A lot of Parks and Rec has been watched this month, as has Infinity War. (Radio silence until enough time has passed for most people to see it.)
My laptop hard drive failed, I think most info was able to be saved, but it's been irritating to get everything running smoothly again. And the M key is about to wear out, so it's time for the annual keyboard replacement.
That's about it for what's been happening this month.
Sunday, April 29, 2018
Saturday, March 24, 2018
Misc
I took one of those BuzzFeed quizzes today, "Which 2000s Disney/Nickelodeon Character Mashup Fits You?" The answer I got was "You’re a combination of Ron Stoppable and Eliza Thornberry. Like Ron, you will do anything for your family and friends, even if that means putting yourself in danger. And like Eliza, you have a massive sense of adventure. You are strong, courageous, and passionate."
From reruns that I've seen of Kim Possible, I can live with being Ron. That seems kind of accurate, actually. I've never seen The Wild Thornberrys, but Wikipedia says that Eliza gets along with animals very well, which also sounds accurate.
Four years ago I posted the following Facebook statuses:
"How to find Ross Hall: It's pretty easy. Go all the way east on campus, and then it's the only dorm with a bathroom stall parked in front of the building."
This was part of some prank in a war two of the fraternities were having at the time. (GREEKS ARE STUPID.) But it fit life in Ross very well. Which is why I mentioned it.
"Can I write like some combination of Agatha Christie, Brad Paisley, Mark Twain, Philip Gulley, Keith Urban, Jan Karon, Harper Lee, Miranda Lambert, Leonard Kessler, Taylor Swift, William Goldman, Edgar Guest and Lucy Maud Montgomery, please?"
I think my style has incorporated a lot of these writers since, along with Wendell Berry, G.K. Chesterton, Flannery O'Connor and others I can't think of right now.
The CVS Scotch Tape Incident occurred six years ago today. It's really weird how often that night pops up in my memories. "The porch swing silence was my favorite part," Sam commented on the original Facebook link. That was a good part of the night. "'Dylan blandly buys the tape, likely wishing he didn't know any of us' is my favorite part. That's him all over!" Paige commented right below Sam's comment. What can I say? I know my friends.
Marie's arm was fine after the Red Rover mishap, just really bruised. Last anyone heard she got married a couple years ago, has a 2-year-old son and is currently pregnant with a daughter. Last anyone heard of Sam she was about to get married.
Courtney's visiting this weekend after working most of spring break, it's been nice to see her. We saw Black Panther again last night with Caleb, and I still didn't like it. I mean, it was fine, but 12th-15th in the MCU rankings. Courtney liked it a lot, which we figured she would. We went to the AMC theater in Tulsa Hills, first time I'd ever been there. It's really nice.
Caleb and I have been playing a lot of basketball in the driveway recently. In sports, Loyola-Chicago somehow made it into the Final Four, and the NASCAR Truck race at Martinsville this afternoon was postponed due to a blizzard.
We were just talking about how much Grandpa would've loved Courtney going to C of O, how he'd always be running up to Branson to see her. He always said one summer he was going to find work up there instead of at the river, live in the RV. She'll be working over the summer, which is good. He would've enjoyed the play, too, I think, and he would've been proud that I wrote it, anyway.
While they aren't as entertaining as Keith and Nicki's hijinks, Luke and Katy work well together on Idol. On Agents, FitzSimmons' wedding was spectacular, and the episode overall was incredibly emotional in the best way possible. Recorded a cover last week of Rascal Flatts' "Stand" because Amanda asked me to; mostly I've been playing a lot of ukulele recently.
Yesterday was National Puppy Day; which the dogs didn't really care about, but Rags and Timmy have been especially needing lots of attention this week. That can be kind of nice.
From reruns that I've seen of Kim Possible, I can live with being Ron. That seems kind of accurate, actually. I've never seen The Wild Thornberrys, but Wikipedia says that Eliza gets along with animals very well, which also sounds accurate.
Four years ago I posted the following Facebook statuses:
"How to find Ross Hall: It's pretty easy. Go all the way east on campus, and then it's the only dorm with a bathroom stall parked in front of the building."
This was part of some prank in a war two of the fraternities were having at the time. (GREEKS ARE STUPID.) But it fit life in Ross very well. Which is why I mentioned it.
"Can I write like some combination of Agatha Christie, Brad Paisley, Mark Twain, Philip Gulley, Keith Urban, Jan Karon, Harper Lee, Miranda Lambert, Leonard Kessler, Taylor Swift, William Goldman, Edgar Guest and Lucy Maud Montgomery, please?"
I think my style has incorporated a lot of these writers since, along with Wendell Berry, G.K. Chesterton, Flannery O'Connor and others I can't think of right now.
The CVS Scotch Tape Incident occurred six years ago today. It's really weird how often that night pops up in my memories. "The porch swing silence was my favorite part," Sam commented on the original Facebook link. That was a good part of the night. "'Dylan blandly buys the tape, likely wishing he didn't know any of us' is my favorite part. That's him all over!" Paige commented right below Sam's comment. What can I say? I know my friends.
Marie's arm was fine after the Red Rover mishap, just really bruised. Last anyone heard she got married a couple years ago, has a 2-year-old son and is currently pregnant with a daughter. Last anyone heard of Sam she was about to get married.
Courtney's visiting this weekend after working most of spring break, it's been nice to see her. We saw Black Panther again last night with Caleb, and I still didn't like it. I mean, it was fine, but 12th-15th in the MCU rankings. Courtney liked it a lot, which we figured she would. We went to the AMC theater in Tulsa Hills, first time I'd ever been there. It's really nice.
Caleb and I have been playing a lot of basketball in the driveway recently. In sports, Loyola-Chicago somehow made it into the Final Four, and the NASCAR Truck race at Martinsville this afternoon was postponed due to a blizzard.
We were just talking about how much Grandpa would've loved Courtney going to C of O, how he'd always be running up to Branson to see her. He always said one summer he was going to find work up there instead of at the river, live in the RV. She'll be working over the summer, which is good. He would've enjoyed the play, too, I think, and he would've been proud that I wrote it, anyway.
While they aren't as entertaining as Keith and Nicki's hijinks, Luke and Katy work well together on Idol. On Agents, FitzSimmons' wedding was spectacular, and the episode overall was incredibly emotional in the best way possible. Recorded a cover last week of Rascal Flatts' "Stand" because Amanda asked me to; mostly I've been playing a lot of ukulele recently.
Yesterday was National Puppy Day; which the dogs didn't really care about, but Rags and Timmy have been especially needing lots of attention this week. That can be kind of nice.
Sunday, March 11, 2018
A Good Weekend
This week started out with the tension of anticipating the RSU Theatre Program's production of Texaco Mornings, to go along with the nervousness of phantom midterms. So there was a lot of anxious cleaning.
And then Tuesday morning I heard back from a job-application email the week before, which is rare and stressful, because A: you're talking to a stranger, B: on the phone, C: about yourself, and D: trying to make a good impression. I was basically hung up on, which is how that usually ends, but at least I heard back.
"Hey, I think I can actually make it! Like maybe Friday night." Ashland texts me somewhere early in the week.
Wednesday Caleb was supposed to start his first day working for Justin, except he couldn't get there because the truck broke down. (It's since been sort-of-fixed, I think.)
Crashed the youth group because I hadn't heard the end of David Platt's sermon series on "Angels, Demons and Spiritual Warfare" because my freshman year at NSU had already started. The sermon was interesting. And also, it was DC Talk Night in the Throwback Christian Music series, and I'm like the resident DC Talk expert.
Thursday night Caleb had a MEND fundraiser he was volunteering for, along with Hope, Mattie, Seth and Laura. That seemed to go well. Trevor and Amy had swimming, so everybody was happily busy. Wasn't able to make it to the opening night, but it's one of those things that couldn't be helped. The quiet house was nice;; read through a book of Billy Collins poetry from the OKC book sale.
Andrew said there was a great crowd; I know Debra and Cody both made it. "Proud of you, man!" Cody said. Dr. Dial-Driver wasn't able to make it, but she sent me a nice message, and she had everyone give her a report. ("I told her that even if you didn't know Wes wrote it, you'd know Wes wrote it," Dr. Mackie said).
Friday morning was a good day for blasting Jars of Clay while cleaning.
I missed the landmark 100th episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. that night, but it was totally worth it. Not every day your play is produced. (But IT SHOWED FITZSIMMONS' WEDDING, which I would have loved almost as much as Andy and April's or Ben and Leslie's. Maybe I'm okay with weddings as long as they're fictional?)
"Looks like I'll be seeing you tonight," Ashland texts me. She tackle-hugged me as soon as I'd gotten both feet into Baird Hall, pretty much. "I told people I knew you, and it was like, I knew a celebrity or something!"
About eighteen to twenty people were in the audience, which was a decent size. It was great to see Andrew, David and Dr. Mackie again. I also recognized a couple classmates I knew by sight. The Ruscos came, which I wasn't expecting. It was weird seeing the script performed, but the audience seemed to like it. The acting wasn't the best, but it wasn't awful, either. The actors missed or mangled about twenty percent of the lines, mostly skipping the dramatic parts. "This is a lot funnier than it should be," was all my brain registered in the moment.
We stopped by Taco Bueno afterward, and were quickly reminded neither of us liked it. But late-night conversations are always good, even if the food isn't great. Mostly the topic was INFJ-ism in the workplace, and commiserating the general difficulties of college and young adulthood "I was like, 'You okay?' You were really tense," she grinned once we'd gotten into dissecting the performance. (This didn't register at all.) We both graded it a high C, mostly because the actors who played siblings were obviously strangers, which was a little awkward.
Since it was going to be rainy, and because it was cheap and indoors, we decided to go to the Gilcrease Art Museum Saturday morning. It was fun. We rummaged through Indian artifacts all National Treasure-y, roamed through pretty much everywhere, and wished our photography skills were better. Since the temporary Norman Rockwell exhibit was still there, of course we had to see that - I kept a lookout for security guards while she illegally snapped photos to show her grandma. We didn't get caught.
Since it was beautiful weather, we prowled around the grounds outside taking pictures of the flowers and tree buds. We got some good pictures, and we also got chased by wasps for our troubles. Ignoring tradition, we actually got a couple good selfies this time.
We only got minorly lost on the way home, Taylor Swift blasting on Pandora, and we had lunch at Whataburger since she wanted to try it. The food was greasy and delicious, the convo was good.
A huge crowd showed up for Saturday night's closing performance; probably thirty-five to forty people. Talked to Brandon, saw Brittany on the other side of the room. Only about five percent of the lines were missing, and different moments were seen as humorous. Andrew did a great job directing. It got a high B grade.
The premiere of the sixteenth season of American Idol was tonight on ABC; the editing was unfocused, but it has potential. Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie seem like they'll work well together.
And then Tuesday morning I heard back from a job-application email the week before, which is rare and stressful, because A: you're talking to a stranger, B: on the phone, C: about yourself, and D: trying to make a good impression. I was basically hung up on, which is how that usually ends, but at least I heard back.
"Hey, I think I can actually make it! Like maybe Friday night." Ashland texts me somewhere early in the week.
Wednesday Caleb was supposed to start his first day working for Justin, except he couldn't get there because the truck broke down. (It's since been sort-of-fixed, I think.)
Crashed the youth group because I hadn't heard the end of David Platt's sermon series on "Angels, Demons and Spiritual Warfare" because my freshman year at NSU had already started. The sermon was interesting. And also, it was DC Talk Night in the Throwback Christian Music series, and I'm like the resident DC Talk expert.
Thursday night Caleb had a MEND fundraiser he was volunteering for, along with Hope, Mattie, Seth and Laura. That seemed to go well. Trevor and Amy had swimming, so everybody was happily busy. Wasn't able to make it to the opening night, but it's one of those things that couldn't be helped. The quiet house was nice;; read through a book of Billy Collins poetry from the OKC book sale.
Andrew said there was a great crowd; I know Debra and Cody both made it. "Proud of you, man!" Cody said. Dr. Dial-Driver wasn't able to make it, but she sent me a nice message, and she had everyone give her a report. ("I told her that even if you didn't know Wes wrote it, you'd know Wes wrote it," Dr. Mackie said).
Friday morning was a good day for blasting Jars of Clay while cleaning.
I missed the landmark 100th episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. that night, but it was totally worth it. Not every day your play is produced. (But IT SHOWED FITZSIMMONS' WEDDING, which I would have loved almost as much as Andy and April's or Ben and Leslie's. Maybe I'm okay with weddings as long as they're fictional?)
"Looks like I'll be seeing you tonight," Ashland texts me. She tackle-hugged me as soon as I'd gotten both feet into Baird Hall, pretty much. "I told people I knew you, and it was like, I knew a celebrity or something!"
About eighteen to twenty people were in the audience, which was a decent size. It was great to see Andrew, David and Dr. Mackie again. I also recognized a couple classmates I knew by sight. The Ruscos came, which I wasn't expecting. It was weird seeing the script performed, but the audience seemed to like it. The acting wasn't the best, but it wasn't awful, either. The actors missed or mangled about twenty percent of the lines, mostly skipping the dramatic parts. "This is a lot funnier than it should be," was all my brain registered in the moment.
We stopped by Taco Bueno afterward, and were quickly reminded neither of us liked it. But late-night conversations are always good, even if the food isn't great. Mostly the topic was INFJ-ism in the workplace, and commiserating the general difficulties of college and young adulthood "I was like, 'You okay?' You were really tense," she grinned once we'd gotten into dissecting the performance. (This didn't register at all.) We both graded it a high C, mostly because the actors who played siblings were obviously strangers, which was a little awkward.
Since it was going to be rainy, and because it was cheap and indoors, we decided to go to the Gilcrease Art Museum Saturday morning. It was fun. We rummaged through Indian artifacts all National Treasure-y, roamed through pretty much everywhere, and wished our photography skills were better. Since the temporary Norman Rockwell exhibit was still there, of course we had to see that - I kept a lookout for security guards while she illegally snapped photos to show her grandma. We didn't get caught.Since it was beautiful weather, we prowled around the grounds outside taking pictures of the flowers and tree buds. We got some good pictures, and we also got chased by wasps for our troubles. Ignoring tradition, we actually got a couple good selfies this time.
A huge crowd showed up for Saturday night's closing performance; probably thirty-five to forty people. Talked to Brandon, saw Brittany on the other side of the room. Only about five percent of the lines were missing, and different moments were seen as humorous. Andrew did a great job directing. It got a high B grade.
The premiere of the sixteenth season of American Idol was tonight on ABC; the editing was unfocused, but it has potential. Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie seem like they'll work well together.
Monday, March 5, 2018
Remembering Will
The weather's been gray, cold, sullen and thoroughly wet for the last several weeks. That's usual weather in our part of Oklahoma for late February/early March. It's made me thankful I haven't had to walk through it back and forth from classes to my dorm. But it's made me wonder what Will is doing.
Will was the resident Jehovah's Witness missionary at NSU. He was a friendly, soft-spoken, obese, middle-aged guy who had to retire early because of severe back pain after thirty years of working in publishing/printing in Colorado. He has a grown daughter in Denver and several grown sons in Georgia. His wife ran the quilting supplies shop downtown just past Felt's Shoes, where he occasionally helped out when his back allowed. The rest of his time - probably three days a week, on average - was spent manning the table of JW fliers halfway between Seminary Hall and the Fine Arts Building.
Most of the time he was ignored, accepted as part of the scenery, except for the folks from CCF, who would aggressively attack his theology whenever they had a couple spare minutes. The BCM folks were kind of scared of him.
I would stop and talk with him for five or ten minutes if I had time; if I didn't I'd always wave and he'd holler a wisecrack about my speedwalking setting the pavement on fire.
We didn't talk about theology much. Sometimes we would ask each questions about various points about what the other believed, and then we'd try to answer those questions as best we could. I would occasionally take some of his literature to talk over it with him later, and he would occasionally read the online articles I mentioned. Since I was a MassComm major, and he'd worked in journalism, we would usually talk about those kinds of things. Local news, the merits of coffee, campus gossip, what we'd been reading lately, observations about people-watching. And sometimes we'd just sit and people-watch together, since a college campus is an excellent spot for doing that: one girl he always called Pirate Boots, because he didn't know her name and she wore boots that looked piratey nearly every day.
If I was running down to Morgan's Bakery, I'd once in a while ask if he wanted me to get anything for him. If his health was especially good for a few days in a row, he'd usually go on a baking spree, and sometimes would bring the extra cookies for me that he and his wife didn't eat the night before.
One day we were talking and he frowned in midsentence and gave me one of those curious, hard stares for a minute. "Y'know, Wes....you're different." I must have looked surprised, because he continued: "I know we don't believe the same things, but you don't try to ram it down my throat like those other people do. You just treat me like a person. I can't remember meeting a Christian who ever did that. Thank you."
That's always stuck in my head ever since, and often replayed itself while working on homework late at night. I didn't think of it as anything special; it was just something that needed to be done, so I did it, just like guiding my blind classmate Russell back and forth from Dr. Fuller's psych class freshman year. Will was discouraged, everyone ignoring him like that. It doesn't take much to brighten somebody's day.
Hope he's doing okay.
Will was the resident Jehovah's Witness missionary at NSU. He was a friendly, soft-spoken, obese, middle-aged guy who had to retire early because of severe back pain after thirty years of working in publishing/printing in Colorado. He has a grown daughter in Denver and several grown sons in Georgia. His wife ran the quilting supplies shop downtown just past Felt's Shoes, where he occasionally helped out when his back allowed. The rest of his time - probably three days a week, on average - was spent manning the table of JW fliers halfway between Seminary Hall and the Fine Arts Building.
Most of the time he was ignored, accepted as part of the scenery, except for the folks from CCF, who would aggressively attack his theology whenever they had a couple spare minutes. The BCM folks were kind of scared of him.
I would stop and talk with him for five or ten minutes if I had time; if I didn't I'd always wave and he'd holler a wisecrack about my speedwalking setting the pavement on fire.
We didn't talk about theology much. Sometimes we would ask each questions about various points about what the other believed, and then we'd try to answer those questions as best we could. I would occasionally take some of his literature to talk over it with him later, and he would occasionally read the online articles I mentioned. Since I was a MassComm major, and he'd worked in journalism, we would usually talk about those kinds of things. Local news, the merits of coffee, campus gossip, what we'd been reading lately, observations about people-watching. And sometimes we'd just sit and people-watch together, since a college campus is an excellent spot for doing that: one girl he always called Pirate Boots, because he didn't know her name and she wore boots that looked piratey nearly every day.
If I was running down to Morgan's Bakery, I'd once in a while ask if he wanted me to get anything for him. If his health was especially good for a few days in a row, he'd usually go on a baking spree, and sometimes would bring the extra cookies for me that he and his wife didn't eat the night before.
One day we were talking and he frowned in midsentence and gave me one of those curious, hard stares for a minute. "Y'know, Wes....you're different." I must have looked surprised, because he continued: "I know we don't believe the same things, but you don't try to ram it down my throat like those other people do. You just treat me like a person. I can't remember meeting a Christian who ever did that. Thank you."
That's always stuck in my head ever since, and often replayed itself while working on homework late at night. I didn't think of it as anything special; it was just something that needed to be done, so I did it, just like guiding my blind classmate Russell back and forth from Dr. Fuller's psych class freshman year. Will was discouraged, everyone ignoring him like that. It doesn't take much to brighten somebody's day.
Hope he's doing okay.
Saturday, February 24, 2018
Happy Birthday, Blog
I created this blog on this day in 2012. I'd been thinking about it for a year or two, and it was the middle of a boring day in February with nothing else much to do. (Also, Facebook was going through one of its redesigns, and there was a rumor that the then-popular Notes section would be deleted, so I wanted to keep my favorites.) Mom was visiting with Trinnica, and everybody else was playing some kind of war game in the backyard with Jonathan.
Sometimes people wonder about how it got titled this way; so I put out an explanation of the title right up front. It's a Princess Bride quote, from the novel, not the movie.
The series finale of Parks and Rec, "One Last Ride," aired on this day in 2015. It's one of the most perfect series finales ever. I watched season 7 live, even though I hadn't really met anyone in Pawnee yet, because it was a way to stay connected with everybody at the NSU BCM. (Stephen, Elizabeth, Susan, Bucky and Daniel were especially fans of the show.) I'd just moved to Claremore and RSU, and the humor was a welcome distraction from the roughness of that semester. (There's good people there, but I'm not really a fan of the city of Claremore.) And it was good homework in studying camera angles and shot placement.
Speaking of NSU ministries, Tom Tucker finally completely retired from leading CCF a couple months ago. And Ryan Galdemez became the pastor of Grace Baptist after Geoff Brown left.
It's been raining and raining and raining some more all week - cold and gray and drenching weather is hard to be productive in. But at least there wasn't an ice storm, like it seemed there would be earlier in the week.
Mom, Amy, Trevor and I went to the Gilcrease Art Museum in Tulsa Friday night because there was a traveling exhibit of Norman Rockwell original art, behind-the-scenes photographs, sketches, and the actual Saturday Evening Post covers themselves. It was amazing.
The afternoon was spent running errands in Okmulgee, which was useful.
Being book hunters, once we heard about the Oklahoma City Library System's annual book sale at the state fairgrounds, Mom and I decided we needed to go. It was spectacular. I found some Faulkner, and a history of Broadway for Susan, and a handful of Shakespeare that matched good copies we already had. Mom found Peterson field guides and I don't know what all else. I found a lot of guides for writing different genres in the Fine Arts section; hopefully some of them will be helpful.
It was awesome. People were very polite; always apologizing after running into each other due to the intense focus of finding good titles. Going to Oklahoma City always feels a very long way away, when it's only about two hours west. Probably feels that way because the landscape changes a lot.
Caleb accidentally locked himself out of the truck while at a photoshoot with a friend, so we drove back home through Henryetta so he could get himself unstuck. That's the usual way to get to OKC, it seems like. Nice to drive through Henryetta again; felt like we should be driving back from a Knights ballgame. High school basketball playoffs started last week; it's a little weird to not be actively covering them.
Songs of the Day this week include Bowling for Soup's "1985" and Dustin Lynch's "Cowboys and Angels."
It's the final day of competition for the 2018 PeyongChang Winter Olympics. NBC's overage seemed a little lacking, mostly because there wasn't many of the inspirational stories shown, and because Bob Costas retired. Mike Tirico did better than I expected, but it still felt wrong. The Russian figure skaters had an epic battle in the ladies' event, and the Americans were all entirely without personality or talent. Snowboard cross was awesome, as usual, and snowboard halfpipe and the speed skating events. The commercials were amazingly inspirational. And the U.S. women's hockey team beat Canada in a shootout in the gold medal game, which is great.
The production of Texaco Mornings will be in two weeks. That's exciting, but also completely terrifying. It felt a little strange to write your own press release talking about your own play, though. But the Okmulgee Times people were happy to run it, and hopefully it will draw some more people to come see it.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will be back from the Olympic break this Friday, and it will air their 100th episode March 9. It's been fun to follow their Instagram and Twitter for memories. American Idol returns for its 16th season March 11; I'm predicting Luke Bryan will be my favorite judge this season.
Sometimes people wonder about how it got titled this way; so I put out an explanation of the title right up front. It's a Princess Bride quote, from the novel, not the movie.
The series finale of Parks and Rec, "One Last Ride," aired on this day in 2015. It's one of the most perfect series finales ever. I watched season 7 live, even though I hadn't really met anyone in Pawnee yet, because it was a way to stay connected with everybody at the NSU BCM. (Stephen, Elizabeth, Susan, Bucky and Daniel were especially fans of the show.) I'd just moved to Claremore and RSU, and the humor was a welcome distraction from the roughness of that semester. (There's good people there, but I'm not really a fan of the city of Claremore.) And it was good homework in studying camera angles and shot placement.
Speaking of NSU ministries, Tom Tucker finally completely retired from leading CCF a couple months ago. And Ryan Galdemez became the pastor of Grace Baptist after Geoff Brown left.
It's been raining and raining and raining some more all week - cold and gray and drenching weather is hard to be productive in. But at least there wasn't an ice storm, like it seemed there would be earlier in the week.
Mom, Amy, Trevor and I went to the Gilcrease Art Museum in Tulsa Friday night because there was a traveling exhibit of Norman Rockwell original art, behind-the-scenes photographs, sketches, and the actual Saturday Evening Post covers themselves. It was amazing.
The afternoon was spent running errands in Okmulgee, which was useful.
Being book hunters, once we heard about the Oklahoma City Library System's annual book sale at the state fairgrounds, Mom and I decided we needed to go. It was spectacular. I found some Faulkner, and a history of Broadway for Susan, and a handful of Shakespeare that matched good copies we already had. Mom found Peterson field guides and I don't know what all else. I found a lot of guides for writing different genres in the Fine Arts section; hopefully some of them will be helpful.
It was awesome. People were very polite; always apologizing after running into each other due to the intense focus of finding good titles. Going to Oklahoma City always feels a very long way away, when it's only about two hours west. Probably feels that way because the landscape changes a lot.
Caleb accidentally locked himself out of the truck while at a photoshoot with a friend, so we drove back home through Henryetta so he could get himself unstuck. That's the usual way to get to OKC, it seems like. Nice to drive through Henryetta again; felt like we should be driving back from a Knights ballgame. High school basketball playoffs started last week; it's a little weird to not be actively covering them.
Songs of the Day this week include Bowling for Soup's "1985" and Dustin Lynch's "Cowboys and Angels."
It's the final day of competition for the 2018 PeyongChang Winter Olympics. NBC's overage seemed a little lacking, mostly because there wasn't many of the inspirational stories shown, and because Bob Costas retired. Mike Tirico did better than I expected, but it still felt wrong. The Russian figure skaters had an epic battle in the ladies' event, and the Americans were all entirely without personality or talent. Snowboard cross was awesome, as usual, and snowboard halfpipe and the speed skating events. The commercials were amazingly inspirational. And the U.S. women's hockey team beat Canada in a shootout in the gold medal game, which is great.
The production of Texaco Mornings will be in two weeks. That's exciting, but also completely terrifying. It felt a little strange to write your own press release talking about your own play, though. But the Okmulgee Times people were happy to run it, and hopefully it will draw some more people to come see it.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will be back from the Olympic break this Friday, and it will air their 100th episode March 9. It's been fun to follow their Instagram and Twitter for memories. American Idol returns for its 16th season March 11; I'm predicting Luke Bryan will be my favorite judge this season.
Saturday, February 17, 2018
Standby
We have these two types of muscle fibers: slow-twitch for endurance, and quick-twitch for explosive movements. Swimming and cross-country running use mainly slow-twitch, tennis and volleyball quick-twitch. Some of us naturally have more of one type or the other. I have more quick-twitch muscles, so I enjoy more explosive sports, like tennis or volleyball.
But if your muscles are tensed up for an explosion that never comes, that can be extremely tiring. It's like when Skye was trying to understand her new abilities after becoming an Inhuman in season two of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - when she tried to force her powers inward, she wound up breaking her own arm. Not anywhere near that dramatic, but that sense of "standby" is kind of where it feels like everything is right now.
Not much is happening in Okmulgee County, so there's not really anything to cover for the ONN. Most of the Frontstretch staff is at Daytona for the opening weekend of the NASCAR season, which meant my news day - Thursday - I was on standby for if they needed backup. They didn't, which was fine, but it's hard to be that tensed and ready to spring if there's nothing to pounce. (I spend too much of the day watching our cats.) Macklin and Smudge have had upset stomachs for the last two weeks, so I've been cleaning up their diarrhea way too often - they've been exiled to the garage until they feel better.
It's hard work waiting for things to happen. For the last six months or so it's felt like things - work, life, church, personal - were just about to fall into place once something happened, like a domino chain. Just hasn't quite started yet.
Another awful school shooting happened the other day in south Florida. Facebook and Twitter have been filled with people arguing over whether gun laws or mental health systems need to be overhauled. My uneducated opinion is that both sides are probably right. .
Finished The Perks of Being a Wallflower recently, didn't like it. Novels about stoners make me really mad, because their lack of ambition drives me crazy - in Children's/YA Lit everyone in class wanted to kill the narrator of The Spectacular Now. And they're unbearably depressing. I still might see the movies of both of those books, though.
Saw Black Panther last night. Trevor was chomping at the bit to see it, and Dad dragged Caleb and I along. The Orpheum was about 80 percent full, which was incredibly impressive (though the offerings were the newest MCU movie and the final movie of the Fifty Shades trilogy, and it's Okmulgee, so...maybe not so impressive).
It had to do a lot - the royal intrigue of a Shakespeare history, with the plot of The Lion King, with the amount of worldbuilding of Iron Man 2, Thor,, Guardians or Doctor Strange. Subtitles would have been helpful - some of the accents were so thick the dialogue was kind of lost. It was all right, but I'd rank it in the 12th-15th range out of all MCU movies so far. Caleb and Mom were both astounded I could rank it within two hours of watching..Some of the most interesting characters were killed, which seems like a waste of good acting talent.
Also, Dad's elbow was jamming into my side and his foot was in my lap, because personal space isn't something he doesn't do very well. That was uncomfortable.
On the way home he was constantly berating Caleb's driving, which was also uncomfortable. Caleb's a really good driver. It was raining, and somebody was tailgating a little bit on the way home. Dad wanted Caleb to either pull over or stop so they would run into us and it would be their fault. In his best impression of Jack Lankford, Caleb calmly stated that he was driving the speed limit and wasn't going to break any driving laws just because Dad told him to. Dad threw a tantrum, saying that it was his truck and that Caleb couldn't drive it tomorrow for disobeying his orders (we were thinking of going to the Oilers game tonight).
They both argued their case to Mom once we got home, while Trevor and I hid in the family room and pretended to care about men's Olympic figure skating.
I have Relient K stuck in my head this morning, and I slept horribly.
But if your muscles are tensed up for an explosion that never comes, that can be extremely tiring. It's like when Skye was trying to understand her new abilities after becoming an Inhuman in season two of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - when she tried to force her powers inward, she wound up breaking her own arm. Not anywhere near that dramatic, but that sense of "standby" is kind of where it feels like everything is right now.
Not much is happening in Okmulgee County, so there's not really anything to cover for the ONN. Most of the Frontstretch staff is at Daytona for the opening weekend of the NASCAR season, which meant my news day - Thursday - I was on standby for if they needed backup. They didn't, which was fine, but it's hard to be that tensed and ready to spring if there's nothing to pounce. (I spend too much of the day watching our cats.) Macklin and Smudge have had upset stomachs for the last two weeks, so I've been cleaning up their diarrhea way too often - they've been exiled to the garage until they feel better.
It's hard work waiting for things to happen. For the last six months or so it's felt like things - work, life, church, personal - were just about to fall into place once something happened, like a domino chain. Just hasn't quite started yet.
Another awful school shooting happened the other day in south Florida. Facebook and Twitter have been filled with people arguing over whether gun laws or mental health systems need to be overhauled. My uneducated opinion is that both sides are probably right. .
Finished The Perks of Being a Wallflower recently, didn't like it. Novels about stoners make me really mad, because their lack of ambition drives me crazy - in Children's/YA Lit everyone in class wanted to kill the narrator of The Spectacular Now. And they're unbearably depressing. I still might see the movies of both of those books, though.
Saw Black Panther last night. Trevor was chomping at the bit to see it, and Dad dragged Caleb and I along. The Orpheum was about 80 percent full, which was incredibly impressive (though the offerings were the newest MCU movie and the final movie of the Fifty Shades trilogy, and it's Okmulgee, so...maybe not so impressive).
It had to do a lot - the royal intrigue of a Shakespeare history, with the plot of The Lion King, with the amount of worldbuilding of Iron Man 2, Thor,, Guardians or Doctor Strange. Subtitles would have been helpful - some of the accents were so thick the dialogue was kind of lost. It was all right, but I'd rank it in the 12th-15th range out of all MCU movies so far. Caleb and Mom were both astounded I could rank it within two hours of watching..Some of the most interesting characters were killed, which seems like a waste of good acting talent.
Also, Dad's elbow was jamming into my side and his foot was in my lap, because personal space isn't something he doesn't do very well. That was uncomfortable.
On the way home he was constantly berating Caleb's driving, which was also uncomfortable. Caleb's a really good driver. It was raining, and somebody was tailgating a little bit on the way home. Dad wanted Caleb to either pull over or stop so they would run into us and it would be their fault. In his best impression of Jack Lankford, Caleb calmly stated that he was driving the speed limit and wasn't going to break any driving laws just because Dad told him to. Dad threw a tantrum, saying that it was his truck and that Caleb couldn't drive it tomorrow for disobeying his orders (we were thinking of going to the Oilers game tonight).
They both argued their case to Mom once we got home, while Trevor and I hid in the family room and pretended to care about men's Olympic figure skating.
I have Relient K stuck in my head this morning, and I slept horribly.
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
Screen Crushes of College
So, a couple years ago I made lists of screen crushes growing up and as a teenager. And last year I made a list of my favorite couples from TV, since the format lends itself better to studying characters and relationships.
Natalie Portman
Why? She's pretty in an everyday sort of way, and in interviews she's very down-to-earth, and on Saturday Night Live she can make fun of herself easily.
Gwen Stacy - The Amazing Spider-Man
Why? Gwen is smart, resourceful, and a bit of a dork.
Hollie Cavanagh - American Idol season 11
Why? This girl could sing. And she was pretty in a Natalie Portman type of way. And the way her accent would shift in midsentence from Texas drawl to classy British and back was hysterical.
McKayla Maroney
Why? She was focused. And extremely graceful on the vault.
Hilary Duff
Why? Her characters are down-to-earth, quick-witted, smart and independent. Who knows why screen crushes happen?
Skye - Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 1-2
Why? She wears her heart on her sleeve (and her face). Fiercely loyal and protective of her friends, prone to making horrible life decisions, and she has an awful track record when it comes to relationships.
Taylor Swift
Why? She's an amazing storyteller with a mischievous personality.
Jemma Simmons - Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. seasons 2-3
Why? She's brilliant, funny, kind and pretty. Why not in S4? Because she and Fitz make such an amazing couple.
Avril Lavigne
Why? Her lyrics are honest, straightforward and thoughtfully arranged.
April Ludgate - Parks and Recreation
Why? Sarcastic, intensely loyal, and with a kind heart hiding behind her growls, April is amazing.
Ann Perkins - Parks and Recreation
Why? She's grounded and realistic, but ready to go on adventures at any moment.
Daisy Johnson - Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 4
Why? S4 Daisy has a lot of Skye in her, especially early in the season.
Aly Raisman
Why? She was always encouraging her teammates on, and very articulate in interviews.
Madison Kocian
Why? She seemed like a normal girl who just happened to be an Olympic gymnast. And she was so graceful on the uneven bars.
Natalie Portman
Why? She's pretty in an everyday sort of way, and in interviews she's very down-to-earth, and on Saturday Night Live she can make fun of herself easily.
Gwen Stacy - The Amazing Spider-Man
Why? Gwen is smart, resourceful, and a bit of a dork.
Hollie Cavanagh - American Idol season 11
Why? This girl could sing. And she was pretty in a Natalie Portman type of way. And the way her accent would shift in midsentence from Texas drawl to classy British and back was hysterical.
McKayla Maroney
Why? She was focused. And extremely graceful on the vault.
Hilary Duff
Why? Her characters are down-to-earth, quick-witted, smart and independent. Who knows why screen crushes happen?
Skye - Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 1-2
Why? She wears her heart on her sleeve (and her face). Fiercely loyal and protective of her friends, prone to making horrible life decisions, and she has an awful track record when it comes to relationships.
Taylor Swift
Why? She's an amazing storyteller with a mischievous personality.
Jemma Simmons - Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. seasons 2-3
Why? She's brilliant, funny, kind and pretty. Why not in S4? Because she and Fitz make such an amazing couple.
Avril Lavigne
Why? Her lyrics are honest, straightforward and thoughtfully arranged.
April Ludgate - Parks and Recreation
Why? Sarcastic, intensely loyal, and with a kind heart hiding behind her growls, April is amazing.
Ann Perkins - Parks and Recreation
Why? She's grounded and realistic, but ready to go on adventures at any moment.
Daisy Johnson - Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 4
Why? S4 Daisy has a lot of Skye in her, especially early in the season.
Aly Raisman
Why? She was always encouraging her teammates on, and very articulate in interviews.
Madison Kocian
Why? She seemed like a normal girl who just happened to be an Olympic gymnast. And she was so graceful on the uneven bars.
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
This Scene Is a Rerun
Stop me if I've written this scene before: Wes is wide-awake while the rest of the world is asleep, listening to Spotify while working on a blog post trying to figure out what's on his mind, because he is an INFJ, and that's part of INFJ-ness. It's cold, and it's been a frustrating though semi-productive day, following another difficult weekend where all his nerves stood on end and howled.
Restless, sad, lonely, hopeless and pissed off at something unidentifiable, that's usual territory.
Taylor Swift's "Never Grow Up" is the current song playing, and he's hoping his nieces are doing well, while trying to not to remember that he and Sam were at one point going to record a cover of that song.
The Olympics have been watched a lot, both actually-watched and background-noise-while-reading. This hasn't been a very good month for reading, though I did dive back through Much Ado because it'd been too long since I'd read Shakespeare. Catcher in the Rye was just as stupid as Crick and Beatrix thought it was - I should've listened to them. Smart characters. I wonder pretty often what happened to them, if the dude who wrote Tent City knows what happened to them.
RSU Theater's Original Recipe shows are running this weekend. They should be good.
Fiction just isn't happening, I think because just the mundaneity of everyday survival is taking too much energy. Texaco Mornings will run in early March, if things go right, and I still want to explore those characters deeper by translating the script into prose, but again, that would be fiction. Susan likes the characters, though, so that's good.
My laptop battery is mostly dead, so I'm waiting on the new one to arrive. This will be the third time I've replaced it, I think. And I've replaced the keyboard twice. It was roughly a year old when I got it.
The internet has been sporadically working lately, including an hours-long stretch this afternoon, which meant I barely made deadline for my Frontstretch column running tomorrow morning.
I've kind of given up on job hunting because of the deafening silence in response to emails and questionnaires
The Eagles' "Desperado" has been a Song of the Day, as has Garth Brooks' "What She's Doing Now."
Restless, sad, lonely, hopeless and pissed off at something unidentifiable, that's usual territory.
Taylor Swift's "Never Grow Up" is the current song playing, and he's hoping his nieces are doing well, while trying to not to remember that he and Sam were at one point going to record a cover of that song.
The Olympics have been watched a lot, both actually-watched and background-noise-while-reading. This hasn't been a very good month for reading, though I did dive back through Much Ado because it'd been too long since I'd read Shakespeare. Catcher in the Rye was just as stupid as Crick and Beatrix thought it was - I should've listened to them. Smart characters. I wonder pretty often what happened to them, if the dude who wrote Tent City knows what happened to them.
RSU Theater's Original Recipe shows are running this weekend. They should be good.
Fiction just isn't happening, I think because just the mundaneity of everyday survival is taking too much energy. Texaco Mornings will run in early March, if things go right, and I still want to explore those characters deeper by translating the script into prose, but again, that would be fiction. Susan likes the characters, though, so that's good.
My laptop battery is mostly dead, so I'm waiting on the new one to arrive. This will be the third time I've replaced it, I think. And I've replaced the keyboard twice. It was roughly a year old when I got it.
The internet has been sporadically working lately, including an hours-long stretch this afternoon, which meant I barely made deadline for my Frontstretch column running tomorrow morning.
I've kind of given up on job hunting because of the deafening silence in response to emails and questionnaires
The Eagles' "Desperado" has been a Song of the Day, as has Garth Brooks' "What She's Doing Now."
Thursday, February 8, 2018
Olympics and Life
The Winter Olympics begin tonight, which I'm thrilled about. Last time that happened I was in the middle of my sophomore year at NSU. Olympics, because they happen roughly every two years, are a good time to stop and reflect on life.
For my speech class that semester, I recounted a history of the Winter Olympics, because it sprang easily to mind. And also I could watch Cool Runnings as research. And the Arctic feel of Ross Hall made watching the events much more authentic.
The other day Jessica asked for help on picking a wedding dress. (I knew watching Say Yes to the Dress reruns would eventually pay off...not that I did that or anything. It's an unexpectedly enthralling show.) Sure, it felt like she was asking basically everyone she knew for advice, too, but still, that meant that she trusts me. And that means a lot.
Skyped with Courtney today, school's keeping her busy, but it's going all right.
Super Bowl LII was Sunday, and it was an amazing game. Philadelphia beat New England 41-33, and I think it was the first time I'd watched the entire game in ten years.
Budweiser won the commercials this year, which were especially lame. Bud's ad was, when you think about it, classy and yet self-aggrandizing at the same time, highlighting their water-donation efforts during the hurricanes last year. Also, for an NFL ad, Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr reenacted Dirty Dancing, which was pretty hysterical.
For my speech class that semester, I recounted a history of the Winter Olympics, because it sprang easily to mind. And also I could watch Cool Runnings as research. And the Arctic feel of Ross Hall made watching the events much more authentic.
The other day Jessica asked for help on picking a wedding dress. (I knew watching Say Yes to the Dress reruns would eventually pay off...not that I did that or anything. It's an unexpectedly enthralling show.) Sure, it felt like she was asking basically everyone she knew for advice, too, but still, that meant that she trusts me. And that means a lot.
Skyped with Courtney today, school's keeping her busy, but it's going all right.
Super Bowl LII was Sunday, and it was an amazing game. Philadelphia beat New England 41-33, and I think it was the first time I'd watched the entire game in ten years.
Friday, February 2, 2018
Good News
Last Friday was Amy's cheerleading night with a local Down Syndrome group at a Catholic high school nearby; which is one of the high points of her year. She did great, and had a fantastic time. The Comets were trounced in both games, though.
Yesterday I got an unexpected encouraging note from the editor-in-chief of Frontstretch.com, thanking me for merging smoothly into accelerated traffic late last season and drafting along well with the rest of the staff. And this morning I was promoted to doing a column for the upcoming season.
Caleb was raising money for a Special Olympics fundraiser tomorrow morning, and he reached the goal he was hoping for.
The folk music group the Spencer Family were visiting GBC Sunday night, so Mom and Amy have been listening to their songs all this week. And Mom got to visit with the Guenthers since they dropped by.
Ashland adopted a hedgehog earlier this week, which was worth celebrating. "Lol, I'm a mom!" she texted me excitedly. "By adoption, of course." Hedgehogs are maybe even cuter than coatimundis.
Yesterday I got an unexpected encouraging note from the editor-in-chief of Frontstretch.com, thanking me for merging smoothly into accelerated traffic late last season and drafting along well with the rest of the staff. And this morning I was promoted to doing a column for the upcoming season.
Caleb was raising money for a Special Olympics fundraiser tomorrow morning, and he reached the goal he was hoping for.
The folk music group the Spencer Family were visiting GBC Sunday night, so Mom and Amy have been listening to their songs all this week. And Mom got to visit with the Guenthers since they dropped by.
Ashland adopted a hedgehog earlier this week, which was worth celebrating. "Lol, I'm a mom!" she texted me excitedly. "By adoption, of course." Hedgehogs are maybe even cuter than coatimundis.
Thursday, January 25, 2018
INFJ-ness
Ashland finally took the MBTI last week. I suspected she was also an INFJ, or else a INFP, in part because Trevor said watching us talk, he halfway believed we could be twins.
(Plus we're both Type Six on the Enneagram; my wing is Five, hers is Seven.) Somebody once explained the difference the personality tests this way: the MBTI tries to explain how our mind works, and the Enneagram tries to explain the motivation behind our actions.
Whether it's square dancing, cowriting adventure stories, or creating sympathy cards for one of our favorite counselors, it's easy to work with her. She's of the Race of Joseph, sure, and so that's part of it. But it finally clicked; knowing that we're both INFJs. The percentage varies by which chart you're looking at, but it's the rarest MBTI type.
It explains why we're able to go from photography to country music duets to Greek mythology at the drop of a hat, or why on the rare occasions either of us will answer the phone, conversations can last an hour or more. Why we're trying to help others whenever possible, and able to deep-dive into subjects that seem interesting.
This is really. cool.
(Plus we're both Type Six on the Enneagram; my wing is Five, hers is Seven.) Somebody once explained the difference the personality tests this way: the MBTI tries to explain how our mind works, and the Enneagram tries to explain the motivation behind our actions.
Whether it's square dancing, cowriting adventure stories, or creating sympathy cards for one of our favorite counselors, it's easy to work with her. She's of the Race of Joseph, sure, and so that's part of it. But it finally clicked; knowing that we're both INFJs. The percentage varies by which chart you're looking at, but it's the rarest MBTI type.
It explains why we're able to go from photography to country music duets to Greek mythology at the drop of a hat, or why on the rare occasions either of us will answer the phone, conversations can last an hour or more. Why we're trying to help others whenever possible, and able to deep-dive into subjects that seem interesting.
This is really. cool.
Monday, January 22, 2018
Mid-January Happenings
The Okmulgee County Tournament was last week, which meant I covered 22 basketball games in six days through radio broadcasts. Wrote up five articles today for ONN. Wrote two Fronstretch articles last week, too.
There was a potluck lunch at church yesterday, which I wasn't exactly thrilled about, because it's awkward to eat around other people. Like Frank Gilbreth, I tend to see eating as unavoidable delay. And the fact that four couples have gotten married within the last year, and another two couples engaged, makes it awkward at GBC. I kept an eye on the Selby boys to give Justin and Melody a break, which meant a lot of sprint races from one end of the hallway to the other.
Caleb got his driver's license on Friday afternoon, which he's thrilled about.
The Patriots and Eagles will play in Super Bowl LII, they seemingly just played each other in Super Bowl XXXIX, in February 2005 - I remember the year because Mimi was incredibly sick. She died six weeks later.
I was hoping to borrow Dr. Mackie's habit of writing a poem a day this year, but that hasn't gone very well so far.
There was a potluck lunch at church yesterday, which I wasn't exactly thrilled about, because it's awkward to eat around other people. Like Frank Gilbreth, I tend to see eating as unavoidable delay. And the fact that four couples have gotten married within the last year, and another two couples engaged, makes it awkward at GBC. I kept an eye on the Selby boys to give Justin and Melody a break, which meant a lot of sprint races from one end of the hallway to the other.
Caleb got his driver's license on Friday afternoon, which he's thrilled about.
The Patriots and Eagles will play in Super Bowl LII, they seemingly just played each other in Super Bowl XXXIX, in February 2005 - I remember the year because Mimi was incredibly sick. She died six weeks later.
I was hoping to borrow Dr. Mackie's habit of writing a poem a day this year, but that hasn't gone very well so far.
Tuesday, January 9, 2018
Welcome, 2018
2018's looking kind of familiar so far.
Morning of January 1 - The dishwasher breaks down. Again.
Morning of January 2 - The freezer in the garage breaks down. Again.
Evening of January 7 - I thought I broke my toe running into one of the weights Trevor left in the middle of the floor. (I didn't actually, though, which is good.)
Also, we've all been somewhat sick.
On a happier note, Courtney left for C of O yesterday morning and she's loving it so far.
Jon and Delaney eloped over the holidays, which fits them. And I'm happy for them.
Lots of people have gotten engaged over the last month, too - Elizabeth, Jessica, Suzanna, Lisbeth from YT, and Matt from NSU MassComm classes. That's a little harder to pin down my reaction to all these things like engagements and weddings.
The Winter Classic was watched, since it's hockey. Though I took a nap near the end of the second period and missed an overtime finish; stupid sickness. Alabama beat Georgia in the college football national championship, I guess.
Counting down to the Winter Olympics.
On my "On This Day" feed on Facebook six years ago today Samara and I were having a conversation about Collin Raye's ballad "Love, Me," which is a really good one. I think the context was about learning to play it on our guitars. It's a good one for fingerpicking - which I learned from her.
And eight years ago yesterday was the Brad Paisley concert in Oklahoma City. Mom mentioned that it felt like a long time ago, and it does. That's like a third of my life. It was a great concert. (I really should finish reviewing his CD's, I stopped at 5th Gear.)
Mom, Caleb, me and Amy went on errands to Okmulgee this afternoon; Caleb's helping out with the state Special Olympics swim meet in Oklahoma City tomorrow.
Morning of January 1 - The dishwasher breaks down. Again.
Morning of January 2 - The freezer in the garage breaks down. Again.
Evening of January 7 - I thought I broke my toe running into one of the weights Trevor left in the middle of the floor. (I didn't actually, though, which is good.)
Also, we've all been somewhat sick.
On a happier note, Courtney left for C of O yesterday morning and she's loving it so far.
Jon and Delaney eloped over the holidays, which fits them. And I'm happy for them.
Lots of people have gotten engaged over the last month, too - Elizabeth, Jessica, Suzanna, Lisbeth from YT, and Matt from NSU MassComm classes. That's a little harder to pin down my reaction to all these things like engagements and weddings.
The Winter Classic was watched, since it's hockey. Though I took a nap near the end of the second period and missed an overtime finish; stupid sickness. Alabama beat Georgia in the college football national championship, I guess.
Counting down to the Winter Olympics.
On my "On This Day" feed on Facebook six years ago today Samara and I were having a conversation about Collin Raye's ballad "Love, Me," which is a really good one. I think the context was about learning to play it on our guitars. It's a good one for fingerpicking - which I learned from her.
And eight years ago yesterday was the Brad Paisley concert in Oklahoma City. Mom mentioned that it felt like a long time ago, and it does. That's like a third of my life. It was a great concert. (I really should finish reviewing his CD's, I stopped at 5th Gear.)
Mom, Caleb, me and Amy went on errands to Okmulgee this afternoon; Caleb's helping out with the state Special Olympics swim meet in Oklahoma City tomorrow.
Saturday, December 30, 2017
Movies of 2017
This list doesn't include rewatches, but the next year's list probably will.
JANUARY
The Giver (2014)
This movie is based on Lois Lowry's novel of the same name. It's a strange one, and it doesn't really follow the book's plot all that well, but it makes you think. It was a pretty good movie; I like it better than the book.
I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009)
A nerd goes on a date with the most beautiful girl in school. Tons of misadventures happen.
Lucy (2014)
This movie made no sense at all and seemed pointless, which makes sense, because it was directed and written by a French guy. A young woman named Lucy (Scarlett Johannson) is tricked into smuggling drugs, then kidnapped, some of the drugs wind up in her bloodstream, and she gradually gains superpowers, ending the movie as a seemingly-unstoppable force of nothingness. Morgan Freeman plays a really smart professor and there are gangster shootouts for good measure.
My Date With the President's Daughter (1998)
This was an ABC Saturday night TV movie, starring Will Friedle (Eric from Boy Meets World) and Dabney Coleman as the President. Anything that could go wrong on a first date does.
Rebecca (1940)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, watched for Gothic Film and Lit. Based on the novel by Daphne du Maurier. The book is much better.
The Haunting (1963)
A woman gradually goes insane while working on a scientific research project at a haunted house. The book was better, but I didn't exactly love either of them. Also for Gothic Film and Lit, based on The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.
Last Holiday (2006)
A low-level department-store employee (Queen Latifah) mistakenly believes she has three weeks to live, so she plans the European vacation of a lifetime, inspiring almost everyone she comes across. It's goofy, but in a kind of good way.
Total this month: 7.
FEBRUARY
The Woman in Black (2012)
Daniel Radcliffe stars in this full-of-dread adaptation of a dreadfully-written novel about a guy trapped in a ghost-filled house on a foggy island. For Gothic Film and Lit, based on the novel by Susan Hill.
Finding Dory (2016)
Dory tries to find her parents, who live in an aquarium in California. This movie did not have to be made. I rank it ahead of only Brave and Ratatouille.
A Walk to Remember (2002)
Based on the Nicholas Sparks novel written while trying to process his sister was dying of cancer, this adaptation updates the setting from the 1950's to the late 1990's, and stars Mandy Moore, who convinced producers to include a bunch of Switchfoot and Jars of Clay into the soundtrack.
The Innocents (1961)
One of those movies that leave you going "Well-." on finishing. For Gothic Film and Lit. Based on Henry James's Turn of the Screw, and a faithful adaptation.
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
This plodded along to its inevitable terrible conclusion. For Gothic Film and Lit. Based on the novel by Ira Levin, directed by Roman Polanski (Chinatown).
Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
Nothing much happens in this movie; it's like Steel Magnolias that way. An elderly Jewish widow can't drive any more, so her son hires a middle-aged black guy (played by Morgan Freeman) to drive her places. Time passes and they both get older, eventually becoming friends. It was fantastic!
The Shining (1980)
The terrible adaptation of Stephen King's (maybe) most famous novel. Everything about this was wrong. For Gothic Film and Lit.
Total this month: 7, bringing total to 14.
MARCH
Interview With the Vampire (1994)
On the plus side, this movie has Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Kirsten Dunst in it. On the negative side, they all play vampires. (It's based on an Ann Rice novel mentioned as Lily's favorite book in Tales From Tent City.) For Gothic Film and Lit.
A Novel Romance (2015)
This is a Hallmark movie. It feels like it. Starring Amy Acker, she plays a Portland literature critic named Sophie who falls in love with a thinly-disguised Nicholas Sparks clone (whose work she hates). The author uses a pen name for his novels, which provides most of the conflict.
Hoosiers (1986)
Based on a true story, set in the 1950's, of a tiny Indiana town called Hickory and the high school's march towards the state basketball tournament.
Doctor Strange (2016)
Benedict Cumberbatch joins the MCU as Stephen Strange, a brilliant asshole surgeon. Rachel McAdams plays his ex-girlfriend. In the middle-back of MCU entries.
The Maze Runner (2014)
Based on James Dashner's amazing YA novel. A good attempt at filming an entirely unfilmable story.
The Others (2001)
This movie stars Nicole Kidman, is set in 1945 England (I think?), and is a fantastic example of a well-constructed ghost story. For Gothic Film and Lit.
Spider-Man (2002)
The first of the Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire trilogy, which got me interested in superheroes. Peter Parker learns to face responsibility after his uncle Ben's death and being bitten by a radioactive spider.
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
Very interesting classic thriller, about brainwashed assassins trying to murder the new President
.
Dead Again (1991)
Amazing modern Gothic story and mystery, directed by Kenneth Branagh. Also stars Robin Williams in a serious role. For Gothic Film and Lit.
Total this month: 9, bringing total to 23.
APRIL
The Princess Bride (1987)
Sword fights. Giants. True love. Revenge. S. Morgenstern's classic tale of true love and high adventure. One of the best movies ever made.
Speed (1995)
A madman tries to blow up a Los Angeles bus in this spectacular thriller cowritten by Joss Whedon and starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997)
A wealthy gay art dealer is accused of murdering his boyfriend in 1980s Savannah, Georgia. For Gothic Film and Lit.
Crimson Peak (2015)
This was extremely disappointing for all three of us in Gothic Film and Lit - me, Kenzie and Dr. Mackie. The story was a great premise, but it degenerated into an incoherent and badly-done horror film halfway through. On the plus side, Tom Hiddleston was great, and making the ghosts be a helpful force was a good idea.
Sweet Home Alabama (2002)
This is a Reese Witherspoon romcom with a lot of dramatic elements, about a newly-engaged New York City fashion designer who returns home to her Alabama hometown of Pigeon Creek and the husband she abandoned years ago after a miscarriage.
Hope Floats (1998)
Sandra Bullock plays a newly-divorced woman moves from Chicago back to her Texas hometown after her husband leaves her for her (ex) best friend. Along the way, she falls in love with a former flame from high school.
Eight Men Out (1988)
An account of the Black Sox Scandal of 1919, which stars Christopher Lloyd, Michael Rooker and a ton of other famous guys whose faces are familiar.
The Lion King (1994)
Simba retakes his pride after deposing his uncle Scar in this adaptation of Hamlet. The songs are the best part.
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
For Gothic Film and Lit. This is a odd, sad, weird story.
Total this month: 9, bringing total to 32.
MAY
Beetlejuice (1988)
This was odd. Stars Geena Davis. For Gothic Film and Lit. It was kind of a comedy?
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
How Steve Rogers became Captain America, the MCU's first superhero, during WWII.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Five losers - as in, people who have lost stuff - reluctantly join together to save the galaxy.
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Tony Stark deals with his PTSD from the Battle of New York while confronting demons from his playboy past.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Several months after the first movie, the galaxy has to be saved by a bunch of losers....again. More of everything from the first movie; not outstanding by itself, but great at worldbuilding more of how space society works.
The Aristocats (1970)
Cats try to find their way back home in Victorian-era Paris.
Total this month: 6, bringing total to 38.
JUNE
Wonder Woman (2017)
Diana Prince leaves Themyscyria to save the world from Ares and the Great War.
Cars 3 (2017)
Lightning McQueen is near the end of his career, and is getting blindsided by much faster rookies. So he finds himself stepping into Doc Hudson's brake shoes and mentoring someone else.
While You Were Sleeping (1995)
A lie gives a lonely woman the family she wished for during the holidays in this wonderful Sandra Bullock-Bill Pullman romcom.
Total this month: 3, bringing total to 41.
JULY
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Steve Rogers tries to adjust to the modern world while S.H.I.E.L.D. is imploding in this amazing political thriller.
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Due to the city of Sokovia causing mayhem and destruction, and not helped by a more recent superheroing accident where a building was blown up, the Superhero Registration Act is creating, forcing those with powers to register with the government. This splits the Avengers in half.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
It's hard work being a teen. Especially if your name is Peter Parker, and you have superpowers, and then you discover that your crush's dad is an enemy. Tom Holland is great as Spidey, and Tony Stark gets t work on his mentoring skills again. Michael Keaton is fantastic as the Vulture.
The King's Speech (2010)
Prince Albert strives to overcome his stammering in order to lead the British people into WWII after his brother abdicates the throne to marry an American commoner.
Jurassic World (2015)
About twenty years after the park was set to open, a new group of investors made it into a success, and even has begun to dabble in their own original dinosaurs. Chris Pratt is a raptor trainer who has to save executive Bryce Dallas Howard and her nephews when things go haywire.
D.O.A. (1949)
This wasn't what I expected, but it was kind of interesting. A man recounts his own murder to the police.
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)
This was a somewhat incoherent spy thriller.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
The Rebels had to steal the Death Star plans somehow....and this gritty war tale explains how that came about.
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
The mostly-forgotten second entry to the MCU. Edward Norton is a better Bruce Banner than Mark Ruffalo.
Cinderella (2015)
A oddly straightforward and faithful adaptation of the fairy tale, directed by Kenneth Branagh.
The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003)
The official ending to the TV show, Lizzie and Gordo go on a vacation to Italy with their class, and Lizzie gets mixed up in pop-stardom shenanigans.
Total this month: 11, bringing total to 52.
AUGUST
Friday Night Lights (2004)
As a football movie, this is...fine? As an adaptation of the book, skip it and watch the TV show instead.
Mission: Impossible (1995)
Tom Cruise stars in this excellent action-adventure movie.
The Help (2011)
Emma Stone plays a writer named Skeeter in 1963 Mississippi, who tells the life stories of local black maids. It's well worth watching, lots to chew over afterwards. Also stars Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer and Bryce Dallas Howard.
Tomorrowland (2015)
An odd story that doesn't know what genre it wants to be. Stars George Clooney and directed by Brad Bird.
42: The Jackie Robinson Story (2015)
Terribly sentimental story of Jackie Robinson, who is played by Chadwick Boseman (T'Challa from the MCU). Harrison Ford is the best part of this movie as Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey.
The Breakfast Club (1985)
Five teenagers from wildly-different cliques discover their common humanity in detention. This is one of the best movies ever made.
Hoodwinked (2005)
The animation is horrible, but a really fascinating storyline makes it worth watching. Red Riding Hood is told from four different perspectives in this well-told and fractured-but-reverent fairy tale.
Total this month: 7, bringing total to 59.
SEPTEMBER
Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Clunky but thoughtful political argument between Superman and Batman. Introduces Wonder Woman, which is the best part of the movie.
Drive Me Crazy (1999)
Neighbors Nicole and Chase accidentally fall in love in this comedy starring Melissa Joan Hart. Has the craziest ending for a high-school-set romcom ever.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
In the late 1950s Indy, Marion and their son Mutt find themselves on a new adventure.
La La Land (2016)
"For every dream that's shattered/Another one comes true," says the David Ball song "Riding with Private Malone." That's the theme of this amazing modern-day musical starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone.
Mulan (1998)
A Chinese girl (Ming-Na Wen) saves her land from invaders. Eddie Murphy voices her dragon.
Total this month: 5, bringing total to 64.
OCTOBER
Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Emma Watson is a perfect Belle; this was pretty good as far as a remake goes. The Beast looks awful, of course, and there's a part where he sings a new Broadway version of a country song, but in general, I liked this much better than I expected.
Hercules (1997)
Disney's goofy retelling of the Greek demigod. It's not serious enough to work well.
The Founder (2016)
An extremely accurate retelling of the franchising of McDonald's. Stars Michael Keaton and Nick Offerman.
Total this month: 3, bringing total to 67.
NOVEMBER
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Thor and Loki meet their older sister Hela, who promptly obliterates Asgard. They run into the Hulk on the junk planet Sakaar and lead a remnant of Asgardians to Earth for a (hopefully) better future.
Field of Dreams (1989)
Kevin Costner builds a baseball stadium in his Iowa cornfield and kidnaps his favorite author (James Earl Jones) in order to reconnect with his dad's ghost.
Slam Dunk Ernest (1995)
Ernest P. Worrell helps his friends win the city league tournament (and beat the Charlotte Hornets), thanks to magic sneakers and the Archangel of Basketball (who looks a lot like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). Nate from Doc is one of the guys on the team.
Men in Black (1997)
Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith protect the world from aliens.
Justice League (2017)
Batman and Wonder Woman have to recruit a team in order to save the world from an alien warlord called Steppenwolf. Introduces the Flash and Aquaman, who both work better than they should have thanks to Joss Whedon's writing. Still, this movie was a mess.
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
The animated Disney classic.
Total this month: 6, bringing total to 73.
DECEMEBER
The Waterboy (1998)
It takes serious skill and smarts to purposely make a movie this dumb.
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
The beginning of a third trilogy long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away...
Facing the Giants (2006)
"Can we remake Friday Night Lights but have everyone be perfect Christians?" Yeeeahh....but it won't be very good.
High School Musical (2006)
The Disney Channel classic.
High School Musical 2 (2007)
This was SO DUMB.
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
I disliked this movie, because it felt like a parody that didn't realize it was a parody.
Mean Girls (2004)
Pop-cultural standing aside, this movie is terrible.
Agent Cody Banks (2003)
Throw James Bond into a blender with Mission: Impossible and WarGames, and you've got this movie. It's awful quality-wise, but it does have Hilary Duff in it. Basically, it nails the attitude and tone of narratives created by 13-year-old boys.
My Girl (1991)
An 11-year-old hypochrondiac endures the remarriage of her father and death of her best friend in the summer of 1972 in this sad, thought-provoking drama.
Total this month: 9, bringing total for the year to 82
JANUARY
The Giver (2014)
This movie is based on Lois Lowry's novel of the same name. It's a strange one, and it doesn't really follow the book's plot all that well, but it makes you think. It was a pretty good movie; I like it better than the book.
I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009)
A nerd goes on a date with the most beautiful girl in school. Tons of misadventures happen.
Lucy (2014)
This movie made no sense at all and seemed pointless, which makes sense, because it was directed and written by a French guy. A young woman named Lucy (Scarlett Johannson) is tricked into smuggling drugs, then kidnapped, some of the drugs wind up in her bloodstream, and she gradually gains superpowers, ending the movie as a seemingly-unstoppable force of nothingness. Morgan Freeman plays a really smart professor and there are gangster shootouts for good measure.
My Date With the President's Daughter (1998)
This was an ABC Saturday night TV movie, starring Will Friedle (Eric from Boy Meets World) and Dabney Coleman as the President. Anything that could go wrong on a first date does.
Rebecca (1940)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, watched for Gothic Film and Lit. Based on the novel by Daphne du Maurier. The book is much better.
The Haunting (1963)
A woman gradually goes insane while working on a scientific research project at a haunted house. The book was better, but I didn't exactly love either of them. Also for Gothic Film and Lit, based on The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.
Last Holiday (2006)
A low-level department-store employee (Queen Latifah) mistakenly believes she has three weeks to live, so she plans the European vacation of a lifetime, inspiring almost everyone she comes across. It's goofy, but in a kind of good way.
Total this month: 7.
FEBRUARY
The Woman in Black (2012)
Daniel Radcliffe stars in this full-of-dread adaptation of a dreadfully-written novel about a guy trapped in a ghost-filled house on a foggy island. For Gothic Film and Lit, based on the novel by Susan Hill.
Finding Dory (2016)
Dory tries to find her parents, who live in an aquarium in California. This movie did not have to be made. I rank it ahead of only Brave and Ratatouille.
A Walk to Remember (2002)
Based on the Nicholas Sparks novel written while trying to process his sister was dying of cancer, this adaptation updates the setting from the 1950's to the late 1990's, and stars Mandy Moore, who convinced producers to include a bunch of Switchfoot and Jars of Clay into the soundtrack.
The Innocents (1961)
One of those movies that leave you going "Well-." on finishing. For Gothic Film and Lit. Based on Henry James's Turn of the Screw, and a faithful adaptation.
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
This plodded along to its inevitable terrible conclusion. For Gothic Film and Lit. Based on the novel by Ira Levin, directed by Roman Polanski (Chinatown).
Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
Nothing much happens in this movie; it's like Steel Magnolias that way. An elderly Jewish widow can't drive any more, so her son hires a middle-aged black guy (played by Morgan Freeman) to drive her places. Time passes and they both get older, eventually becoming friends. It was fantastic!
The Shining (1980)
The terrible adaptation of Stephen King's (maybe) most famous novel. Everything about this was wrong. For Gothic Film and Lit.
Total this month: 7, bringing total to 14.
MARCH
Interview With the Vampire (1994)
On the plus side, this movie has Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Kirsten Dunst in it. On the negative side, they all play vampires. (It's based on an Ann Rice novel mentioned as Lily's favorite book in Tales From Tent City.) For Gothic Film and Lit.
A Novel Romance (2015)
This is a Hallmark movie. It feels like it. Starring Amy Acker, she plays a Portland literature critic named Sophie who falls in love with a thinly-disguised Nicholas Sparks clone (whose work she hates). The author uses a pen name for his novels, which provides most of the conflict.
Hoosiers (1986)
Based on a true story, set in the 1950's, of a tiny Indiana town called Hickory and the high school's march towards the state basketball tournament.
Doctor Strange (2016)
Benedict Cumberbatch joins the MCU as Stephen Strange, a brilliant asshole surgeon. Rachel McAdams plays his ex-girlfriend. In the middle-back of MCU entries.
The Maze Runner (2014)
Based on James Dashner's amazing YA novel. A good attempt at filming an entirely unfilmable story.
The Others (2001)
This movie stars Nicole Kidman, is set in 1945 England (I think?), and is a fantastic example of a well-constructed ghost story. For Gothic Film and Lit.
Spider-Man (2002)
The first of the Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire trilogy, which got me interested in superheroes. Peter Parker learns to face responsibility after his uncle Ben's death and being bitten by a radioactive spider.
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
Very interesting classic thriller, about brainwashed assassins trying to murder the new President
.
Dead Again (1991)
Amazing modern Gothic story and mystery, directed by Kenneth Branagh. Also stars Robin Williams in a serious role. For Gothic Film and Lit.
Total this month: 9, bringing total to 23.
APRIL
The Princess Bride (1987)
Sword fights. Giants. True love. Revenge. S. Morgenstern's classic tale of true love and high adventure. One of the best movies ever made.
Speed (1995)
A madman tries to blow up a Los Angeles bus in this spectacular thriller cowritten by Joss Whedon and starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997)
A wealthy gay art dealer is accused of murdering his boyfriend in 1980s Savannah, Georgia. For Gothic Film and Lit.
Crimson Peak (2015)
This was extremely disappointing for all three of us in Gothic Film and Lit - me, Kenzie and Dr. Mackie. The story was a great premise, but it degenerated into an incoherent and badly-done horror film halfway through. On the plus side, Tom Hiddleston was great, and making the ghosts be a helpful force was a good idea.
Sweet Home Alabama (2002)
This is a Reese Witherspoon romcom with a lot of dramatic elements, about a newly-engaged New York City fashion designer who returns home to her Alabama hometown of Pigeon Creek and the husband she abandoned years ago after a miscarriage.
Hope Floats (1998)
Sandra Bullock plays a newly-divorced woman moves from Chicago back to her Texas hometown after her husband leaves her for her (ex) best friend. Along the way, she falls in love with a former flame from high school.
Eight Men Out (1988)
An account of the Black Sox Scandal of 1919, which stars Christopher Lloyd, Michael Rooker and a ton of other famous guys whose faces are familiar.
The Lion King (1994)
Simba retakes his pride after deposing his uncle Scar in this adaptation of Hamlet. The songs are the best part.
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
For Gothic Film and Lit. This is a odd, sad, weird story.
Total this month: 9, bringing total to 32.
MAY
Beetlejuice (1988)
This was odd. Stars Geena Davis. For Gothic Film and Lit. It was kind of a comedy?
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
How Steve Rogers became Captain America, the MCU's first superhero, during WWII.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Five losers - as in, people who have lost stuff - reluctantly join together to save the galaxy.
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Tony Stark deals with his PTSD from the Battle of New York while confronting demons from his playboy past.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Several months after the first movie, the galaxy has to be saved by a bunch of losers....again. More of everything from the first movie; not outstanding by itself, but great at worldbuilding more of how space society works.
The Aristocats (1970)
Cats try to find their way back home in Victorian-era Paris.
Total this month: 6, bringing total to 38.
JUNE
Wonder Woman (2017)
Diana Prince leaves Themyscyria to save the world from Ares and the Great War.
Cars 3 (2017)
Lightning McQueen is near the end of his career, and is getting blindsided by much faster rookies. So he finds himself stepping into Doc Hudson's brake shoes and mentoring someone else.
While You Were Sleeping (1995)
A lie gives a lonely woman the family she wished for during the holidays in this wonderful Sandra Bullock-Bill Pullman romcom.
Total this month: 3, bringing total to 41.
JULY
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Steve Rogers tries to adjust to the modern world while S.H.I.E.L.D. is imploding in this amazing political thriller.
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Due to the city of Sokovia causing mayhem and destruction, and not helped by a more recent superheroing accident where a building was blown up, the Superhero Registration Act is creating, forcing those with powers to register with the government. This splits the Avengers in half.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
It's hard work being a teen. Especially if your name is Peter Parker, and you have superpowers, and then you discover that your crush's dad is an enemy. Tom Holland is great as Spidey, and Tony Stark gets t work on his mentoring skills again. Michael Keaton is fantastic as the Vulture.
The King's Speech (2010)
Prince Albert strives to overcome his stammering in order to lead the British people into WWII after his brother abdicates the throne to marry an American commoner.
Jurassic World (2015)
About twenty years after the park was set to open, a new group of investors made it into a success, and even has begun to dabble in their own original dinosaurs. Chris Pratt is a raptor trainer who has to save executive Bryce Dallas Howard and her nephews when things go haywire.
D.O.A. (1949)
This wasn't what I expected, but it was kind of interesting. A man recounts his own murder to the police.
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)
This was a somewhat incoherent spy thriller.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
The Rebels had to steal the Death Star plans somehow....and this gritty war tale explains how that came about.
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
The mostly-forgotten second entry to the MCU. Edward Norton is a better Bruce Banner than Mark Ruffalo.
Cinderella (2015)
A oddly straightforward and faithful adaptation of the fairy tale, directed by Kenneth Branagh.
The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003)
The official ending to the TV show, Lizzie and Gordo go on a vacation to Italy with their class, and Lizzie gets mixed up in pop-stardom shenanigans.
Total this month: 11, bringing total to 52.
AUGUST
Friday Night Lights (2004)
As a football movie, this is...fine? As an adaptation of the book, skip it and watch the TV show instead.
Mission: Impossible (1995)
Tom Cruise stars in this excellent action-adventure movie.
The Help (2011)
Emma Stone plays a writer named Skeeter in 1963 Mississippi, who tells the life stories of local black maids. It's well worth watching, lots to chew over afterwards. Also stars Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer and Bryce Dallas Howard.
Tomorrowland (2015)
An odd story that doesn't know what genre it wants to be. Stars George Clooney and directed by Brad Bird.
42: The Jackie Robinson Story (2015)
Terribly sentimental story of Jackie Robinson, who is played by Chadwick Boseman (T'Challa from the MCU). Harrison Ford is the best part of this movie as Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey.
The Breakfast Club (1985)
Five teenagers from wildly-different cliques discover their common humanity in detention. This is one of the best movies ever made.
Hoodwinked (2005)
The animation is horrible, but a really fascinating storyline makes it worth watching. Red Riding Hood is told from four different perspectives in this well-told and fractured-but-reverent fairy tale.
Total this month: 7, bringing total to 59.
SEPTEMBER
Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Clunky but thoughtful political argument between Superman and Batman. Introduces Wonder Woman, which is the best part of the movie.
Drive Me Crazy (1999)
Neighbors Nicole and Chase accidentally fall in love in this comedy starring Melissa Joan Hart. Has the craziest ending for a high-school-set romcom ever.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
In the late 1950s Indy, Marion and their son Mutt find themselves on a new adventure.
La La Land (2016)
"For every dream that's shattered/Another one comes true," says the David Ball song "Riding with Private Malone." That's the theme of this amazing modern-day musical starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone.
Mulan (1998)
A Chinese girl (Ming-Na Wen) saves her land from invaders. Eddie Murphy voices her dragon.
Total this month: 5, bringing total to 64.
OCTOBER
Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Emma Watson is a perfect Belle; this was pretty good as far as a remake goes. The Beast looks awful, of course, and there's a part where he sings a new Broadway version of a country song, but in general, I liked this much better than I expected.
Hercules (1997)
Disney's goofy retelling of the Greek demigod. It's not serious enough to work well.
The Founder (2016)
An extremely accurate retelling of the franchising of McDonald's. Stars Michael Keaton and Nick Offerman.
Total this month: 3, bringing total to 67.
NOVEMBER
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Thor and Loki meet their older sister Hela, who promptly obliterates Asgard. They run into the Hulk on the junk planet Sakaar and lead a remnant of Asgardians to Earth for a (hopefully) better future.
Field of Dreams (1989)
Kevin Costner builds a baseball stadium in his Iowa cornfield and kidnaps his favorite author (James Earl Jones) in order to reconnect with his dad's ghost.
Slam Dunk Ernest (1995)
Ernest P. Worrell helps his friends win the city league tournament (and beat the Charlotte Hornets), thanks to magic sneakers and the Archangel of Basketball (who looks a lot like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). Nate from Doc is one of the guys on the team.
Men in Black (1997)
Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith protect the world from aliens.
Justice League (2017)
Batman and Wonder Woman have to recruit a team in order to save the world from an alien warlord called Steppenwolf. Introduces the Flash and Aquaman, who both work better than they should have thanks to Joss Whedon's writing. Still, this movie was a mess.
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
The animated Disney classic.
Total this month: 6, bringing total to 73.
DECEMEBER
The Waterboy (1998)
It takes serious skill and smarts to purposely make a movie this dumb.
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
The beginning of a third trilogy long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away...
Facing the Giants (2006)
"Can we remake Friday Night Lights but have everyone be perfect Christians?" Yeeeahh....but it won't be very good.
High School Musical (2006)
The Disney Channel classic.
High School Musical 2 (2007)
This was SO DUMB.
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
I disliked this movie, because it felt like a parody that didn't realize it was a parody.
Mean Girls (2004)
Pop-cultural standing aside, this movie is terrible.
Agent Cody Banks (2003)
Throw James Bond into a blender with Mission: Impossible and WarGames, and you've got this movie. It's awful quality-wise, but it does have Hilary Duff in it. Basically, it nails the attitude and tone of narratives created by 13-year-old boys.
My Girl (1991)
An 11-year-old hypochrondiac endures the remarriage of her father and death of her best friend in the summer of 1972 in this sad, thought-provoking drama.
Total this month: 9, bringing total for the year to 82
Thursday, December 28, 2017
Post-Christmas 2017
Christmas was pretty low-key this year. Lots of ping pong.
Pandora says I listened to 4,116 songs this year, for 15,753 minutes.
From what I heard the youth group ice skating was a little awkward, but went pretty well.
The church's annual music night was nice.
Went to the Steeleys on Christmas Eve after church, that was nice. Playing Monopoly with Dylan and Paige is a little like being on Shark Tank.
Caleb gave me awesome Parks and Rec coffee mugs; one with Tom grinning and the other Mouse Rat-themed, complete with their former names.
December has been a fairly horrible month, which is fitting, as it wasn't the greatest year ever.
Pandora says I listened to 4,116 songs this year, for 15,753 minutes.
From what I heard the youth group ice skating was a little awkward, but went pretty well.
The church's annual music night was nice.
Went to the Steeleys on Christmas Eve after church, that was nice. Playing Monopoly with Dylan and Paige is a little like being on Shark Tank.
Caleb gave me awesome Parks and Rec coffee mugs; one with Tom grinning and the other Mouse Rat-themed, complete with their former names.
December has been a fairly horrible month, which is fitting, as it wasn't the greatest year ever.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)