A couple news items on IMDB that struck my fancy today:

“Netflix And TiVo in Partnership

Subscribers to the Netflix DVD rental service will soon be able to download movies onto TiVo personal digital recorders instead of receiving them by mail, Newsweek reports in its current issue. Details of how the service will function were sketchy. Newsweek suggested that it will likely employ software developed by a recently acquired company, Strangeberry, that allows a DSL or cable modem to be plugged into a TiVo recorder to receive content from the Internet. Reporting on the development, Newsweek commented that it "could shake up the media world." Both Netflix and TiVo declined to comment on the report.”

Now this is the rental development that I’ve been waiting for. It molds the strengths of pay-per-view with the strengths that Netflix has going for it. And number two:

“Cruise Could Make $360 Million from 'War of the Worlds'

Movie superstar Tom Cruise has become the highest earning actor in Hollywood history after signing a deal that could earn him a staggering $360 million for his role in War Of The Worlds. Rather than agree a set fee for his part in the Steven Spielberg-directed epic, Cruise will earn 10 per cent of the film's box office takings plus a share of profits from DVDs, video games and toys. Experts predict the film - based on HG Wells' classic novel about a Martian attack - could make $1.8 billion at the cinema alone, of which Cruise's share would be an incredible $180 million. And, if he stars in the two planned sequels, Cruise's earnings will double at least. A Hollywood source says, "No expense will be spared. Spielberg wants to make it the film of the decade - the one that everyone talks about and rushes to see."

Wow. Enough said.

Shifting gears, I was looking through my schedule today, factoring in my two research opportunities, my three classes, and my part-time job that has been giving me near full-time hours as of late, and it occurred to me that I’m not going to have a life this semester. On the upside, I’m optimistic that this semester will finally teach me to hunker down and get the work done as it’s assigned, instead of just bullshitting my way (albeit quite effectively) through it all. I’m actually attempting to read all the selections for my Brit Lit class; hell, I’ve ever reread a couple so far. If I don’t take this opportunity to expand my study repertoire, I’m going to be absolutely fucked when grad school rolls around.

Evidently, Lynda and Ross recently had a discussion at work, and they have deemed me “most dateable” of my department. They cooked up such adjectives as “smart,” “reliable,” and “predictable” to describe me. Evidently, these are necessary qualities for a guy that they might hook their family members with (when Lynda me that Ross said he was the type of guy that he'd want his daughter to date, I replied, "Yeah, but isn't she like 6?!" I was partially amused and partially befuddled when Lynda informed me of all this, but either way I felt very humbled, as, at this point in my life, those are entirely appropriate and kind adjectives to describe me. So for that, I thank them for their recognition. It got me thinking though, after the conversation, are said adjectives mutually exclusive from ones such as “alluring,” “exciting,” and “charming”? The one set certainly doesn’t imply the other, but I guess I’ve always been one for defying categorization.

Another issue I've been pondering: I stated recently that lately I’ve been keeping the larger picture in focus. True, I had done this more in comparison to earlier this year, when my primary objective was attempting to merely survive from day-to-day, but I don’t think I’ve given myself enough credit for prior to that. I’ve always looked at my life in a long-term sense in addition to my day-to-day concerns, which is saying a lot for a person who doesn’t have a strong intrinsic reasoning for looking at the big picture (i.e. I’m not religious, I don’t believe in a larger plan). My main value to keep me going is my notion of love, a value which incidentally, though thoroughly tested and maintained, has nonetheless lessened its impact and become simply another goal or objective in my life, notwithstanding a very reinforcing and important one. But I am sure that’ll change once someone new comes along; the fact that, in some senses (though not many), I’m not waiting for that next endeavor to come around, speaks to how weird, or at least how fresh, these new set of values are. Forgive me though, I’m getting off-track from the thrust of my entry, which climaxes with the question of, “Has all this planning and concern for my future in any way affected my ability to enjoy the present?” I think in some senses it has, for example, in causing too much anxiety over the years. But in the most important implications, such as “Have I really lived my life to the fullest up to this point?” I think I’m safe.

So, that went WAY longer than I had planned it, and I apologize for loquacious writing style this evening, but hey, I’m a brainy mood, and there’s no sense in letting these talents go to waste.

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