Still haunting the library

I want it to be spring. I want to go and do homework in the park, not in Bobst.

I decided to go sit against the exterior wall instead of overlooking the atrium. The suicidal thoughts were starting to give me the heebie-jeebies. (Not that I'm suicidal, just that when you're too smart for your own good, you start pondering these things.)

I'm writing a paper comparing Oedipus and the Sorrows of Young Werther. The weather is blah. I have used all my Pandora hours for the month....

Blah, blah, blah. The end.

What the hell, weather.

A week in the 70s, and then a weekend in the low 40s?! NO. Just NO. :( I don't care that it's sunny, it's cold.

A couple days ago, one of my friends told me he'd had an epiphany about the nature of my writing, juxtaposed to the ambiguous ending of Up In The Air. I really, really liked that movie, so I decided to take it as a complement, but what he said was, "It always feels like it's just a piece of a larger story." - this is generally the idea, so I'm glad he caught on, even if he says my ambiguous ending bug him sometimes. I've always got more than I can put to paper, so I focus on the most interesting part of a story that's taken years to set itself up and hope that my exposition is enough to fill in the rest.

And here's a youtube video to make this post worthwhile. I loved Something Corporate for most of middle school and high school - unfortunately they've broken up and turned into Jack's Mannequin now, which I like equally but haven't bought their CDs. Um. This obsession was back when I was listening to groups before any of my friends - SoCo, Guster, Dashboard Confessional, I was into them before most of my peers thought they were cool. Of course, now I work in the opposite direction and pick things up two or three years after they were popular... (Death Cab for Cutie, the Decemberists...)

I'm gonna stop. Have a video.

Peace.

-Leez.

New Hampshire Pics!

My aunt took most of these, so I happen to be in them.



I made friends with cows and learned how maple syrup is made:


I explored the Orozco murals in the Dartmouth library:


We took a day trip to Bath and the covered bridge there:


It's hard to believe there's only seven weeks left in freshman year! It's gone by really fast! I got my conwest midterm back, which I was a bit nervous about because it was honest to god the first exam I've taken since IBs last april/may! Turns out I shouldn't have been worried, I got a 99! I astound myself sometimes.

Also, my friend Em just started blogging on here, so maybe go check her out?

Back in the city

Oh my goodness, highs in the 70s and sunny blue skies! I got back from NH yesterday around noon and spent my afternoon walking around, having a good time. Today I think I'm going to run some errands, get myself a smoothie, and go to the park and read.

We live in SUCH a BEAUTIFUL world!

I'll post pictures from NH later when I get a chance.

"I am a lover of largeness."

My long-awaited Alice In Wonderland review! Let me preface this by saying I went with my older cousin and we had a good time, but I'm not necessarily sure this movie was all it's cracked up to be. Granted, it is "a sumptuous feast for the eyes and imagination," but I think it had some major pacing issues - this movie could stand to learn something from Lady Gaga, namely when to hold 'em, and when to fold 'em.

Despite a garden party scene that drags on far too long, a rabbit hole fall that seemed to go on forever, and the initial getting through the door with the eat me-drink me things, this movie plays all of its cards within the first ten minutes - to break into Dramatic Writing terms, the tease is too short because the movie assumes we are already invested in it: the viewers are assumed to already know the story of Alice in Wonderland and be fans of Tim Burton, so the movie doesn't feel like it has to intrigue us in any way, so it jumps the gun and tosses us into an overly long first act.

I really loved the effects in this movie. They weren't overdone and they had a delightful whimsicality about them, but the characters didn't have the same thing going. They were largely one-note, although it was clear everyone was having fun with their parts and the CG characters were great (I LOVED the Doormouse's cavalier attitude and the White Rabbit's tendency to hyperventilate - the March Hare annoyed me). I do have to give the girl who played Alice some credit, because her character had a lot of depth and was portrayed really sensitively, but I'm mixed over my feelings for Johnny Depp's Hatter-

While it was really nice to see the Hatter actually DOING things (Disclaimer: My memories of the original Alice in Wonderland animated film are VERY hazy), Depp seemed a bit all over the place. He's made a niche for himself playing very zany characters, but it would be nice to see something from him that didn't seem like a rehash of Willy Wonka.

Also, what is up with Alice/Hatter 'shipping? Like, in this movie it was kind of cute, because it's a) no longer statutory, and b) kind of reminded me of Dorothy/Scarecrow subtext from Wizard of Oz. But, I mean, the longer you think about it the more horrible it becomes. Like, has he always had a thing for her, because, you know, she was eight or nine last time she was there. It gives a whole new meaning to "Alice, why is it every time I see you you're either too large or too small?" But, I guess, all in all I did enjoy it, I just found it a bit odd that the closest thing the movie has to a romantic subplot is flirtation between Alice and Hatter, and poor Hatter gets his heart broken in the end. :( I felt bad for him!

The ending, though, was just a bit too "Click your heels three times and say there's no place like home" for me. Its only saving grace was that the wonderland actors weren't doubling for party guests, because that would be too much for me to buy. "And you were there, and you were there, and you, and you!"

Final conclusion, I did like this movie and have a good time, but I don't think it lives up to its hype. It has a rushed tease, an overly long first act, and its second act and conclusion were rushed and a bit out of tone. There were a couple of moments that really bugged me - namely the use of a "What about my wife and kids?" joke twice within two minutes, which shouldn't have happened - it was funny the first time, but the second time it fell flat because it had JUST been used - And unfortunately, the second time is the time it's important, because it introduces a plot point! Ugh, just sloppy proofing, I think - like I said, this movie plays all of its cards (pun intended) way too fast.

Okay. Let's sum it up.

Three and a half out of five. An imaginative film with lofty ambitions and great production values, but hiccups in the story that drag the rest down.

And this is why ultra-orthodox jews terrify me.

What the...?

Welcome to the sad but true world of Jew-on-Jew violence.

“His followers are really so dedicated to him so that they would do anything to protect him,” said the guest.
Another party guest called Rabbi Aderet’s followers “very fanatical and brainwashed” about the magnitude of the rabbi’s wisdom and said that his congregants seem to fear his alleged magical powers.

Yet some of Rabbi Aderet’s followers believe so much in his abilities that they call him a “messenger from God,” capable of saving them from both health and financial catastrophes.

“Rabbi Aderet has saved a lot of lives that were very close to being dead, and he has helped tremendous amounts of people when they have bankruptcies or any other financial differences in their life —and I’m one of them,” the main supporter said.

This congregant cites a 2007 incident in North Shore Long Island Jewish Hospital where his aunt had just suffered a stroke; doctors recommended against life support because the patient had no chance of recovery beyond a vegetable-like state. But when Rabbi Aderet arrived to perform Havdalah at her bedside, sprinkling wine on her forehead, the woman allegedly awoke and lived to see her son get married and two grandchildren grow, according to the congregant.

“I believe that Rabbi Aderet has a very big connection [to God] because I’ve seen it with my eyes,” the supporter said.

I think that, probably, my biggest issue with this variety of Judaism is, as demonstrated by the above quote, their cultlike qualities. Of the groups I am familiar with, most of those tend to rally around their rebbes and treat him like he's their own personal messiah, capable of feats of magic and miracles (see above.) In effect, these groups become like messianic sects, except they still get to call themselves "Judaism" because their rebbes/personal messiahs aren't a second coming, but rather a first.

Bearing in mind that I, as a little conservative Jewish girl whose observance has rapidly declined over the past year, I really have no right to talk about this, but really? Really? Breaking up a party and terrifying small children because they don't agree with your religious beliefs? This is CRAZY. You are CRAZY.

So yeah, as a general rule I'm not the world's most fond of frummies, but that's okay, because I know from experience that they don't like me, either. In my (admittedly limited) interaction with them, I have generally been looked down upon and treated as being worse than a shiksa, because I'm practically sacrilegious.

Of course I full well admit that I'm a hypocrite in complaining about frummies being rude to other people while I'm hardly favorable of them. :|

I

Uh

I got nothing.

Warm thoughts

It is sixty degrees outside.

You can tell how far I've come from my Florida roots when I think this is incredibly warm weather suited to hoodies, skirts, and eating lunch in the park.

Next week I'll be going to New Hampshire, where my phone's weather app says it will be 50 and rainy. But for now it's 60 and sunny and I'm enjoying life. :)

One midterm and one paper to turn in and then I'll be out of here!

-Leez.

'Tane Diaries - one week in

Flaring.

Of course they warned me this would happen.

It'll all be worth it in five months.

How the mighty have fallen...

Oh, Tim Burton, I used to like you.

I haven't actually seen the fantasy train wreck known as "Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland" yet, but my faithful informer on all things pop culture, Audra, tells me it is more "Alice in Narnia," a mish-mash of fantasy tropes from all across the pop culture-sphere.

I asked, "So it's like Alice in Wonderland as written by Christopher Paolini?"

"No," she replied, "That's an insult to Eragon."

(Eragon, for the uninitiated, is what would happen if Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings had a lovechild, took one look at it and decided it was too horrible to behold, and left it on the doorstep of Dragon Riders of Pern, who promptly appointed Harry Potter as its godfather and Dune as its crazy gay uncle. Dr. Who seems to drift in and out, too - maybe it's Dune's boyfriend.)

(This metaphor gets more complicated every time I tell it.)

But back to Tim Burton. Tim Burton used to be this kooky director who made movies that incidentally had cult followings. His early stuff - Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands - have a definite quirky sensibility and an understanding that he's doing this for the art. And the cult following came later - most of the mall goths who run around in sweaters with Jack Skelington's face on them were in vitro when that movie was made.

(In the name of full disclosure, my favorite Tim Burton movie is Big Fish.)

But more and more often, it seems like Burton is making movies that, instead of developing a cult following after their release, are made specifically to pander to his cult following. Starting with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory back in 2005, good ol' Timmy B has sold out. The merchandise for his movies has been showing up in Hot Topic a full SIX MONTHS before the release of the movie - I've been seeing girls walking around in Cheshire Hat hoodies for his Alice since this summer. And of course there's the matter of choosing movies that already HAVE fan followings and readapting them.

1. Chose a classic film (or musical) that people have fond memories of.

2. Add Johnny Depp

3. ???

4. PROFIT!

Sweeny Todd? Stephen Sondheim has his own sizeable cult following, although musical theater kids are usually significantly happier and gayer than mall goths - what better thing to do than combine the fandoms? I agree that the movie was a good adaptation and Burton did a good job of not undermining Sondheim's original intentions, but really? Did we have to go there? And Alice in Wonderland has been a Mall Goth Favorite since 1995 - Really, Timmy? Really? Now you're just pandering to the least common denominator. What happened to your quirky directorial sensibility? Because lately you've been getting horrible reviews. The general consensus I've gleaned is that your Alice is bland and incoherent.

I'm sad. I miss the days when you worked in magical realism and quirky stories with a lot of heart. Bring back movies like Edward Scissorhands and Big Fish.

And for god's sake, we know you're married to Helena B-C and gay for Johnny Depp, but would it kill you to make a movie without them?

Complaining about shows I don't watch.

-Leez.

Settling

For some unknowable reason, I watched like five episodes of the MTV show "My Life as Liz" today. I actually find it marginally interesting, although its pretenses as a documentary or even a reality show are bullshit - it's scripted out the wazoo. I mean, I'm pretty sure I attended high school for four years, and it was never like this! Anywho, for the uninitiated, the spunky, sarcastic, red-haired indy-chick protagonist (Liz) asks a guitar-playing coffee-shop-employed skateboard-riding pretty boy (Bryson) to prom... and is turned down. Instead, she goes with her lovable, kilt-wearing lightsaber-wielding LARP-participating guy friend (Sully), who it has been revealed, over and over, has The World's Biggest Crush on her. (Despite the obvious contrived nature of the plot, it's still kind of sweet.) It is implied that, by going to prom with Sully, Liz is "settling" where she could "do better" (IE, Bryson, who seems like a bit of a jerk, or at the very least cardboard and a designated love interest.)

Given the option, I would take the slightly overweight best friend, and I wouldn't consider it settling.

As much as I hate to admit it, I am indoctrinated into a culture of "take the best you can get." That is to say, girls like me (tall but not tall enough to be models, slightly overweight, with bad skin and slightly androgynous facial features) don't get boys that look like Brad Pitt (or other ridiculously good looking celebrity. Let's pretend we're talking about the Brad Pitt who does not have a tentacle monster growing off his face.) When it seems like a guy who is "better than you can do" is interested in you, well, you don't believe it. And then you act stupid and you miss the opportunity and the fact that I talk like this is why I don't have any friends.

So there is sort of this societal view, or at least according to the folks who are surreptitiously scripting "My Life as Liz," that a funky Juno knockoff (minus teen pregnancy) like Liz deserves to be with a cute, bland boy instead of the smart, funny guy who incidentally has a double chin and is so obviously head over heels for her.

I would take him.

Metaphorgotten in this post, apparently. Maybe I should stop blogging at 11:30 at night.

A non-specific blog of things.

Fourth day on the 'Tane - no flares yet. I'm wondering if I'll be one of the lucky ones who doesn't get them at all but it's best to not count your chickens before they hatch. We'll see how things go as they progress, but so far so good. I had a couple weird side-effects - last night I could have sworn my computer screen was trying to crawl away from me - but nothing serious.

Somehow, between now and next Thursday, I'll be writing a 20 minute screenplay. Okay, here goes nothing. We'll see what happens.

THIS IS AWESOME. (Makes me think of the movie A Serious Man? I have no idea why.)

Really Cathartic

One of the best things you can ever do is write a bad play, a play you have no expectations for, that you earnestly dislike, that will never be performed, that everyone who reads it universally agrees is shitty. Because after you write this crappy play, the next thing you can possibly do will, at least, be better than the last thing you wrote.

Writing absolute shit is relaxing.

I'm not saying I'm a fan, but...

Sarah Palin never said "I can see Russia from my house." That was Tina Fey. Dear American Mass Media: if you're going to refer to it, at least attribute it right.

I'm not a fan of Palin's by any stretch of the imagine (she scares the shit out of me), but this really gets on my nerves.

Stuff

I started accutane today but I'm too lazy to take "Before" pictures. My skin is relatively clear at the moment (which is to say shitty), anyway, but I'm assured it'll flare before it gets better.

My song of the now:

Morbid, and, y'know, catchy.

Lyrics:

my dewy-eyed disney bride, what has tried
swapping your blood with formaldehyde?
monsters?
whiskey-plied voices cried fratricide!
jesus don't you know that you could've died
(you should've died)
with the monsters that talk, monsters that walk the earth

and she's got red lipstick and a bright pair of shoes
and she's got knee high socks, what to cover a bruise
she's got an old death kit she's been meaning to use
she's got blood in her eyes, in her eyes for you
she's got blood in her eyes for you

certain fads, stripes and plaids, singles ads
they run you hot and cold like a rheostat, i mean a thermostat
so you bite on a towel
hope it won't hurt too bad

my dewy-eyed disney bride, what has tried
swapping your blood with formaldehyde?
what monsters that talk, monsters that walk the earth

and she says i like long walks and sci-fi movies
if you're six foot tall and east coast bred
some lonely night we can get together
and i'm gonna tie your wrists with leather
and drill a tiny hole into your head