Link: A Softer World 527

A plan for when the dead rise.

My plan: the baseball bat in the trunk of my car.

Insomnia

I haven't been sleeping all that well as of late. There's been quite a bit on my mind and even nights when I do manage to fall asleep early I find myself waking after only a few hours. I've seen 5 AM happen more times than an unemployed person really should.

Most nights I get to the point where I give up on sleeping but still I refuse to be officially awake. A lot of lying in the dark with my eyes screwed stubbornly shut happens. When the muscles holding my eyelids closed against their will get tired (ironic?) I give up and just stare in the general direction of my ceiling. My room is fairly dark so I can't actually see the ceiling. But I know it's there. Hovering. Mocking my futile efforts to capture that elusive idea of sleep. Did you know that ceilings mock? I've only just discovered this but trust me, they do.

A lot of tossing and turning happens as well. It's probably a good thing I'm not sharing my bed with anyone at the moment. If I were, my poor unsuspecting bedmate would most likely find their legs covered in mysterious bruises upon waking in the morning. Assuming they were able to sleep through a night of being kicked repeatedly during my bouts of frustrated flailing to begin with. As it is, the only one who has to put up with me is my ever-suffering companion, Funshine Bear. This is for the best I think.

I'm not particularly productive during these nights where sleep refuses to be found. I wish I could say that the nights of never ending awakeness lead to epiphanies and creative brilliance. They don't. Really the only thing they lead to are headaches and crankiness and mornings that start much later than I'd like them to. I used to have all sorts of tricks I would employ on nights like these, but Smashing Pumpkins long ago ceased to lull me to sleep and I have yet to find Melancholy's replacement.

I don't mind though, not really. Naturally I prefer a solid night of sleep, hours of uninterrupted rest and peace, but I've never been the best sleeper and I suppose that over the years I've just gotten used to it. I've accepted the inevitable; there will be periods in my life when I just don't sleep. There will be times when I don't dream. And then there will be evenings of giant spiders distantly related to Shelob stalking me through secret passageways and tunnels blacker than the darkness in my room could ever conceive of being.

Don't worry; I crush the giant spider beast in the end with a satisfying crunch as my heel bursts through its exoskeleton. And then I sleep. Happily, fitfully, without tangling myself hopelessly in my sheets.

These are the things that happen when I sleep. Or they're the things that happen when I don't. It's really all the same either way.

How's the insomnia working out for you?

A Return

Hey guys, check it out! I'm alive! Whoa, I know, it was doubtful there for a second.

Life has been a little busy, a little not. I've been working a little bit. Not the full time job I was hoping to have found by now but little odds and ends here and there. A couple of days as a story assistant, a night helping a friend with a wrap party, a day taking notes for someone else... that sort of randomness. Whatever pays the bills I guess.

I have been going through a bit of soul searching, a bit of that "what am I doing with my life?" business. All kind of boring really!

And since I don't want my first post in over a month to be BORING, let me share fun stuff.

Um... Fun stuff... I have to have something good to share, right? Okay, maybe not much.

I can leave you with a list of what I've been reading, watching, etc. All stuff that's worth checking out.

Watched the Super Bowl yesterday. But that's yesterday's news really. Not today's.

Reading Kitchen Confidential Updated Ed: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (P.S.)by Anthony Bourdain. Finally. Have loved him forever, No Reservations is a fabulous show, and his book is just as wonderful as I was hoping it would be. Sex, drugs, the seventies, food atrocities, mobsters, this book has got it all. Love it. And him. True story.

Watched An Education this weekend with the roommate. It is also wonderful. Carey Mulligan's performance lives up to the hype and her nominations are well deserved. I really enjoyed the screenplay by Nick Hornby. I have to admit to a bit of the nostalgia factor with all of the talk of French cinema, existentialism, jazz clubs, the wonderful dresses, etc. And there's the whole thing where I love almost all things British... including good looking men with British accents... The ending did leave me a bit unsatisfied, a feeling of "this is it?" Either way, it's a lovely movie that's well acted and I enjoyed it a lot. I'd actually love to see it again so I can think though a few things a bit more but that's what DVDs are for.

On TV I've been watching a lot of Chuck, which is delightful as always, Doctor Who, those last few episodes with David Tennant are Excellent and not to be missed if you're at all a fan, and The Inbetweeners on BBCA. OMG, have you guys seen this show yet? Please do. It's awkwardly hilarious. The kids in that show are such little shithead trouble makers... The episodes leave me in giggles for days.

Also worth noting that this week is the final episode of Friday Night Lights that's been airing on DirecTV. I actually still have the last two episodes to watch so Wednesday I fully plan on having a three episode FNL marathon to be followed up by an episode of The Inbetweeners. When did Wednesday get to be so good for television? I don't know.

Alright, that's what I've got. I will be back for more later.

The State of the New Year

Happy New Year everyone!

I have to say that I'm incredibly excited about the start of 2010. There are good things in the works over here people. I'm still unemployed, go figure, but I'm now moving full steam ahead on two projects. Two big projects.

One of these big projects is my novel. I've brought the first little bit to my writing group, I've started revisions, and I'm really excited to be working on it. My goal is to have it finished and readable and out in the world by the end of the year. Will see how life cooperates with me but I'm feeling rather confident at the moment.

Project two I can't really talk about yet but it's shaping up nicely into a very solid, very real thing. Project two is a film project. Project two has its first meeting scheduled for tomorrow. The monster is coming to life.

Can't really say much else about it yet but don't worry, you will hear all about it. It's very exciting. There will be things for you to get involved in. Just you wait and see.

Consequently I haven't been on this blog nearly as much lately. I'm going to try and continue updating but for the next couple of months I expect to be concentrating mostly on these two projects along with any work I may be lucky enough to find. Okay, the work thing may also not be that desperate at the moment. The maybes have also turned into at least one very real possibility. So we shall see.

Hope everyone has had a good start to 2010. And here's hoping that 2010 is an improvement over the last couple of years. I'm looking forward to a good one.

Avatar

I awoke this morning to my phone ringing merrily next to my ear, my mother calling to see if I wanted to see Avatar tonight. I mumbled something back that translated to "Yes, of course." Twenty minutes later when she called back with a show time, after I had managed to wake up a little, I advised her to go ahead and get the tickets online if she could. And to make sure she was getting the ones for the 3D IMAX. There had been two things I'd heard about Avatar over the course of the week. 1) Showtimes were selling out like crazy and 2) make sure you get the full visual experience in the IMAX.

Both, it turns out, are true. When we arrived at the theater (an unplanned hour early thanks to a fast dinner) the 7 PM show was sold out. When we walked inside, there was also already a line filling up the hallway for theater one. Guess it was lucky we were so early. Not a huge fan of waiting in lines but when they finally let us in we were able to get great seats just where I like to sit in a theater (in the middle, about two thirds back). So I guess that makes it worth it.

There were a few trailers, warnings that they were not, in fact, enhanced for IMAX, and then finally the words popped up on the screen. "Please put on your 3D glasses." Another trailer or two (Alice in Wonderland, not so excited about) and then it was time to begin. Credits. Voice Over. Spaceships. Game on.

Now here's the thing. I'm not really interested in writing a full review of Avatar. The story is okay. It has its problems, its cliches. Some moments are trite, some are painfully familiar as we've seen it all told before, some of it just silly. If this movie was anything less than what it is, it wouldn't be all that great.

What is it then? It's a spectacle. A delightful, sensational technological visual wonderland designed to make the audience "Oooh" and "Aaah" and it really, really, really works. James Cameron proves his mettle as a filmmaker. And the result is so very pretty.

My reaction upon walking out of the theater: "Squee!"

Of course I would have loved a little bit more going on with the story but whatever. I went to see Avatar to see what it would look like, to experience the potential of what 3D and IMAX can be, and in that it does not disappoint in the slightest. For my expectations, I got what I was hoping to get. I'm pleased with that. I'm happy with what it is. I don't know if I'd want to pay to see it again but I'm very, very glad I did see it this once. In the 3D. In the IMAX. It's made for that, that's how you should see it to experience it fully.

Avatar is eye candy and it is super delicious.

And now that that's out of the way, hopefully I'll be able to get a few more films on my "Want to (NEED to) See" List knocked out this week.

Currently on the list:
An Education
Me and Orson Welles
A Serious Man
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Precious

Did make it to It's Complicated on Friday which is cute, Meryl Streep is wonderful as always. Also planning on seeing Sherlock Holmes just cause. RDJ. Yeah....

Merry Christmas!

Watch out for the Blarg Monster! She eats Santa!

Today's The Day

My friend's video that I posted a few days ago was just chosen as one of the 50 finalists in the Nikon competition. Now there's this whole period where people are supposed to watch the videos then vote on them and stuff. His video is good! It should be voted on!

http://www.nikonfestival.com/blog/2009/12/14/todays-the-day/

Check it out, hopefully love it and give it five stars, and then watch some of the other videos. It's a pretty neat competition. There's some cool stuff up there. You don't have to give the other videos five stars though. Just my friend's. That's fair to say right? (I'm kidding! Really!)

Congrats DL! You done well.

I'm on the Internets

I really have been kind of MIA lately. On the internet sure but also in real life. It's amazing how quickly time can go by when life things are happening. Is it really the last night of Hanukkah? Only a week til Christmas? When did that happen?

Well, you'll be happy to know that the roommate search has ended, we've found the lucky person who will soon become the latest edition to Bonaparte House. She's a friend which is a HUGE relief and K and I are both confident she's going to fit right in with our crazy. Plus, bonus, she comes with a pup! How excited are we? K and I have both missed having a dog around. It's going to be wonderful.

Of course we're still sad to see J go. We'll keep in touch though and there are nefarious plans in the work for an adventure of epic proportions. That may turn into a movie. I dunno. Anything can happen. Be sure I will tell you more as this THING develops.

Speaking of movies and making them and being a woman who plans to make them... The New York Times ran this article about women in the film industry last week. It's a topic I keep alluding to and yet never get around to actually writing about. Seriously though, it's hard being a woman in this industry! There are opportunities for sure but honestly not as many as you'd think. Especially when your goal is to become a director. Female producers? I have known plenty. Most of them are batshit crazy (it all relates I think) but they do exist. When have I worked with a female director? Um. Twice. Once was a super low budget indie film that shot in Ft. Myers, Florida. The other was a super low budget indie film in San Francisco. And have you heard of these women? Not yet. Hopefully you will someday but yeah. Not yet. Anyway, read the article. It's good.

In other places, I'm on the internet! Go check me out. I'm silly. I really, really am.

Thoughts of the Day

The roommate search continues. It was an, um, interesting weekend of meeting potential roommates. Okay, some of these emails K and I have been getting are just plain scary. A guy emailed K today professing to be a "Submissive" and expressing his hope that we would not only let him rent a room but make him our slave. Er. Yeah... That happened.

How hard is it to find a nice, normal person in LA? Apparently that hard.

Also apparently difficult, getting anything useful passed by the Senate. Can Lieberman just go away already? I mean seriously. Apparently reasonable access to health insurance is too much to ask of our government. Public option? Nope! Health insurance for people under 65? Nope! No big deal that people have lost/are losing their jobs and with them their benefits. No big deal. Who needs health insurance really?

I do like how my friend put it on Twitter: @DanMazinOMG If Joe Lieberman were a soup, he'd be Cream of F*cktard.

Bah. Sorry. Mini-rant. Moving on.

Nikon is running a video contest to share your day in 140 seconds or less. My friend entered and made an awesome little video about recovering from a foot injury. He really was a gimp for the last couple of months! Yay for returning to mobility.



It's the end of the year which means it's time for the annual slew of "Best of..." Lists. Slant magazine has their 25 Best Films of 2009. That one definitely makes me feel like a slacker. I've seen maybe two of those movies? Three? I have a lot of movie watching to catch up on.

io9 has their 20 Best Sci Fi books of the decade. I also have a lot of reading to do. My Amazon Wish List just got a lot longer. I haven't read a lot of those but there are a few by authors I like a lot (Neal Stephenson's Quicksilver, Cory Doctorow's Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom), a couple I've been meaning to pick up for ages (Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife, World War Z by Max Brooks), even worse ones I own but haven't read yet (Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke), and best of all ones that I'm not familiar with (like The Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia).

And as always I'm always happy to take recommendations for things I should read/watch/consume in some fashion. I like discover new little bits of wonderful. Share away!

Unemployment Tuesday: Work!

This edition of Unemployment Tuesday finds me actually working. Yay! Sadly it's only for this week but it is on a commercial which pays a bit better than my usual rate. The people are also great and the hours haven't been hideous. All in all it's a pleasant working experience at a time when I desperately need any working experience.

I have a bit of work to do before sleeping happens so I'm going to keep this short, share a couple of links, and then get done what needs to be done before sleep.

Mike Harvey has this great list of The 10 Best Long Tracking Shots. Don't agree with all of them as necessarily being the 10 best but they're 10 great ones in any case. It made me happy that he started the list with I Am Cuba. It's the first movie that always comes to mind for me whenever I think of my favorite tracking shots. I Am Cuba is a beautifully shot film throughout but some of the shots are just downright amazing.

I cannot get over this site. Number One. Check out some of the guest Rikers a bit down the page. Keep scrolling, it's worth it.

Then for any of you Twilight fans (or any of you other women whose inner feminist cried a little after watching Twilight) there's this list of 20 unfortunate things girls learn from Twilight.