At the Mooovies!

Oddly, I managed to see Children of Men and Pan's Labyrinth within about a week of each other. At first, I was planning just to rave about CoM, but after seeing PL, it occurred to me that there was an interesting point of comparison/contrast. So you get a double review. ;)

I loved Children of Men. I had both laughed and cried inside of the first five minutes. Now, mind you, by "loved," I think I mean "felt uplifted, was horrified, felt positively ill, mourned, hoped, and generally felt like I'd been punched in the stomach." For me, these are actually positive indicators. The movie touched me at some very deep levels. (And Michael Caine has the best role in the film). It appealed to me in the way that certain older, post-apocalyptic science-fiction does: The Great Bad Thing has already happened, and I need to see the horror of it to really feel the hope that is offered.

With that in mind, not everyone reading this will get hope out of this movie. I know some of you well enough to know that y'all like your happy endings a little happier than this one. The people behind me in the theatre actually booed at the end of the film. I wanted to shout to them (as I sat there in my seat with tears running down my face), "If you're going to indulge in that kind of behavior, please see it on DVD and don't wreck other people's viewing experiences." And that may hold true for some of y'all (though I doubt anybody reading this is so ill-mannered as to actually boo in a movie theatre (well, unless it's RHPS)).

Another reason some people will want to see it on DVD: the violence. Most of us are used to violence in movies. Some violence is more visceral than others: there's a scene in Saving Private Ryan that comes to mind. CoM crossed a line for me on this. One part of that is bombs. There are bombs in this movie. They are not movie bombs, with lots of fire and buildings falling down. They are sound, a bright light, and pieces of people flying about. They did not register on my subconscious as movie bombs. The registered as real. Likewise, there was a point in the last third of the movie where, despite the seeming-reality of the street war that had broken out, it was all beginning to seem shiny and surreal to me. It occurred to me that that's how shock is described in some cases: You know it's really happening, but there's a certain unreality because you've somehow stopped processing in the ordinary way.

Sometimes, the small screen is not a bad thing.

Switching gears, Pan's Labyrinth started with small wonders and small horrors and escalated throughout. I went with it every step of the way, accepting each new horror and each new wonder and waiting to see where we would end up. And when we reached the end, the final wonder and the final horror were simultaneous, and the problem was . . . I only bought half of it. All of a sudden, after a whole movie of buying into the parallel that was going on, I bought the last horror. And the wonder missed me completely. So the whole thing struck me as an absolutely wonderful movie that I simply found horribly depressing. YMMV.

Ultimately, the two movies struck me as interesting in tandem because they both came down to the ending, and they both came down to whether or not the viewer went along for the last step. A mourning movie that ended with wonder, or a wonderous movie that ended with mourning? And I have a funny feeling that which is which is going to boil down to the viewer in each case, rather than anything inherant in the movie, itself.

Quote of the Week

"I . . . have the old soul of a black blues musician who knows what the worst of times feels like."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. You can buy all sorts of crazy shit on 'eBay'."

--from Something Positive, by R. K. Milholland

Sorry, I couldn't resist . . .

http://regulus2.azstarnet.com/gallery/view/4451

A Sight Not Seen in Twenty Years

This is what I woke up to this morning. We get a dusting of snow once every couple of years, but there were two or three inches in some parts of town. That hasn't happened in twenty years. Seriously. I was nine and it was Christmas day. Nine-year-olds remember these things.

It's mostly melted, but it stays on the mountains fairly well.

I know, it doesn't impress most of the rest of the country, but Tucsonans work very hard to get the most magic possible out their little bit of snow.

You Might Be from Tucson If . . .

These came to me in an e-mail with no source cited. They're not 100% true, but near enough to be amusing.

1. You buy salsa by the gallon.
2. You think a red light is merely a suggestion.
3. All of your out-of-state friends start to visit after October but clear out come the end of April.
4. Most of the restaurants in town have the first name "El"or "Los."
5. You think 60 tons of crushed rock makes a beautiful yard.
6. You notice your car overheating before you drive it.
7. You can say "Hohokam" and people don't think you're laughing funny.
8. You no longer associate bridges (or rivers) with water.
9. You know a swamp cooler is not a happy hour drink.
10. Vehicles with open windows have the right-of-way in the summer.
11. People break out coats when the temperature drops below 70 degrees.
12. You discover, in July, it only takes two fingers to drive your car.
13. The pool can be warmer than you are.
14. You can make sun tea instantly.
15. You run your air conditioner in the middle of winter so you can use your fireplace.
16. The best parking place is determined by shade instead of distance.
17. The AC is on your list of best friends.
18. You realize that Valley Fever isn't a disco dance.
19. You can finish a Big Gulp in 10 minutes and go back for seconds.
20. The water from the cold water tap is the same temperature as the hot one.
21. You can correctly pronounce the words: Saguaro, Ocotillo, Tempe, Gila Bend, San Xavier, Canyon de Chelly, Mogollon Rim, Cholla, and Ajo.
22. You experience third degree burns if you touch any metal part of your car.
23. You know better than to get into a car with leather seats if you're wearing shorts.
24. Announcements for Fourth of July events never end with "in case of rain..."
25. English is a second language... Spanish is the first
26. You must learn to pronounce the city name. It is Tu-son, not Tuc-sin.
27. Forget the traffic rules you learned elsewhere. Tucson has its own version of traffic rules...hold on and pray. There is no such thing as a dangerous, high-speed chase in Tucson. They all drive like that.
28. All directions start with, "Go down to Ina Rd."... Which has no beginning and no end.
29. The Chamber of Commerce calls getting through traffic a "Scenic Drive."
30. The morning rush hour is from 7:00 - 10:00 am. The evening rush hour is from 3:00 - 7:00 pm. Friday's rush hour starts Thursday morning.
31. Speedway is the slowest road in Tucson...
32. If you actually stop at a yellow light, you will be rear ended, cussed out, and possibly shot. When you are the first one off of the starting line, count to five when the light turns green before going to avoid getting into any cross-traffic's way.
33. La Cholla Road and La Canada Road can only be pronounced by a native.
34. Construction on I-10, River Rd., and near the University of Arizona is a way of life and a permanent form of entertainment.
35. All unexplained sights are explained by the phrase, "Oh, we must be in Tucson!!!"
36. If someone actually has their turn signal on, it is probably a defect.
37. All old ladies with blue hair in pink Cadillacs have total right-of-way.
38. The minimum acceptable speed on I-10 is 100. Anything less is considered downright sissy.
39. The wrought iron on windows in south Tucson is NOT ornamental.
40. Never stare at the driver of the car with the bumper sticker that says, "Keep honking, I'm reloading." In fact, don't honk or look at anyone.
41. If you are in the left lane, and only going 70 in a 60-mph zone people are not waving when they go by.
42. Sunrise Rd/Skyline Dr./Ina Rd. is our daily version of NASCAR (and all the same road by the way).
43. There are three Magee Rd.'s in Tucson, and in some places, one of them is called Cortaro, try not to be confused.
44. If you speed in Oro Valley, you WILL get pulled over and you will pay for the rest of your life!
45. Tucson is ghetto, but if you are driving and hit a nice area, you are in Oro Valley, Tucson's little oasis. Everywhere else sucks.
46. One Hardy Rd. is a safe normal road. The other will take you on the edge of a dirt cliff with no guard rail and no way to turn around. Be careful which one you get on!
47. If you are driving and you keep seeing Nico's Taco Shop, you are not going in circles, there is in fact one on every corner.
48. There are no freeways running through Tucson, just the I-10 to the West, so always expect about a 45-minute drive to go anywhere.
49. If you get pulled over by a cop, make sure it is a real cop and not a gang initiation with fake lights because you will be shot.
50. Drive 45 minutes South and you will hit the Mexico border...turn around, Nogales is nothing special at all!
51. Tangerine Rd. will make you car sick...very bumpy, and lots of dips.
52. The intersection at Oracle and Ina is considered one of the most dangerous intersections in the southwest United States.
53. If the temperature is less than 100 degrees, Thanksgiving must be next week.
54. If you get a flat, do not ask ANYONE for help. Call AAA and lock your doors.
55. Bored teenagers in Tucson drive around for fun, weird, but watch out.
56. "Cruising Speedway" is a form of entertainment. If you are bored, drive down Speedway for a couple of hours and keep making U-Turns at Wilmot and Alvernon by the Empress Strip Club. Hopefully you will find it exhilarting too. :-)

Quote of the Week

"Last one to die, turn out the light."

--from Children of Men

Happy Birthday to Me!

Well, not until tomorrow, but due to the complex nature of space-time, I've been having celebrations at other points.

Pete and I went to Disneyland for several days, which was the biggest thing I wanted. The trip was fabulous. The weather could have been better. *wrygrin* Tip to readers: Don't bother eating at the Blue Bayou--I've eaten at restaurants worth that privce, and it's not one of them. Trip highlights included riding California Screamin' a whole lot, Pete winning me a carney prize at a midway game, and the dubious pleasure of his reaction to my running after the bus that almost didn't stop for us while simultaneously swearing at the driver.

My parents and parents-in-law-to-be both gave me presents--a workout machine that I can fold up and get out of my living room when I'm not using it, and lovely opal earings. Pete says he's still planning something.

I showed up in the office today to find a balloon bouquet (purple balloons and a mylar one that says Happy 30th Birthday) and an ice cream cake proudly displayed on my chair. My co-workers even put a candle on the cake that says "Over The Hill." I am very amused. Also wondering if anyone will look at the balloons and gasp and say, "I thought you were, like, twenty-three!" or words to that effect. This used to happen on a fairly regular basis, but Idunno, that was before I discovered I have frown lines. ;)

I confess, I feel a little like a slacker--gabefinder's birthday was yesterday and I didn't even get a card sent on time. I plead having been running around like a crazy person since I got back into town. (Three days of PTO, three and a half days back in the office, and I'm still not caught up). I shall have to fix that this weekend. To my knowledge, I'm not doing anything else this weekend except taking another stab at fixing my roommate's sister's computer, which has upchunked its internet connection again. But I suppose I can't say for sure; people have been known to make a bit deal out of numbers like 30, 40, and 50. (For some reason, after that, they seem to stop caring again till 100).

My Nephew the Freak

God damn pig-fucking bastard piece of shit!

Sorry, had to get that out of my system.

He says the mental health center threw him out. He says he was in a group home and they called the cops four times. He says he tried to stab a kid with the sharpened edge of a toothbrush. (I suggested that this might not have been the most appropriate way to deal with the problem). He says the cops were called four times. He says he's run away, he's living in somebody's back yard, and might move in with a friend. Maybe.

He says, he says, he says.

I can't begin to pick out the truth from the lies. And I don't think that's my own sedative-addled state talking. The other auntie's right. He needs to be committed. Nothing short of that could help this kid.

Fucker.

In and Out

I meant to post more than this, but things have been a little nuts.

Holidays were wonderful, except for being short-handed at work. My sister and I went to Asylum's masquerade party on New Year's Eve. I have pictures, I just haven't gotten them uploaded, yet. I'll try to do that later.

Sadly, a few pieces were less than fun. I thought I lost a filling over that weekend, and my driver-side window started refusing to go up and down. I got the window repaired under warranty last week--broken regulator, whatever that is.

I got the filling taken care of today. Oddly, the dentist said I hadn't lost the filling and it didn't appear to be broken. The teeth had shifted just a little so more stuff was catching between them and I was feeling sharp edges that I hadn't before. At any rate, he built that one up so it won't be a problem. He also found a small cavity which figures in somehow--I'm not sure how, I was too heavily sedated to ask my usual insightful questions--and filled it, and fixed a broken filling I'd had for some time which just wasn't causing me any trouble, so we'd been waiting until we had to deal with something else, anyway. So at least I won't have to deal with oral pain on the trip.

The trip. In the midst of this, I've been packing. My fiancee and I are going out to Disneyland for five days. It's my birthday celebration. I decided that I want to turn twelve for my thirtieth birthday--I only get to turn thirty once, so I want to make it memorable. :) He'll be down tomorrow night and we're leaving first thing Wednesday morning.

In summary: Still here, still alive, still a little drugged, and I'll see y'all a week from Tuesday.

Quote of the Week

"Almost seems like he's there in body... but the spirit doesn't want to hang around... or it went out for pizza."

--Selena Trujillo as Gabriel Hunter

more random than usual

Evil, with a side of fries.

Corsetry is a wonderful thing.

What the hell is the temptation to make wedding gown models look like startled cats?

a very funny form

I found this while doing some research at work and had to share with anybody else who's not seen the form before.

For my fellow English majors

Lesser-Known Editing and Proofreading Marks