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January 28, 2005
Approaching completion! I was down at Tribune Tower
today and AMC River East happens to be right down the street. River East was showing
not only Kinsey (Laura Linney, Supporting Actress) but Being Julia
(Annette Bening, Actress) - the latter of which had a pretty good crowd (for what it's
worth, I was probably the youngest person in attendance by a good 20 years). I point
this out because this is one of those films that really no one has seen - currently on EFC
it has two reviews and only a single user rating. At any rate, I won't be finishing
the major awards by the ceremony, but apart from the Best Actress field and Before
Sunset, Ray stands alone.
As for reviews: I promised you Finding Neverland, so here it is.
I've also got the Kinsey review
done, but Being Julia will have to wait, as I'm too tired by now to write a
decent one (and three reviews in one night is quite a bit to ask at any rate, unless they
were capsules).
January 27, 2005
Time for the annual Oscar extravaganza, wherein I make some predictions which generally turn out to be wrong, and in general piss and moan about who didn't get nominated. This year I'm pretty close to seeing all movies nominated for major awards, except in the field of Best Actress, which, for some reason, I never seem to do very well in. It may be because a lot of the nominees routinely come from either tiny movies that no one saw or big movies that weren't up my street.
Best Original Screenplay
Nominees: The Aviator, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless
Mind, Hotel Rwanda, The Incredibles, Vera Drake
Should Win: At the time of last year's nominations, I had only seen one film in
this category; this year I have seen four, Vera Drake being the odd man (woman?)
out. Of the four I've seen, only a win by The Aviator would make me
unhappy. I'd like to see ESOTSM get it, but I wouldn't mind seeing Hotel
Rwanda win either, especially since Don Cheadle is assuredly going to be ignored.
Will Win: Last year, Lost in Translation - which I thought was the
frontrunner - won this one. None of these won a Globe because they only have one
screenplay award, so it's hard to say who exactly the frontrunner is, but I expect that
either this will be won by The Aviator, or the left-field vote will help ESOTSM
take it.
Worst Inclusion: I found The Aviator surpassingly mediocre, and its
overlong, meandering script had a lot to do with that.
Most Surprising Inclusion: I guess I should stop being shocked every time a Pixar
film gets into this category, but I'm still impressed that The Incredibles made it.
Biggest Snub: I thought Silver City had a fantastic screenplay, though not
many people agreed with me. Other than that, Collateral would probably lead
this charge.
Best Snub: Kill Bill Volume Two leaps to mind. I also shed no tears
for The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Team America, I © Huckabees,
or any of the other films they're probably canonizing on message boards everywhere right
now.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Nominees: Before Sunset, Finding Neverland, Million
Dollar Baby, The Motorcycle Diaries, Sideways
Should Win: Based on what I've seen, I'd give it to Million Dollar Baby.
Will Win: This award is clearly Sideways' to lose; if it wins nothing else
(and I hope that's the case), this will be it.
Worst Inclusion: Not that it's bad - I haven't seen it - but wasn't much of Before
Sunset's dialogue improvised? How is that really a screenplay?
Most Surprising Inclusion: Nothing here is too shocking.
Biggest Snub: It would have been kind of neat to see Mean Girls here, but I
didn't think that film was good enough for a nomination, so I'm not really
complaining. I'm a bit surprised not to see Closer - I may not like the film
much, but it had some great dialogue.
Best Snub: Nothing stands out here. I might say The Passion of the Christ
but no one in their right mind actually thought that could garner a nod in this category.
Best Director
Nominees: Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby; Taylor
Hackford, Ray; Mike Leigh, Vera Drake; Alexander Payne, Sideways;
Martin Scorsese, The Aviator.
Should Win: Eastwood deserved his Globe, and he'd deserve this.
Will Win: I suspect this is Scorsese's year.
Worst Inclusion: Payne, who really is not that interesting a director and who hired
a cinematographer who made wine country look almost totally drab and dull.
Most Surprising Inclusion: That Hackford got into this club is kind of surprising,
but Leigh sneaking in from left field is also a bit of a shock.
Biggest Snub: I would have considered Walter Salles as my left-field pick for The
Motorcycle Diaries; Michael Mann also deserved more notice for Collateral than
he ended up getting (which is to say, none). There's also Michel Gondry, but I'm not
surprised no one noticed him.
Best Snub: Gibson, Tarantino, Spielberg, and Zhang Yimou - I don't think any were
going to get nominated, but it's also good.
Best Supporting Actress
Nominees: Cate Blanchett, The Aviator; Laura Linney, Kinsey;
Virginia Madsen, Sideways; Sophie Okonedo, Hotel Rwanda; Natalie Portman, Closer.
Should Win: Portman is no doubt the frontrunner after her Globe win, but I really
don't think she was all that good in Closer (she's better in Garden State,
frankly). Of the other three I've seen, I vastly preferred Okonedo's movie, but I
don't think she was really any better than either of the other two. Madsen wouldn't
be a bad choice, as she was one of the best parts of Sideways. Blanchett
probably impressed me more in The Life Aquatic, which isn't saying much.
Will Win: I suspect Portman takes it; if not, Blanchett probably has the lead
because Hollywood loves it when someone tries to channel someone else (see: Jamie
Foxx). This is easily my least favorite category this year, for the record.
Worst Inclusion: As I said, Portman wasn't amazing, but they could have done worse.
Most Surprising Inclusion: Okonedo surprised me since she's the only newcomer since
the Globes (replacing Meryl Streep) and I didn't think that many people saw her movie.
Biggest Snub: None leaps out. First person to say Maia Morgenstern gets
slapped.
Best Snub: No one who ever seemed likely. It's good that Okonedo's spot
wasn't filled by Catherine Zeta-Jones or something, but I don't think anyone ever thought
she would.
Best Supporting Actor
Nominees: Alan Alda, The Aviator; Thomas Haden Church, Sideways;
Jamie Foxx, Collateral; Morgan Freeman, Million Dollar Baby; Clive Owen, Closer.
Should Win: Freeman. Seriously, it's about damn time. If he doesn't,
though, I'd love to see Owen win the double; he's damn near the only watchable part of his
film.
Will Win: If Owen doesn't repeat, I fear it will be Church, which would be easily
the most galling of any of these.
Worst Inclusion: Church, playing an unrelenting asshole in a performance that
requires all the subtlety of a brick to the face. This would be like Jim Carrey
suddenly winning Best Actor for a third Ace Ventura film.
Most Surprising Inclusion: It's a little surprising that Alda was the choice here,
replacing David Carradine from the Globes' list, but I prefer him to Carradine.
Biggest Snub: I think Nick Nolte deserved some consideration for Hotel Rwanda,
and it would have been nice to see Peter Sarsgaard get a nomination either for Kinsey
or Garden State, if only to make up for his total snub last year when he gave the
best supporting performance of the year in Shattered Glass. Also, Mark
Ruffalo and Tom Wilkinson both gave great supporting turns in Eternal Sunshine.
Best Snub: Carradine, who was cool but little else in Kill Bill Volume Two.
Best Actress
Nominees: Annette Bening, Being Julia; Catalina Sandino
Moreno, Maria Full of Grace; Imelda Staunton, Vera Drake; Hilary Swank, Million
Dollar Baby; Kate Winslet, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Should Win: I always seem to be lightest on the Actress field in terms of what I've
seen. This year I've seen two of these, and I think Swank is plenty deserving.
Will Win: Swank already beat Staunton and Bening beat Winslet at the Globes, so
this is probably a two-horse race. I think Swank will win unless her previous award
is held against her, in which case Bening (who lost to Swank in 1999, as fate would have
it) takes it.
Worst Inclusion: None.
Most Surprising Inclusion: Clearly Moreno, this year's Keisha Castle-Hughes (with
about the same chance of winning).
Biggest Snub: Can't think of any.
Best Snub: Uma Thurman. No thank you.
Best Actor
Nominees: Don Cheadle, Hotel Rwanda; Johnny Depp, Finding
Neverland; Leonardo DiCaprio, The Aviator; Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar
Baby; Jamie Foxx, Ray.
Should Win: I would give it to Cheadle, though of course I haven't seen Ray
yet (it comes to DVD this coming Tuesday, so I'll have it out of the way before the
ceremony).
Will Win: This is clearly Foxx's award, based on conventional wisdom.
Anything else would be a shock.
Worst Inclusion: None are really bad.
Most Surprising Inclusion: I was shocked to see Eastwood's name there,
honestly. He's good, but it was surprising.
Biggest Snub: Former frontrunners Neeson and Bardem both missing out was a bit
surprising, but I was stunned that Eastwood took the spot that seemed destined for Paul
Giamatti. I didn't like Sideways, as you surely know by now, but Giamatti's a
great actor. I was also rooting for a left-field nomination for Gael Garcia Bernal,
who's brilliant in The Motorcycle Diaries, but there clearly was not room this
year.
Best Snub: Kevin Spacey for his vanity project Beyond the Sea (which no, I
haven't seen yet, but I have seen the trailers and he doesn't look that good), though I
don't think anyone thought he had a prayer, Globe nomination notwithstanding.
Best Picture
Nominees: The Aviator; Finding Neverland; Million
Dollar Baby; Ray; Sideways.
Should Win: Of those, Million Dollar Baby.
Will Win: Probably The Aviator, and if not that then Sideways.
Neither would be very good, though the former's relatively epic stature would at least
allow me to forgive the Academy for going blind for 160 minutes.
Worst Inclusion: Sideways, in my book.
Most Surprising Inclusion: Considering the mixed reviews Ray opened to, I'm
surprised it climbed this high.
Biggest Snub: Hotel Rwanda, my #1 of the year right now. It's also
unfortunate that Eternal Sunshine couldn't slip in.
Best Snub: The Passion of the Christ, though I knew it didn't have a
shot. It's also probably just as well Fahrenheit 9/11 wasn't touched, just so
we could keep politics out of it for a night, even if the film was excellent.
Now that you've read that, let's get caught up on
reviews: here are the reviews for Closer, In Good Company,
House of
Flying Daggers, and the Netflix rentals Control Room
and Baadasssss!
I also saw Finding Neverland today as I get closer to seeing
all of the Oscar-nominated films, with - aside from the Best Actress field - only the
DVD-bound Ray and Kinsey, which I don't think I'm going to get to before
the Oscars, outstanding (there's also Before Sunset, but not having seen Before
Sunrise, I'm having a hard time caring). The review for that one isn't ready
yet, though. Check back tomorrow.
Oh, and in case you care - and I know you don't - Finding Neverland
takes me to 45 films on the year, which is a new record. It also adds to the record
for theatrical viewings, as it marks #33.
January 27, 2005
People not named me seem to be losing interest in song memes, and fast, all over the blogging community. So I'll close up the current one, just as a matter of procedure, and sit back and wait for the next fad to come my way.
The ones no one got:
2. Snow Patrol, "Grazed Knees"
4. Blink 182, "Stay Together for the Kids"
6. Spacehog, "Cruel to be Kind"
10. Michelle Branch, "Everywhere"
13. Five for Fighting, "Something About You"
16. Reindeer Section, "Cartwheels"
19. Smash Mouth, "Defeat You"
20. Reindeer Section, "Strike Me Down"
21. Queen, "One Vision"
22. U2, "Walk On"
23. Fountains of Wayne, "Bought for a Song"
24. Traffic, "Light Up or Leave Me Alone"
January 21, 2005
Oh boy, here comes more snow. As I write this, at 6 pm
CT on Friday, a storm is preparing to dump anywhere from 8-14 inches of snow on us between
now and tomorrow night. Fan-freaking-tastic! At least I got both Alma and
myself back home before it started, and I do have food in the house right now.
I suppose you've been on the edge of your seat waiting to hear how Ann
B. Davis turned out. What's that? You haven't? Well, I've taken the
liberty of fashioning a recap
anyway. Tip for the humor-conscious - it involves the Paw Paw Big Boy.
Song Meme Round 2 - Update
Those that have been conquered first, then those that are still to go. I'll give another day or two on them in case anyone came late.
1. "So take the photographs and still frames in your mind / Hang it
on a shelf in good health and good time"
Green Day, Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) - answered by Justin
3. "What does it matter to you when you've got a job to do?
You've gotta do it well - you've gotta give the other fellow hell"
Paul McCartney/Wings, Live and Let Die - answered by Justin
5. "Threw away your greatest hits / You left them here the day you
split"
Guster, Amsterdam - answered by Justin
7. "Then in flies a guy who's all dressed up like a union jack / And
says, I've won five pounds if I have his kind of detergent pack"
Rolling Stones, Get Off of My Cloud - answered by Dad
8. "I swam upon the devil's lake / But never, never never never /
I'll never make the same mistake"
Cat Stevens, The Wind - answered by Drew
9. "I bet that'll shoot down your plane / It'll take a couple of
vodka and tonics to set you on your feet again"
Elton John, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - answered by Justin
11. "You're thinking of me the same old way / You were above me, but
not today"
Beatles, I'm Looking Through You - answered by Rudnik
12. "I can drive down the road and my eyes don't see but my mind
wants to cry out loud"
Cream, I Feel Free - answered by Dad
14. "Expert texpert choking smokers, don't you think the joker laughs
at you?"
Beatles, I am the Walrus - answered by Rudnik
15. "There's something wrong with the world today, the lightbulb's
getting dim / There's meltdown in the sky"
Aerosmith, Living on the Edge - answered by Rudnik
17. "Winter's cold, spring erases, and the calm away by the storm is
chasen - everything good needs replacing"
Dave Matthews Band, Satellite - answered by Drew
18. "'Cause all I see is the tower of dreams, real love bursting out
of every seam"
Theme from Family Matters - answered by Alma
25. "Everyone gather round now, sing us a song, just in case by
tomorrow it happens he's gone"
Ben Folds Five, Steven's Last Night in Town - answered by Drew
So only 13 of 25 have been answered, which leaves ample opportunity for the rest. Some of these are moderately obscure, but at least half of those remaining should be answerable by someone who reads this. Go:
2. "Just say you love me now and forget this whole row / Just save your energy for making up with me"
4. "It's hard to wake up when the shades have been pulled shut / This house is haunted, it's so pathetic, it makes no sense at all"
6. "Oh, there's more to me than you can see from here, my friends / Here there are no whys so why must you pretend?"
10. "I sense it now, the water's getting deep / I try to wash the pain away from me"
13. "I never thought I would win, I never thought much about that - it's been a long time coming"
16. "Now the pessimism in me yawns, as I'm pissing on their perfect front lawns"
19. "It's the instinct that's got us locked up tight, and it's the madness that's keeping us up all night"
20. "Never would be easy to hear, babe / What you have got nothing to fear, babe"
21. "I had a dream when I was young, a dream of sweet illusion"
22. "You're packing a suitcase for a place none of us has been, a place that has to be believed to be seen"
23. "Tom won't admit he got lost in the city, he's saying that the directions are wrong"
24. "Spending my bread like it grew on a tree / You're trying to tell me about the birds and the bees"
January 14, 2005
Nothing much to report. My sleep got thrown off somehow so I ended up sleeping from like 10 am to 4 pm today. Nothing worse than that. On the plus side, the stuff from the dealership in Maryland came, so I should be able to get Illinois plates for the Civic in short order. On the negative side, it is fucking cold:
You gotta love the moon rising over an igloo as the
chosen iconography for the night's forecast. Christ. Of course, I'm going to
be in Michigan for the Ann B. Davis tournament, not that it's really going to be any
warmer there (high 14, low 0, I think, plus they're supposed to get snow flurries and
we're not), from tomorrow afternoon to Sunday night. I booked a hotel on the south
side of town, which I know much better than the north side and which lacks confusing
intersections.
As for jobs: the Borders at Broadway/Clark and Diversey had a bunch of
cards at the info desk that said "Join the Borders Team: Apply Online", and the
Hollywood Video at Broadway and Surf had a "Now Hiring" sign in the window that
directed prospective employees to hollywoodvideo.com. Those were the only places
that actually had anything out suggesting how you might go about getting a job. So,
I went and did the online things. Both suggest that someone will be contacting you
if you're being considered, which presumably means that if you don't hear anything you can
go fuck yourself. It's kind of an odd way of doing this sort of thing, I would think
- more efficient for the companies concerned, but because the online forms are run by a
third-party company (the same company, Unicru, for all the ones I've filled out), there's
something off-puttingly faceless about the whole affair. Drew has in the past said
stuff about needing to follow up with people - but the websites all have a very
"don't call us, we'll call you" attitude about the whole affair, nor do any of
them even give much of a hint as to who one would call if one were so inclined. The
morbid fear of embarrassment has kept me from yet marching up to an info desk and asking
loudly, "What's the hiring process like around here?", but if I don't hear
anything in the next week, it's getting increasingly clear that even the faceless comforts
of the internet are not going to keep me from having to put my balls out there sooner or
later, and pretty clearly sooner.
Anyway, maybe I'll go see if the 7-11 still has that "Now
Hiring" sign up when I get back from Michigan.
January 14, 2005
Song meme time! First, the final tally from round one:
1. Marcy Playground, Sex and Candy - Dave
2. Rolling Stones, (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - Dad/Alma
3. Ben Folds, Wandering
4. The Simpsons, Flaming Moe's - Tyler/Alma
5. Beatles, Got to Get You Into My Life - Dad
6. Steely Dan, Peg - Dad
7. Cream, Politician - Dad
8. Blink 182, Dancing with Myself - Dave
9. Neil Diamond, Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show - Drew
10. Beatles, You've Got to Hide Your Love Away - Dad
11. Led Zeppelin, In My Time of Dying
12. Blink 182, Obvious
13. 3 Minute Hero, Spies
14. Stevie Wonder, Signed, Sealed, Delivered - Alma
15. Damien Rice, The Blower's Daughter
16. Travis, Love Will Come Through
17. Queen, Killer Queen - Dad
18. Ben Folds Five, Fair - Drew
19. Blink 182, I Miss You - Ryan
20. Reindeer Section, I'll Be Here When You Wake
21. Bob Dylan, Most of the Time
22. Beatles, Happiness is a Warm Gun - Dad
23. The Thorns, Among the Living
24. Boston, Peace of Mind
25. Steely Dan, Black Friday - Dad
That was the first 25. Now time for 25 more. As always, no Googling. And please post your answers in the forum - the first person who posts in the forum with the answer is getting the credit, even if someone IMed me with the answer before that. I don't plan on updating this one in as real time as I did last time, so that's going to be the only way for everyone to know what's been gotten, and it also makes it much easier to keep track - I will forget, if you just IM me. (I did last time, which is why there are a couple dual credits.) That is all.
1. "So take the photographs and still frames in your mind / Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time"
2. "Just say you love me now and forget this whole row / Just save your energy for making up with me"
3. "What does it matter to you when you've got a job to do? You've gotta do it well - you've gotta give the other fellow hell"
4. "It's hard to wake up when the shades have been pulled shut / This house is haunted, it's so pathetic, it makes no sense at all"
5. "Threw away your greatest hits / You left them here the day you split"
6. "Oh, there's more to me than you can see from here, my friends / Here there are no whys so why must you pretend?"
7. "Then in flies a guy who's all dressed up like a union jack / And says, I've won five pounds if I have his kind of detergent pack"
8. "I swam upon the devil's lake / But never, never never never / I'll never make the same mistake"
9. "I bet that'll shoot down your plane / It'll take a couple of vodka and tonics to set you on your feet again"
10. "I sense it now, the water's getting deep / I try to wash the pain away from me"
11. "You're thinking of me the same old way / You were above me, but not today"
12. "I can drive down the road and my eyes don't see but my mind wants to cry out loud"
13. "I never thought I would win, I never thought much about that - it's been a long time coming"
14. "Expert texpert choking smokers, don't you think the joker laughs at you?"
15. "There's something wrong with the world today, the lightbulb's getting dim / There's meltdown in the sky"
16. "Now the pessimism in me yawns, as I'm pissing on their perfect front lawns"
17. "Winter's cold, spring erases, and the calm away by the storm is chasen - everything good needs replacing"
18. "'Cause all I see is the tower of dreams, real love bursting out of every seam"
19. "It's the instinct that's got us locked up tight, and it's the madness that's keeping us up all night"
20. "Never would be easy to hear, babe / What you have got nothing to fear, babe"
21. "I had a dream when I was young, a dream of sweet illusion"
22. "You're packing a suitcase for a place none of us has been, a place that has to be believed to be seen"
23. "Tom won't admit he got lost in the city, he's saying that the directions are wrong"
24. "Spending my bread like it grew on a tree / You're trying to tell me about the birds and the bees"
25. "Everyone gather round now, sing us a song, just in case by tomorrow it happens he's gone"
January 13, 2005
Well, our first anniversary was this past weekend. Alma and I kept it pretty low-key, going for dinner on Sunday (the actual anniversary) to an Italian place in Waukegan that we both like. Saturday night we actually went to the gym together, my first trip in some time - I burned 100 calories on the treadmill and then did some chest presses with the free weights. I wasn't quite as out of shape on the latter count as I thought I might be, but I couldn't run very much. Shocking, right? Anyway, I'm sure I don't need to say it again for most of you... but I couldn't have asked for a better year or a better girlfriend. Baby, you're the greatest.
In other news, I added two more films to the 2004 list,
which is at 38 right now (39 if you count On Edge, which I
don't). The current record is 41, set (unsurprisingly) last year, though that also
includes one direct-to-video film (Coronado).
The theatrical record is 29 from 2001 (surprisingly, I saw only 28 in the theater in
2002 and 25 in 2003); I'm at 29 now, so the next one will be both my first time to 30 and
the new record. The plan tomorrow is to head down Broadway and see if any place is
hiring. Unless I both get hired and am asked to start that very second, I'll
probably add the 30th, though I'm not sure which of the three films at Landmark that I
haven't seen yet sounds most appealing.
I almost forgot. Here are the reviews for #28 and #29, The Aviator
and The Polar
Express.
January 7, 2005
I thought Sideways wasn't that bad a film when I saw it. I gave it a C, but it was only a couple points away from being a positive review, however slightly. The more I think about it, though, in relation to Alexander Payne's other films and especially in relation to the bafflingly positive critical reception, the more I think that I let myself get played. Not nearly as played as most people, but played nonetheless. What do I mean by that, you ask? Well, I'll tell you, if you read my kind-of-article, Alexander Payne and the Art of the Con.
January 6, 2005
A two-movie day today. Thank God I went in the order I did, because after seeing the powerful, tear-inducing Hotel Rwanda, I might not have been able to watch another film at all. But if I had, and it had been the massively disappointing The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, that would have been not such a good end to the day. Quick thoughts if you're not a review-reader: Life Aquatic has all the lack of emotional resonance that people who don't get The Royal Tenenbaums usually say that film has, which means that even Anderson fanboys shouldn't like it (and yet most probably will because it seems like Anderson is doing something different, except that he's not, he just clearly wants to but can't bring himself to go all the way). As for Hotel Rwanda, it's my new best film of the year (and it will take a hell of an effort to top it). A chilling and emotional telling of a story far too many people ignored as it was happening. It's also a three-hanky picture; my tear ducts actually hurt from overuse after seeing it.
January 2, 2005
Don't forget to check out the Song Meme if you haven't already (see yesterday). We're down to 11, although to be perfectly honest I'd be kind of surprised if more than four or five were answered at this point, at least by my normal readership.
So, New Year's update. Went over to Alma's the
night of the 31st and we hung out up till midnight, playing Cranium Hoopla (a fun
all-for-one, beat-the-clock, collaborative take on Cranium) and watching various stuff on
TV. Kissed at midnight ET, but not at midnight CT because Alma was participating in
various traditional family activities, such as banging pan lids together. Still,
first time I've ever had anyone to kiss on New Year's - and it was the first time I've
been in Central time for New Year's in well over a decade and just the second or third
time since we moved to New Jersey in 1986, so the Eastern time change still has symbolic
meaning. And of course the year changing means we're that much closer to our first
anniversary. *uncontrollable grin*
We had dinner at midnight, which evidently is also traditional, with
Alma's parents and sister. Afterwards I was a bit tired and crashed on the couch,
where I proceeded to have dreams about being woken up by Alma before I was actually woken
up by Alma. Oddly, both times I have found myself sleeping at Alma's house, I have
had dreams about sleeping at Alma's house and waking up and doing random things before I
actually wake up.
At any rate, I woke up. We had lunch, then watched slash made fun
of the direct-to-video movie Coronado - review here. It
was another family event, with Alma's dad (who'd rented it) and sister watching as well.
Yeah, it was bad, but that meant we got to be funny. Then we played more
Hoopla with Alma's sister, then a semi-collaborative game of Cranium Turbo
(since we only had three and thus had to improvise on team-oriented activities by having
the person whose turn it was guess and the others be on the honors system not to try and
screw them up). Alma got way ahead and won by a mile; I got to the final space last
but did well on the end games and managed to finish second. Then we played some more
Hoopla and managed to use up every single clue card. Heh.
Then it was time for mah jongg, allowing for some more bonding time
with Alma's dad, as you need four people. I had never played before and was told
"It's like gin," which is like the story - and I can't remember where I got it -
of the Mexican bartender who explains that tequila "ees like beer!"
Because mah jongg uses all these funky tiles and has a lot of really strange rules,
and I can only imagine how much more complicated it would have been had we been using the
tiles that I think get involved if you're playing for points. Fortunately, they
weren't, which made things a little easier. I caught on quickly enough that I was
actually explaining occasional tidbits to Alma and her sister, which drew those fabulous
gleaming smiles from Alma that I so enjoy seeing. We played five games and,
amazingly, everyone won once (Alma's sister won twice), as I finally won the fifth
game. A fun if sometimes confusing game, and I always like learning new things,
especially new games. It did remind me a lot of Rummikub,
which I loved playing with my grandparents and sister in Arizona, though it's harder
because you can't make runs of more than three in a row, which I just don't understand as
a rule (I mean, why not, huh?), but okay.
So all in all, quite the New Year's extravaganza. I'm kind of a
low-level game addict - in the sense that I don't always want to play, but once I start, I
frequently want to keep going unless the game sucks - and I don't always get to play a lot
these days, so that was really fun, and Alma's family is great. Good times all
around. And yes... it's just a week till a year. (*more uncontrollable
grinning*)
First things first: a carryover Song Meme update. We're about halfway done. And remember, no fair Googling. Completed songs first, then what's left.
2) "When I'm watching my TV and a man comes on and tells me
how white my shirts could be, but he can't be a man 'cause he doesn't smoke the same
cigarettes as me."The Rolling Stones: (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - Answered by Dad and
Alma
5) "What can I do, what can I be, when I'm with you I want to
stay there. If I am true I'll never leave, and if I do I know the way there."
The Beatles: Got to Get You Into My Life - Answered by Dad
6) "I like your pin shot, I keep it with your letter.
Done up in blueprint blue, it sure looks good on you."
Steely Dan: Peg - Answered by Dad
7) "I support the left, though I'm leaning to the
right. But I'm just not there when it's coming to a fight."
Cream: Politician - Answered by Dad
10) "How can I even try? I can never win. Hearing
them, seeing them, in the state I'm in."
The Beatles: You've Got to Hide Your Love Away - Answered by Dad
17) "To avoid complications, she never kept the same
address. In conversation, she spoke just like a baroness."
Queen: Killer Queen - Answered by Dad
22) "She's well acquainted with the touch of the velvet hand
like a lizard on a window pane... the man in the crowd with the multicolored mirrors on
his hobnailed boots."
The Beatles: Happiness is a Warm Gun - Answered by Dad
25) "Gonna do just what I please, gonna wear no socks and
shoes, with nothing to do but feed all the kangaroos."
Steely Dan: Black Friday - Answered by Dad
1) "Hangin' round, downtown by myself, and I had so much time
to sit and think about myself, and then there she was, like double cherry pie."
Marcy Playground: Sex and Candy - Answered by NJ/VA Dave
8) "So let's sink another drink, 'cause it'll give me time to
think. If I had the chance, I'd ask the world to dance."
Billy Idol: Dancing with Myself - Answered by NJ/VA Dave (it's actually Blink 182
on my playlist, but theirs is a cover so it's academic)
9) "Hot August night and the leaves hanging down and the
grass on the ground smelling sweet. Move up the road to the outside of town and the
sound of that good gospel beat."
Neil Diamond: Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show - Answered by Drew
18) "Well, he shouted out his last word and he stumbled
through the yard, and she shattered her last china plate and spun off in the car."
Ben Folds Five: Fair - Answered by Drew
4) "When the weight of the world has got you down and you
wanna end your life - bills to pay, a dead end job, and problems with the wife - well,
don't throw in the towel 'cause there's a place right down the block where you can drink
your misery away."
Simpsons: Flaming Moe's - Answered by Tyler and Alma
14) "Seen a lot of things in this old world - when I touched
them they did nothing, girl. Ooh, baby, here I am..."
Stevie Wonder: Signed, Sealed, Delivered - Answered by Alma
19) "Hello there, the angel from my nightmare, the shadow in
the background of the morgue, the unsuspecting victim of darkness in the valley, we can
live like Jack and Sally if we want."
Blink 182: I Miss You - Answered by Ryan B.
Still in Play as of 4:00 pm Central Time, January 2, 2005
3) "Remember that I confessed how when I laugh sometimes I'm crying, and we sat and didn't talk for half an hour?"
11) "Meet me, Jesus, meet me. Meet me in the middle of the air. If my wings should fail me, Lord, please meet me with another pair."
12) "I saw you again and again and again, there's some room to move on, to move on, to move on... I saw you again and again and again - how do we fix this if we never have vision?"
13) "I pay my bills like any other man, I get my thrills when I can. I go out, soak up all the neighborhood sights."
15) "And so it is, just like you said it should be. We'll both forget the breeze, most of the time."
16) "If I told you a secret, you won't tell a soul? Will you hold it and keep it alive? 'Cause it's burning a hole and I can't get to sleep and I can't live alone in this lie."
20) "Leave my bed warm and I'll breathe in your smell. You shouldn't tell a single soul you know it's right."
21) "I can follow the path, I can read the sign. Stay right with it when the road unwinds. I can handle whatever I stumble upon - I don't even notice she's gone."
23) "With the giving, there is taking; neither one feels like it's right. And since your heart can't tell the difference, you give up without a fight."
24) "Now you're climbin' to the top of the company ladder, hope it doesn't take too long. Can't you see there'll come a day when it won't matter, come a day when you'll be gone?"
There's more! View last month's updates.
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This page last updated: Saturday, January 29, 2005 10:27:33 AM