Podworld News

Now... I generally don't post these, but since I copied from dangerdean and it came out as... well, you see...


Which B-Movie Badass Are You?
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How could I not post it???

This has been a problem forever, but I decided that since I was awake I'd try to figure it out. My CDEX refuses to admit that I have a CD-ROM drive. How stupid is that?????

So here I am. It's around 8:30 in the morning and I've been up for more than half an hour. WHY????? I mean, I went to bed at 3ish. I don't want to be up this early. Granted on a weekday I'd already be at work, but still. On a weekday I also go to bed hours earlier.

When I got home last night, I was in one of those nervous energy moods. Possibly over-caffeinated, possibly just the earlier low-level alcohol consumption, as in, the good effects were gone, but the depressant part remained. It was the kind of mood when I normally go out driving on a highway in the middle of the night because I can't think of anything to do, or where to do it, no one to talk to, nothing to do. And on the one hand I love that feeling, on the other I really, really hate it. Like, is this all there is??? I need to escape. I need to find people! People who'll be happy to see me, glad I exist. I need, I need, I need. But then I wise up and realize it's 1 am. I can't just go calling my friends (well, other than tanaise but she's too far away to actually go hang out with, and it was real contact I was craving).

When I lived on Easton Ave. with littlefrogling I used to refer to the time between 1:30 and 3 am as the post-midnight panic time. Because always, If it was going to happen, it was then that I'd feel alienated and lonely. Calling people usually worked only to annoy and confuse them, visiting people was rarely an option. I used to end up walking randomly around New Brunswick, down by Rutgers and the grease trucks, because there were people there (and driving was a bad plan 'cause I'd never have a parking spot if I moved). Once in a while I miss living near there, having that freedom. It's different if you have to drive there to do it, less of an outer limits paranoid delusional feel. And gradually, after I started working in NYC I stopped being awake and alone at that time. Now, usually if I'm up that late it's because I've with other people, watching movies or hanging out or whatever. So I don't feel it as keenly, but once in a while...

But anyway I did get a lot accomplished last night. Wrapped presents, contemplated the other ones that I need and am unlikely to find in the 2 remaining days I have left. I didn't clean my room, which is even scarier now that astrophysicat cleaned and partially decorated downstairs. Now my room is looking like the cave of despair in an otherwise clean apartment.


So I had a freaky verging on nightmare dream. It was weird. It involved people from the show I'm doing lights for and many of my friends, one or two of them acting like total freaks, treating me horribly in a way that they never would, and yet. And yet the feelings of rejection are clinging to me right now. How stupid is that?

And so, lying awake, looking up at the chains with the candelabra and bats hanging from it, I'm thinking about why. Is it the necessary christmas shopping still to be done? I don't know whether I can find what I want. Luckily I bought for most of my family during the summer (umm, long story) but there are still the other people that I kind of forgot until this week. And lately I really don't talk to my family that much, and I've been busy, so I kind of had to go out of my way to talk to my dad about it. Is it the fact that today is the end of the first play run that I've done in five years? Because really, it has been fun, and I'm kind of sad it's ending. I like the cast & crew. They're cool. And even though I don't completely feel as if I fit in... and maybe that's part of it too. being_angyl made a damn fine post on change early this morning, and I've been thinking about that in relation to the whole tech crew and job things. I've always been pretty much one with change in my life, but it gave me pause when I read it, a kind of jolt of "you need to think about it this way!!!" Heh. So I thank her, oh yeah!

But so today I also agreed to do all these things that kind of conflict with each other, and I think that maybe my subconscious mind figured it out and was trying to point it out to me. Like it's yelling, "Hello!!! You agreed to have dinner with digriz, you can't be putting up a christmas tree and decorating it with astrophysicat at the same time. It's just unrealistic!!! And what about the cast party and set deconstruction???"

But part of the dream was more of a personal rejection from a long ago friend. And that was weird and unpleasant. And that's the part that's really sticking to me. Actually, weirdly enought, part of it involved me telling him good LJ etiquette too. I'm not sure where that came from though...

So I bought tickets, there are now 2(!!!!) Neil Finn shows in my near future. Oh yes!!!!

Sadly, there were only the lowest priced ones left, so no orchestra seating for me & astrophysicat but at least we're going!!! And I was on the bus today, listening to 7 Worlds Collide and I was just so so so psyched about it!!! I'm going to see Neil again! Twice! Yay me!!!

To start with, I'd just like to say that this is a repost from a mailing list. I wrote this, oh, 2 years ago. I've been asked to repost it here for the amusement of others. And just in time for the holidays!!!! Ahem. I haven't written anything on LJ lately anyway. Read this.
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Strangely enough, several people want to hear this both on and off list. I'll
try to be to the point here, but I'm not sure how well I can explain it. Oh,
and it's really *really* not meant to be offensive to anyone. The part about
computer geeks is based on my personal experiences in real life and should in
no way reflect on any of you. :)


Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer: A study of the evilness contained within

Rudolph is brought into the world and straight off the bat is labeled a freak
for something he has no control over. The adults who are supposed to cherish
him and love him for who he is take one look and say, "My boy's a freak!" Now,
if I was Rudolph's mother, I would've kicked daddy's butt right out of the cave
at that point for being an ass, but that's something else entirely. And Santa,
who is supposed to be this loving (and in his own way quite freaky guy) drops
by and basically says that their child is a freak who has no future. Nice guy.

Rudolph goes to join in the games, and in fact, excels, does better than anyone
else. But because he's got that whole nose glowing thing going on, he gets
kicked out and made fun of by adults who should know better and children who
are learning these lessons early. So he gives up and runs away.

Meanwhile, Herbie the gay elf wannabe dentist has his own issues. He doesn't
fit in because he's the only boy elf that's got hair like only the girl elves
do, and because he'd rather be a dentist than a toy builder. Oh, so he'd
rather have a different career for which he shows natural aptitude and
interest? Poppycock! He'll be a toy builder like everyone else! So he runs
away too. Because running away is obviously the thing to do.

So they meet up, get to the Island of Misfit Toys, where they are told that
while they're both freaks, they are either too freaky or not freaky enough to
live there. And the toys that live there aren't all that bad, might I point
out. I'd totally want a polka-dot elephant.

Right, now Rudolph's dad has decided that maybe he was a bit hard on the boy,
and goes after him, only to get into a world of trouble. And this trouble is
one that the two freaks managed to avoid, so obviously they're cooler.
Meanwhile, there's horrible troubles afoot because of natural phenomena like
fog and toothaches. Now of course, the two antisocial misfit freaks come to
the rescue with their innate talents, saving the day and making everyone love
them for it. This also teaches a horrible lesson that many computer geeks that
I know believe in their heart of hearts... that that skill they have, whether
it be web designing, making fabulous mix cd's or whatever, will one day be
really really important and people will love them for it, regardless of whether
they have any social skills whatsoever. There's something that only I have the
skill to do, and it will one day save the world. Huzzah!

What do we learn from this?
1. Adults don't have to be loving and respectful of the feeling of others.
2. Running away is a perfectly acceptable solution sometimes.
3. Social ineptitude and/or antisocial behavior can be excused by being really
useful to others.
4. There's a lack of responsibility that seems okay here, whether it be parent
to child, other adults to children, coworkers, or whatever.
5. Mean-spiritedness is okay, as long as you can focus it on someone besides
yourself.
6. By whining and running away, you might get the career you've always dreamed
of.

Incidentally, that "Misfit" song still cracks me up, just thinking about it.
It makes *such* a good drag show number.

So that's my take on it. Take it or leave it. I think it's a great idea to
blame any and all of society's woes on Rudolph. It deserves it. :)


p.s. I was told that I'd given this much too much thought, but several people
agreed with me too...

Equilibrium... what can I say? I really enjoyed it. It felt more like a novel than a movie to me, in a good way. Dystopian fiction has always been a fun genre for me. So yeah, like astrophysicat said, it was a bit heavy-handed at times (a minor drawback, distracting in one or two scenes). But, well, it's a dystopia, they're not supposed to have happy settings or really good things about them, though stylishly cut black outfits are a bonus. Evil dresses well, as usual.

Christian Bale did a phenomenal acting job. I mean, okay, it helps that he's hot too, but he's *such* a good actor! Double bonus! I was totally impressed. Sean Bean was excellent too (as usual, really). And the little kids in it, they totally deserve props.

And there was amazingly beautiful violence. So artistic, so enjoyable to watch. I've heard it compared to scenes in the Matrix, and while I see the similarities, the fact is that some of the issues I had with the plot of the Matrix are happily missing here, I truly liked that Bale's character had trained from when he was a wee one to have such skills. And damn! Did he look good doing it. The climactic scenes toward the end were very, no, VERY aesthetically pleasing to me. Oh yes. Some of the cinematography thoughout the movie was odd, but I enjoyed the random bits of that.

Like I said, the movie is dystopian fantasy. So it does have serious similarities to other dystopian movies and novels in parts. But for me, that provided more depth to the story. Anyway, I really liked it. I don't think it's necessarily something everyone will like, but I really don't care. I'll go see it again. Several times. Yeah!

Even though I've listened to this and other songs too, it's stuck in my head for DAYS now. So, I bring you "Loose Tongue" by Neil Finn. Lyrics yanked from http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Comet/8378/NF/NEIL_FINN.htm (which seems to be the only lyrics site with the full lyrics to the song, odd the frenz site doesn't)



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LOOSE TONGUE
(Neil Finn / Jim Moginie)



Remember my loose tongue
Forget what I just said
I'd crawl over broken glass
If we could start again
Before our plans were made
When the world was young
The house is falling down
Because of my loose tongue

Shouldn't say so much
Shouldn't talk so loud
No sooner on your lips
Than it's all over town
In all our given days
How many gone to waste
A good man has been hung
Because of my loose tongue

Your skin is changing it's hue
Your guard is coming down fast
Looks like someone I knew
Uncovered happiness at last

All the wagging tongues
Too much information
In the future now
Under massive doubt
The papers on the street
Get trampled under feet
And they settled for a princely sum
Goodwill is coming down
And when it rains
Your well is full

Well you shouldn't ask me, you shouldn't ask me,
You want the real story, you shouldn't ask me,
You better find someone else with the house key.
You know the pressure on his personal life,
You know the man's walking on the edge of a knife,
Tales keep going and nose keeps growing,
And after sometime you forget what you know,
Now I feel I'm getting caught with a psycho sycophant,
Now it's feeling like a kid shouting tin can,
Got the poor man nailed to the floor,
And that's not nothing you want me for.



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Actually, the phrase "psycho sycophant" is just so great! I can't stop trying to use it in conversation, but it's really hard to do, especially in a business setting...

Animatronic holiday displays freak me out. Go to 1 Chase Plaza, you'll see what I mean. Yikes...

So. Apparently the pomegranate thing didn't work, since I seem to have returned to the regular NJ-NY routine. Ho hum. Probably a good thing. The coffee trees seem to have grown in my absence. My mom called to find out if I made it back, then said she was going to kill Cara next time she sees her. So, life goes on as usual...

Now, I don't normally post these, but since I figured tanaise and one or two others would like to hear it, I'm going to post it instead of calling to tell you.

Okay, now there was all this other stuff that went on prior to this part, including me having to escape from this bizarre mental hospital/jail with this weirdly similar to Glory (from Buffy) demon-type chick coming after me from another cell, but for some reason she hadn't quite figured out it was me she wanted to kill, or where I was. But anyway.... So then me and tanaise were at this weird magic stuff & books store. And we were in there for a while, and then I almost accidentally stole 2 cool rocks from the store, but I gave them back to them and even though they were watching me the rest of the time, it was all weird because I hadn't *actually* done anything. So anyway, Celia buys her stuff and we leave. But as we're leaving we notice that Pierce Brosnan was making an in-store appearance later. And neither of us could figure out why, but whatever. So then I get in this shopping cart and she's pushing me around, and we're arguing over whether Pierce is attractive or not. And I was saying he was and she was saying, no, no way!!! (which is not even possible, I mean, even if she didn't like him that much, she still wouldn't vehemently argue against his attractiveness quotient) so then we go back there, except people are staring because I'm in a shopping cart. So then we go inside and the shopkeepers are staring at us, you know, 'cause we *almost* stole something earlier and we're wandering around. And I notice that there are all these itty-bitty clear marbles on the floor, so I pick them up and ask this guy at a table if they're his, and he's like, "yeah, just put them on the table" except they kept rolling off, but not all of them. Then I'm looking at this weird game that's being played with the little marbles, and he's playing against Pierce Brosnan, and everyone else around is trying to pretend he's not there, because his in-store appearance isn't for another 2 hours. But I'm totally fascinated by the game, so I'm watching, then him and the other guy start explaining to me how it's played and how Pierce is really good at it. Then tanaise gets all mad at me for talking to him when no one is supposed to and anyway, he's not hot, so what is wrong with me??? And she knew that I'd never even grasp the basics of the game, so it was all pointless...

But anyway, so it was a weird dream...