fun.
We generally get in by eight or nine o'clock, exhausted from having walked different suburbs of Washington. Yesterday we went to Silver Spring, where I found amazing 30-40s tawdry paperback novels. You know the kind I mean, with a seductive looking woman and a leering man? Pulp fiction is what they're called now, but they're not exactly that.
Here, have an example:
In any case, I found five of those little lovelies, but I only bought four of them, because one was too expensive.
Today I finally manage to get some work done at U of Maryland's gorgeous library. Then tonight, Liz is going to show me how to dry paint with acrylic. It should be interesting.
Oops, I have exactly ten minutes to catch a bus!
It's gonna be a wild, non-stop forty eight hours of hard core craziness, starting tommrrow at 6, when every feminist in the city will show up at my doorstep.
Pasta, Pellegrino, and world domination. (Or equality, whichever way you want to put it!) Then, it's the celebration of the finale of this years' Vagina Monologues, aka the Thank God/dess It's Over! But Didn't We Have Fun? party. We'll be at Ham's, and we'll be the screaming, sultry, sexy vixens at the big round table who are constantly calling the waiter for another glass of gin and tonic, and who bring bottles of wine, because Ham's wine list is non-existent.
We'll also be the cat-eyed, crimson mouthed, curved smiling chicks who aren't afraid to say the word "VAGINA". Loudy, and on non-stop constant repeat. "Bob", "Vagina Motherfuckers", "It is ILLEGAL to sell vibrators in the following states:", and "I was in the room, and I remember" will also make cameo appearances, mostly likely backed up by the giddy, crazy exuberance that is what you get when you put fifteen wild, feminist, not-taking-shit film noir and designer-label wearing dames in a room!
We'll paint our lips scarlet. We'll purr at the waiters. We'll say the name of our own genitalia, OUT LOUD, for the whole world to hear. And honey, that's just Friday.
On Saturday, Ashley, Dana, Val and I will stuff ourselves into a cute little Camry and go on a road trip to the Mind, Body, Spirit Expo up in Raleigh. We'll buy crescant moon necklaces and get our chi examined, compare our own spirituality, and the worth of ourselves as women. I'll be wearing any one of my sexy little forties dresses, so just look for the brunette in Nine West Jostle ivory pumps and a pretty little understated vintage clutch, chattering with three fierce, outrageous babes, one of which will look like a 1950s bombshell.
After the Expo, Dana and I are dressing up in little black wriggle dresses and putting on our highest heels and our reddest lipsticks and going out for a night on the town! It's Valentine's Day, and nothing could be cuter than fooling a waiter into thinking we're lesbians. After all, no one can say no to comped bottles of champagne, and I don't intend to try! We'll drink, and dance, and giggle for hours until it's way too dark to see.
And then I'll come home and peel off my little black dress and gorgeous chocolate Victoria's Secrets bra that I'm saving for a night just like this. And I'll call you, in my flesh thigh high stockings and my pretty matching thong and garter belt. And we'll talk. For hours and hours, and we'll be together in sounds and voices and gentle words, since we're not going to be in the same state, hell, or even the same time zone.
It's gonna be one crazy weekend, so crazy I won't even have time to hold up a Starbucks for my caffeine addiction. I guess I'll have to do it all on adrenaline alone--adrenaline and this bright, glorious feeling that I love.
Pasta, Pellegrino, and world domination. (Or equality, whichever way you want to put it!) Then, it's the celebration of the finale of this years' Vagina Monologues, aka the Thank God/dess It's Over! But Didn't We Have Fun? party. We'll be at Ham's, and we'll be the screaming, sultry, sexy vixens at the big round table who are constantly calling the waiter for another glass of gin and tonic, and who bring bottles of wine, because Ham's wine list is non-existent.
We'll also be the cat-eyed, crimson mouthed, curved smiling chicks who aren't afraid to say the word "VAGINA". Loudy, and on non-stop constant repeat. "Bob", "Vagina Motherfuckers", "It is ILLEGAL to sell vibrators in the following states:", and "I was in the room, and I remember" will also make cameo appearances, mostly likely backed up by the giddy, crazy exuberance that is what you get when you put fifteen wild, feminist, not-taking-shit film noir and designer-label wearing dames in a room!
We'll paint our lips scarlet. We'll purr at the waiters. We'll say the name of our own genitalia, OUT LOUD, for the whole world to hear. And honey, that's just Friday.
On Saturday, Ashley, Dana, Val and I will stuff ourselves into a cute little Camry and go on a road trip to the Mind, Body, Spirit Expo up in Raleigh. We'll buy crescant moon necklaces and get our chi examined, compare our own spirituality, and the worth of ourselves as women. I'll be wearing any one of my sexy little forties dresses, so just look for the brunette in Nine West Jostle ivory pumps and a pretty little understated vintage clutch, chattering with three fierce, outrageous babes, one of which will look like a 1950s bombshell.
After the Expo, Dana and I are dressing up in little black wriggle dresses and putting on our highest heels and our reddest lipsticks and going out for a night on the town! It's Valentine's Day, and nothing could be cuter than fooling a waiter into thinking we're lesbians. After all, no one can say no to comped bottles of champagne, and I don't intend to try! We'll drink, and dance, and giggle for hours until it's way too dark to see.
And then I'll come home and peel off my little black dress and gorgeous chocolate Victoria's Secrets bra that I'm saving for a night just like this. And I'll call you, in my flesh thigh high stockings and my pretty matching thong and garter belt. And we'll talk. For hours and hours, and we'll be together in sounds and voices and gentle words, since we're not going to be in the same state, hell, or even the same time zone.
It's gonna be one crazy weekend, so crazy I won't even have time to hold up a Starbucks for my caffeine addiction. I guess I'll have to do it all on adrenaline alone--adrenaline and this bright, glorious feeling that I love.
There is a book I'm reading. Burned Alive: A Victim of the Law of Men, is written as it was told to a ghostwriter by a woman who was burned in her Palestinian village.
She was burned because she was unmarried and pregnant. They burned her for that most terrible of crimes: love.
I've read nearly all this book. It's short, maybe 215 pages at most. But the story is terrible, and horrible. The pain and the anguish are so great that you cannot even rage against this woman's family. Everything was done in accordance to custom.
The woman's name is Souad. She has no last name, for protective purposes. Although she now lives in Europe, and is considered legally dead in her home village, her case is what is called an honor killing: if her family discovered she was alive, they would do everything in their power to kill her.
Those involved in rescues like Souad's have seen it happen.
I cried for most of the book. I cried as I sat in a university cafe, with students coming and going, listening to Ipods, talking on cell phones, reading textbooks. And the sorrow threatened to overwhelm me.
What can we, as Americans, as women, as people, do about honor killings like Souad's? Once your eyes are opened, it is impossible to close them again. And yet, there is a frustrating feeling of helplessness. We cannot go and rescue every young woman who dares to fall in love. There are organizations to join, like the one mentioned in Burned Alive, Le Hommes de Terres (People of Earth), but can one person really make a difference?
I say yes. When I read Souad's story, I wanted to take her in my arms and cry. I wanted to understand her great and terrible fear of fire, her shame in her scars, her terror that her husband might leave her, because he is Arabic, because she is scarred, and in her own words, "a pile of garbage".
And it frustrated me, because I knew people who could help her. And I didn't know if it was out of place to go to them and ask for help. This woman, whom I am only connected to by reading her story, I desperately want to help. I want her to stop being ashamed of her scars, but at the same time, I understand why she is. I wish her husband could prove to her that he won't leave her, but he's already doing that, by being there every day.
It breaks my heart to see this woman, who represents the women of her culture, in pain, in sorrow. She believed for a long time that her gender made her worthless.
And it is for her, and for all the women and girls who continue to believe that, that we can't stop fighting.
She was burned because she was unmarried and pregnant. They burned her for that most terrible of crimes: love.
I've read nearly all this book. It's short, maybe 215 pages at most. But the story is terrible, and horrible. The pain and the anguish are so great that you cannot even rage against this woman's family. Everything was done in accordance to custom.
The woman's name is Souad. She has no last name, for protective purposes. Although she now lives in Europe, and is considered legally dead in her home village, her case is what is called an honor killing: if her family discovered she was alive, they would do everything in their power to kill her.
Those involved in rescues like Souad's have seen it happen.
I cried for most of the book. I cried as I sat in a university cafe, with students coming and going, listening to Ipods, talking on cell phones, reading textbooks. And the sorrow threatened to overwhelm me.
What can we, as Americans, as women, as people, do about honor killings like Souad's? Once your eyes are opened, it is impossible to close them again. And yet, there is a frustrating feeling of helplessness. We cannot go and rescue every young woman who dares to fall in love. There are organizations to join, like the one mentioned in Burned Alive, Le Hommes de Terres (People of Earth), but can one person really make a difference?
I say yes. When I read Souad's story, I wanted to take her in my arms and cry. I wanted to understand her great and terrible fear of fire, her shame in her scars, her terror that her husband might leave her, because he is Arabic, because she is scarred, and in her own words, "a pile of garbage".
And it frustrated me, because I knew people who could help her. And I didn't know if it was out of place to go to them and ask for help. This woman, whom I am only connected to by reading her story, I desperately want to help. I want her to stop being ashamed of her scars, but at the same time, I understand why she is. I wish her husband could prove to her that he won't leave her, but he's already doing that, by being there every day.
It breaks my heart to see this woman, who represents the women of her culture, in pain, in sorrow. She believed for a long time that her gender made her worthless.
And it is for her, and for all the women and girls who continue to believe that, that we can't stop fighting.
On Movies I Have Seen
Dec. 24th, 2008 09:21 pmLook, people, it's Christmas Eve. My boyfriend is home, there's movies and a fire going, I got nothing better to do than torture all you other people who are sucked into the interwebz this holiday season.
But for the record: Brazilian waxes are teh BOMB. I encourage every female between the ages of 18-45 to get one pronto.
This broadcast has been given by your local health and beauty aids.
In other news:
Jaden Smith beat out his father for punk ass wtfery, by being the WHINEST KID ON THE FUCKING PLANET in The Day the Earth Stood Still. No, it wasn't as good as the original, but Jaden's performance was at least less suicidal douche and more whining idiot than Will Smith in Seven Pounds which I am CONVINCED is a right wing militant Christian conspiracy theory mixed in with a little of the leftover Jim Jones' Kool-Aid.
Also: Jennifer Connelly makes Keira Knightley look plump. How, I ask, is that possible? You keep this up honey, and the Labryinth? It ain't gonna let you in. Jareth, move on. Sarah is no longer Sarah.
Also, the weird tiny bug eating people thing? Weird. So very fucking weird. Also very creepy. The whole time I was watching it I had this crawly sensation like an entire horde of ticks had seen me and were howling to each other about the rump roast at two o'clock. It was irritating, to say the least.
There is, of course, a Messiah complex/conspiracy, and I'm pretty sure that the Earth no longer has electricity after the Big Glowing Ball ascends, but hey. THE GREENPEACE PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO GET A MESSAGE OUT: SAVE THE EARTH, OR WE ALL SUFFER WITH NO HBO!
Really, it was stupid, and I'm pretty sure that somewhere, Al Gore was beating off to it. You know, while he was congratulating himself on inventing the interwebz.
Okay, look, National Treasure is on and I don't know why I'm bothering to review a movie I thought was a piece of crap anyway, okay? Look, I don't know.
But for the record: Brazilian waxes are teh BOMB. I encourage every female between the ages of 18-45 to get one pronto.
This broadcast has been given by your local health and beauty aids.
In other news:
Jaden Smith beat out his father for punk ass wtfery, by being the WHINEST KID ON THE FUCKING PLANET in The Day the Earth Stood Still. No, it wasn't as good as the original, but Jaden's performance was at least less suicidal douche and more whining idiot than Will Smith in Seven Pounds which I am CONVINCED is a right wing militant Christian conspiracy theory mixed in with a little of the leftover Jim Jones' Kool-Aid.
Also: Jennifer Connelly makes Keira Knightley look plump. How, I ask, is that possible? You keep this up honey, and the Labryinth? It ain't gonna let you in. Jareth, move on. Sarah is no longer Sarah.
Also, the weird tiny bug eating people thing? Weird. So very fucking weird. Also very creepy. The whole time I was watching it I had this crawly sensation like an entire horde of ticks had seen me and were howling to each other about the rump roast at two o'clock. It was irritating, to say the least.
There is, of course, a Messiah complex/conspiracy, and I'm pretty sure that the Earth no longer has electricity after the Big Glowing Ball ascends, but hey. THE GREENPEACE PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO GET A MESSAGE OUT: SAVE THE EARTH, OR WE ALL SUFFER WITH NO HBO!
Really, it was stupid, and I'm pretty sure that somewhere, Al Gore was beating off to it. You know, while he was congratulating himself on inventing the interwebz.
Okay, look, National Treasure is on and I don't know why I'm bothering to review a movie I thought was a piece of crap anyway, okay? Look, I don't know.
Traveling through Europe
Nov. 28th, 2008 10:47 pmWell, I feel better since I've gotten the outline done for my paper, so I'm taking a brief break.
I have decided that I am desperate to get out of the States for the summer, and so this year, I'm going to the Languedoc. Yes, yes, I know I say this EVERY summer, but this time, I mean it. I'm saving up three and half grand, I'm plotting a route via train, and I am GOING. And SOMEONE is coming with me. Hopefully Dana.
There is a possibility that Tom could meet me in England, so we could see Hadrian's Wall and the Roman History Museum up in Cumbria. If so, I'd only be spending ten days in France and the rest of the time in England.
I'm flying into Toulouse, then hitting Carcassonne, Bezier, Montpillier, and Paris. Yes, yes, Paris is not the beauty Americans think is, you're so Americanized, blah blah blah.
I fell in love with Paris the last time I was there. I'm going back, and I want to spend at least three days there. Anyone who thinks it's a sucky idea can BITE ME.
I just have to make sure that 1: someone can go with me, and 2: I can get enough cash together.
I have decided that I am desperate to get out of the States for the summer, and so this year, I'm going to the Languedoc. Yes, yes, I know I say this EVERY summer, but this time, I mean it. I'm saving up three and half grand, I'm plotting a route via train, and I am GOING. And SOMEONE is coming with me. Hopefully Dana.
There is a possibility that Tom could meet me in England, so we could see Hadrian's Wall and the Roman History Museum up in Cumbria. If so, I'd only be spending ten days in France and the rest of the time in England.
I'm flying into Toulouse, then hitting Carcassonne, Bezier, Montpillier, and Paris. Yes, yes, Paris is not the beauty Americans think is, you're so Americanized, blah blah blah.
I fell in love with Paris the last time I was there. I'm going back, and I want to spend at least three days there. Anyone who thinks it's a sucky idea can BITE ME.
I just have to make sure that 1: someone can go with me, and 2: I can get enough cash together.
On Twilight
Nov. 22nd, 2008 07:05 pmAll right, so I saw the movie at a midnight premiere, but haven't had much time to write til now.
First of all, it was apparent that all the shrieking fangirls? Were not part of my audience. Thank Isis for small favors.
As for the movie itself: Keep in mind, I have not read the pieces of shit that are the books. I refuse, on ethical and moral grounds, which mainly consist of the fact that Bella Swan is the biggest Mary Sue since Barbie. And that book!Edward is a creepy 108 year old virgin who has all the makings of an abusive husband.
So, while I was very familiar with the characters, I didn't read the books, and I was able to actually enjoy the movie.
I don't care that they changed shit, and I don't care if the fans hate this.
I really liked the characters. Well, everyone except for Kristin Stewart. I'm sorry, she's not a good actress, and I personally think she's kind of ugly, to boot. The only time she looked halfway decent was during the prom scene, and let's face it, that's an epic failure of the fire hose test. (If a girl looks gorgeous and then you spray her with a fire hose, and she looks like shit, then she's only pretty with makeup. There's no natural beauty.)
Her acting was a little stiff and wooden, and putting her opposite Robert Pattison, who is a very steady actor, was insulting to the movie. Find a better actress for Bella, plzkthnx.
Charlie, Bella's dad, is, according to others, much more fleshed out in the film than he is in the book, and it did show, in the movie. He was very much a "goofy" dad without being overprotective in an unbelievable sense, and he was a real human being in the movie too. I liked him.
I must admit, again, my ignorance of that glorified fanfic, because I was STUNNED to see that Jacob was Native American. I was very impressed, but stunned. And they made some beautiful connections between werewolves and the tribe's history, and some broader connections into Celtic mythos and a bit into Inuit tradition as well. Whether or not that was intentional, I've no idea, but I appreciated it. Jacob didn't get much of a role, so I can't say much of the character, but I liked the history.
Edward...Edward Edward Edward. RPatz, I adore you. You played Edward as a masochistic self-hater, and I LOVED that. He is still a creepy stalker who BREAKS INTO BELLA'S HOUSE AND WATCHES HER SLEEP, and who will still turn out to be an abusive asshole, but I love you for recognizing that and PLAYING HIM ANYWAY.
The Cullens...are an AWESOME, protective family. I want to be in their family. Unfortunately, having to date Edward is too high a price. I LOVE the way they protected Bella during the baseball game, and I LOVE how Carlyle just took it for granted that Bella was part of their family, pretty much the minute Edward saved her life. Esmee is BEAUTIFUL, Amy is sweet, Jaspar...needs to be fucked, and hard, to lose some of his nervousness, and the blonde chick...Esmile, or whatever, is a fucking btich, and I really wanted to put her on the ground and stomp her eyeballs out with my high heels. I hate beautiful bitches with grudges. Her lover made no impact.
Basically, I liked the movie, and I want to see it again, mainly because a friend who HAD read the books was sitting next to me kept harping about how everything "wasn't in the book" and I just wanted her to SHUT UP so I could watch the film.
Next time, I will go alone, although I do like seeing movies for the first time with a group.
Overall rating: B-; really should see it again to be sure. Maybe I can coerce Tom or Dana to come with.
ETA: Okay, Kristen Stewart redeems herself a little bit (in the brains department, at least), by commenting that she really believes Bella is a masochist, and that every time Edward comes closer to hurting her, the more she likes it. Then again, this IS the character who wants to fuck a popsicle, so I'm sure she enjoys Edward's physical abuse too.
First of all, it was apparent that all the shrieking fangirls? Were not part of my audience. Thank Isis for small favors.
As for the movie itself: Keep in mind, I have not read the pieces of shit that are the books. I refuse, on ethical and moral grounds, which mainly consist of the fact that Bella Swan is the biggest Mary Sue since Barbie. And that book!Edward is a creepy 108 year old virgin who has all the makings of an abusive husband.
So, while I was very familiar with the characters, I didn't read the books, and I was able to actually enjoy the movie.
I don't care that they changed shit, and I don't care if the fans hate this.
I really liked the characters. Well, everyone except for Kristin Stewart. I'm sorry, she's not a good actress, and I personally think she's kind of ugly, to boot. The only time she looked halfway decent was during the prom scene, and let's face it, that's an epic failure of the fire hose test. (If a girl looks gorgeous and then you spray her with a fire hose, and she looks like shit, then she's only pretty with makeup. There's no natural beauty.)
Her acting was a little stiff and wooden, and putting her opposite Robert Pattison, who is a very steady actor, was insulting to the movie. Find a better actress for Bella, plzkthnx.
Charlie, Bella's dad, is, according to others, much more fleshed out in the film than he is in the book, and it did show, in the movie. He was very much a "goofy" dad without being overprotective in an unbelievable sense, and he was a real human being in the movie too. I liked him.
I must admit, again, my ignorance of that glorified fanfic, because I was STUNNED to see that Jacob was Native American. I was very impressed, but stunned. And they made some beautiful connections between werewolves and the tribe's history, and some broader connections into Celtic mythos and a bit into Inuit tradition as well. Whether or not that was intentional, I've no idea, but I appreciated it. Jacob didn't get much of a role, so I can't say much of the character, but I liked the history.
Edward...Edward Edward Edward. RPatz, I adore you. You played Edward as a masochistic self-hater, and I LOVED that. He is still a creepy stalker who BREAKS INTO BELLA'S HOUSE AND WATCHES HER SLEEP, and who will still turn out to be an abusive asshole, but I love you for recognizing that and PLAYING HIM ANYWAY.
The Cullens...are an AWESOME, protective family. I want to be in their family. Unfortunately, having to date Edward is too high a price. I LOVE the way they protected Bella during the baseball game, and I LOVE how Carlyle just took it for granted that Bella was part of their family, pretty much the minute Edward saved her life. Esmee is BEAUTIFUL, Amy is sweet, Jaspar...needs to be fucked, and hard, to lose some of his nervousness, and the blonde chick...Esmile, or whatever, is a fucking btich, and I really wanted to put her on the ground and stomp her eyeballs out with my high heels. I hate beautiful bitches with grudges. Her lover made no impact.
Basically, I liked the movie, and I want to see it again, mainly because a friend who HAD read the books was sitting next to me kept harping about how everything "wasn't in the book" and I just wanted her to SHUT UP so I could watch the film.
Next time, I will go alone, although I do like seeing movies for the first time with a group.
Overall rating: B-; really should see it again to be sure. Maybe I can coerce Tom or Dana to come with.
ETA: Okay, Kristen Stewart redeems herself a little bit (in the brains department, at least), by commenting that she really believes Bella is a masochist, and that every time Edward comes closer to hurting her, the more she likes it. Then again, this IS the character who wants to fuck a popsicle, so I'm sure she enjoys Edward's physical abuse too.
Long week ahead
Nov. 11th, 2008 09:15 pmDay 6: Spent ten dollars in gas over the weekend and five on a birthday present for a friend, which brings my total up to $22.50. I'm down to 77.50. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do this. But I am determined!
In other news, it's been a long days' night, people. Started at ten am, when I COULD NOT FIND MY PHONE, and it hasn't ended yet. I've got to read a chapter for history, and I just finished doing a write up of the dinner party. And I'm at Eric's, helping him with a budget. (Or I'm supposed to. Instead, I just stole his interwebs and keyboard. Evil kitty.)
But after that, it will start all over again, and do YOU KNOW HOW FAR BEHIND ON NANOWRIMO I AM????
Tommrrow!
9 am: Macroec
10 am: FDr
11am: Break (equals run home, eat, run back for 12 o'clock class)
12 pm: European hist class
1-5: Work
5-8: Help Tom clean the pigsty...I mean, his apartment
8-10: Porn Nation (Stop slobbering. It's an academic discourse on the value of porn in our society)
11 pm: Write rough draft of one paper
Midnight: Finalize geography project
1 am: Sleep
Thursday:
Write up rough draft into final draft, write other rough draft, turn in power point presentation, turn in geography project, attend NC history, go to work, go to discussion meeting, go to Moon, meet up with others for midnight premier of Quantum of Solace, see movie, go to bed.
I do not anticipate being able to sleep until 2 am on Thursday.
Friday:
Class. Class. Class. *tenatively* I can has sleep now? I don't THINK I've got anything on Friday. Thank GOD.
*collapses*
In other news, it's been a long days' night, people. Started at ten am, when I COULD NOT FIND MY PHONE, and it hasn't ended yet. I've got to read a chapter for history, and I just finished doing a write up of the dinner party. And I'm at Eric's, helping him with a budget. (Or I'm supposed to. Instead, I just stole his interwebs and keyboard. Evil kitty.)
But after that, it will start all over again, and do YOU KNOW HOW FAR BEHIND ON NANOWRIMO I AM????
Tommrrow!
9 am: Macroec
10 am: FDr
11am: Break (equals run home, eat, run back for 12 o'clock class)
12 pm: European hist class
1-5: Work
5-8: Help Tom clean the pigsty...I mean, his apartment
8-10: Porn Nation (Stop slobbering. It's an academic discourse on the value of porn in our society)
11 pm: Write rough draft of one paper
Midnight: Finalize geography project
1 am: Sleep
Thursday:
Write up rough draft into final draft, write other rough draft, turn in power point presentation, turn in geography project, attend NC history, go to work, go to discussion meeting, go to Moon, meet up with others for midnight premier of Quantum of Solace, see movie, go to bed.
I do not anticipate being able to sleep until 2 am on Thursday.
Friday:
Class. Class. Class. *tenatively* I can has sleep now? I don't THINK I've got anything on Friday. Thank GOD.
*collapses*
This was never the way I planned
Nov. 8th, 2008 03:51 pmFor the love of fuck, what is UP with livejournal today? It's constantly timing out on me, the bastard.
In other news, it's Day 3 of the No Money Spending Unless It's Really Necessary. So far? I've spent $7.50. It was on tampons, and plastic utensils, because I had a dinner party last night and I ALWAYS run out of forks and these were only a dollar.
"What?" I hear you say. "That's not necessary!" And you know what, you're absolutely right. Unfortunately, I've opened them, and I can't take them back. (And the tampons were, I'm sorry, an absolutely vital, I NEEDED THEM RIGHT THEN necessity. Plus I was completely out.) I can, however, take back the plastic plates and cups, which I might do. I'm not sure, because I suspect I will be needing them in the future.
So my total is down to 92.50 right now. Twenty two more days to go, and I really, really don't want to use it all up. However, I am obligated to do a couple of things this month which will, unfortunately, require money. Fortunately, it's not a lot of money (it comes to a total of $14, roughly), so I'm thinking I will either save up my spare change (laugh if you want, but it always seems to multiply) or just dip into the hundred.
Also, I have plenty of leftover lentils and brown rice (it's yummy, stop gagging), and I just remembered I left some frozen fish in Tom's freezer, so I really should be good to go for the next twenty days. And of course, tomorrow I have to go to New Bern for my grandmother's birthday. Gas is a necessity here, but I don't plan to go over eight dollars. Thank God for low prices right now.
Having a hell of a hard time keeping up with Nano, what with several end of term projects to worry about. Always seem to be one day behind. Speaking of projects, I need to finish writing two more pages on my geography tourism project.
In other news, it's Day 3 of the No Money Spending Unless It's Really Necessary. So far? I've spent $7.50. It was on tampons, and plastic utensils, because I had a dinner party last night and I ALWAYS run out of forks and these were only a dollar.
"What?" I hear you say. "That's not necessary!" And you know what, you're absolutely right. Unfortunately, I've opened them, and I can't take them back. (And the tampons were, I'm sorry, an absolutely vital, I NEEDED THEM RIGHT THEN necessity. Plus I was completely out.) I can, however, take back the plastic plates and cups, which I might do. I'm not sure, because I suspect I will be needing them in the future.
So my total is down to 92.50 right now. Twenty two more days to go, and I really, really don't want to use it all up. However, I am obligated to do a couple of things this month which will, unfortunately, require money. Fortunately, it's not a lot of money (it comes to a total of $14, roughly), so I'm thinking I will either save up my spare change (laugh if you want, but it always seems to multiply) or just dip into the hundred.
Also, I have plenty of leftover lentils and brown rice (it's yummy, stop gagging), and I just remembered I left some frozen fish in Tom's freezer, so I really should be good to go for the next twenty days. And of course, tomorrow I have to go to New Bern for my grandmother's birthday. Gas is a necessity here, but I don't plan to go over eight dollars. Thank God for low prices right now.
Having a hell of a hard time keeping up with Nano, what with several end of term projects to worry about. Always seem to be one day behind. Speaking of projects, I need to finish writing two more pages on my geography tourism project.
An experiement in not spending
Nov. 6th, 2008 11:15 amIn the midst of pre-exam crunch, last minute papers, and Nanowrimo, I've decided to do a little experiement.
For twenty five days (Nov.6 to Dec. 1), I'm not going to spend any money on anything that is not essential. No coffee from Starbucks, no take out, no renting DVDs.
Thanks to Reader's Digest, I've decided to try it. I'll pay rent and utilities. I've got a budget of $100 this month in case I run out of food in my pantry--unlikely, considering there's enough ramen to feed three starving Ethiopian families in there. My internet (thanks, ECU!) is free. I have not one, but two libraries within walking distance, one of which lets you check out DVDs for free. There are tons of gorgeous parks and stores I've been meaning to explore, and B&N always lets you read and not buy. The simple trick? I leave the wallet in my car (safely hidden). If I don't bring it with me, I can't buy anything.
To make sure I wouldn't go malnourished (and to see if I had anything for a dinner party I'm holding tommrrow), I checked my fridge today before leaving for class. I have a ton of stuff I forgot about. I can make chickenless noodle soup for dinner tonight with toast, eggs for tommrrow morning (or grab a strawberry breakfast bar from my cupboard), and hardboil eggs on my hour off, or just wait til I'm done with classes. I'm making lentils and brown rice for the dinner party tommrrow, and I have water, root beer, and juice.
(I'm in college. My dinner parties are NEVER elegant.)
I know I've got several things I need to do this month that I have to plan ahead for. But I'm determined not to break that hundred dollar cap.
We'll see how it goes.
ETA: I've been spending time tracking down the best deals for Christmas presents. So far reallygreattoys.com and Warlock Videos are good.
For twenty five days (Nov.6 to Dec. 1), I'm not going to spend any money on anything that is not essential. No coffee from Starbucks, no take out, no renting DVDs.
Thanks to Reader's Digest, I've decided to try it. I'll pay rent and utilities. I've got a budget of $100 this month in case I run out of food in my pantry--unlikely, considering there's enough ramen to feed three starving Ethiopian families in there. My internet (thanks, ECU!) is free. I have not one, but two libraries within walking distance, one of which lets you check out DVDs for free. There are tons of gorgeous parks and stores I've been meaning to explore, and B&N always lets you read and not buy. The simple trick? I leave the wallet in my car (safely hidden). If I don't bring it with me, I can't buy anything.
To make sure I wouldn't go malnourished (and to see if I had anything for a dinner party I'm holding tommrrow), I checked my fridge today before leaving for class. I have a ton of stuff I forgot about. I can make chickenless noodle soup for dinner tonight with toast, eggs for tommrrow morning (or grab a strawberry breakfast bar from my cupboard), and hardboil eggs on my hour off, or just wait til I'm done with classes. I'm making lentils and brown rice for the dinner party tommrrow, and I have water, root beer, and juice.
(I'm in college. My dinner parties are NEVER elegant.)
I know I've got several things I need to do this month that I have to plan ahead for. But I'm determined not to break that hundred dollar cap.
We'll see how it goes.
ETA: I've been spending time tracking down the best deals for Christmas presents. So far reallygreattoys.com and Warlock Videos are good.
I hate you academia. I hate you.
Sep. 22nd, 2008 03:01 pmSo after I had my wisdom teeth out, I was out of classes for roughly a week.
This is apparently a hint to my professors to pile on the work.
I have an ENORMOUS pile of shit that has to be done in the next three days or so. Ready? Yeah, me neither.
-Write a review on Hoover Dam (Due Weds)
-Study ch. 4,5,6,8 for Econ exam (Friday)
-Write a paper on Metternich and Austria--a book I loathe, despise and cannot understand (Already late--prof's granting me an extension)
-Squeeze sixteen more hours in at work (by next Tues)
-Study ch. 2,3,8,9 for NC history exam (Tomorrow)
-Finish, somehow the three homework assignments I'm behind on in ASIP--which is difficult as the fucking program keeps telling me I'm doing it wrong, when I'm following all directions (Late)
-Deal with the after effects of the oxycodone--which for me meant a week of yo-yo bouncing between manic happiness and furious anger, and now sliding steadily into depression and major stress (Whenever I have time)
-Organize a fucking panel that I cannot seem to get a response on, possibly because of defunct emails (Thursday night)
Not to mention I have mid-terms to start prepping for, and let's not even BEGIN to talk about those long, 18-page papers that will be due at the end of the semester.
Oh, and I'm failing macroeconomics. I thought I was doing well, but nope, failing. I'll be fucking lucky if I get a C, and really, I need a B here.
I've just spent the last few hours combing Google and my textbook about NC during the Revolutionary War and the Constitution, for an exam that is tomorrow, that I'm really, really unprepared for.
To say I've been on the verge of tears all day would not be exaggerating.
ETA: Is it too late in life to form an immediate and all-consuming addiction to painkillers? Sleep aids? SOMETHING?
This is apparently a hint to my professors to pile on the work.
I have an ENORMOUS pile of shit that has to be done in the next three days or so. Ready? Yeah, me neither.
-Write a review on Hoover Dam (Due Weds)
-Study ch. 4,5,6,8 for Econ exam (Friday)
-Write a paper on Metternich and Austria--a book I loathe, despise and cannot understand (Already late--prof's granting me an extension)
-Squeeze sixteen more hours in at work (by next Tues)
-Study ch. 2,3,8,9 for NC history exam (Tomorrow)
-Finish, somehow the three homework assignments I'm behind on in ASIP--which is difficult as the fucking program keeps telling me I'm doing it wrong, when I'm following all directions (Late)
-Deal with the after effects of the oxycodone--which for me meant a week of yo-yo bouncing between manic happiness and furious anger, and now sliding steadily into depression and major stress (Whenever I have time)
-Organize a fucking panel that I cannot seem to get a response on, possibly because of defunct emails (Thursday night)
Not to mention I have mid-terms to start prepping for, and let's not even BEGIN to talk about those long, 18-page papers that will be due at the end of the semester.
Oh, and I'm failing macroeconomics. I thought I was doing well, but nope, failing. I'll be fucking lucky if I get a C, and really, I need a B here.
I've just spent the last few hours combing Google and my textbook about NC during the Revolutionary War and the Constitution, for an exam that is tomorrow, that I'm really, really unprepared for.
To say I've been on the verge of tears all day would not be exaggerating.
ETA: Is it too late in life to form an immediate and all-consuming addiction to painkillers? Sleep aids? SOMETHING?
Well, snap.
Sep. 10th, 2008 01:16 pmScratch the bike riding on Thursday. I'll be too doped up from Vicodin and anesthesia to be riding.
Instead, wisdom teeth will be coming out.
Oh the thrill of it.
Instead, wisdom teeth will be coming out.
Oh the thrill of it.
I'm sitting here practically VIBRATING from nerves for this dentist appointment, and I've no idea why.
I know what I need to do. Go to the first dentist, get my X-ray, pay my bill (I've already called them), then I need to go to the tea house, and drink a pot of tea and read a book and maybe go over my book review.
And I need to calm down.
I took this weekend off from riding to rest, and while I know I was too nervous to get up this morning and do 7-9 miles, I'm worried I'll start slipping. Still, never mind. I'll be biking quite a bit on Thursday and I'm definitely going to do 12 miles on Saturday (I've even got a route worked out).
Hands are sweaty, I feel like I've drunk a dozen pots of coffee (or popped a few No-Doz, whichever you prefer), and I have no idea why. I don't know why I'm so bloody nervous.
I know what I need to do. Go to the first dentist, get my X-ray, pay my bill (I've already called them), then I need to go to the tea house, and drink a pot of tea and read a book and maybe go over my book review.
And I need to calm down.
I took this weekend off from riding to rest, and while I know I was too nervous to get up this morning and do 7-9 miles, I'm worried I'll start slipping. Still, never mind. I'll be biking quite a bit on Thursday and I'm definitely going to do 12 miles on Saturday (I've even got a route worked out).
Hands are sweaty, I feel like I've drunk a dozen pots of coffee (or popped a few No-Doz, whichever you prefer), and I have no idea why. I don't know why I'm so bloody nervous.
Teeth, bikes, movies, and Twilight
Sep. 2nd, 2008 09:25 amDoctor's appointment today at two, but the surgery won't be scheduled until they take X-rays. Damn my teeth.
Have been biking, but am getting a constant soreness in my left thigh muscle--the rectus femorus...the femoral muscle, I think? I think I just need to stretch out more before I bike.
I have a book review due in nine days, and I've just begun the book. Fortunately, it's a damn easy read.
Tom and I went to see The House Bunny last night, and while I'm not sure I'd recommend it...it was funny, and cute, and totally mindless...which was just what we needed.
Oh, and a book I ordered for class (and paid expediated shipping for) was supposed to arrive by Sept. 1, and STILL is not here. I am not impressed, and the seller is getting a neutral at best. That fucking book should've been here a lot sooner. They didn't even ship it until the TWENTY EIGHTH, when they were supposed to ship it by the twenty second.
In other news, Stephanie Meyers is acting like a drama queen what with the leaked draft of her new novel, Midnight Sun. And as![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
minisinoo, who's a professional writer, points out, a draft isn't anywhere in the category of a finished book.
It's a draft, Meyers, now get over it and stop acting like one of those fanfic writers on ff.n who threaten to never write another chapter until they get reviews.
All right, I'm off to take a shower and watch a little TV before I come back to the library and read more for this review.
ETA: For the love of Isis, Meyers has apparently thrown a hissy fit and made the entire draft public.
ETA 2:cleolinda's fabulous recaps are here and here.
ETA 3 (Sorry y'all): Apparently Meyers' taste in music is not nearly as bad as her so-called writing abilities.
Have been biking, but am getting a constant soreness in my left thigh muscle--the rectus femorus...the femoral muscle, I think? I think I just need to stretch out more before I bike.
I have a book review due in nine days, and I've just begun the book. Fortunately, it's a damn easy read.
Tom and I went to see The House Bunny last night, and while I'm not sure I'd recommend it...it was funny, and cute, and totally mindless...which was just what we needed.
Oh, and a book I ordered for class (and paid expediated shipping for) was supposed to arrive by Sept. 1, and STILL is not here. I am not impressed, and the seller is getting a neutral at best. That fucking book should've been here a lot sooner. They didn't even ship it until the TWENTY EIGHTH, when they were supposed to ship it by the twenty second.
In other news, Stephanie Meyers is acting like a drama queen what with the leaked draft of her new novel, Midnight Sun. And as
minisinoo, who's a professional writer, points out, a draft isn't anywhere in the category of a finished book.It's a draft, Meyers, now get over it and stop acting like one of those fanfic writers on ff.n who threaten to never write another chapter until they get reviews.
All right, I'm off to take a shower and watch a little TV before I come back to the library and read more for this review.
ETA: For the love of Isis, Meyers has apparently thrown a hissy fit and made the entire draft public.
ETA 2:
cleolinda's fabulous recaps are here and here.ETA 3 (Sorry y'all): Apparently Meyers' taste in music is not nearly as bad as her so-called writing abilities.
