C and I watched Easy Rider this past Saturday evening. It was an interesting movie, albeit quite strange. Of course, I suppose any movie about biker "hippies" on a road trip and drugs would be quite strange. The ending was also very abrupt. It was well put together and the soundtrack was pretty cool. I would probably watch it again if I happened to flip to it on television. Best quote from the movie: "[Freedom]’s what’s it’s all about, all right. But talkin’ about it and bein’ it, that’s two different things. I mean, it’s real hard to be free when you are bought and sold in the marketplace. Of course, don’t ever tell anybody that they’re not free, ’cause then they’re gonna get real busy killin’ and maimin’ to prove to you that they are."
White ivory tower,
do clouds distort the framework
of reality?
I suffered through Nashville over the course of a couple of nights. I was blinded by my dislike of country music, so I really didn’t pay a lot of attention to the film. It really seemed like the typical story of aspiring starlets trying to get their shot at the big time along with not-so-subtle political undertones. Some day, I may try to watch it again, but for now… Meh.
Earlier this week, my wife and I finished watching All About Eve, thus allowing me to inch closer to completion of item 15 on my List.
This movie takes a look at the "drama behind the drama" of stage theatre and how a backstabbing (as well as delusional and lying) unknown can rise to the top. Not exactly a good moral, but a good and well acted story.
[Some day, I'll try to learn how to write a (more) proper movie review. Until such a time, this will have to suffice.]
… and I’m already a slacker! I’m falling way behind in several of my projects and I am currently unmotivated to pick them back up.
Some examples:
- I should be working on my eighth "regular" blog post, but instead I’m stuck at two; I am not counting List updates for these
- I should have posted at least seven photographs by now, but have yet to post a single one.
I should also be working on some of the long-term items like the 5000 Question Survey and planning the home-improvement projects. I need to start my food log and exercising, but again I am not motivated. I have yet to "unplug" for a day.
I need to put my nose to the grindstone and start focusing on my List again. I suppose that will end up waiting until after the holidays, though – at least the "outdoorsy" items anyway.
I’m not really beating up myself, but I am disappointed in how I have been unable to focus. Also, I have two updates for the list that I haven’t written yet. Oh well. I’ll get to those updates soon enough!
Today we finished The Best Years of Our Lives. This movie followed a few days in the lives of three WWII veterans who had just come back stateside and showed them dealing with the changes that both they and the people they were returning to had been through while they were at war. Many humorous and poignant moments. Well acted and scripted, I highly recommend this flick.
I’m on the downhill half of the list now! 49 to go!
Ok! I have my list of books from the list of "1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die" that I will be reading over the next 984 days. Thanks to everyone who provided input via FB and LJ!
I’ve narrowed my choices from the list down to the following 13 books. Of these books, I am currently reading Les Misérables by Victor Hugo and will soon be reading H. P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness. Does anyone have any recommendations (using my list of choices below) for the remaining eight. I have 984 days to read them.
We finished watching Annie Hall last night. It wasn’t too bad, although Woody Allen’s neuroticism was a bit excessive in my opinion. Cameos from a bunch of different actors including Jeff Goldblum, Christopher Walken, and Shelley Duvall helped add flavor to the movie. Slight spoiler: that’s an awfully quick way to waste several thousand dollars of cocaine!
This movie puts me half way through the AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies: 10th Anniversary Edition. Hooray for progress! Up next ought to be either The Best Years of Our Lives or All About Eve, though I could just opt for something that Netflix currently has available for streaming.
Yesterday, I crossed number 56 off my list: Hang new shower curtain rod.
It took about an hour altogether. Using my "wonder tool" (a Dremel) with a cutting wheel and a polishing stone to smooth the edges, I was able to make fairly quick work of cutting the tubes that comprise the rod to a good approximation of the dimensions on our shower/bathtub. It looks pretty good considering that it was a one-man job, including the measuring, marking, anchoring, etc.. I think I’m going to need to give it a bit more support, though; I’m wary of having an L-shaped shower curtain rod without some sort of support at the angle. Unfortunately, I’m not sure if there’s an accessible stud at the spot that I need it, so I guess I’ll need to check out anchoring options.