Mystery of the Two-Minutes Movies

Every now and then I feel like watching something in an uncommitted sort of way for about two or three, possible ten, minutes. So I flick on the iMac remote and switch over to watching movie trailers. Now that the final Harry Potter book is out, I'll even watch HP trailers. They put so much in trailers these days that you can almost watch the whole movie in two minutes. They're like potato chips. You can't watch just one.

They are lovely. Many of them in high definition which looks so good on my 24 inch high resolution monitor.

The mystery is that in the theater I hate previews. I think mostly because in the theater they choose them for me and I'm not there to watch previews. I'm there to watch a movie. I'm not interested in chips. I want a full course meal. In the theater they should pay me to watch previews. Especially the ones totally unrelated to the movie I came to see. Like the horror previews they show before a comedy. Who came up with that?

I guess that solves the mystery.

Good Quotes from Small Gods

Time is a drug. Too much of it kills you.

You couldn't put off the inevitable. Because sooner or later, you reached the place when the inevitable just went and waited.

"There's a God of Lettuce?"
"Why not? If enough people believe, you can be god of anything ..."

– Terry Pratchett

Want to know more? Read the book!

The Vig and I

Mr. Mortensen (Viggo, VM, The Vig - The Vig? I ask you!) is doing much better than I expected. Good for him. Apparently VM has taken over the Toronto Film Festival with the release of three films.

My best hope at the moment is his performance in The Road. I'm really looking forward to seeing the film. The stills look so gritty and intense. They bring back that Ranger character (The Lord of the Rings) I love so much. If, as rumor has it, he may be up for another Oscar nomination, I hope it's for The Road and I hope he gets the nod and the prize. As a western dude he looks wooden. Of course I haven't seen Appaloosa yet, but from the previews he looks a bit of a board. What do I know? I've only watched a million movies in my life.

He's a damn good looking guy and does a great impersonation of a 100-year-old ranger and an ex-con (A History of Violence). I haven't liked him too much in his other movies, except the one with Kirk Douglas (A Perfect Murder). I liked the stills of him as a romantic Spanish swashbuckler.

My opinion is definitely skewed by his performance in The Lord of the Rings trilogy (which was my first exposure to VM) where he did a great job in a part that was made for him. And if it wasn't made for him, he sure made it look that way. VM may prefer directors that give him his head, but Peter Jackson's direction developed a his acting in a way that has no comparison to other roles VM has played.

The fashionable VM! He gets nothing but accolades these days. He has worked hard and long to get them. However, I persist in my view that his acting is over rated. He is a talented artist, able to express himself in music, poetry and art and various combinations thereof. I do wish him well. I just think he could do so much better if he were to settle down and focus on something. My plan would be the life of an itinerant poet, like Homer, only wilder and more diverse. Or maybe acting roles as complex esoteric characters which could bring out his natural depth.

Ah, well. It's not my life is it?

DGLM

The Maid of Honor Deliberate Gentle Love Master (DGLM) Appreciated for your kindness and envied for all your experience, you are The Maid of Honor. Charismatic, affectionate, and terrific in relationships, you are what many guys would call a "perfect catch"--and you probably have many admirers, each wishing to capture your long-term love. You're careful, extra careful, because the last thing you want is to hurt anyone. Especially some poor boy whose only crime was liking you. We've deduced you're fully capable of a dirty fling, but you do feel that post-coital attachment after hooking up. So, conscientious person that you are, you do your best to reserve physical affection for those you respect...so you can respect yourself. Your biggest negative is the byproduct of your careful nature: indecision. You're just as slow rejecting someone as you are accepting them. Your exact female opposite: Half-Cocked Random Brutal Sex Dreamer Always avoid: The False Messiah (DBLM), The 5-Night Stand (DBSM), The Vapor Trail (RBLM), The Bachelor (DGSM) Consider: The Gentleman (DGLM), someone just like you.

Link: The Online Dating Persona Test | OkCupid - free online dating | Dating

Is this accurate? You be the judge!

not my first choice

New real art! I think I may be healed really and truly for the first time in six years. After an inspiring walk though Art Works, I returned to the studio, lit incense, put on music and finished up this piece, which I started as a digital file. I can't find the file at the moment, so this may be a rare work! It's printed on acid free paper and then drawn on with pastels. I love it!
The text underneath I'll post after I find the file. No, I'm not typing it all in again!

Find Your Spot!

Here's a certainly interesting but lengthy quiz on what town in the great US of A would be ideal for you. Although they ask a lot of questions and do give you an opportunity to state a regional preference, they leave out that all important question, "Do you want to stay close to your family or the remnants thereof?" Anyway, besides that, they do a pretty good job (as good as any automated process can) in finding spots that fit the general criteria of "yours."

My number one town, Charleston WV, made me cringe. Definitely wrong! Turns out that Charleston is not a backwater and may even be on the move. However, the 26" of snow is off-putting, especially as I answered a "strongly agree" to the question "I'd like to live where the temperature is moderate all year long." Does 26" of snow and 25 degrees seem moderate to you? Move Charleston about 100 miles south and we might have something. On the other hand I don't see my family enough as it is and moving farther away can only make that worse.

However, they did come up with two spots I do like: Norfolk VA (#10) and Albuquerque NM (#9) and one spot I hate: Baltimore (#5!). I'm still going over the list and considering all the spots (well, except for Charleston and Baltimore). However, they listed Norfolk as having 7" of snow and that's just plain wrong. If they get 3/4" snow in Norfolk the town shuts down. And that hasn't happened in a long time.

So, watch out but take the quiz anyway. It's fun to think that if my life were no object I could live in any of these perfect spots. Oh, and they ask for your real information, so you might get unasked for solicitations afterward even though they say they don't send you that stuff unless you ask for it.

NOTE: The town I've lived in for 16 years is not on the list. Have I got it wrong all these years?

Better Mondays

I'm all for better Mondays. Having a good Monday is a process of balancing between a totally amazing weekend and one that's just good enough to relieve the stress of the daily grind. If the weekend is too fantastic I never want to go back to work. Shopping helps. Although I hate shopping, when I do need to make some major or critical purchase over the weekend I'm glad to go back to work on Monday to earn more money. So, that's a good way to take an overly happy weekend down a notch. Having a crappy weekend makes for a wretched Monday because I haven't really had my weekend and here it is Monday again.

Jobfox has a blog titled "Better Mondays" which is about getting and keeping a good job. Jobfox is to job hunting what Match.com is to dating. According to Jobfox the process is pretty much the same, you take some tests, you fill in some forms, you get matched up with ideal employers. It could work, I guess. Better than picking up an employer at a bar.

Jobfox claims that there are recession proof jobs. All of the jobs on the list are boring. None of them are arts jobs, although some of them are creative (programming, mechanical engineer). Being a musician, for example, is pretty recession proof. Somehow I have a feeling they missed something.
Current Fads
Listening. Any Day Now - Joan Baez and Good Medicine -Pema Chodron; ice cream truck music
Watching. Hair (1979)
Activity. figuring it all out
Gadget. none
News Source. the news feeds in Safari
Reading. The Schwarzbein Principle: The Program - Diana Schwarzbein; The Marshall Plan for Getting Your Novel Published - Evan Marshall; Celtic Magic - D. J. Conway; An Ocean Apart - Robin Pilcher (Yes, I really am reading them all right now—I'm a reading addict. What can I say?)

Buy Me Something Charming

It's time to pamper me with something I almost never buy for myself: expensive jewelry. And, of course, you will buy the best, straight from Tiffany's and it will be a lovely surprise. Don't overwhelm me, though. Get me something I've already picked out. Like this lovely platinum chain with a ladybug charm.

If that's a bit beyond your budget (or maybe you think I don't deserve platinum?) buy me a lovely silver chain with my favorite things on it: peace, amethyst and apple. You insightful, intuitive person - you!

What do you get in return? What a question! It's a gift! Besides, it's not all that expensive, is it?

amalgam

apropos of nothing

or is it apex of nothing?

like air

I would like to be the air

that inhabits you for a moment

only. I would like to be that unnoticed

& that necessary.

-Margaret Atwood (from "Variations on the Word Sleep")


wherever you are
whoever you are

Stephen King for Free!

Watch a series of animated graphics. Reminds of "The Plant" serialization days. Never did get the whole thing. I guess the publisher got wigged out over PDFs. You know, there's just too much concern about locking up content.

Shopping for a Waterfall

Why buy a fountain when you can own a waterfall? In Second Life (SL), where you can do and own almost anything, shopping happens on a whole new scale. I rent a little plot which I have decorated with trees, shrubs, torches and a big bowl of lava. Floating upright in the lava are four lit candles. The bowl sits in the middle of circle of a megalithic stones, sort of like Stonehenge. Hey, why not? I do have a fountain and decided the plot would be more "natural" if I had a nice stream or waterfall.

I did find a nice selection at reasonable prices, one included a cave with meditation cushions. I kept looking until I discovered a section of waterfall parts. When saw the parts, I remembered the free SL library full of rocks, stones, water, and scripts. While I much prefer others to make things for me, I decided to make a waterfall, just to make sure it's what I really want. My waterfall is more like a fountain, but I made it myself (except for the decorative Spring Woman plaque) without a lot of heavy lifting and I like it. It'll do for now.