A Long Way Down

Emmy Reactions

2010-08-29T20:36:00.000-07:00

I was pleased overall with the Emmys this year. (The winners, that is. The writing and hosting was. . . pretty much terrible. Sorry Jimmy Fallon.) Let's go over the winners.

Best Actress, Drama
Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer"
I was surprisingly OK with her win. She has been nominated in this category for so long without a win. It seemed like a foregone conclusion that Julianna Margulies would win (and that is what I predicted). Even though I have never and will never watch an episode of "The Closer" I am ok.

Best Actor, Drama
Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad" (1 point for me!)
Like I said. . . his character is super complex. The writing deserves this award just as much as the actor.

Best Supporting Actress, Drama
Archie Panjabi, "The Good Wife"
I haven't seen this show, yet. I am sure she is wonderful. I would have liked to see Elisabeth Moss win, though.

Best Supporting Actor, Drama
Aaron Paul, "Breaking Bad" (2 points!)
Emmy went back and corrected her mistake from last year.

Best Actor, Comedy
Jim Parsons, "The Big Bang Theory"
Honestly, this category was a little weak. Alec Baldwin probably deserved it, but it does get a bit repetitive when you give an award to the same actor over and over. (See: Bryan Cranston, David Hyde Pierce . . .)

Best Actress, Comedy
Edie Falco, "Nurse Jackie"
I have to agree with Edie here. She isn't funny. Her winning this award is kind of mean. . . it is like the Dramadies have teamed up to oust the funny shows from the awards altogether.

Best Supporting Actor, Comedy
Eric Stonestreet, "Modern Family"
I listed that this was one of my wishes. I thought the academy would go back and give NPH a retroactive award. . . but nope. They settled for awarding him two Emmys last week (for "Glee" and hosting the Tonys). Eric Stonestreet deserved this award. Hopefully the writing on "Modern Family" continues to impress and Ty Burrell and Jesse Tyler Ferguson (and Ed O'Neill, Julie Bowen, and Sofia Vergara) all end up with a statue. Seriously.

Best Supporting Actress, Comedy
Jane Lynch, "Glee" (3 points!)
I had a Facebook status a year ago that said they should just go ahead and give her the trophy. Brilliant. I was a little disappointed with her speech. Could have been hilarious.

Best Comedy Series
"Modern Family" (4 points!)
It deserved it. And I am thrilled that it won. I hope it keeps bringing the funny and doesn't lose in the future to shows that really belong in the drama category ("Nurse Jackie" and the like!).

Best Drama Series
"Mad Men" (5 Points!)
It is a brilliant show. But I still think "Lost" was just better. I was really hoping for "Lost" to win, honestly. When the montage of drama for the year was showing, I teared up when they showed Jack laying down with Vincent. And the montage ended with Jack's eye closing. "Lost" really was the final word in drama this year.

So that means I got exactly half of the awards right. Honestly, I don't feel too bad about that. The Emmys are notoriously difficult to predict, especially in the supporting categories. The thing is: TV is on 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. That is a LOT of TV. And these people represent the best of the best. Pretty amazing.

Other notes: "Top Chef" beat "The Amazing Race"!!! What?! That was surprising.

The Perils of the All-Time Greats

2010-08-03T15:11:00.000-07:00

What is it that makes something "great"? I love lists. I have a book called "The TV Guide Book of Lists" that I love to read. Inside you can find a list of the 50 Greatest TV Shows of All-Time. It is a good list and I have no arguments about it. That is not the subject of this post. This post is about perspective, hindsight, and the present.

I was recently telling a friend that I really liked the movie Juno. The response I got was interesting: "That movie is so overrated." Not only was this response a little bit rude, but it made me think about how much what we think is based upon the opinion of others. Technically, my friend did not say the movie was bad. He did not express an opinion about the movie at at, really. His opinion (if we break it down) says that he thinks other people's opinions of the movie are too positive. His own thoughts and feelings about the film are hidden behind a judgement of others' thoughts and feelings.

When I asked the friend to elaborate about why the movie was overrated, I found more interesting things to think about. First of all, he said that it hit the public at just the right time to make it big. There was nothing timeless or lasting about it. The movie didn't age well.

Is that a mark of greatness? Something has to age well and outlast its own time to be considered "great"? I do not understand that logic. Plenty of things are great, fun, entertaining for a little while. Does anything else you do have to be fun forever for you to appreciate it? When I was young, I loved to buy and eat those packets of lemon/lime salt. I can't stand them now. Does that mean they lost all the value they had to 10-year-old me?
And once again my friend has skirted around the question, if you've noticed. I would have been happy to hear something along the lines of: "I didn't think it was funny" or even "I disagreed with the message." Those are two opinions that aren't masquerading as facts. When you try to say something "hasn't aged well" or "doesn't have anything lasting or timeless" you are pretending that something that has no factual basis is the truth.

Now, even if he had said "I think it hasn't aged well" I wouldn't have been satisfied. Here is why: That means that when he saw the movie, he appreciated it and found it entertaining, but he no longer sees those same values. I think I have been over this argument already. See my lemon/lime salt analogy above.

Admittedly, Juno relies heavily on popular culture and references that will soon be out-of-date and indiscernible to future generations. A few other popular (and critically acclaimed) movies and TV shows fall into this same category. (See: "30 Rock") Even so, I do not see how this fact makes these forms of entertainment any less relevant now. I doubt very seriously that someone watching Juno right now for the first time would be lost among all the jargon and references of 2007. And while I am on the subject, Shakespeare sprinkled his plays heavily with popular culture and references to his time. In fact, he mostly took established stories and added these references. The stories have the ability to transcend these references. And for some, his plays become an opportunity to learn about the culture he was a part of.

Finally, I think that just because something captures a zeitgeist does not mean it should be discarded. Ignoring these films and marking them as "overrated" or "fleeting" is focusing way to much on the future. I just think living in the present is much more important than worrying about how well the movie Juno ages. If you don't like a movie, then say so. It is completely acceptable to have a difference of opinion as long as you don't believe your opinion is fact.

Emmy Predictions / Wishes

2010-07-28T13:26:00.000-07:00

Ok. . . I have thought tirelessly about the Emmys for a few weeks now. (Just ask my girlfriend. I am sure she is tired of me stating random Emmy facts in the middle of a non-television-related conversation.)
So here are my Emmy win wishes and predictions. You'll notice that I have a lot less experience with the Drama categories because I prefer comedies. So take my predictions with a grain of salt... but adhere to my wishes or die.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series :

Wish: Elisabeth Moss for "Mad Men" - I love a good "The West Wing" connection. Moss has held her own on two of the greatest drama series in recent memory. I want to see her be honored for it.

Prediction: The Emmys are usually extremely unpredictable in the supporting categories, but I will say Christina Hendricks for "Mad Men". She's been lauded for her performance for a few years now and she finally reaped a nomination. With the new season of the show starting up while the Emmy voting is taking place, I'd say Moss and Hendricks are at the forefront of voters' minds just about now.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Wish: Terry O'Quinn for "Lost" - He was amazing all season as the Man in Black, but the reason I loved his performance was because of that scene in the finale where the real Locke is finally back - NOT sideways substitute teacher Locker. NOT Man in Black Locke. But the John Locke from the first few seasons. It wasn't until he appeared on the screen again that I realized how much I missed him.

Prediction: (Once again, I have very little idea of who will actually win. . . ) I'll go with Aaron Paul from "Breaking Bad." A lot of people thought he should win last year. . . and sometimes Emmy is a little slow on the uptake (see: "Friday Night Lights").

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Wish and Prediction: Jane Lynch in "Glee" The trophy basically already has her name on it. She is a long time industry veteran who has finally scored a career-defining role. She is abundantly funny and heinous as Sue Sylvester. I do love the ladies from "Modern Family" - but everyone in the category seems like small potatoes compared to Lynch.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Wish: Here, I am torn between Eric Stonestreet and Ty Burrell for "Modern Family." I love them both and they both make me laugh out loud more than any other character on television. I guess if I had to pick, I'd lean a little more toward Ty Burrell because I figure his character is what future Brent most likely looks like.

Prediction: Remember what I said about Emmy being a year behind? Well, I think they will go back and make up for the mistake of choosing Jon Cryer last year over Neil Patrick Harris in "How I Met Your Mother."

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Wish: Alec Baldwin in "30 Rock" - He delivered another amazing year. You can't argue with performance. I don't think anyone would say he doesn't deserve it.

Prediction: Apparently, Tony Shaloub from "Monk" submitted an amazing episode with real humor and drama. I don't know that Emmy voters will be able to ignore it and they'll award him his fourth Emmy for portraying the obsessive compulsive detective.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Wish: This category gets interesting. 4 out of the 5 women have won an Emmy before. 5 out of six have been nominated. But I really just wish Amy Poehler from "Parks and Recreation" would win because I really want to hear her acceptance speech. Funny lady.

Prediction: In the race between Carmela Soprano and the multiple personalities of Tara . . . I have to give an edge to Toni Collette in "United States of Tara." Mainly because I just watched the first season of that show. . . and Collette was amazing. She made even the most ridiculous characters seem plausible. She WAS four or five different people. Plus, people are still referring to Edie Falco as Carmela Soprano. . . so that probably isn't a great sign.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Wish: It'll never happen in a thousand years. But Matthew Fox from "Lost" was downright amazing this season. In six seasons we saw Fox grow from the reluctant leader with severe emotional problems to a mature, self-sacrificing man who was open to dealing with his severe emotional problems. I admire the slow sizzling change that Fox brought to the role.

Prediction: Bryan Cranston from "Breaking Bad" will three-peat. He is a drug dealer and a cancer patient. If he were a woman stuck in a man's body, they would have to name the award after him.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Wish: Connie Britton from "Friday Night Lights."
I lavished praise on her in my last post; so, I will keep it brief here. I love her. (Bonus Jonas: "The West Wing" connection!)

Prediction: Julianna Margulies in "The Good Wife." The last two years, the trophy went to Glenn Close, but I think this year the combination of Margulies' Emmy Darling status (see: "ER") and the fact that "The Good Wife" is nominated for Outstanding Drama Series (meaning the voters will watch at least six episodes of her work) will help her pull out the win.

Outstanding Drama Series

Wish: "Lost" - The show was all anyone in television talked about from January to May. It was a good story that was well told. It was as fearless as a Taylor Swift album. To bring a story of that size and scope to a satisfying conclusion is an amazing feat. "Lost" deserves to get bookend awards. One for the first season, one for the last.

Prediction: "Mad Men" will three-peat. I just don't think anything has the kind of momentum needed to dethrone them. Plus, new episodes are airing right now, as the academy members are voting (though they are supposed to be voting based on LAST season). Still, voters will have Don Draper in their living rooms while "The Good Wife," "Lost," and "Breaking Bad" are all tucked neatly away on hiatus (or forever). The only other nominated drama airing at the moment is "True Blood" - and they are probably just ecstatic to get a nomination, overcoming the vampire theme curse (see: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer").

Outstanding Comedy Series

Wish and Prediction: "Modern Family" - This show is so funny! It is smart, yet, it has broad appeal. I hope the voters don't give the statue to "30 Rock" again (although in my opinion, they are a close second. . .) because it will just be another case of the industry rewarding itself. A show about TV production isn't inherently funnier than a show about family. When it comes right down to it, I think Emmy will want to shake things up. . . and without a real contender to dethrone "Mad Men" in the Drama race, they will decide "30 Rock" needs to stay in their seats this year.

Ok. . . I've spent the better part of an hour writing and researching this; so, I'll just go. Hopefully I'll look back at this in August and see what a genius I am. (Didn't happen so much last year. . .)

Emmy Nominations Assessment

2010-07-21T12:21:00.000-07:00

Just about every year I assess the Emmy nominations. I am still hoping that someday someone from Entertainment Weekly will run across my blog and offer me a job that includes a lot of watching and judging TV. Here, I break down the nominations I don't like versus the nominations I do like. Later on, I will probably post my predictions.

Disclaimer: I don't care about the made-for-tv-movie and mini-series categories. They are a waste of space in my opinion and only serve to balloon HBO's overall nomination count (101).

Nominations I Wish Didn't Happen:

Matthew Morrison as Will Schuester in "Glee" (Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series) - I've got to be honest. . . I watch "Glee" and I enjoy it; however, Matthew Morrison is not very good. His story lines are overdone. His character isn't very well defined. And if I have to look at him do that stupid goofy grin while he watches the kids perform again. . . I'll probably stop telling people I watch "Glee." I'll still watch. . . but I won't admit it. Like "True Blood."

Kyra Sedgwick as Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson in "The Closer" (Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series) - After all this time, I still haven't seen an episode of "Cable TV's most-watched drama." I don't even know anyone who has. Her presence is just kind of . . . expected. I think this show is going off the air soon, so thank goodness.

Jon Cryer as Alan Harper in "Two and A Half Men" (Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series) - The show is pretty much lowest common denominator. Face it: you can only make so many sex jokes before they all start to sound the same. Don't reward Jon Cryer for being the least sleazy guy on the most mediocre sitcom on television. This spot should have gone to Tracy Morgan or Jack McBrayer.

"The Office" (Outstanding Comedy Series) - The show has definitely stayed beyond its welcome. I will admit, I watched Jim and Pam's wedding. . . and it was very, very good. I am not sure what comedy series I would have put in here in its place. (Maybe "Parks and Recreation"?)

Nominations I am Excited About:

H. Jon Benjamin as Sterling Archer (Outstanding Voice-Over Performance) - I think "Archer" is hilarious. I wish it had been nominated in the Animated Program category instead of "South Park" or "The Simpsons" (both of which are past their prime. . . one by decades).

Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy in "30 Rock" (Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series) - I know he has won twice in a row, now, but I honestly don't think there are any better actors/characters on TV. He may not nab a third Emmy. . . but in this case, the academy is finally sticking with a nominee that really deserves it.

Kyle Chandler as Eric Taylor in "Friday Night Lights" (Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series) - I didn't get on board with "Friday Night Lights" until very recently. (Thank you, Netflix Instant View.) But now that I have seen the first half of the first season, I can understand what all the fuss is about. What I cannot understand is why this is Chandler's first nomination. The acting on "Friday Night Lights" is some of the best acting on television today.

Matthew Fox as Jack Shephard in "Lost" (Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series) - In the past, Fox hasn't earned this nomination (and he hasn't been granted one, either). But this season, Fox was the cornerstone of the show. He held his own with Terry O'Quinn and Michael Emerson. Instead of being the reluctant, distant leader. . . Jack finally stepped up and became the father and leader we always wanted him to be. And he was just as good as we thought he would be. The final scene, in which he returns to the place where he first woke up on the island, was amazing. Good thing he submitted "The End" as his episode.

Lea Michele as Rachel Berry in "Glee" (Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series) - I love Lea Michele as Rachel. I have loved her ever since she yelled, "There is nothing ironic about show choir!" in the pilot episode. She is the perfect blend of neurotic and pathetic.

Tina Fey as Liz Lemon in "30 Rock" (Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series) - Neither Lea Michele nor Tina Fey has much of a chance to win (see: Toni Collette or Edie Falco), but that doesn't mean that I don't love Liz Lemon. Like Lea Michele, she blends neurotic and pathetic. . . but add intelligent and funny to the mix.

Connie Britton as Tami Taylor in "Friday Night Lights" (Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series) - See above to understand my excitement. The Taylors are such a realistic married couple. They fight, but at the end of the day they love one another. It is refreshing to see a couple on TV that supports one another the way the Taylors do. . . instead of the more common bicker, fight, blow up, wonder-if-they-should-be-together drama. I've never doubted that the Taylors loved each other. And that is thanks, in large part, to Britton's portrayal of the wife who sometimes takes a back seat to football.

Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell / Eric Stonestreet as Cameron Tucker / Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy / Julie Bowen as Claire Dunphy / Sofia Vergara as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett in "Modern Family" (Outstanding Supporting Actor/Actress in a Comedy Series) - Yes, the show is 5 acting nominations funny. The supporting actor race is tight. . . but both Stonestreet and Burrell have a shot at it, I think. Slight edge to Stonestreet, who is hilarious in the episode he submitted: "Fizbo." Neither of the women really have much of a chance against "Glee" and Jane Lynch. I am glad, however, to see that Emmy has decided to recognize actors who don't play the over-the-top ridiculous characters. Bowen and Ferguson both play rather straight-laced, uptight characters. . . but they don't go too far with it. Emmy loved David Hyde Pierce for taking it too far, but hated Courtney Cox for being more realistic. Bowen and Ferguson lean toward the Courtney Cox school of very, very real and very, very funny.

Elizabeth Mitchell as Juliet Burke in "Lost" (Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series) - I think Mitchell's previous work on "Lost" was amazing. She should have gotten some Emmy love for that. Honestly, with the depth of her character background, she has a shot at taking home the trophy. Her scene at the vending machine with Josh Holloway (Sawyer) was a high point in the finale.

"Modern Family" (Outstanding Comedy Series) - It is the funniest show on TV. It is as smart as "30 Rock" and it has the heart of "How I Met Your Mother." The cast is amazing. I think it will win.

"Glee" (Outstanding Comedy Series) - "Glee" got more nominations than any other show. (Forget about those mini-series.) Although I do not think it really deserves all of them. . . it is definitely one of the best comedy series out there. It walks a fine line between comedy and melodrama. . . sometimes erring a little toward melodrama. But it has done something no other show has ever been able to do: a musical television show that people actually want to watch. That's worth something.

"Lost" (Outstanding Drama Series) - It was an amazing ending to an amazing show. I honestly hope the voters agree and give "
Lost" another statue. I doubt it will happen. . . but I can dream. "Lost" was a dazzling display of fearless storytelling. That is what TV should be. Stop worrying about all the ratings and money. . . and tell a damn good story.

Snubs I am Upset About:

No "Friday Night Lights" for Outstanding Drama Series - This show is better than "True Blood" at the very least. Trust me. I watch both (Don't tell anyone.)

In that vein, Deborah Ann Woll as Jessica Hamby in "True Blood" didn't get a nomination for Supporting Actress, which was disappointing. She is very, very funny and sad as the new vampire dealing with her own death. The scene in which she realized that since she was a virgin when she died, she would . . . heal after every sexual encounter and be a virgin forever. . . that was priceless.

Ed O'Neil from "Modern Family" deserved a nomination. Forgive him for "Married. . . with Children."

Courtney Cox in "Cougar Town" can't get any love, either. She was the best thing about "Friends" and she never got nominated. What a shame. Maybe if her show didn't have such a stupid name. . .

Other Notable Things That I Don't Want to Write an Entire Paragraph About

"Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List" was nominated for Reality.

"Wizards of Waverly Place" (a favorite of mine) nabbed two nominations for Children's Programming

Betty White was nominated for Guest Actress for hosting SNL.

"The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" was nominated. . . "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" was not. (Not that it matters. "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" will win again.)

Hiatus - Top 10 Glee McFavorites

2010-06-09T14:01:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been a very long time since I wrote a post. Some of you may remember a time when I said I was going to post every week. Past Brent was naive. Please forgive Past Brent his naivety, as I have done, and let's move on.

For my first post back (in what will surely be a sporadic schedule of posts to come), I decided to go ahead and talk about "Glee" (the TV show). The season one finale aired last night and the final album of the season was released yesterday. That means I now have everything I need to make a list of my top 10 songs/performances of the season. I shall call it:

Top 10 "Glee" McFavorites
10. "Bust Your Windows" - This is the only reason why anyone should ever rewatch the episode titled "Acafellas." This was the first time "Glee" really came out and declared that it was a musical. I loved how the performance took place in Mercedes' mind (much like the movie Chicago.

9. "Alone" - The set-up for this song was a little cheesy. Will and April singing karaoke in a bowling alley. But I liked the song despite the lackluster performance.

8. "Keep Holding On" - This song really just exemplifies to me what the show is about. The glee club doesn't really believe that they can make the world better by singing and dancing through life. The world is better because they are experiencing it together. The singing and dancing. . . that is just icing on the cake.

7. "Somebody to Love" - This song is one of my absolute favorites. I frankly can't believe it is this low on the list. The singing is amazing and it was really great to see the glee club actually perform for an audience.

6. The Mash-ups "Halo/Walking on Sunshine" and "It's My Life/Confessions" - I decided I couldn't separate these two songs. For one, they are both extremely short. But the performances were so good/laugh out loud funny. Having everyone hyped up on "vitamin D" was genius.

5. "Don't Rain on my Parade" - Lea Michele is amazing. And this was the perfect song for Rachel. Not only did she get to imitate Barbara Streisand, but she did it perfectly. And the song basically tells Rachel's side of the story concerning glee. She works hard and gets what she wants. . . don't get in her way.

4. "Poker Face" - First off, I am ignoring the part where a mom sings to her daughter about "bluffin'" with her "muffin." I liked the arrangement of the song. "Glee" is much better when they change the songs. I don't particularly like to hear the song exactly how it was originally recorded (See: "No Air" and "Bad Romance"). But the best part of this song was the range of emotions of Shelby and Rachel. They started off the song singing with each other for the first time. They were excited and happy. But by the end they realized it was ending. . . and they weren't going to be a part of each others' lives.

3. "Like a Prayer" - This performance wasn't all that great. Nothing special really happened during the on-screen time. So why is this number 3? Because I've listened to this song repeatedly since it aired. It just feels epic to me.

2. "I Dreamed a Dream" - Confession: I love Les Miserables. So any song from that show gets bonus points. But this song was even better because it was the first time we were able to hear Lea Michele and Idina Menzel sing together. The song is so full of emotion. . . and seeing them both on that stage, imagining the presence of the other. . . was great.

1. "Don't Stop Believing (Regionals Version)" / "Don't Stop Believing (Original)" - Of course this has to be number one. I included both versions because I think they are both phenomenal and important. The original was sung by just the first 6 members of the club and it was amazing. The performance was good and it inspired everyone. But the regionals version of the song is just as important because it shows how far the other characters outside of the original six have come. Everyone else gets to take bigger parts of the solos. . . it really shows how they've come together as a group. Plus, it makes me smile.

Ok. There you have it: my season one Top 10 Glee McFavorites. (The playlist on my iPhone has a full top 25, FYI.)

"Why Is It You're Always Too Small or Too Tall?"

2010-03-09T22:31:00.000-08:00

Last Friday, I went with a group of friends to watch the new Alice in Wonderland movie (in 3D). I've always been a fan of the Alice in Wonderland story in all its various adaptations, including the animated Disney movie, several made-for-TV showings, and even a children's TV show adapted from it: "Adventures in Wonderland." One of the fun things about Alice in Wonderland is the fact that you can glean a lot of wisdom from the utter nonsense presented by Lewis Carroll. That leads me to this quote, given to me by the Mad Hatter (AKA the same tired Johnny Depp character we've seen in the last 5 or 6 films he's been in, but with orange hair and (sometimes) a Scottish brogue): "Why is it you're always too small or too tall?"

He was speaking, of course, to Alice, who has an annoying habit of growing and shrinking her way through Wonderland. The Mad Hatter was trying to hug her, but she was never the proper size for a hug. Now, people have been examining and misinterpreting Lewis Carroll ever since the book came out, giving theories and explanations to his work. So I thought I would throw my (mad?) hat into the ring when it comes to this line (which, as far as I know, does not appear in the literature). Well, I guess this is less of an interpretation than a "this is what it made me think of."

Why am I always too small or too tall to accept God's love and grace?

I constantly struggle with self-doubt. I think I won't be good enough, so why even try? I think of myself as an impostor - and I fake my way through school / work / relationships / life, knowing that I don't have what it takes to really succeed. The paper I turned in wasn't worth the A it got. The teacher must have been grading very easily. Or, even worse, I turned in a paper that I knew wasn't my best work because if I actually did my best work and failed, I would be devastated. I try to hide my incompetence from everyone around me by saying things like: "Well, it is just my opinion and I could be completely wrong. . ." before I give my thoughts. And that is when I give my opinion at all. Most of the time I just keep silent, content to let someone else lead the way. I compare myself to others, always finding they are smarter, stronger, faster, more loving, more spiritual, more popular.
When I am too small, I cower in the background and think God could never use someone like me to do his work, especially with all these capable people in the vicinity.
When I am too small, I color so far inside the lines that I am surprised my crayon makes a dot on the page.

When I am not paralyzed with self-doubt, I am running around with a head the size of a hot air balloon. I get over-confident. I believe everyone wants to be me and is jealous of me. I have the most interesting anecdotes, the best taste in television, and the most diverse group of friends. If you need something done, I can make a phone call and have your problems fixed before you finish asking. And I am the funniest person alive, not counting Tina Fey.
When I am too tall, I don't ask for God's help to do anything because I can handle it perfectly well without him. Frankly, God is lucky I'm working for him and not the other guy.
When I am too tall, I scribble all over the coloring book pages, disregarding the lines and sometimes even the pages themselves.

The cool thing is that the Mad Hatter just wanted to give Alice a proper hug. . . but even though she is too tall, he hugs her waist anyway. I guess when it comes down to it, God just wants the same thing. He knows when I am too small and comes to find me in the dark corner. He sees when I am too tall and grabs me by the waist. No amount of cowering in the corner or declaring myself independent can change the fact that he loves me. He doesn't love me any more when I am crying out to him because I don't think I can do it. He doesn't love me any less when I am running away from him so I can tackle everything on my own.

Maybe one day I will find the perfect balance between too small and too tall (a state I am going to call true humility). But it probably won't happen until I see him face to face.

Fox News Compilation

2010-02-18T13:02:00.000-08:00

The following is a compilation of Fox News headlines collected by Daniel Burgner and myself. A lot of them make no sense. Some are ludicrous. All of them are barely news. Please enjoy.

"528-Pound Woman Gives Birth to First Child"

"The War on Christmas: Can Jews Celebrate Too?"

"Will Nuclear Robot Ship Sail Saturn's Moon?"

"Muslim Spies on Capitol Hill?"

"NASA to Moon: Get Ready Because Here We Come." (Every other headline was about Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize.)

"Houston Woman Fries and Eats Pet Goldfish After Fight With Husband"

"ACORN Officials Told 'Pimp,' 'Prostitute' How to Lie to IRS"

"ACORN Brothel Advice Full of Holes, Analysts Say"

"Man's Finger Bitten Off at Health Care Rally"

"Flying Deer Kills 6-Year-Old Boy in Bizarre Car Crash"

"Microsoft Edits Black Man Out of Photo, Apologizes"

"Controller Talked About Dead Cat Before Midair Crash"

"Vietnam Veteran Keeps Vow, Eats 40-Year-Old Cake"

"Indian Business Students Look to Hitler for Inspiration"

"Marines Prepare for War in Afghan Village in N. Carolina"

"Ga. Prof Suspected of Killing 3 'A Little Off'"

"Trolls Frustrate Obama"

"NASA's Secret Rebels Want Obama on Their Side"

"Japanese Man Certified as Double A-Bomb Victim"

"Coast Guard Finds Boat, One Survivor, Uncertain If It's Boat"

"Middle School Teaches AP Spanish to Kids Who Speak Spanish" (The nerve!)

"911 Call Released in Horrific Chimpanzee Attack"

"Millions Will Suffer" - I still don't know what this story was about, but I don't think it was relevant to me.

"Study: Romantic Comedies can ruin your life."

". . . helps put the 'F' in First Lady" - I did not delete anything. This headline starts with an ellipses.

"Possum May Be Extinct Due to Global Warming"

"'Oh Great': Astronaut Loses Tool Bag During Spacewalk"

"U.S. Pilot Ordered to Shoot Down UFO Over England"

"Vermont Farmer's 'Hail Cannon' Waking Up Neighbors"

"Strange 'Ant From Mars' Discovered in Amazon Rainforest"

"Michael Lohan wants to fight Kevin Federline for charity."

"Yoda the Cat Astounds with Four Ears"

"Bigfoot Body Revealed to be Halloween Costume"

Here is are some collections of headlines, highlighting what Fox News counts as news compared to what other organizations think:

CNN: Patraeus: "Afghan violence will rise as troops arrive"
NYTimes: "News Analysis: Public Option Keeps Toehold in Senate Deal on Health Bill"
Time: "CLASS Act and Long-Term Care Considered in Health Reform"
Reuters: "Obama Praises Senate Healthcare Deal"
and
FOXNews: "Family Dog Survives 98 Days on Deserted N.J. Island"

CNN: "Obama: It's time to remake America"
NY Times: "Obama Is Sworn In as the 44th President"
TIME: "Live-Blogging the Inauguration: Watching History Happen"
REUTERS: "Obama becomes first black U.S. president"
and concentrating on the positive -
FOX News: "Inauguration Crowd May Crash Cell-Phone Networks"

CNN: "Clinton will win W.Va. primary, CNN projects."
The New York Times: "Clinton Wins West Virginia, Networks say."
Time: "Clinton rolls to West Virginia win"
Reuters: "Clinton scores big West Virginia win"
and upholding its policy about never reporting any story that mentions a Clinton without the words "affair" and "perjury" -
FOXNews: "Britain Opens Up Secret UFO Files"

CNN: "Obama - New Campaign Starts after Tuesday"
The New York Times: "The Long Run - Senate's Power and Allure Drew McCain from Military"
Time Magazine: "The Dem's Endgame - Michigan and Florida"
Reuters: "GM says 19,000 U.S. factory workers take buyouts"
and possibly the best Fox News headline of all time -
FOXNews: "Huge Flying Reptiles May Have Eaten Baby Dinosaurs"

Life is Beautiful

2010-02-13T23:04:00.000-08:00

If you have never watched the movie Life is Beautiful, please stop reading this note. Go find a copy (If you want to borrow it from me, I recently acquired it as a gift from my beautiful girlfriend, Emily), watch it, and come back to read this blog. (I'm sorry that this suddenly became a huge time commitment.)

The movie is a brilliant story of a man who meets a schoolteacher who is unwillingly engaged to an uptight banker. He is full of surprises and his zest for life sweeps the woman off her feet. He rides in to her engagement party on a green horse and invites her to go along with him. She does. The first half of the movie is so much fun to watch because this man has a way of turning every situation into a playful and carefree time. He is always looking on the bright side of life - even when his bookstore is vandalized with the words "Jewish Store."

You see, the movie takes place in the years leading up to and during World War II in Italy. The main character, Guido, is an Italian Jew. He and his non-Jewish wife, Dora, have a son. When the child is about 5 years old, the Germans come and arrest both the father and child. They force them to get on a train bound for a concentration camp. In an act of desperate love and loyalty, Dora insists on boarding the train with them.

Facing the grim circumstances of a concentration camp, it would have been easy for Guido to let his playful and carefree spirit be trampled. Instead, he devotes all his energy to protecting his son from the horrors occurring all around him. He tells his son that he has signed them both up for a game - and the winner gets a prize. The first child to reach 1000 points wins a real army tank! Guido acts excited and makes up lots of rules for his 5-year-old son to follow so the Nazis will not discover him and kill him. Every day, Guido tells his son that they are in the lead and they are so lucky to have been chosen to play the game.

It makes me think of a certain verse in the Bible: "Do everything without arguing or complaining, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe" - Philippians 2:14-15 Normally, I think about this verse in the context of sayings like: "No one likes to be around someone who complains all the time." Or after someone says "I hate doing laundry" and someone else points out that we're lucky to even have water to wash our clothes. But this movie changed that for me. The verse doesn't say, "Do everything without arguing or complaining, so that you may become super popular and everyone, including God, will appreciate your good and grateful attitude." In fact, if it points to any reaction by other people, it would be along the lines of the "crooked and depraved."

Guido personifies this verse. When people vandalized his bookstore, he merely smiled and said "It is about time." When the Nazis captured his entire family, he put on a smile so that his son wouldn't be afraid. He played a game and did not complain or try to escape. He didn't confront the guards or question why they were committing these crimes against humanity. He was in the worst possible situation. And he put all those things behind him and thought of others before he thought of himself. Everything he did was to protect the ones he loved.

When it became clear to the Nazis that the Allied Forces would take control of the camp, things got a little hectic. Guido realizes he has a chance to escape if he can find his wife, so he hides his son in a small box-like thing with a slit so he can see out. He tells him to never come out until it is all quiet and no one is around. Then he steals away to find Dora. While he is trying to find her, he is caught. It is clear that the Nazis are going to kill him. As the Nazi marches him to his death, he passes by the box where he know his son can see him. He looks over his shoulder at the box and starts to march in a funny way that always made his son laugh. Inside the box, we hear a little giggle and the boy is smiling. He never sees his father again, but he never knows the terror he should have experienced at that young age. All because his father decided to not let the situation take away his playfulness and positivity.

Refraining from complaining or arguing might be doing more good than you realize. All it takes is making the decision that life is beautiful.

Avatar vs. The Hurt Locker and what it means to me. . . you know, spiritually.

2010-02-08T21:40:00.000-08:00

First off, things got busy, OK? I haven't posted anything in a few weeks because I haven't really thought of anything worth posting. But I finally decided to sit down and try to work something out. . . and my Entertainment Weekly was staring at me. So I started thinking about the two Best Picture frontrunners for the Oscars: Avatar and The Hurt Locker.

It is easy to see the spiritual implications of a film like Hurt Locker. SFC William James is part of a bomb squad in Iraq. He slowly becomes addicted to the adrenaline rush he gets when he is close to a death. Each time he is faced with an imminent explosion, he makes irrational decisions that jeopardize not only himself, but his teammates as well (not to mention the life of his wife back home in the US). I've lived the life of William James. I've been addicted to things that caused me to make irrational decisions and have broad implications to my friends and family. [Spoiler Alert] And yet at the end of the movie, the audience grieves the decision of James to return to Iraq for another tour of duty when he has the option of staying home.

But what about Avatar? I am not sure I know, exactly. Well, there is the whole acquisition of new bodies through a connection to a life-giving deity thing, if you want to drag it out of me. If you wanted to turn the movie into a debate about science vs. religion, I'm sure you could. . . but I have no interest in such things. And if you wanted to watch it in a political science class and talk about realism vs. idealism, you definitely could. Or you could just watch the movie and believe what it has to say about the US government, greed, and oil.

What interests me most, however, is the conflict building between the two films as they approach Oscar weekend. Avatar is the highest grossing film in history; whereas, The Hurt Locker would literally be the lowest grossing Best Picture winner in history. Prognosticators are already bubbling over with Biblical allusions to David vs. Goliath, but I want to say these movies represent more than just a dollar amount. (The next part of the post was inspired by an article I read but can not longer find on EW.com.) What will Hollywood deem the best movie of the year? The billion-dollar spending spree of fantasy sprawled across a distant galaxy or the gritty conflict that is tucked away in a desert inside the head of a soldier? Taking a step in either direction has implications that will spread beyond which producer has a gold statue on his or her mantle.

For me, I prefer The Hurt Locker. It is a concise declaration of the horrors of the war in Iraq coupled with a message that has power beyond the battlefields. It isn't a billion dollar orgy of special effects. It is a solid story with solid characters. Avatar is too detached and otherworldly to open the eyes of the audience to which it so earnestly declares "I see you." I like a movie that causes some introspection.

And now I feel like I have been rambling for a while. . . and I don't think I organized this writing very well or supported my thesis. . . did I even have a thesis? Hmm. I want to be an English professor? Going to bed now.

Living a Good Story

2010-01-24T00:03:00.000-08:00

I feel like I spend most of my time summarizing something Donald Miller already said. I also feel like this is a pretty good use of my time. In his book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, Miller contemplates the structure of a story and how it relates to real life. I love thinking of life as a story for a few reasons:
1. I'm an English major. . . I pay (ok, fine. . . my parents pay) a lot of money to study stories and how they work. If you start to see life as a story, the ability to understand story structure suddenly becomes a lot more important. Understanding character motivation becomes a lot more useful. And paying for a piece of paper to hang in a frame on the wall that says "Bachelor of Arts in English" seems a lot less pointless.
2. If I live in a story, that means there is an author. Someone is carefully crafting the story in and around me. Someone who can see how the story is going to end up. Someone with some control. Now I realize (as Miller points out) that characters in a story don't always do what the author wants. I've written some fiction and sometimes I am completely surprised by what my own characters decide to get themselves into. But that leads me to my next point:
3. There is an audience. Stories don't exist in a vacuum. Someone has to watch that movie, read that book, or act that play. Someone out there is enjoying what I do. Someone out there cares. Now, I also keep a personal journal. (You know, for the things that just shouldn't be posted on the Internet. . . ) And I have realized that when I write in that journal, I suffer from an affliction I am going to call "Anne Frank Syndrome." For some reason, I think that sometime in the future. . . someone is going to read my journal and decide it must be published. And millions of people will read it. And I will be famous. (I guess I probably write this blog for the same reason.) The point is: I love the idea of an audience. God takes delight in watching me.

Well, if life is a story, then right now, I am living a really good story. The biggest problem I have (besides the fact that if I don't do laundry tomorrow, I will be wearing dirty clothes to class on Monday) is remembering to thank the Author for writing me such a great part to play. God has been working in my life. Putting together pieces of plans and making me meet the right people and be in the right place at the right time. And when everything works out, I just smile and take credit. But I cannot take any credit for the good in my life. It is all Him. But the best part is knowing. . . no matter where things go from here, this story ends with me meeting my Author.

New Year's Resolutions 2010

2010-01-10T19:45:00.001-08:00

I know what you are thinking: we are already ten days into 2010. Why have I waited this long to finalize and verbalize my resolutions? Honestly, I like to shop around and see what other people I know are doing. It might seem unoriginal to copy from others, but my friends happen to be extremely intelligent, insightful individuals. So I copy them.

My first resolution concerns this blog. I want to shift the focus away from entertainment news and actually post personal things on here. It is easy to write a blog judging the Oscar nominees, but it is a lot more meaningful to write a blog discussing what is going on in my spiritual life. In addition to that, I was not very consistent in updating this blog last semester. I want to make an effort to post weekly about something I have been thinking about or something going on in my life, including what I have been reading in the Bible during the past week. This is one way that I hope to achieve the goal of being more introspective and contemplative throughout 2010.

My next resolution has to do with school. For my last semester, I honestly want to read all my assignments! I know it sounds like I should have been doing that all along, but . . . I haven't. School starts tomorrow, so this resolution also starts tomorrow.

Finally, my last resolution is the one I (blatantly) stole from a friend. I want 2010 to be a year of honesty. That has a lot of applications in my life. From honest accountability to not being deceptive or manipulative. I haven't decided the exact form this resolution will take, yet. But I believe it is incredibly important. When I lie or cheat, it definitely doesn't glorify God. It makes me think of 2 Corinthians 3:16-18.
"But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory are being transformed into his likeness with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."
Living with an unveiled face (at least to me) means taking away the things that hide what is true. If I am honest and show people the truth, I reflect God's glory (no matter how ugly the truth may be).

So these are some pretty lofty goals, I guess. But I am going to try to remember:
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen!"
- John 12:43

The Importance of Agreeing to Disagree

2010-01-07T22:58:00.000-08:00

I haven't updated in a while, I realize. But I finally found something I actually want to talk about. Now: I don't want anyone to think I am presenting original ideas. (I don't plagiarize.) This subject has come up with me and a few of my friends lately. (Namely, Brent Bailey and Katelyn Reed) And I really started thinking about this when I was reading Donald Miller's Searching for God Knows What. I am just finally combining all these different viewpoints and explaining how they have all shaped my own.

I am going to write about agreeing to disagree. But first, I need to address something Donald Miller calls "lifeboat games." I'll try to explain the concept as succinctly as possible. Imagine you are in a lifeboat that will safely hold eight people. There are nine people on board. Who gets thrown off? Immediately, the people on the lifeboat would start trying to prove to everyone else that they were worth keeping. Everyone would start ranking the other passengers and try to avoid being stuck in ninth place. Well, Miller suggests that we (humans) believe we are in that situation. We are constantly trying to prove our worth to the people around us (by wearing the right clothes, making fun of the right people, or even supporting the winning football team). Somehow, we believe these things can place us higher in the pecking order and save us from drowning.

I never realized how caught up I was in lifeboat games until I read Miller's explanation. But I find that I subscribe to one lifeboat game more than any other: I love to be right. I love to prove other people wrong. I love to know more than you and if I can prove I am more intelligent than you are, I believe I will move up in the lifeboat. I even get angry when other people do not follow my criteria for lifeboat rankings. (I have made long arguments about the ridiculousness of the university system rewarding people who can shoot a basketball or carry a football because for some reason this is seen as more valuable than academics.) All this to say: I hate being wrong.

Well, during the conversations I had with my friends, I came across a lot of agreeing to disagree. For Brent, agreeing to disagree is something of a New Year's resolution. And when I encountered this, I was somewhat annoyed. (The "argument" was that I thought Avatar deserved to be nominated for Best Picture. He did not.) So I went about trying to force Brent to play my lifeboat game. I challenged him to name ten movies he thought deserved the nomination more. And when he pretty much refused to get involved in my lifeboat game, I had to give up. I didn't get to be right.

With Katelyn, the situation was a little different. We were watching Magnolia and I was that guy in the room criticizing everything about the movie. (A movie Katelyn really likes and has seen three times.) Now, I hate watching movies with THAT guy. So I am glad Katelyn finally asked me to stop. (And for anyone wondering, I would not recommend watching Magnolia.) But the important thing I got from this was: Katelyn's opinion was just as valid and important as mine. Even though I could come up with five or six concrete reasons why I disliked the movie, that didn't make me "right." Katelyn still liked the movie, even if she couldn't explain exactly why. (She did explain. I am just using this as an example.)

I guess what I am trying to say is: it isn't important that anyone likes what I like or dislikes what I dislike. And here is why: God doesn't care how many times I was right. He doesn't care whether Alabama or Texas won the national championship. That trophy doesn't make the Alabama football team more valuable in God's eyes. There is no lifeboat. Or better yet: there is an ocean liner with enough room for everyone. No one is getting kicked off the ship. And suddenly, agreeing to disagree is actually pretty awesome.

Gleeee

2009-09-30T21:43:00.000-07:00

I am really enjoying Glee so far. Especially the music, which is constantly on my iPod. But I've noticed that the show is having a hard time balancing itself out. Between the many characters and their plots (Jane Lynch had ONE line this week) and the music. It seems as if they do one really funny episode then one episode with a lot of good music. They haven't really had one with both, I don't think. (Besides the pilot). But I love the show. I just wish we could see more of the characters we don't get very much of. Tina has a few obligatory lines every episodes. I am not sure Artie has spoken in weeks. . . Mercedes had some good scenes early, but has lately just been around to throw a casual insult at Rachel. I just want more consistency. Still one of the best shows on TV, though. No doubt.
Other than that. . . well, I watched "The Comeback" with Lisa Kudrow. It was really, really good. Too bad it was only one season. She definitely deserved the Emmy nomination she got for Outstanding Lead Actress - Comedy. She made that show so entertaining. And I am pretty sure she was in every single scene in the whole series. Now I need to finish "Freaks and Geeks" which is becoming more of a chore than a leisure activity, honestly. After that, I am going back in time to watch some "Fraggle Rock."
Gleeful.

Driving and FlashForward

2009-09-27T21:21:00.000-07:00

I was sitting at the 9 O'Clock service at University Church, and someone said something that got me thinking. A story was told about how you start driving and you get home and realize that you don't remember anything from the drive. I was thinking about it. . . and I realized how often that happens to me. I will be driving along, and all of the sudden I will think something like: "Wow. I'm glad a little kid didn't run out in front of me or something. Because I am not sure I would have seen them." Was I even paying attention?
Then I started thinking about what it was like to start driving. How it was a really exciting thing that I needed to practice. I needed to really pay attention because I was driving a "lethal weapon" according to my mom. Just parking was an ordeal. Making a turn, slowing down, speeding up, stopping at a red light. Everything took my full attention.
It only took a few months before everything was second nature. I was devoting less attention to driving, but somehow I was a safer driver. I wish everything worked like that. Because I remember when Jesus was a big deal. An ordeal. How I focused my attention on Him. But now, I have become accustomed to being a Christian. I devote less attention to God, but it isn't because I have become a more competent Christian. It is because I have become a more comfortable Christian. Some things, like driving, get better the more comfortable you are. But Christianity isn't like that.
Comfortable might be a poor word choice. Because there is nothing more comfortable than leaning on the arms of the Father. Being comfortable is amazing, but that comfort doesn't come from a few months behind the wheel.
I don't know what I am getting at, honestly. This isn't a devo for someone to read for a sermon with a cute little ending. Just a thought that I wanted to put out there.

Now, to FlashForward: A few comments. . ..
very promising story. I really liked the premiere. I was a little annoyed at the blatant ABC cross-promotion. (See a billboard for Oceanic airlines by the freeway, a Desperate Housewives bus driving by. . .) And I was kind of taken aback to see Seth MacFarlane (the creator of Family Guy, along with the voices of Peter, Stewie, and Brian to name a few) as an FBI agent. I thought he had enough on his plate with Family Guy, American Dad, and The Cleveland Show. It wasn't bad. . . just kind of distracting to hear Brian the Dog's voice coming from an FBI agent. (Macfarlane doesn't change his voice when he voices Brian. That is his natural voice.)
And who would have thought the creepiest thing about a world-wide blackout would be the guy that wasn't asleep? When you think about it, you picture all these bodies just laying around. . . but to be the one guy who was conscious? That would be too much.

Ok. That's all I got.

Give Me a Break

2009-09-17T00:49:00.000-07:00

Butterfingers are the most breakable candy bar. I know this is a real blow to Kit-Kats, but someone has to say it. How many times have you laid a finger on your Buttfinger only to find out that it was broken into two or more pieces? And forget buying a Butterfinger from a vending machine. After falling a few feet, the crispety, crunchety, peanut-buttery treat is simply in ruins. It ends up in more separate pieces than the average bag of Skittles (and I am talking normal Skittles. Not Sour Skittles. I think they only put like six Skittles in the average bag of Sour Skittles. Rip off.). Now, even though Butterfingers are delicious no matter how many pieces they are in, this problem still bothers me. Why? Because due to this extreme breakability, Butterfingers are messy. You can't eat them in the car or at your desk at work. The only suitable place to eat a Butterfinger is outside. And no one wants to be the guy standing by the door eating a chocolate bar. That guy is creepy. That guy can't go within a hundred yards of a school. So, Nestle, if you are reading this, get your act together. This has gone on too long.

I realize I haven't blogged in a while. And I know that must be very disappointing, Kara. (As I believe you are my only reader. . . ) But anyway, I'm back. I currently have a job for which I do not get to sleep very often. Plus, I got a puppy. Which means I sleep even less. So I quit my job. Now I need a new job. So. . .
I am about half-way through my shift right now, though. I am hoping it will be my last. I've missed too many classes already because I am exhausted from work. So I think that's it. Yeah. That's it.

For the record

2009-08-19T19:47:00.000-07:00

I want to go on the record as saying that Rachel Weisz will receive an Oscar nomination for playing Abigail Salmon in The Lovely Bones.

500 Days of Summer

2009-08-18T23:02:00.000-07:00

I would like to start this post with a quote from this week's "Entertainment Weekly."
"Convinced of the film's Oscar potential after seeing an early cut, Paramount execs bumped the [release] date [of The Lovely Bones] to awards season."
I would just like to now point you to my previous post, where I made a guess that this was the case. I should write for "Entertainment Weekly."

Next item of business: 500 Days of Summer. It is probably the best movie I have seen this year (Star Trek looming a close second). Jason-Gordon Levitt is spot-on. The writing is excellent. It was a very fun way to tell a story. (I especially like the opening disclaimer that all persons represented are fictional and any similarities are to be discarded, especially by a girl named Jenny Beckman, who is apparently a bitch.) This movie has a chance to nab one of those five extra Oscar nominations for best picture. Although, I doubt it will stay so fresh throughout awards season this fall. I do hope to see it nominated for Best Screenplay, though.

Still working on Season 2 of "How I Met Your Mother." Moved into my new apartment. School starts next week. Still reading The Lovely Bones. It is getting good. Time for bed.

Last Week

2009-08-13T09:30:00.000-07:00

I started off my last week in Wellman by watching the Comedy Central Roast of Joan Rivers. The roasters weren't so funny, but Joan was off the charts funny. She just yelled a bunch of (very funny) jokes.

Anyway. . . other things on the agenda this week: I watched the first full season of "How I Met Your Mother." It is quickly becoming one of my favorite shows. It is like a newer version of "Friends" with a storytelling twist. (One of the producers/writers on "HIMYM" was also a producer/writer on "Friends.") The reason I think it works is because it really seems like all the actors on the show seem like they really are friends.

I also started reading "The Lovely Bones." (Which has been turned into a movie by Peter Jackson. They moved the release date from last Spring to next December. Sounds like someone at the studio decided they might be able to win some Oscars.) The story is very good. A young girl named Susie Salmon is raped and murdered. She then watches from heaven as her family deals with not finding her body and trying to find the man who did it.

I've given up on watching all the Outstanding Drama Series nominees. I prefer to concentrate on the comedies anyway. I move back to Abilene on Saturday. New apartment. New semester. Looking forward to it.

Outstanding Comedy Series

2009-08-06T15:05:00.000-07:00

Well, I am back from Australia. I have been spending my time trying to catch up on the Emmy submissions. For those of you who do not know, each show nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series or Drama Series submits six episodes from the previous season. These episodes are then put into pairs and sent to judges, who vote based on the two episodes they watched. I found the submissions and I decided to watch them and make a decision based on the actual episodes the judges will be watching.

So here is my take on the Outstanding Comedy Series race:

Bottom of the Barrel: "The Office", "Flight of the Conchords", "Family Guy"

The reason I have "The Office" at the bottom of the barrel is because it feels very stale. The two episodes I watched were "Golden Ticket" and "Cafe Disco." I didn't see anything I haven't seen before and to be honest, I was a little bored. Don't get me wrong. I definitely think "The Office" deserves this nomination. It is definitely one of the best seven comedies on TV. The other shows, however, are just doing things better.

"Flight of the Conchords" is really funny. I watched the episodes titled "The New Cup" and "Love is the Weapon of Choice." I happen to favor well-crafted, thought-out jokes over awkward humor. Most of this show is just about the two guys seeing who can be the most awkward. And it is hilarious. (Especially with a very subdued guest appearance by Kristin Wiig.) I was very glad to see it get some recognition. But I think a nomination is recognition enough.

I watch "Family Guy" on a regular basis. It is without a doubt one of the funniest shows on TV. The episodes I watched were"Road to Germany" and "Baby Not on Board." But I don't think it takes as much talent to make an animated series as it does to make a live action series. Plus, I think "South Park" is a smarter show. I'm glad "Family Guy" is getting some recognition, but I hope the show continues to get better instead of relying on old jokes from previous seasons. (Plus, the McCain / Palin button on the Nazi uniform was a little much.)

Middle of the Pack: "Weeds", "Entourage"

I have watched "Weeds" for a very long time. As such, I had already seen the two episodes I re-watched. They were "Mother Thinks the Birds Are After Her" and "Lady's a Charm." Seeing Elizabeth Perkins dressed up like a latina prisoner was really funny. This is the show's first nomination for Outstanding Series, too. Mary-Louise Parker and Elizabeth Perkins are also nominated for their acting. But I don't think the show has what it takes to put it over the top.

To be honest, I didn't think "Entourage" deserved to be on this list at all. I thought the spot should have been taken by some other, more deserving comedies (such as "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"). But I watched two episodes ("Playin With Fire" and "Return to Queens Boulevard") and I was sucked back in. This show--more than any of the other nominees so far--made me want to watch more. My biggest complaint about the show is that it isn't very funny. It is extremely entertaining, but it doesn't make me laugh.

Top Contenders: "30 Rock", "How I Met Your Mother"

"30 Rock" will most likely win the award. It is smart, laugh out loud funny, and it is about the production of TV. Emmy voters should be all over this like they have been the past two years. The episodes I watched were "Believe in the Stars" and "Reunion." The former had a hilarious guest appearance by Oprah. The latter was so funny that Tina Fey submitted it for her acting race. The show has a record 22 overall nominations (4 of the 5 writing nominees are from "30 Rock"). But in the end, it wouldn't get my vote.

My Emmy vote (if I had one) would go to "How I Met Your Mother." The two episodes I watched ("The Naked Man" and "Three Days of Snow") were so well-crafted that I am surprised they didn't get nominations for writing. (Especially "Three Days of Snow" which presents three separate storylines as happening simultaneously, then throws the viewer for a loop at the end when they are revealed to have happened on three different days.) The show has a strong ensemble cast, including Emmy host Neil Patrick Harris (who should win the Supporting Actor race this year with the (welcome) absence of Jeremy Piven). I think this may be the top choice for those people out there who are bogged down with all the "30 Rock" victories over the past two years. Plus, this is the only traditional, multi-camera series to be nominated. It is slowly gaining momentum and popularity. Now it is finally gaining recognition. Much in the same way another CBS traditional multi-camera series with a strong ensemble cast ("Everybody Loves Raymond") did.

Well, that's it. Now I need to go watch some dramas. I don't tend to pay attention to dramas very often, so it may be very interesting.
And yes, I realize the last time I posted, I wanted "30 Rock" to win the Emmy. Well, things change.

Emmy Wish List

2009-07-17T02:57:00.000-07:00

Ok, ok. I can't help myself, really. When you are as big a fan of TV as I am, the Emmy awards are a big deal. (If you are reading this to learn anything about Australia, skip to the end, where I will discuss Aussie TV.)

The following are my picks for who I want to win. Not who I think will win. I don’t really know enough about most of the drama categories, though.

Outstanding Drama Series
“Mad Men”

Outstanding Comedy Series
“30 Rock”

Lead Actor in a Drama
Gabriel Byrne – “In Treatment”

Lead Actress in a Drama
Elisabeth Moss – “Mad Men”

Lead Actor in a Comedy
Alec Baldwin – “30 Rock”

Lead Actress in a Comedy
I want a tie between:
Sarah Silverman – “The Sarah Silverman Program”
Mary-Louise Parker – “Weeds”
And Tina Fey – “30 Rock”
Honestly, the only way I won't be happy with who wins this is if Julia Louis-Dreyfus wins.

Supporting Actor in a Drama
No Idea on this one. I don’t really care that much.

Supporting Actress in a Drama
Hope Davis – “In Treatment” – I haven’t been able to watch season 2 yet. But apparently, she is the best thing about it.

Supporting Actor in a Comedy
Neil Patrick Harris – “How I Met Your Mother”

Supporting Actress in a Comedy
Jane Krakowski – “30 Rock”

Other Categories I care about:

Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Tina Fey as Governor Sarah Palin – “Saturday Night Live”

Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Jon Hamm - “30 Rock”

Variety, Music, or Comedy Special
Kathy Griffin: She’ll Cut a Bitch

Outstanding Special Class – Short-format Live Action Entertainment Programs (A new category this year... which seems to have been created especially to honor the "show" I want to win)
Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog

Outstanding Reality Program
Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List

Overall, the thing I am most excited about is the nominees for Outstanding Comedy Series. I really do think that they are the best 7 comedies on TV right now, which isn't always the case. Sure, "Entourage" isn't firing on all cylinders, but it is still a good show. (The nominees are: "How I Met Your Mother" "Entourage" "Weeds" "30 Rock" "Flight of the Conchords" "Family Guy" and "The Office")

Now I am watching Australian TV, though. I haven't been able to find anything really worth watching... with two exceptions: "Cooks" and "MasterChef" (Maybe the obsession with writing about food continues...) "Cooks" is a little drama show about this group of friends that all work in kitchens as, well, cooks. A few work in a really nice restaurant, a few in a run down place. But it is actually pretty decent. I only saw two episodes, but I was drawn in. And as for "MasterChef" - it is a cooking competition show where the winner publishes his or her own cookbook at the end (or I think that is the prize). And the whole country is obsessed with it. They are down to the final two... and the finale is on Sunday (one day after I leave.) I hope Julie wins.

Ok the end.

Last Day in Sydney

2009-07-16T20:51:00.000-07:00

Well, today is my last full day in Sydney. So I am spending it writing this blog post and sitting in the Apple store once more. I have to check out of my hostel at 10 AM. My flight doesn't leave until 8 PM (and arrives three hours EARLIER... at 4:30 PM LA time. I will probably spend the day revisiting my favorite places. Like the park.
As for right now: I am looking at the Emmy Nominations... and I am pleased. I won't bore you with what I think of them now, because the people that read this probably don't care what I think of them. Haha. I'll wait till my readership has thinned to the faithful few. Ok... off to enjoy my last day.

Spongebob and Harry Potter

2009-07-15T19:45:00.000-07:00

I forgot my camera yesterday, which was extremely unfortunate because I saw a celebrity. The Sydney Aquarium was playing special host to none other than Spongebob Squarepants. I really wanted to take a picture with him, too. Then I would be Tatum’s favorite for sure. Nevertheless, the aquarium was interesting. They had underwater viewing areas where you could walk through a glass tunnel to see stingrays and sharks. They would swim right above you. They were huge. One of the stingrays looked like it could have eaten Steve Irwin and still had room left over to finish off every other famous Australian.
I also visited a Chinese garden, which was pretty cool. They had little signs everywhere explaining why things were planted where they were planted. And why the waterfall led straight into the Lake of Brightness (or something like that). It was only $3.00 Australian. Which means it was really only $2.34 American. Well worth it.
Now, I know I talk about food a lot. But yesterday I went back to the place where I got the schnitzel sandwich (think: very, very thin chicken fried steak on bread). It is so good, so I wanted to wait until I got to the park to enjoy it. So I was boarding the train holding my sandwich much in the same way that I would hold a baby (which probably says more about how I would hold a baby than how I was holding the sandwich) and . . . well, that story isn’t going anywhere, really. Suffice it to say: that sandwich was good.
So I saw the sixth Harry Potter movie. I’ll just say I was disappointed. The acting was much better. The score was infinitely better. It just felt very clunky, like we were feeling around in the dark for the storylines. I like Quidditch as much as anyone else, but it could have been cut. And I wish they had spent less time on scenes that weren’t in the book and delved deeper into things that actually happened. It was probably my least favorite movie so far. I don’t feel like they gave us all the information we will need to get through the next two movies. (For example, at the end of the sixth book, Harry knows what most of the Horcruxes are. He knows Voldemort’s snake is one. He knows about Hufflepuff’s cup, too. And the ring had already been destroyed by Dumbledore, which I am not sure it was in the movie.) Now we have to waste time in the other movies discovering those things. I know every English major in the world says it . . . but I am certain that every fan of the books will be with me on this one: The book was so much better. Not even comparable, really. OK, enough about Harry Potter.
Just two-ish more days until I am back in the United States.

Food and Bondi

2009-07-13T21:45:00.000-07:00

I think, as a general rule, the food of a country gets worse the further it is from the country of its origin. (The one exception being Italian food, which was undoubtedly perfected in New York City. Not Italy.) So it should be no surprise to anyone that Australia has a lot of bad food, seeing as it is so far from everything. Word to the wise: Do not, I repeat, do not try to eat Mexican food in Australia. It was not recognizable as Mexican food in any way. I have never tasted worse Mexican food in my life. And I am counting each and every time I have ever eaten at Taco Bueno. Even the margarita was terrible.
Australia is, though, blessed with a good selection of Asian cuisine. The Thai food I had the other day was blistering hot (translation: good). And the kebabs (though they do no compare to the ones in England) were also good. The sandwiches are great, including this bagel-wich place I have now visited twice. However, my favorite food item I have found so far was merely sitting on a shelf in the grocery store. Lemon tarts. They are little lemon pies that taste so good. Judging by the area they were placed in the store, however, I doubt many people share my love. More for me, I guess.
The beach was fantastic. It was the most beautiful beach I have ever seen. Let me put that in perspective: I have been all over the Caribbean, seen both sides of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. . . and this was the best place I have ever been. Plus, it was a public beach in the middle of winter! There were lots of people surfing (more on that in a minute) and just playing around on the beach. There were cliffs on each side of the beach, where the waves would crash just like they were from some movie. And the waves were huge. Biggest waves I have ever seen in my life. Loud, rolling waves. It was really cool.
Back to the surfers. I am convinced that surfing is mostly just waiting for the perfect wave. 95% of the time, the surfers just sat out there on their boards, looking like they were about to attempt to actually surf. Most of them never did. I am convinced they just wanted to look cool in their wet suits carrying their boards down the street. (Mission accomplished, I guess.)
Harry Potter tomorrow. Can't wait.

The Tallest Building in the Southern Hemisphere

2009-07-12T01:50:00.001-07:00

I found out today that Sydney Tower is the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere. So, naturally that was enough of an incentive to go to the top. There was a great view of the whole city and I finally understood how everything connected. Too bad I didn’t decide to do that last week, because I probably wouldn’t have gotten lost so many times. (Still probably a few times, though.) After going to the observation deck, you went back downstairs to “Oztrek!” (I added the !)

Sidebar: Australians love to abbreviate Australia as “Oz.” It must be very confusing for the children when they watch the 1939 classic film “The Wizard of Oz.”

Anyway – Oztrek was like one of the more boring rides at Epcot (Think: That Ellen dinosaur ride, but not funny.) You go in, sit down, put on some headphones (which have English, Mandarin, Japanese, and Korean. I switched back and forth a few times. Very interesting.) And you watch this little show. Then, the theater rotates and you watch another (repeated 3 times.) Then you trek (He said it!) over to a larger room, where you sit in moving seat (think: the Six Flags Spongebob Ride) and travel through parts of Oztrailya (I saw it spelled like that somewhere.) It was. . . free with admission to the observation deck.

For Americans, the success of international travel can be measured by one factor: how many times you have pretended to be Canadian. I haven’t had to lie about it, but I have mastered the art of the unintelligible accent. Just add bits and pieces of accents from all over the world and no one will be able to tell where you are from. (I’ve been asked if I was from Boston or Ireland. No joke.) No one in Australia is too big on America. Any time I have talked about the flight, I have been asked how long it would take to fly from Sydney (or Auckland) to Canada. Everyone in Australia wants to go to Canada. Let them make their own mistakes, I guess. After all, when they get all disappointed, the US is right there below it, waiting to deny access with our complicated immigration laws.

Odd difference I’ve noticed: When Australians say a date, they do not say “July Twelfth.” They say “July Twelve.” Also, their quotation marks are our single quotes (‘). For example, when writing, they would write:

Hermione said, ‘Harry, I don’t think we should do that. Remember what Dumbledore always said, “Eat plenty of cheese,” are you listening?’

Don’t try to find that passage in any of the books, by the way. Speaking of Harry Potter, I have decided to make a big day of the 15^th, when I will see HP6 in IMAX. The IMAX Theater is located in Darling Harbour, home of the Australian Aquarium and Wildlife Park. There are lots of shops and stuff, so I think I will go down there and stay all day until I get to see the movie. Looking forward to it.

Manly

2009-07-11T01:34:00.000-07:00

Funny title for a post, eh? Well, I titled it that because there is a small suburb/city here called that. And it has an excellent beach. Fun facts I learned today at Manly: If you are going to visit the beach in Sydney in July, you need to wear a good jacket and some shorts. (If you try to walk through the surf with your jeans rolled up, the bottom-most part will get wet. And when you roll them down, you will have rings of dark spots down the lower part of your calves. It isn't a bad look, actually.)
Speaking of bad looks, today I saw a family that was very experimental with their hair. They had two children. The little boy had a faux-hawk. And the little girl had a mullet.
Other than that, the beach was great. There were lots of people surfing, which was fun to watch (especially when they fell). I have now waded in both sides of the Pacific Ocean (it looks very similar from the back, if you were wondering.)
I have taken to going to the Apple Store every day to use the Internet. That is where I am sitting right now. The only problem is: no matter how many times I come here, I always get lost on the way. I wander down the wrong streets for 45 minutes and finally get fed up and try to figure out how to get back to the hostel. That is always when I find it. (Note to self: it is on the corner of George and. . . another street. It is on George Street.)
Do you ever find yourself in the middle of a small crowd walking down the street? And when you are in that crowd, do you ever have some extremely funny thought and burst out laughing? Well, that has been happening a lot lately. (I'm not complaining. After all, I think I'm hilarious.) The Sydneysiders probably think I am crazy, though.
OK. That's all for now.

Opera and Olympics

2009-07-08T05:53:00.001-07:00

The opera was… very good. Mostly thanks to the other people who had standing room tickets. I met two Californians and two Kiwis (that is, people from New Zealand). We were all at the Opera House very early in the morning and we stood in line for about an hour and talked. The Californians were from north of Santa Barbara. The Kiwis were from Auckland. We all showed up at the performance wearing comfortable clothes and shoes, but after the first act, the usher found us all seats separately. We still met up during the intermissions (which they call intervals) to talk about the performance.
So… opera isn’t all it is cracked up to be. I think I might have enjoyed it more had the production been in English. . . but then I guess it wouldn’t be an opera. Let’s just say I would probably prefer the Elton John version of Aida over the Verdi version. But the production was really really cool. All the sets were lowered in from above the stage and most of them turned when the cast would push them. The singing was impressive. But it was still opera.
Today I went over to the Olympic complex. I saw the stadium where they had the opening and closing ceremonies. They still have the cauldron where the torch was. Except now it is a giant fountain with all the names of the Olympians who medaled in the games on gold, silver and bronze plaques. Including former Lady Raider and native of Brownfield, Texas, Sheryl Swoopes.
It was very cool, but it was also very far away. It took about 45 minutes on the train to get there. Then when I got there, it was raining. So I stood under a little shed thing for about 30 minutes. The cauldron thing was the highlight. Everything else has changed in the last ten years. They changed most of the Olympic park to a wildlife and wetlands preserve that isn’t open to the public. (I am guessing those were for the sports like shooting and stuff… which could be easily converted.) I walked to the aquatic center, where it costs $5 to take a swim. (Which is pretty reasonable, I guess.)
I ate a kebab today. It wasn’t anything like the ones I ate in Oxford. The ones in Oxford were better. It has been raining a lot, but it is ok because I got a pass to use the busses, trains, and ferries. So I don’t have to walk everywhere. Hmm.. I guess that is it. Tomorrow I think I will either go to Manly or Bondi Beach (where I will not be surfing.)

The Birds

2009-07-07T00:29:00.000-07:00

Now, some people may not know that I have had previous experiences with vicious birds. When I was in Oxford, I was sitting on the window ledge on the second floor (looking at a sunset, actually) and a pigeon flew straight at me and nearly made me fall two floors down onto some concrete steps.

Well, I got up early to go down to the Opera House with hopes of securing a standing room ticket for tonight’s opening night of “Aida.” (I got lost in the subway system.) When I got there at 7:30, I expected a line of people to already have started forming. But there was no one in sight. So I decided to walk down on a little pier while I was on the phone with my mom. That is when it happened. One of those “Mine! Mine! Mine!” birds from Finding Nemo decided that I was in his territory. It flew straight at me, squawking or shrieking or making whatever sound you want to call it. I ducked, now yelling into the phone that a bird was attacking me. THEN IT CAME BACK FOR MORE! It flew straight at me again. This time we made eye contact and he meant business.
I got off the pier. The only consolation was that no one was around to see it because I had over estimated the zealousness of Sydney Opera viewers.

But the story continued again today when I got to the zoo. There was a rather large section of the zoo dedicated to farm animals. I felt like it was my job to walk around that part of the zoo with a superior attitude (seeing as I once raised pigs). So I was confidently and smugly striding towards the exit of that area. That is when the emu showed up. It walked straight at me. Again, eye contact. Then it GROWLED. An emu growled at me. I found another exit to that area and decided to stick to the more exotic animals. (There was a less dramatic incident with a parakeet in an aviary, too.)

So I am taking this opportunity to officially apologize to all birds. I do not know what I have done to offend your kind, but apparently there is some sort of bird contract out for my life. Please leave me alone.

The rest of the zoo was very, very cool. It turns out that the koala experience thing was basically $20 to get a picture of you near a koala. Lame. But I did get to see the koalas very close. It was a really well designed zoo. It was very easy to see all the animals and you were able to get very close to most of them. In the platypus pool aviary (where the parakeet attacked me) there was also a wallaby just wandering around. Lions, sea lions, a pygmy hippo—this zoo had it all. I enjoyed the Australian animals (no one else seemed very interested. I guess they are used to them. They were swarming around the farm animals, though.) It was too cold today for the two-day-old elephant to come out, though. I walked around for about six hours and I never got bored or ran out of things to see. (I did double back to look at the kangaroos and koalas again, though.)

Pictures on Facebook soon, I hope. All I need is to find a reliable Internet connection.

Mundane Monday

2009-07-06T00:48:00.000-07:00

Deal or No Deal is just as addicting in Australia. Except it is BETTER! The cases are held by the family of the person who is playing and the family member has to guess what they have in their case before they open it. (I am not sure what happens if they get it right.) The big drawback is that they aren’t playing for $1,000,000. They are playing for $200,000. Poor Australians and their silly (comparative) poverty.

So today I sat in Hyde Park… Wait. Someone just guessed their case correctly and won $500. Cool. Well, I sat in the park and took the math section of a GRE. It isn’t looking pretty. I need to take some sort of review course or something because… well, hopeless seems like a bit of an overreaction… 28.5% is the percent correct. (But I wouldn’t take my word for it, obviously.)

Well, today I also watched the Australian equivalent of the Today Show. Think: hour 4 of the Today Show…. All morning. One segment was just a woman reading horoscopes (try that, Kathy Lee). They had a bunch of “news” and then like a two-minute segment where they covered real news and sports. 2 minutes for world events, but an hour about Katie Holmes and whether or not she looks sick in the photo of her attending the musical Jersey Boys in Melbourne. (She did look sick, though.)

Tomorrow I plan on getting up early to try to get a standing room ticket to “Aida.” I need to be at the Opera House by about 7:30, I think. After I get the ticket (if there is still one available0 I am going to go to the Toronga Zoo (and maybe hold a koala). Full day.

Sunday

2009-07-05T02:01:00.000-07:00

Today’s blog post will be written in chapters. Mostly for my own amusement.

Chapter 1: Free Pancake Breakfast

Every Sunday morning at this hostel, they serve unlimited free pancakes. They were free and worth every single penny. Have you ever eaten fluffy paper? Well, then. You know what I am talking about. (Hint: syrup helps minimally, but will make them edible.) Luckily for me, every other day of the week, this hostel serves a non-pancake breakfast (free) that consists of toast, jam, and etcetera. It is hard to mess up toast. I hope.

Chapter 2: The Amazing Sandwich

I have long held the belief that you cannot get a decent sandwich in the United States. Well, I have found another country (besides the UK) where decent sandwiches can be bought. Today, I walked down to the area near the Opera House and bought a schnitzel sandwich. (Think: a chicken fried steak-esque meat on bread(!)) Oh, right. It was also made into a panini! Plus it was big enough for two meals! (I stuffed the second half in my pocket wrapped up. I am eating it as I write this, actually.)

Chapter 3: Spontaneous Broadway

The show I attended in the Sydney Opera House was hilarious. Everyone wrote down song title suggestions and dropped them in a bucket on the way in. (Well, not everyone. I didn’t write one.) Then, the four actors sifted through them and presented ideas for a musical based on the song title. The eventual winning song was “Get Out of Facebook and Get Into My Space.” The team of four actors made up an entire musical (which lasted about 30 minutes) called “Searching for Love” about a woman who finds love over the Internet.
As for standing room for “Aida”: I asked and they have 10 tickets that they will sell at 9 AM on the day of the performance. The doors open at 8:30, though. And people will be lined up outside. So I have three chances to get tickets before I leave. First chance is the seventh.

Chapter 4: Walking across the Harbor Bridge

I walked across the Harbor Bridge. Wow. This was a short chapter.

Chapter 5: Fun Facts

The most abundant American symbol found on foreign t-shirts, sweatshirts, and hats: The New York Yankees sign.

I met some people from Texas today. Unfortunately, I only knew they were from Texas because they were ALL wearing some form of UT attire. I only talked to them long enough to comment about the winter weather and insult their clothing. (Which I definitely did.)

In other news, I am definitely coming home on July 18th instead of August 7th. At which point, I will be riding back to Texas with Daniel, Jon, and Rachel.

This week: At some point I am going to go to the Zoo.

P. Sherman 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney

2009-07-04T03:32:00.000-07:00

Today was uber-productive. (So productive, that my geek side is shining through and I am using words like “uber.”)

First things first: I moved to a new hostel. The other one was decent; however, I found out quickly that I could not handle living in the same room as five(!) other people. Strangers. And they were strange, too. I am pretty sure one of the girls lived there and cleaned the hostel so she could have free rent. The other people all seemed to be friends with her. (One other girl (who had a cough. . . all night) was also in the room. And she was good friends with Nick, a guy who was there. Nick? Rick? Alan? I don’t know. It was some generic thing like that. Anyway, I woke up to their (rather intense) make-out session.) So I checked out of there and moved about a block away to a new hostel where I have my own room. MUCH better.

I walked downtown and found Sydney City Center. (For those who studied abroad: think Oxford City Center with malls and a food court. All of it on steroids.) (For those who didn’t study abroad: go to Oxford, find city center, then imagine it on steroids.)

I bought some sunglasses (I left mine on a different continent.) from a funny little Asian market. Then I ate at a Nando’s (Something I hadn’t done since Oxford). It is Portuguese, I think. But in all reality, I just ate a chicken wrap. It was delicious. So I hiked back to the hostel. Then I took a walk towards the Sydney Opera House.

I ended up on the wrong side of a harbor. Which meant that I had a great view of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. It also meant I couldn’t visit the box office and see if I could watch any performances. So I made it my mission to get to the Opera House. It took me about an hour and a half, but I finally figured it out. And I need to remember how I did it because I am going back tomorrow to watch a show! It is called “Spontaneous Broadway” and the performers improvise a musical based on song title suggestions from the audience. It is in one of the smaller playhouses, but it is still pretty cool. They are also staging “Aida” on the big Opera stage. Too bad they are all sold out. BUT the woman at the box office said that they have a line for standing room. Apparently, it starts early in the morning, around 9AM. I am seriously considering going and standing in line all day to see it. That might be one of the things that is worth it.

Hmm. . . what else? I only get one hour of free Wifi per day at the new hostel (at the old place I had to pay, so this is an improvement.) And I found a café that supposedly has free WiFi. Also, McDonald’s has free WiFi at all the locations here, as long as you are a customer. I assume I will be buying something there, despite the fact that many people won’t be able to believe that I ate at McDonald’s while I was in Australia.

Tomorrow: Opera House Performance! We'll see what else. The zoo is pretty expensive, but looks cool. (They have an exhibit where you can hold koalas. So that's probably going to happen. Maybe not tomorrow, but sometime.)

Sorry there's no pictures on here. My internet can't handle the uploads at the moment.

To Sydney

2009-07-03T00:12:00.000-07:00

Well, I made it to Sydney. I am currently sitting in the common room of the hostel watching a Miley Cyrus music video. So obviously, life is pretty good.
Airplane: I got three seats to myself. Watched Vicki Christina Barcelona. Not a Woody Allen fan, to be honest. But Penelope Cruz was good.
I only bought one hour of Internet. It was $3. I need to find a free WiFi spot. That is on the agenda for tomorrow. When I got to the airport, I had a helluva time trying to call the hostel to pick me up. Let's just say I ended up buying a cell phone in the Sydney Airport. Consequently, you now have the option of calling me. (I am not sure what the charges would be. But I assume it would charge my pre-paid account. But it took me about 20 minutes to figure out how to dial out. So don't take my word for it.) Oh... the number is: (31)0406162257. I need to write that down or something.
The hostel is pretty nice. Lots of stairs. Rooftop terrace thing. Clean rooms. Clean bathrooms. We'll see what happens tonight.
The music videos go back and forth between hardcore Aussie rap. . . and Miley Cyrus. So weird. I can't tell which one sounds more gruff. No. Wait. Miley.
Ok. Tomorrow... umm.. I'll still be here.

Presidential Libraries

2009-06-30T18:21:00.000-07:00

Since Hollywood, we have visited two Presidential libraries. (Reagan and Nixon) Interestingly enough, Presidential libraries are not, in fact, libraries. They are museums honoring the lives of the Presidents. There are only thirteen libraries (two are in California, two in Texas. . . soon to be three upon the completion of the George W. Bush Library in Dallas.)
Reagan's library was, to keep this short, awesome. It had a real Air Force One and a replica of the Oval Office. There was also a room that looked vaguely like the Press room (complete with a podium, behind which I took a picture. For pictures, see my Facebook page.)
The Nixon Library had a replica of the East Room (quite fancy). Overall, very cool.
I bought The Reagan Diaries. Reagan kept a diary each day that he was in office. Looking forward to reading those. Tomorrow, I take off for Australia. Tomorrow. Crazy.

In Cold Blood

2009-06-29T21:21:00.001-07:00

I am currently reading In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. It is a really good book so far (I'm only through part one.) It is based on the true story of some Kansas murders, which sounds like it would be quite the drag. However, throughout part one, the family that ends up murdered is constantly described as being likable. They all seem to have had some positive effect on the world (with the exception of Mrs. Clutter, who was just kind of a fragile little thing). Well, it made me start to wonder how people would describe me if I were murdered. I want to leave a positive mark on everyone I meet. Even if that mark is just to make them smile and laugh for a few moments.
I leave for Australia on Wednesday. Ready to make a positive impact in a different hemisphere.

Hollywood

2009-06-24T12:23:00.000-07:00

It was just a matter of time before I made it to Hollywood, I guess. Yesterday, it finally happened. Daniel, Sarah, and I went on a tour of Paramount Studios.
When we got there, we realized our reservation was listed under the last name Burgeron, party of three, which was the source of more than one point of confusion.

Guide: What is your reservation under?
Sarah: 10 O'Clock.
*Guide gives confused look*
Sarah: Eddlemann.
Sarah: Daniel.
Daniel: Burgner?
Daniel: Or it could be Burgeron.
Guide: Oh, ok.
Brent: We're not very prepared, as a group.

As we were waiting for our tour to start, we saw the HBO series "Entourage" shooting right down the street. We stood and watched them and saw three time Emmy award winner Jeremy Piven. They were shooting a scene that was set in a studio lot. We don't know exactly what was going on, but Ari Gold (Piven) was talking to a woman, who got into a yellow car and drove away. We watched this happen three times, so they could shoot it from different camera angles. And we may or may not be (far, far, far) in the background of one of the shots.

We learned a lot about the history of the studios, including Lucielle Ball's dressing room (left, underneath the awning). It was made to look just like the facade of her New York townhouse. That way, she could do a photo shoot in front of her dressing room in LA and look like she was spending quality time with her family in New York.
Countless movies and TV shows were shot in Paramount studios (including part of one episode of "Friends"). They were shooting "Glee" while we were there. (It is a new show on Fox, which is extremely funny.) We saw the star of the show, Matthew Morrison. He walked right behind us. (Daniel kind of freaked out, which was funny.) He was walking from the sound stage to his trailer.
They have a 7 million dollar theater in the studios where they have premieres. It was crazy nice. Each seat cost $900 and you could tell. They want to make sure critics have the best possible environment to view their movies.
After the studio tour, we got lost on our way to watch a taping of "Chelsea Lately." We didn't quite make it to the 1:30 taping, but we got lucky and they added another taping at 3:30. So we ended up first in line for the second taping. We were able to sit in the second row. It was hilarious, of course. But I got a headache from laughing. We didn't make it to the taping of Tosh.0. (But it is ok, I think forcing more laughter might have given me a migraine.)
After the taping, we went to the area with the Kodak Theater, the place where they have the Academy Awards every year. We walked through the entrance, where all the Best Picture winners are listed on columns. Outside were the stars on the sidewalk with the names on them. Sometimes it is pretty funny to see certain stars' proximity to other stars. (An example refuses to come to mind.) Ed McMahon's star had a wreath and some flowers on it.
Outside Grauman's Chinese Theatre, I found out that I have the exact same size hands as Bing Crosby. That should count for something, right?
Well, tomorrow we're going to Disneyland (for free!). So expect another update soonish.

Facebook Suggestions

2009-06-18T19:00:00.000-07:00

Morgan Freeman's voice. That is what is prompting this blog post. Facebook just suggested to me that I become a fan of Morgan Freeman's voice. Honestly, I think this is getting out of hand. Becoming a fan of something used to mean something. Now, apparently anything can get a page and start collecting fans. Nothing is more disturbing than logging on and seeing someone just became a fan of "Morning Sex." That is more information than we needed, quite honestly. I'm not saying delete the feature altogether. I am just saying maybe we should limit it to things that you can actually be a fan of. You cannot be a "fan" of traveling. You can be interested in traveling. And guess what: there is already a place for you to list your interests.

Redunkulous Wal-mart Lady

2009-06-17T23:03:00.000-07:00

So I already posted today, but I need to share what happened at Wal-mart. Daniel, Sarah, and I were all in the same lane at the Wal.
Our check-out lady was frazzled to say the least. Here is the conversation as close to word for word as I can remember it.

Daniel: Hi. How are you?
Wal-Mart Lady (WML): I've been better.
All: Oh...
(Awkward silence)
WML: Well, yesterday my neighbor got shot and killed. My boyfriend's ex-wife called him and wants him back. I haven't had electricity in two days. And they cut off my phone earlier today.
(Awkward laughter)
WML: The funny thing is I live in an all-bills-paid facility.
Daniel: Well, my friend won't text me back. So...
(Sarah tries to ignore the ridiculous situation. Brent is laughing pretty hard.)
WML: Well, a bad day is a bad day.
Daniel: Yeah. Tell me about it.
(WML continues checking us out. Upon completion. . .)
Brent: Well, night. Hope. . . your life. . . gets better.

This is non-fiction. You can't make this stuff up.

Excursion Number 1

2009-06-17T16:50:00.000-07:00

Well, the summer fun has begun (rhyme). On Monday, Daniel, Sarah, and I were bored, so we decided to drive to San Antonio for a few hours. We drove the four (4) hours there
and went to the Alamo (as pictured).

Here's a hint: don't go see a icon of Texas history with two Californians who constantly remind you that Texas lost the Alamo.
Although, we did have fun standing in front of it and asking people "So, what's so great about the aLAMo?" Funny looks. We got em.

Afterwards, we went down to the River Walk, which was fun. It was stiflingly hot, so we sat down and had a margarita at a nice margarita bar (which had fans and misters for their sidewalk seating). When we finished those margaritas, we walked a little further and ate at Casa Rio. It was deemed by Daniel "The Best Mexican Food in Texas." At this point Daniel had to go on a tangent about how Texas Mexican food and California Mexican food are simply different genres of food. . . and cannot be compared. Sarah, however, claimed the California Mexican food was better. Good thing we all know she was lying.

After San Antonio, we drove the four (4) hours baaaaack to Abilene. We stopped in Fredericksburg for a few minutes and said hi to my friend, Rhett, who lives there. It was fun. Now all I have to do before I leave on Saturday is pack up all my belongings from my room, decide what needs to go home and what can stay in the garage, pack a bag for California, and pack two bags for Australia. Shouldn't be too hard, right? . . . right?

Crap.

Countdown to Sydney

2009-06-13T17:07:00.000-07:00

In one week, I will leave Texas for over a month. First California, then Australia. I am not sure at this point which one will be the bigger culture shock. This week I have to pack for the trip at some point. I'm pretty psyched about it.
So lately, I have been looking at graduate schools. I am thinking I want to study linguistics. In fact, I don't think I want to take the LSAT anymore. I think I will focus on the GRE and try (very hard) to get into the program at Rice. They have a five year program to get a Master's and Doctorate. Aim high. I am looking at a lots of schools.
I've been watching True Blood. Don't tell anyone.
Soon the updates will be a lot more interesting, I promise. I'll be sure to write about the interesting things I do.
Sarah just told me that she used to go to strip clubs every week.
The End

Lazy Sunday. . . sort of

2009-05-31T13:26:00.000-07:00

A few tense moments have transpired lately. I won't go into detail about them, but I could definitely use some prayers.
I booked my hostel this week. I will be staying here: http://www.headquartershostel.com.au/index.html for four weeks and four days.
I'm more excited about it the more "real" it gets. I still don't really know exactly what I will be doing when I get there. Hopefully, I will be able to get a little job. The hostel web site says it has a service to help with job placement, so I will most likely be utilizing that. I plan on walking around the city a lot and trying to hang out with random people.
My mom and little brother are going to New York City next week, so I can't wait to hear about it. There are always good stories from that trip. They arrive back in town on Friday late at night.
I'm watching Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Never gets old.

2009-05-27T18:52:00.000-07:00

I accomplished more yesterday than I did in the entire previous week. The only problem with that is that it left me nothing to do today. So I have basically been sitting around the house watching TV and playing on the computer. I've been reading, too. I picked up To Kill a Mockingbird from the library. Libraries are great. I tend to forget what they are actually for because I usually only go there to get crappy research books or to study. But the whole concept of a library is pretty dang cool, if you ask me.
I am only five chapters into the book, but it is good. I can feel myself slipping into a southern accent when I read it. The kind of southern accent I used to use when I was a waiter at Cracker Barrel. So I am watching "The Sopranos" to balance it out. I figure the New Jersey accent will combine with the southern accent and I will end up with a nice, medium, somewhere around Virgina-type accent. But that is just conjecture.
So the process for determining Emmy nominations starts next week. I wish I had paid more attention to TV this year, because I have no idea who deserves to get a nomination. The only two people I am really hopeful for are Jane Krakowski and Jack McBrayer from "30 Rock." I thought they did a great job this year. They both made the Emmy short list last year, but missed out on a nomination. "30 Rock" is still the best comedy on TV. I am not even sure what else deserves to be nominated in that category. I bet "30 Rock" wins a third straight trophy. I would really like to see "How I Met Your Mother" nominated, too. It is much better than that crappy "Two and a Half Men." It has a much better chance of sneaking up and beating out "30 Rock," so I think CBS should throw its support behind their quality show. Not just the size of the star. (I hate Charlie Sheen.) Also, can we please leave Jeremy Piven off the Supporting Actor list this year? I mean, the guy has won like 5 in a row. He's entertaining, but we're all tired of the same old thing.
I need to catch up on "In Treatment." I wonder when it comes out on DVD. If it is half as good as the first season, it deserves a nomination. I also want to watch "True Blood."
A couple more sure things for the Emmys: Neil Patrick Harris (I think he will win this year), Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin. . .
I really need to start investigating. The Emmys are in September.

Sandwich Fan

2009-05-27T08:22:00.000-07:00

Ever since I went to the UK, I have held the belief that you cannot find a decent sandwich in the United States. On the next street over from out house in Oxford was a brilliant little sandwich shop: On the Hoof. They had the best paninis.
Maybe they will have good sandwiches in Australia. I'm hopeful.

Selling Things

2009-05-21T17:36:00.000-07:00

Title says it all. Well, not really. Or else I wouldn't be writing this post at all. So I still don't have a job. I have applied at a ton of restaurants. (And I mean ton by weight. So it isn't really that many because restaurants are heavy, but still.)

So I am trying to sell a TV, a mattress pad, and some DVDs. I am also selling some books. I am headed to Hastings in a moment to sell the DVDs. Into the Wild and Three sets of Family Guy DVDs.

I figured out that I need about $250 more dollars to cover housing in Australia. Then everything beyond that is just gravy. (Literally. Gravy is cheap and that is all I plan on eating in Australia because I am rapidly becoming poor.)

Ok. Once again, anyone who wants to give me money or a job, contact me. I'm not picky.

Mood: Optimistic, yet Disgruntled?

2009-05-19T19:28:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I started a new book: Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. And it is so good. It investigates the most successful people in the world and sort of explains that they never make all the success alone. They have to have a lot of opportunities along the way. I don't want to explain it all here because you should definitely buy it and read it. It is so good.

I started e-mailing hostels in Australia. That's going well. Almost everyone is willing to give me a slight discount because of how long I will be staying there. I haven't exactly found one I am sold on yet, but I will.

No word yet on the job front. Getting disgruntled.

The end. A Long way down.

Headway

2009-05-18T18:16:00.000-07:00

No denying I've made headway on my desire to cook. I cooked. It wasn't perfect, but it is edible. One thing I did learn is that when something says it serves 6, it means it. I now have enough pasta for days. I cooked this:

http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/05/asparagus-goat-cheese-and-lemon-pasta/#more-3038

I really like goat cheese.

On another front, I believe I am going to go buy a book. So as of right now my summer projects include: finishing "In Treatment," starting "The Sopranos," study for the LSAT, get a job, and find and read a book. Anything else I should add to that?

Australia update: I need to seriously start looking for accommodations. I found one hostel that specializes in working holiday travelers. Free internet, breakfast, linens, and laundry. They have monthly rates, too. So I need to give them a call. However, I have had a hard time finding a phone number. Once I find one, I will give them a call. That is the last major thing I need to plan for the trip. (Like the new layout, by the way? Sydney Harbor Bridge.)

Finally. . . do you think it is cheesy that I end every post with the words "a long way down"?

The Joy of Blogging

2009-05-17T15:17:00.001-07:00

This week's Entertainment Weekly's Online section is all about food web sites. And it just made me think about how much I would like to be able to cook. I mean, I like me a nice microwave pizza as much as the next guy. But every once and a while I would like to be able to actually cook a full meal. I don't really know how to go about acquiring this skill, but it is officially on my to do list.

I did buy a book at the beginning of this school year titled "How to Boil Water." It has a lot of easy recipes for beginning cooks and takes you step by step through the process. The reason I haven't used it: I don't have a lot of the tools required to make most of the meals. (For example, I do not have a lot of pans or pots. Or spices.) And those things are expensive.

I applied for a job at the Calling Center today. We'll see about that. Should be interesting. I really don't need that much money for Australia. I just need to pay for my housing while I am there. And I should have enough to do that already. Who needs to eat for five weeks anyway? Didn't Jesus go for like 40 days or something? Sure, He is God and everything. . . but I think I can figure something out.

I need a new book to read. This past week my productivity has gone a long way down.

Namesake

2009-05-14T21:18:00.000-07:00

I just finished the book for which this blog is named. I must confess, I couldn't have chosen a better title. "A Long Way Down" by Nick Hornby. It is the story of four people who accidentally meet in the top of a building when they are all about to commit suicide. They all have different reasons and honestly, most of them are pretty solid reasons to commit suicide. I think the genius of the book was that there was something I could relate to in each of the four personalities represented. Like, if I could divide myself up into four people, I might just end up with a Martin, Maureen, JJ, and Jess.
And I am not 100% sure why the next thing I write is linked to the book, but for some reason it is. Basically, I was thinking about it last night and, well, here goes: Nothing I can do can affect God (either positively or negatively) in any way. I have been in this mindset where: if I sin, I hurt God. "Can He still feel the nails every time I fail? Can He hear the crowd cry crucify again?" I just think that is completely wrong. How self-centered is that way of thinking? How could I ever hurt God? And while that thought is conforting, I also think the opposite is true: I can't bring God happiness any more than I can bring Him pain.
Because if I could, that would make God dependent on me. And God can't be dependent on me. That's the fundamental Truth of God: He is not dependent. He (however you see him, as One or Three in One. . .) is entirely self-sufficient.
I am not trying to say that we should all just do whatever we want, sin sin sin. I am just trying to make the point that we should celebrate being God's creation and stop trying to be God himself. Because when we claim that anything we do can bring pain or pleasure to God, we are saying that we matter more than He does. We are the center of His creation, but He is the center of everything.
When you think about that, it is oddly freeing. And that is how I felt after I read "A Long Way Down."

Integrity Win

2009-05-14T14:28:00.000-07:00

I didn't get the job at Carino's because I ended up telling the guy that I was planning on going to Australia for five weeks later this summer. I wouldn't have told him. . . but the thing is: I kind of respected the guy. I didn't expect to meet a GM that I respected, so that threw a wrench into my plans.
So now I need a job. Pretty badly. Or else I need a lot of people to give me money. One of those. Those are the only two options. There's no weird third option. If you want to give me a job or money, please contact me. (You can comment on this blog OR e-mail me at bdill12@gmail.com)
In conclusion, my funds are tumbling. The numbers in my bank account are headed a long way down.

A/C? Nah.

2009-05-13T23:27:00.000-07:00

So my summer roommates and I don't believe in running the air conditioning. In Texas. So it is really hot in this house. Like sauna hot. Making a sandwich causes me to break a sweat. I have gone through almost a full case of Dr. Pepper in two days. It turns out, Dr. Pepper is not the best hydration. Apparently, I need some Gatorade or plain old water. The problem is: Gatorade and water do not taste as good as Dr. Pepper. So basically, I am drinking myself into a state of severe dehydration because my roommates and I don't want to pay an extra couple hundred bucks in the name of comfort.
Moral of this post: The temperature in here needs to go down. A long way down.

Job Search

2009-05-13T12:42:00.000-07:00

I dropped off applications at Red Robin, Olive Garden, and Carino's. i had an interview at Carino's and I have another one tomorrow. We'll see how it goes. I am looking forward to being a waiter again, actually. It is a lot of work, but it is a lot of fun. And I always meet new people who are ridiculous.
The woman who interviewed me at Carino's seemed kind of grossed out that I worked at Cracker Barrrel. She said, "If you are hired, then I need you to forget everything you learned at Cracker Barrel. Carino's is a totally new experience." No problem there. I could definitely work for a classier restaurant. Because when you look at the ladder of restuarants in Abilene, Carino's is pretty far up. . . and Cracker Barrel is a long way down.

Another Summer, Another Blog

2009-05-12T22:18:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my blog. It is kind of weird, creating a blog. Like, the concept is pretty conceited. It is like I am saying that I am so important that everyone should read my musings. I mean, I think that. . . but I don't usually say it. A blog is just kind of declaring it for the world to see.
I've created some blogs before. One was used (briefly) while I was studying abroad in England. I posted pictures and stuff for my family to see. But now I have Facebook for that. So that blog ended. I had a blog last summer about random entertainment stuff- movies, tv, ect. But I just kind of quit writing on it when I started school again.
So now I have a lot of time on my hands again, so here I am. Proudly musing for anyone in the world to see. (Well, not ANYONE. Some people are poor and don't have the Internet. Also, most people in the world can't read, especially in English. So I guess I am saying that I am musing for all rich, English-literate people in the world.)

So. What about me? Well, if you are reading this, you probably already know me. But just in case you don't, I guess a little introduction is in order. My name is Brent. I live in Abilene, Texas, and go to school at Abilene Christian University. I am majoring in English and I have not decided if I want to go to Grad school or Law school, yet. (I plan on taking the LSAT and the GRE and applying to both.) I either want to get a JD or an M.A. in Linguistics. Right now, I am actually leaning towards Linguistics. I love languages.

So. Why call this blog "A Long Way Down" ? It is the title of a Nick Hornby book I am reading at the moment and I really like the way it sounds. And how it can have many meanings. So what does it mean? No idea.

So. Why did I want to start this blog? Well, I am conceited (as stated above). But that isn't the only reason. Later this summer I will be traveling to Australia and I wanted to create this blog to keep people updated about how things are down under. (That's a gross sentence.) I leave for Australia on July 1st. I will be in Sydney for five weeks. Up till then, I am going to try to find a job as a server here in Abilene so I can actually afford this. (Contact me if you would like to donate to the Brent Goes to Australia Fund. It is not a tax write-off.)

So. That is pretty much the purpose of this post. Fun, huh? Now on to other topics: Star Trek. I Saw the new movie tonight and I may or may not have just become a Trekkie. I am going to watch the original series on Netflix. That movie was that good. (Although the camera movement sometimes made me sick and the theater had the sound at an uncomfortable level. Hmm... what am I? 50?)

So. I hope you will read and comment on my blog. Don't expect it to be very deep and meaningful, but don't expect it to always be lighthearted, either. I am not a Vulcan. I have emotions. (And that is my first Star Trek reference. I hear from there, it is a long way down.)