Australia

I had quite the adventure tonight driving my grandparents' minivan out to the movie theater to see Australia with 5 of my cousins in the back. I have come to the conclusion that I should review movies I see. This decision was reached partly due to boredom and the other part due to the fact that I like to share my opinions. So here we go...

Australia

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman Director: Baz Luhrmann Release Date: November 26, 2008 Running Time: 165 mins MPAA Rating: PG-13 Distributors: 20th Century Fox

It seems there are very mixed reviews of this film but overall I would say this is a decent flick. I went in with somewhat low expectations and once again my cynicism paid off. I would describe it as a John Wayne film-meets-Gone with the Wind-meets-Pearl Harbor type of movie. I have to admit that it was pretty long and almost seemed like it could have been split into two separate movies. There were also scenes that I thought were a bit melodramatic and weren't convincing in the least. However, I really think that Baz Luhrmann did a great job shooting the film. The scenery was amazing and it seemed to really capture the feel of the land there. I also thought the plot was pretty good and the character development was decent, but I would describe neither as phenomenal. I really think that the strong cast in the movie helped to make it for me. Luhrmann also made excellent use of some very heavy themes in the movie, such as the racism and the "stolen generations." I think that if you liked Moulin Rouge, you will definitely like this film. Even if you didn't, it seems like this movie has more to offer a wider audience than did Moulin Rouge. All in all, not the Oscar nominee of the year but I would say it's worth seeing at least once.

Quote of the night

"That's kind of a handsome bald-headed black dude."

-My brilliant mother





The great Marcellus Wiley

The last man standing

...or woman as the case may be.

As usual, I am the last one awake. I'm laying on my air mattress with my laptop in my grandfather's office. Everyone here goes to bed so early. I think it's because there's nothing to do. I've been trying to come up with stuff I can keep myself entertained with tomorrow. Holidays are always horrible because nothing is open. I did call the local Starbucks to make sure they're open in the morning and I looked at times for the movie theater. So that gives me a couple of things to do. I will probably try to find some quiet place to hole myself up in. I love my family but they are crazy sometimes. I need my quiet reflection time.

I think I found part of Rebecca's Christmas present. It's pretty cool and I think she'll like it. Now I just have to order it. I have a feeling I'll be on my computer a lot the next couple of days. And I think I'm going to go to Austin on Friday. I want to go to a few places and Libby (one of my cousins) wants to go buy a new Mac so it gives me a good excuse to go. I hope the next couple of days will go by quickly. And oh my goodness....Libby talks in her sleep apparently. She just completely freaked me out. She turned toward me all of a sudden and it's dark so I couldn't tell if her eyes were open (they weren't). She pointed up towards the ceiling and said very clearly "Look." She repeated it several times and got more aggressive with each repetition. Crazyyyy. Scared me though and I fell for it: I looked. On that note I think I'm going to try and get some sleep before these people wake me up at 5 am, but I will leave you with a lovely quote to ponder on:

One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star.
-Friedrich Nietzsche

Éminence grise

Rebecca and I had a wonderful trip down to Austin this weekend. It was nice to get away and break up the monotony that can come to rule my life. We are currently watching Casablanca and wishing we had a fireplace. The actions of women in movies often elude me. If you are going to hold someone at gunpoint and threaten them, then you had better carry through with your threat or else risk losing any respect you had. In other news I got a really cool old cigarette lighter today. I think the flint wheel or whatever may need to be replaced though. I'm looking forward to this week. It should be pretty good. I have a meeting with my english professor tomorrow which while I wouldn't necessarily say I'm dreading it, I definitely wouldn't say I'm overly joyous about it either. Tuesday night I believe I am going to the UTA basketball game. That should be interesting. Wednesday I'm not sure about yet. Clothes need to be taken home to be washed at some point as well. It's early but I am tired and will probably go to bed in an hour or two.



Poll:
Is a sunflower seed a nut?

(The current topic of debate between Rebecca and me)

Confessions from a left-handed sophist

Sitting in the blue chair again. This time watching Hocus Pocus with Rebecca. Such a great movie. Also in looking through pictures we happened to find the one I've posted. It was taken at away camp for drill team. More like a week-long torture session full of unimaginable pain and suffering. This picture was the result of a week without sleep and dancing 20 hours a day. I'm glad Rebecca and I are taking a trip down to Austin this weekend. I think I really need it. Friend time is good. I think it may have reached that time for me to retire. Amuck, amuck, amuck!

Dubai

I honestly am amazed that I'm still awake at this point. It's been three days with just about no sleep. The storm last night was not helpful in my quest for sleep. At about 3 this morning a piercing noise sounded and continued to go off sporadically for the next 15 minutes or so. I think it was a car horn or alarm or something. It woke Rebecca and I up. We both wandered out onto the porch looking for someone to hit or yell at I think. I was seriously contemplating smashing some cars. Then I got up about an hour after that to study more. I am really unhappy with school currently. Yesterday I was completely ready to quit. Today has been better, but I still feel like something needs to change. I was studying last night with Monica at the library and she told me she found out Saturday she was accepted to this program to study in Dubai. She said they're paying for her tuition, room and board. The only things she has to pay for are her extra expenses and her ticket over. I think I may apply for the program. I would like to study in London, but it is so expensive. Dubai would be more practical I think and I would have the chance to learn Arabic. The only foreseeable issue is my job. It's something I really don't want to lose and I don't know how they would feel about me leaving for a couple of months. It's something to think about I suppose.

Today

First post on the new blog!!! Today has been crazy. Very strange. I have watched the 'Scarlet takes a tumble' video on youtube with Rebecca about 100 times and it still makes me laugh. Today is Ty's birthday. Happy birthday brother! We're celebrating again on Saturday I think with my grandparents. On our way back to the apartment tonight Rebecca and I decided to stop by America's Best Coffee and go through the drive-thru. Well tonight was open mic night I guess. They had a truly awful band playing and there were soooo many high school kids there who you could tell thought they were super cool. So naturally I tried to run over as many as possible. Rebecca flipped a couple of them off though I think because they kept looking at her. Haha. On another note, if it's adventure you're seeking tonight, apparently you can survive being compacted multiple times in a trash compactor. There was an article on digg this morning and I just saw the same story mentioned in the news about a kid being compacted 3 times in a garbage truck. Haha. So go try it if you wish. It was just another incident in a series of events that set Rebecca and I off laughing again. And now I just saw a commercial for Lindor Truffles. Lucky I conveniently had some sitting around here. In any matter, I believe I am going to retire early this evening. Goodnight one and all.