24 Update

Less than 18 hours to go. 3 episodes left. Obstacles: checking out school camera equipment, packing, shopping, eating, sleeping, correcting papers, reading the paper.

24 Marathon

We've got 8 episodes left to finish Season 3. I leave for Wisconsin on Friday. Jamie and Erin leave for Minnesota on Saturday. Will we make it? The countdown begins. Cue dramatic clock ticking sound effects...

The Last Detail

I saw The Last Detail tonight at Film Streams (with Jamie). It was a great, entertaining film with wonderful, nuanced performances by all three leads, Jack Nicholson, Randy Quaid and Otis Young. It was a film that was about something without having to be about something, with characters that felt real and with the perfect tonal mix of sarcasm, sincerity, warmth, irony and humor.

I had never seen the film despite loving the other films I have seen by director Hal Ashby, including what is perhaps my favorite film of all time, Harold and Maude. This only cements my respect and love for his work. His stories has such a humanistic feel to them. They can be dark, edgy, unconventional, and sarcastic, but they hold such a love for people...and not a certain kind of person, but the full range of diverse characters that inhabit his films. His films project a kind of curiosity, searching for the person underneath all of the posturing. I also love how he lets scenes play out in a wide shot, letting the actors play off each other and allowing viewers to soak it all in without being forced what to focus on. Ashby doesn't tell us how to feel or try to pin down his characters or drive us through the story. He allows the characters to fully inhabit what feels like a very real world. And we in the audience get the privilege of watching. It also made me think about how that movie would never get made now. I felt invigorated and depressed after watching it. It was exciting to watch it in a theatre and it felt innovative and new and then I had to remind myself that this was a film made over thirty years ago. I felt like I belonged in a class of fifty-year olds grumbling about how they just don't make them like they used to.

For all of you who don't have the privilege of living in Omaha and reading the program notes and comments that Alexander Payne wrote for the films he chose as part of his curated repertory series, here are the more articulate words of Payne about The Last Detail:

"This is a film I now watch about twice a year, and it grows more profound with every viewing. It's one of those rare seemingly simple films at once about one thing and about everything - mostly about the ways human beings can find to love one another despite the roles society imprisons us in, at the same time damning the society that keeps us from loving one another fully. Perhaps it's about none of this. But one way in which it speaks to our current times is that, as in 1973, we are at war. Imagine a film coming out now in which Iraq is barely mentioned, but in which you see soldiers acting like the simple and complex, unique yet recognizable human beings they are-- laughing, crying, whoring, stealing, getting drunk, getting in fights, happy just to blow a little per diem, resigned to a life in the military because other options are lacking. Such a film might be accused of subversiveness, but it would be subversiveness of the most gentle and honest kind. It would reveal that what it criticizes, but is elegant enough not to name, is the true subversion."

Addendum to the conundrum

My resident genius friend Alex has given me additional, crucial information, and thus, as a conscious citizen, I pass it along to you: "Using warm water to brush your teeth might not be great for you and the environment. Warm water means that it has been in the hot water heater. Water heaters contain weird metals that can corrode into the water. In general, people don't consume water from the hot water heater; it is usually used for showers, washing hands + laundry. Brushing teeth doesn't mean that you really consume much water, but it might not be bad to avoid."

Thank you, Alex. I hope you don't mind me posting this (sorry I'm impatient).

To keep the trend going, I will try to offer another helpful hint over the weekend, or as I see fit.

Conundrum

I have been very cognizant lately of how much water I use while brushing my teeth and washing my face at night before bed. I have been turning the water off while brushing my teeth for a little while now so as not to waste water. However, I am becoming increasingly stringent with myself and have become to feel very guilty any time I use more than a light stream for a few seconds.

While this in itself is a good habit, the problem is that this does not allow enough time for the water to warm up. This is a minor (and excessive) complaint compared to the many across the world who do not even have access to safe, healthy water for drinking and cooking. However, I do miss the warm water that used to soften my toothbrush bristles and the comfort and soothing nature of the warm water splashing on my tired face and eyes.

I suppose I can settle on giving myself the luxury every now and then. What I just realized is that I should try to time this nightly ritual to occur right after someone else has used the water and warmed it up for me. See how helpful blog writing can be? You can come up with possible solutions to your minor, privileged problems and broadcast this banal, internal back and forth for the rest of the public to read. I'm going to think positively and hope that this provides a helpful tip to others out there who have been grappling with this same problem.

Zorinsky Lake

24, I love you even more

Alternate post titles: A dose of the left, 3 More Reasons to watch 24, 3 more justifications for watching a show that primarily features torture and rugged, roguish men defying rules, punching people and overall just being really masculine. I went with the rhyming for obvious reasons.

Janeane Garofalo is joining the cast of 24 (thanks for the tip, Jamie). As if I needed any more incentive to watch this show. Adds further intrigue to my earlier blog about the political intonations/qualms with the show and its creator. I cannot wait. Just three more seasons to get through before the premiere. Garofalo told the Ottawa Sun that she was surprised: "I feel like I'm being punked. I feel like the creators are going to make me say things that cause my sphincter to tighten."

This announcement comes on the heels of the announcement that Cherry Jones will play the President in the next season. Jones is not only a woman and a Tony-award winning actress, but also an open lesbian.

AND...yes, there's more...the show is going green. They are switching to biodiesel, renewable sources of energy and hybrid vehicles. They're attempting to be completely carbon neutral by the season finale. They also plan to spread awareness of climate change and carbon reduction in storylines when appropriate and Kiefer and company are reportedly filming PSAs about climate change.

First a black President (David Palmer/Dennis Haysbert, I love you), now a woman as Commander in Chief? Then you invite Janeane Garofalo, a woman who has "liberal" tattooed on her, to join the cast? And then you take the initiative to make 24 an environmentally conscious and green show? And make environmental PSAs?! What kind of Right-winger are you, Joel Surnow? A soon-to-be-denounced one is my guess.

Oh, I am so happy to have this news to back up my love of Jack Bauer and CTU. It's like when Sonic Youth and Yo La Tengo appeared on Gilmore Girls. Thank you gods of legitimacy.

Under the bright lights of Hy-Vee

Unfortunately, Laura and I did a poor job of documenting our weekend of fun. We did, however, manage a photo shoot during our short trip to the local Hy-Vee.

Just think: you too can have this much fun if you come visit me in Omaha.

After the storm photos

This was my immediate view after coming up from the basement, straight out the front door. These have not been enhanced or color corrected in any way. In fact, it looked much more vivid in person. It looked like Armageddon had just occurred. It was really very beautiful.

Tornado!

This is the fun of living in Nebraska. You get to hang out in the basement (where I am currently writing, from supposed safety), and listen to blaring tornado sirens while watching brown/green swirling skies with ominous clouds, heaps of rain and 80 mph winds. Weather.com claims, "A tornado has been sighted or indicated by radar in your area - seek shelter immediately!" Fun! Excitement! Brings back all those memories of Midwestern tornado drills in school.

So much to blog about.

I just started a new job. I am teaching some classes at Metropolitan Community College here in Omaha. My classes are in the Digital Cinema department, and my students are High School students that get college credit for the class. Classes for Digital Cinema start September 4th. This week, however, I am teaching a two week Career Planning class. Yes, you heard it right. Career Planning. What exactly does that mean? You probably have as good of an idea as I do. I had my first day today. We had introductions and all that. I think it went pretty well. I am really excited to start teaching the Cinema classes though, a topic that I actually know something about and am excited and passionate about.

In other news, Laura came to Omaha to visit. Much fun was had. Details and photos to come.

Jamie, Laura and I saw and The Devil Came On Horseback, a really great documentary. I want to blog more about that, but in the meantime you can go to SaveDarfur.org and contact those in Washington to pressure them into taking action!

A group of us also saw Superbad. I liked it. I could have a lot to say, but I don't know if I'll find the time to really expand on my thoughts. I thought it was overall pretty funny, but I had issues with it. I loved Michael Cera in it (as always), and just wish it would've used more of his kind of subtle, more sophisticated, intelligent, quirky, off-the-wall, awkward, and humor from pacing and cadence rather than more of the easy, dumb jokes.

And check out this serious bruise from racquetball. There's one on my elbow too, but it's hard to take a photo of your own elbow. And it's not as hardcore as this one. Us serious players sacrifice our body. Or just fly into walls by accident. It's a dangerous sport.

Where we're doing our back to school shopping

The place to go for Fall fashion.

Notebooks and pens? I'm reaching for baked papyrus and quills with indigo ink. Thirsty? Don't spend that $1.25 on Aquafina. Just grab a drink from your handy wooden canteen. Are bullies bothering you? I don't like to advocate violence, but sometimes a musket or spear is just what you need to show who's boss. Go back to school in style...Revolutionary style!

Astronaut essentials

These are actual items from space missions, on display at the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum.

See: it's not all fun spacewalks and eating cool frozen food and brushing your teeth upside down.

Saddle Creek sampler

You can go here to download a free sampler of Saddle Creek's 2007 releases, including songs from upcoming releases by The Good Life, Art in Manila and recently signed D.C. band Georgie James.

Me=Revolutionary

Possibly my favorite purchase from our D.C. trip. I bought it at Mt.Vernon, George Washington's estate. He probably had this awesome t-shirt in one of his dresser drawers.

The hapless Ms. Botwin

Weeds Season 3 airs tonight. I'll be watching, especially after the cliffhanger ending of Season 2. I've said that I thought Weeds is fairly radical in that its premise is basically about a bad mother (JC, your idea has been pre-empted somewhat). It's not that Nancy doesn't care for and love her kids (she does) or try (again, she does). She simply fails at being a good parent most of the time. And that is interesting, especially since she is a single mother. Even more interesting because she is white, rich and looks like Mary Louise-Parker.

I do take issue with the show occasionally, but I think it does push the boundaries -- and I'm not talking about Showtime/profanity/nudity/dark comedy/"look, a white, suburban woman is selling drugs" boundaries. The show raises questions about motherhood, parenting, maternal instincts. It questions the depiction we so often see of the struggling, yet competent, ultimately unselfish mother. Nancy doesn't always tell her kids where she is, she doesn't stress the value of education, she doesn't set boundaries, she leaves a lot of the parenting up to equally incompetent figures such as her brother-in-law Andy, she makes poor decisions, she says she must sell drugs to provide for her family and keep up their lifestyle, but then she splurges on luxury gifts for herself, she's unpredictable and unreliable. Most of the time she is trying, but Nancy also straight-up gives up sometimes. She is deeply flawed, and thus comes across more as a real and complicated person. There are very few characters on the show that I actually like, yet in this case, that's kind of what makes the show interesting.

So I was very excited to read a short review in the N.Y. Times this morning titled, "Is Motherhood Noble Work? Not in the World of 'Weeds.'" This article pretty much summed up what I've been thinking and saying all along. I feel vindicated (though no one was questioning my observations, maybe supported is a better word) and offer this up as further proof that I feel I should be writing for the entertainment section of a newspaper. If I was still in college, I would write a whole essay on this, with concrete examples from episodes elucidating these insights. Maybe I still will. In the meantime, I will be tuning in to see how Nancy is going to get out of the mess she's in.

GW's Ride

Our nation's first President's wheels of choice.

From the Museum of Natural History

An elephant. He/she is not alive.


Kyle and a newly made friend.


The Hope Diamond. Spahh-keling diamonds!


Yikes!


Yikes squared!

D.C. Photos

The Korean War Memorial.


The majestic Mr. Lincoln.


The Lincoln Memorial.


About to crush the Washington Monument.

Zach, Will and Kanye

There's a hilarious video parody featuring Zach Galifianakis and Will Oldham for the new Kanye West song "Can't Tell Me Nothing." Zach also starred in a great video with Fiona Apple for her song "Not About Love."

I saw him perform awhile back in Ann Arbor with Janeane Garofalo and he was hilarious. Glad to see he's still got it in him.

Back from vacation

I'm back. D.C. (and the surrounding area) was awesome and exhausting. We did so much in such a short amount of time, and yet we did not get to it all. It was a whirlwind tour of sights. We pounded the hot pavement every day in search of history, amazement and new buildings. We were an army. And our legs hurt. It did not help that we visited D.C. during a sweltering heat wave. We sweated, and walked, took the Metro, sweated some more and tried to find shade. If I swore, I would say that D.C. kicked our _____es.

I awoke this morning in a travel-induced fog. I am tired, groggy, and have a cold. Thus, the idea of accurately describing and photo-illustrating our trip seems altogether too overwhelming and exhausting. See how exhausted I am? I am so exhausted I can't think of a synonym for exhausted.

However, I cannot bypass the trip altogether. That would be a shame. And there has to be photos (such as that of the Capitol Building above). So, I will compromise by gathering strength each day and posting a few photos, perhaps even with accompanying scant or detailed descriptions, depending on my energy and mood each day.

Here is what I think may be my favorite photo from the trip:

The box in Ford's Theatre where Lincoln was fatally shot by his assassin, John Wilkes Booth.

Vacation Day 1

Monticello!


Today we visited Jefferson's plantation home, located near Charlottesville, Virginia. The neoclassical home was designed by Jefferson himself, the renaissance man. The Monticello ("little mountain" in Italian) mountain is at the center of the 5,000 acre plantation that Jefferson inherited from his father.

"...all my wishes end, where I hope my days will end, at Monticello," Thomas Jefferson declared in 1787. He got his wish. We saw the very bed that Jefferson died in on July 4, 1826 -- the 50 year anniversary of signing the Declaration of Independence, written by Jefferson.

Here is Jefferson's gravesite:



"No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden," -- Thomas Jefferson, 1811

Here is a portion of Jefferson's garden: