So now then...

So... evidently I'm full swing in my current predilection towards superhero movies. Witness:

Exhibit A - The new teaser trailer of Spiderman 3 made me knees tremble... and I was sitting down. What a cast! Check it out. 5/4/07

Exhibit B - I'm starting to warm up (slightly) towards X3, realizing that I may have been a little too harsh on Ratner and Co. This was helped along by finally seeing the credit cookie (how the hell did I forget to stay when Ricci told me to beforehand?!) and by discovering that the incedibly asinine line "I'm Juggernaut, bitch!" actually has an explanation behind it (one that doesn't excuse its inclusion, but still offers some sort of explanation of its presence)... "Don't you know who I am?!" Check out the links at the bottom as well, specifically #3 in the footnote area and the link to the video itself on Youtube.com in the references area.

Exhibit C - After months of lukewarm reception to Superman Returns, I'm finally really excited about the film, mostly due to a) decent word of mouth thus far and b) the fact that it is directed by Bryan Singer.

In other news...
In addition to new versions of the original Star Wars trilogy, August will also bring a new set of Lord of the Rings DVDs. The X-Mas list is already filling up...
Also, I am dangerously close to finally finishing Silent Hill 4, and thus, the entire series (so far). Bring on the DVD, I need some special features to oogle at.

So this entry is long overdue, and I apologize in advance for its length. Been pretty busy doing lots of cool stuff out here, so I figured I'd get everybody up to speed. Just to frame my list, I'm going to lift Michell's +/- thing, although most of my stuff is positive. Anyway, I've got a bunch of randomness to intersperse as well. Happy happy joy joy!

(+) Last Tuesday at the World Financial Center near the WTC site, they had a free concert with none other than one of my favorite bands, Eels. It was an amazing show and I left early enough to get in the front row(!). The weather was beautiful and the WFC has some great architecture and a great view of the Hudson River, allowing me to take some great pics before and after the show, in addition to the 30 odd shots I got of the concert. Like I said, the show was great... an all-out, rock with your cocks out show that rivaled the show I saw in Ann Arbor a couple years back with Stefanie. Equally good as the music was the showmanship... Mark Everett had this big buff, intimidating guy come out dressed as a security guard who all of a sudden started dancing around and playing with the other band members after the first song. E also talked to the crowd through this guy, whispering things to say in his ear, cracking me the hell up with quips such as "This is the triangle of hope," "I am enjoying this," and "I wrote that all by myself" all while sticking to his bad-boy persona. I'm going to try and get a video or two of him up... it's too funny for words. My only qualm of the night was that it was such a short concert; they only played for an hour, compared to the two/two and a half they played in Ann Arbor.
(+) Then, on Friday, I landed a ticket to see a taping of Sit Down Comedy w/ David Steinberg with Jon Stewart as the guest. It's an Inside the Actor's Studio type show with comedians. That, as well, was thoroughly entertaining; Stewart is just so funny and so charismatic, and he had everybody rolling even during the commercial breaks. Looking forward to seeing it air... the show's on TV Land. Didn't have as great a seat for that one (thanks "Friends and Family") so I didn't try to ask him a question, but I'm going to try and get tickets to the next taping as well.
(+) Took advantage of DDD's annual (or is it semi-annual?) sale and finally bought the special edition of Mystic River. Also bought Regina Spektor's new CD from BB to make up for never buying her last one.
(+) I'm not exactly sure why yet, but I found the trailer for Talladega Nights thoroughly entertaining. I was pretty weary as I was reading about it previously, but after seeing this, I'm totally game. Let me know what you think... "You like to put jelly on a lady?"
(+) Got invited up to my friend Rob's place with some of my QC colleagues on Saturday for beer and BBQ. He lives with his finance up in Cold Spring, NY, which is about a hour north of Manhattan. It's so beautiful and scenic and quiet up there, and it was such a nice change of pace to the nature-deprivation of the city. I actually went up earlier than everybody else and went on a short hike with Rob and his girl and got to see a lot of the town. I would absolutely love to live in a place like that... be close enough to take a trip to Manhattan when I wanted to and still be far enough away to enjoy some of the beauty of upstate NY.
(+) I played NBA Jam at the Museum of Moving Image yesterday. I forgot how entertaining that game was. I need to find a copy for my console.
(+) Finally started working out again today. It's so hard to get to campus these days when I'm only there a couple times a week and this freakin' heat is very counterproductive. Felt good though, even though it's been like 6 weeks.
(+) I'm having an amazing day catching things today. My iPod was taking a nosedive from the treadmill when I was running today and I did this spectacular two-hand grab as it was halfway to the ground. And then, in the shower, my soap went sailing in the air and I nicked it on the way down. And I didn't get raped either time! Hehe... told you I had some randomness to share. :-P
(-) I saw a bum on my way home today, looking for cans or something, and he had this cat who was on this horrible makeshift leash of frayed rope and plastic. The poor kitten was stretching this thing as far it could go, unable to explore any farther than the radius of the two shopping carts this guy was trucking around. As you probably know, I don't usually have much care or sympathy for cats, but the setup was just so blatantly sad and cruel, I just couldn't imagine putting another creature through that.
(-) Leeder has informed us that he believes he and his crew will most likely be moving out of their current apartment around the same time Michelle and I will be visiting. I'm not too worried though... we should be able to make it work and we have plently of time to set up contigency plans if we need to.
(+) My parents (Pa Rock and GA) will be out Wednesday through Sunday. Get to show them around and get a few free meals.
(+) It's only been two weeks since I've seen Michelle, and I only have to wait another two before I arrive home for the 4th and we get to have a delicious time enjoying the weather and go WHOOOOOOOSH until they kick us out of the park.
(-) All this fun and excitement has prevented me for tackling my big goal for the summer, which was to develop my research and get going on my predissertation. I have so little idea of what I want to do with my research, and it's really frustrating because I have such an interest in ABA, I just don't know what to do with it. Oh well, I'll figure it out eventually.
(?) Oh, btw, who the hell drunk dialed me over the weekend? It was a 269 area code... girls, was that you?

Pictures of aforementioned cool stuff to come...

ListMania!
So out of Steven Spielberg's 23 feature-length films (that number is arguable), I've seen 18. I pinch I rank (by enjoyment level, not necessarily which are the "best" made):

1) Munich
2) Jurassic Park
3) Raiders of the Lost Ark
4) Minority Report
5) Saving Private Ryan
6) E.T.
7) Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade
8) Schindler's List
9) War of the Worlds
10) Hook
11) A.I.
12) The Lost World
13) Catch Me If You Can
14) The Terminal
15) Jaws
16) Indiana Jones & The Temple of Doom
17) Close Encounters of the Third Kind
18) Amistad

Which leads me to this one. I realize it's kind of a clusterfuck of new and old, but I don't really know that I could make a decent "classic director" list, and besides, I don't really feel like doing two.

Top 15 Directors
1) Steven Spielberg
2) Stanley Kubrick
3) Paul Thomas Anderson
4) Wes Anderson
5) Quentin Tarantino
6) Alfred Hitchcock
7) David Fincher
8) Michael Mann
9) Sam Mendes
10) Jonathan Demme
11) Ron Howard
12) Spike Lee
13) Tim Burton
14) M. Night Shyamalan
15) (tie) Alexander Payne & Christopher Nolan

(Normally, I abhor ties in my lists... all it signifies is indecision, but in this case, these are two directors whose movies I really enjoy, but haven't really been around long enough to establish themselves. We'll see in time who sticks around.)

I'll share my reasons for posting this last later soon, but until then, enjoy it in all its E-goodness:

Top 10 Eels Songs
1) Your Lucky Day In Hell
2) Mr. E's Beautiful Blues
3) Dirty Girl
4) Saturday Morning
5) Souljacker, pt. 1
6) Love of the Loveless
7) I Like Birds
8) Hey Man (Now You're Really Living)
9) Novocaine for the Soul
10) I'm Going to Stop Pretending That I Didn't Break Your Heart

God Bless America & Spirit Airlines
Booked a flight home for the Fourth (July 3rd-10th). I was about ready to give up on a trip home for the holiday (tickets were $270-$300 into GR), when, on a whim, I checked flights into D-Town. Found a Spirit Air flight, round-trip, including taxes, for $100. Yes, that's a 1 before those two zeros after it. And Michelle is going to nice enough to pick me up and take me back to GR. I'm excited. Parental set #1 comes out the week after next, with the second to follow in late summer/early fall, hopefully.

Things I want to do while I'm home:
- Grandville 4th of July parade
- Fireworks (Grand Haven, downtown GR, or Grandville... basically any place with 'Grand' in its name)
- Michigan's Adventure ("Whoooooooooosh") & Getty 4 Drive-In ("We don't need no stinkin' orange dots)
- Obligatory cookout
- Catch up with people without trying to do too much and get stressed out about seeing everyone
- Enjoy the weather (::shakes fist towards MI:: You damn well better work with me this year!)
- Head up to Laman's Landing in Ludington and visit my grandma (if she's up there at all during my stay)
- See Superman Returns The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift & Click
- Do a tour of my eye doctor, dentist, and GP (so I can actually get refills on my Rxs again)
- Trip to beach (if not accomplished during aforementioned fireworks)
- Make-up Dungeon visit (and other usual restaurants indulgences)

Anybody want in on any of that? Joe, you like roller coasters/water parks? ;-)

amy wakes me up/in the middle of the night/just to tell me everything will be alright/
i tell myself the same damn thing/everyday
Finally got my grades for last semester:

Applied Behavior Analysis II (Theory) - A
Applied Behavior Analysis II (Practicum) - A
Social Psychology - A-
Ethical/Legal Issues in Psychology - A+

If it wasn't for that damn Social take-home final, I'd have my first 4.0, like ever. But I'm still really happy, not that grades matter in grad school anyway. I'm really surprised by my Ethics grade. I haven't had an A+ since high school; I didn't even know anybody gave those out at this stage of the game.

Bought a new DVD player carousel today. I like it. I especially like DVDs not pixelating and freezing up on me and making noises that make me want to punch babies. I'm going to watch Munich tonight... god, I love that movie.

I had a wonderful time last weekend with Michelle. It's amazing, despite all the situational difficulties that we encountered, I think it actually made the experience that much richer. And just getting drunk, watching MST3K, and generally acting retarded, I felt like I was leading a completely different life, and I liked it. And the pictures she/we took turned out great... I'll have to post some in a little bit.

"The master would not approve." Torgo

(edit 9:26pm) In today's 'WTF' news: Former American Idol contestant Chris Daughtry declined an offer to take over lead vocals in the alternative rock band Fuel, opting instead to go solo.

(edit 9:59pm) Found another thoroughly entertaining pop-culture list article:
The 13 Most Unpopular Characters in TV History
Supplemental Wikipedia entry mentioned in article:
Wikipedia - Cousin Oliver Syndrome

"You are a man of extreme passion, a hungry man not quite sure where his appetite lies, a deeply frustrated man striving to project his individuality against a backdrop of rigid conformity. You exist in a half-world suspended between two superstructures, one self-expression and the other self-destruction. You are strong, but there is a flaw in your strength, and unless you learn to control it the flaw will prove stronger than your strength and defeat you."
- In Cold Blood

Coney Island pics behind the cut...
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This is me trying to make this work.
This is me lifting the clouds.
This is me enjoying summer as soon as it starts.

I'm not going to let everybody enjoy the beach while I sit at home. I'm going to Coney Island today.

Why?? How??
mbenznut (11:40:20 PM): Fuck, Fuck, Shit, Fuck!
TaoMan1121 (11:40:28 PM): whore, slut, cunt!
mbenznut (11:40:33 PM): Mmmm.
TaoMan1121 (11:40:37 PM): lol
mbenznut (11:41:01 PM): As long as it's a man cunt that is.

"He’s manufacturing responsibility, not maturing." House

BOTB XII
50) Mary Elizabeth McGlynn - You're Not Here
49) Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor
48) Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins - The Charging Sky
47) Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Gold Lion
46) Sigur Rós - Hoppípolla
45) We Are Scientists - Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt
44) Death Cab for Cutie - Marching Bands of Manhattan
43) Sun Kil Moon - Neverending Math Equation
42) Scissor Sisters - Tits on the Radio
41) Mates of State - Starman
40) Bruce Springsteen - Devils & Dust
39) Stars - Your Ex-Lover Is Dead
38) Beck - Broken Drum
37) Bright Eyes - Train Under Water
36) Green Day - Jesus of Suburbia Medley
35) Death Cab for Cutie - I Will Follow You Into The Dark
34) The Killers - Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll
33) Johnny Cash - Ring of Fire
32) Fiona Apple - Tymps (The Sick in the Head Song)
31) Vertical Horizon - Give You Back
30) The Reindeer Section - You Are My Joy
29) Modest Mouse - All Night Diner
28) Wilco - Spiders (Kidsmoke)
27) Eels - Hey Man (Now You're Really Living)
26) David Gray - Ain't No Love
25) Johnathan Rice - Kiss Me Goodbye
24) Snow Patrol - Hands Open
23) Bright Eyes - Hit The Switch
22) Jeff Buckely - Last Goodbye
21) Nine Inch Nails - Only
20) Foo Fighters - Best of You
19) Augustana - Hotel Roosevelt
18) Kaiser Chiefs - I Predict a Riot
17) Kanye West - Gold Digger
16) Snow Patrol - Run
15) The White Stripes - My Doorbell
14) David Gray - Freedom
13) Frou Frou - Let Go
12) Hot Hot Heat - Middle of Nowhere
11) Fiona Apple - Parting Gift
10) Barenaked Ladies - War on Drugs
9) Snow Patrol - Chocolate
8) David Gray - The One I Love
7) The Killers - All These Things That I've Done
6) Coldplay - Fix You
5) Sufjan Stevens - Chicago
4) My Morning Jacket - Off The Record
3) Arcade Fire - Rebellion (Lies)
2) Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc.
1) Imogen Heap - Hide & Seek

I'm going to start being a little more liberal with Woohu again. I keep thinking I have to have something to say to come on here, forgetting the therapeutic value of just writing, whatever the topic may be. That said:

Leeder, I have some bad news. Looks like the Nellie McKay situation has went from bad to worse. Turns out she just recently died of colon cancer...
Nellie McKay is dead. Long live Nellie McKay.

Read more..

Last 10 Films of the Year
2005 - Munich
2004 - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2003 - Lost In Translation
2002 - LOTR: The Two Towers
2001 - The Royal Tenenbaums
2000 - Gladiator
1999 - American Beauty
1998 - The Truman Show
1997 - L.A. Confidential
1996 - Star Trek: First Contact

(I'm as surprised by '96 as you are... bunch of shite out that year. Sorry, I am not a fan of gravel Braveheart.)

New layout. If it looks like it works...

More (Empty) Woohu Promises
NO!! BEBE'S HURTING!! I MUST FIX HER!! UUUUUUGGH!! (<-- that's the sound of me fixing, by the way)

I'm almost down to 4000 unplayed songs in my iTunes library, and when I say "almost" I mean I still have 53 songs left to go.

Woohu-related things under construction today:
- Another (non-flailing arms) entry
- New layout

'Til then, enjoy this link. Chew it, digest it, poop it out. Do whatever you want with it, it's yours now! #8.5, #3, and #1 are my favorite.

10 Least Essential Summer Films

Brett Ratner. Brett Ratner. Brett Ratner. Brett Ratner. Brett Ratner. Brett Ratner. Brett Ratner. Brett Ratner. Brett Ratner. Brett Ratner.

Ahh, christ... this is one of those times I complain about there not being enough hours in the day. There's so much I want to do, both school and personal related. For example, I am SO itching for a new layout.

Third presentation of the week tomorrow. In terms of developing my public speaking skills, it could be a big one.

Suppose I'll head to bed now, continue my recent trend of getting up surprisingly early.

Lost... was is... wow.

Saturday Morning Quotes
Roxana: (regarding spending money in Manhattan) "You know, I don't regret anything when I'm here, but once I get home, I realize I just spent forty dollars to go to the bathroom."

Mr. Jellineck: "You were pushing me away."
Mr. Nobley: "I wasn't pushing you away. I was pulling me towards myself."
'Strangers With Candy"

"Bide your time and everything becomes clear, and you act accordingly." Wilson, 'The Limey'

Mmm... converts.
I love watching Lost with my bebe. A few reasons why:

Dana21x (9:10:22 PM): ok, dude...Lost
Dana21x (9:10:24 PM): is nuts
Dana21x (9:10:46 PM): there's this dude...in this thing...and and
Dana21x (9:12:10 PM): ok dude in thing is back
Dana21x (9:13:01 PM): ok, why does the narrator sound like he's talking about pengiun behavior or something on the discovery channel?
Dana21x (9:18:20 PM): so those guys on the boat...are the others too?
Dana21x (9:18:46 PM): AND WHO IS THAT GUY AND WHY DOES HE HAVE A BUTTON?
Dana21x (9:25:24 PM): ::blank stare:: ::pause:: OHHHHH
Dana21x (9:25:38 PM): NAIL HER!
Dana21x (9:28:47 PM): hey it sounds like the siren in Silent Hill!
Dana21x (9:28:55 PM): didja hear it?
Dana21x (9:38:43 PM): i feel like i'm playing Myth.
Dana21x (9:39:37 PM): you're some guy who time traveled and were on an island alone and stuff
Dana21x (9:40:01 PM): but there were always crazy symbols and sirens and stuff
Dana21x (9:48:22 PM): omgomgomomg
Dana21x (9:52:52 PM): COLONS DON'T FIX BEBE!
Dana21x (9:58:21 PM): NAIL HER IN A NET! HOTT!

Is "The Puppet" really Henry Gale? You be the judge.
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Not so spry...

I love my parents so much...
Georgia: "In case you didn't know, the first letters of the months July through November, in order, spell the name JASON. Just a bit of cool, yet useless, information!"
My dad: "Yeah, with the N leading up to his birthday month. That's why we named that. If he'd been 3 weeks late, we'd be calling him ASOND (and he'd probably be a terrorist!)"

OK, do me now:

Positives

Negatives

One of the many reasons why I love the Silent Hill franchise: I consider watching a prolonged execution, electric-chair style, of my neighbor with the numbers '19121' carved in his forehead while the killer, a 6-year-old boy, looks on while pointing out the window towards my apartment a good time.

Last Night
Let's get this first point out of the way first and then move on to more important matters. Crash is not the best picture of last year. I'd be happy to debate this statement with you, but I won't listen to a word until you have seen Munich, Good Night, Capote, and Brokeback Mtn.

Went to a (free) play yesterday with Christine at the Black Spectrum Theater in Jamiaca based upon the old 1950's sitcom Amos & Andy. Nothing spectacular, but it held my interest for the most part and I got to go to a new place and try something new, two things I live for in this city.

Afterwards, headed to the East Village to my friend Deb's place to watch the Oscars w/ some people from the Learning Processes program. Very entertaining evening; it was too bad that some people had to leave early for morning reponsibilities. Ten arbitrary points to our host for a kick-ass spread.

Left immediately after the conclusion of the awards show to walk (and talk) off the Crash-related letdown. This is where the story takes a turn for the worse. Cut contains copy-and-pasted conversation w/ Ryan regarding my trip home. Not for the faint of heart. :-)

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So, to end this back on a happy note, here's a pic from last night. Motley crew from the LP program, clockwise from left: Deb, me, Roxana, and Alison.



(edit 2:00pm) Thanks to Leeder for this article, couldn't have summed up my feelings about it any better if I had wrote it myself...
Breaking no ground: Why 'Crash' won...

(edit 3:32pm) Just for the record, the Best Pic nominees, in order of personal preference:
1) Munich
2) Good Night, and Good Luck
3) Brokeback Mtn.
4) Capote
5) Crash

Oscar Picks
Best Pic: Brokeback Mtn.
Actor: PSH - Capote
Actress: Reese - Walk The Line
Sup. Actor: Clooney - Syriana
Sup. Actress: Amy Adams - Junebug
Director: Ang Lee - Brokeback Mtn.
Original SP: Good Night, & Good Luck
Adapted SP: Constant Gardner
Score: Brokeback Mtn.
Song: Crash
Animated Feature: Wallace & Gromit
Foreign Feature: Tsotsi
Doc. Feature: March of the Penguins

So, I'm decided I'm coming home for my Spring Break (Apr. 13-23). Booked the ticket last night. I'm excited. I like spring and I like the thought of spending some of it with my loved ones.

Tonight aside, I'm having a very laidback and well-adjusted week. I hope I can hold on to it for a while longer.

Tomorrow = Oscar Party @ Deb's. And a 1-year anniversary. Rawr.

I miss last summer. Late night food trips w/ Michelle & Joe. Sitting by the pool. Our apt. at Gull Prairie. That was the greatest...