Saturday, March 21, 2009
Here in my car
There's just something about driving that just gets to me. I mean, every time I sit behind the wheel of a car and start the engine, I get a rush of adrenaline. It's like I know I get go fast. Move so fast. I like to pretend I'm racing the guy next to me. Beat him at his own game. Get to where he's going before him. Play follow the leader between the lanes. I like when the white dashed lines turn into a blurry solid one. I like it when the Seattle skyline gets bigger and bigger until you are at the foot of it. I like accelerating out of a stop like my foot's made of lead. What is it about driving? It's just so good. So exhilarating.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Zen of Jazz
I've been listening to a lot of jazz lately. Bebop mostly. I had forgotten how much I loved that stuff. I was listening to "Bye Bye Birdie" by Miles Davis and this blazing sax started to solo. As the music was playing, I found myself totally enchanted, my head solely focused on those sounds. I could so vividly picture his fingers moving like flashes of lightning, striking with such precision it would make the head of a nail look like a pin head to any hammer blow. It's like total zen for me. My thoughts are nowhere except inside the sound. The noise of the world is silent and all I hear is the sound of now.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Exoticizing the Familiar
Imagine experiencing some daily event. This event is completely ordinary and “normal”. Now imagine this daily event transformed in the way you understand it. By speculation that this event is not so normal, but instead a practice comprised of odd sets of rules and rituals, the ordinary now occurs as being extraordinary by virtue of said speculation. Such a change in thinking, simply put, is “exoticizing the familiar”. The continuous cycle of speculation causing social action, causing speculation, causing social action and so on, is the very definition of sociological practice. In Peter Berger’s essay “Invitation to Sociology”, this concept of exoticizing the familiar is the topic of exploration. “Things are not what they seem,” writes Berger, “Social reality turns out to have many layers of meaning. The discovery of each new layer changes the perception of the whole.” Here, the “many layers of meaning” are these ordinary events that occur every day. When a discovery is made about such event, it “changes the perception of the whole,” that is, the ordinary event has become extraordinary through speculation that this event is not longer what it seemed to be. It is like becoming a tourist at home, taking what is familiar and making it foreign and amazing.
While explaining in generalities is useful to relate a sociological concept to a wider spectrum of experiences and events, it is difficult to relate to “real life” without some sort of evidence seen in society. One such example of Berger’s topic, exoticizing the familiar, is portrayed with how our society views money. America is built on the foundation of capitalism, a system that values a monetary system that allows for trade externally with the rest of the world, as well as internally to her citizens. Naturally, money has a certain value depending on what denomination that bill or coin is. With money, I can buy a new pair of shoes, breakfast, or a haircut. This seems perfectly ordinary, buying things we want or need on a daily basis. However, when viewed from the outside in, like a Martian who has no concept of money, this practice of buying and selling seems downright odd. Think about what is actually going on in these transactions. A customer gives a small piece of paper with some writing and some pictures on it to a cashier, and in turn the cashier gives the customer a new car, for example. This small piece of paper, the dollar so to speak, is nothing but a small piece of paper! It does not represent an amount of a precious metal or a number of personal assets, but is merely a piece of paper. The fact that I can exchange my small piece of paper for a bagel is plain old bizarre. This is exactly what Berger explains in his essay; now that such a suggestion has been made, a small change has occurred in the way you understand the concept of money. Just by pointing out the quirks and oddities of such a practice, one becomes more aware of the practice itself; that is, what one lacked to notice prior. This chain of speculation to social action is precisely Berger’s argument, “things are not what they seem.”
While explaining in generalities is useful to relate a sociological concept to a wider spectrum of experiences and events, it is difficult to relate to “real life” without some sort of evidence seen in society. One such example of Berger’s topic, exoticizing the familiar, is portrayed with how our society views money. America is built on the foundation of capitalism, a system that values a monetary system that allows for trade externally with the rest of the world, as well as internally to her citizens. Naturally, money has a certain value depending on what denomination that bill or coin is. With money, I can buy a new pair of shoes, breakfast, or a haircut. This seems perfectly ordinary, buying things we want or need on a daily basis. However, when viewed from the outside in, like a Martian who has no concept of money, this practice of buying and selling seems downright odd. Think about what is actually going on in these transactions. A customer gives a small piece of paper with some writing and some pictures on it to a cashier, and in turn the cashier gives the customer a new car, for example. This small piece of paper, the dollar so to speak, is nothing but a small piece of paper! It does not represent an amount of a precious metal or a number of personal assets, but is merely a piece of paper. The fact that I can exchange my small piece of paper for a bagel is plain old bizarre. This is exactly what Berger explains in his essay; now that such a suggestion has been made, a small change has occurred in the way you understand the concept of money. Just by pointing out the quirks and oddities of such a practice, one becomes more aware of the practice itself; that is, what one lacked to notice prior. This chain of speculation to social action is precisely Berger’s argument, “things are not what they seem.”
Monday, January 12, 2009
"Is that like, looking for rocks?"
"Geocaching (pronounced geo-cashing) is a worldwide game of hiding and seeking treasure. A geocacher can place a geocache in the world, pinpoint its location using GPS technology and then share the geocache's existence and location online. Anyone with a GPS unit can then try to locate the geocache." - courtesy of www.geocaching.com
It's not looking for rocks, cough... Shelly.... but rather a quite fun game of hide and seek. It brings out that pirate side in you, seeking treasure hidden in plain sight! I tried this game for the first time on Saturday with my dear friend Madeline. Not only am I hooked from a mere 3 hrs. at it, but I find myself thinking, "Ooh, that would be an excellent spot for a geocache!". But I'm getting ahead of myself. Here is the story of two college girls setting out to find treasure hidden in their own back yard.
Approximately 9:30 Saturday evening, Madeline and I set out to find our first geocache. Of course it was raining, because there's no way the weather would ever cooperate regardless of what we were doing. But that didn't get us down, we just grinned and bore? beared? which is it? Whatever, you know what I'm saying. We make a quick pit stop at the QFC to buy an umbrella to shield my TomTom from the rain. By this point we're both pretty much giddy, we are real life pirates! How exciting!
Side note: neither of us have ever done this before. I have only heard of the fantastic fun this hobby is from a close friend, Gwen, who has geocached all over the place with her family.
Okay, so yeah, it's dark and rainy, but we went ahead and typed in those coordinates into my GPS. We set off down the Burke-Gilman trail towards the stadium. We were eventually lead somewhere behind Hec-Ed in a marsh. Not the ideal place to be in running shoes and without a rain jacket, but we were determined. We had the smallest little LED flashlight our roommate Brooke lent us (THANK YOU BROOKE!) but it just wasn't getting the job done. We struggled to even get to the actual point these coordinates were leading us. Our shoes were getting sucked off by the deep mud and our hands, arms, and legs stuck with thorns. After a wild goose chase around the marsh, we heard an enormous sploosh! in the adjacent lake. Madeline freaked, in turn, causing me to panic. We both hopped the guard rail and high tailed outta there!
So yes, sadly, we gave up on our first geocache. However, I am determined to find it someday. Perhaps the water levels were higher than normal and it was underwater? I figured that was why I was having so much trouble finding the exact spot TomTom was trying to lead us. Regardless, we saw some cool evidence of beaver activity!
Since this geochache was proving a harder find that anticipated, we moved on to another, near by. But of course we went the EXTREMELY LONG WAY around the entire stadium to get there. By this point the excitement was beginning to wear off, as our feet were soaked to the bone and we had our share of tree debris in our hair. But we trucked on. We found ourselves out behind the softball fields at the UW, by yet another source of water. Oh joy. I began digging around the trees near the creek with no luck except for the occasional thorn scratch and a near slip into the cold water below. We did find a weird NCAA ball in the trees. It's probably nothing special, but I wasn't about to go home completely empty handed! So that was our trophy for the night.
We headed on back to our dorm, which seemed impossibly far to travel. By this point, we're soaked to the bone, muddy, and tired. We just want to make it back in time for SNL. We start to make the hike all the way back to McMahon. For those uninformed, the walk from the softball fields to North Campus is ALL UPHILL. It was very tiring. We thought we could catch a break by taking those well hidden, but amazingly convenient escalators located under Padelford. JK! Those turn off at like six! Great, now we just had to walk up the escalator like a regular set of stairs. A lot of steep, narrow, regular stairs. Both of us were panting as we reached the top and I couldn't help but celebrate with a Rocky pose!
We didn't find our geocaches. Sad day. But we haven't given up! We are planning on embarking again this weekend in search of these elusive treasures hidden in our own backyard. I'll be sure to update with info on our travels, our successes and epic failures.
It's not looking for rocks, cough... Shelly.... but rather a quite fun game of hide and seek. It brings out that pirate side in you, seeking treasure hidden in plain sight! I tried this game for the first time on Saturday with my dear friend Madeline. Not only am I hooked from a mere 3 hrs. at it, but I find myself thinking, "Ooh, that would be an excellent spot for a geocache!". But I'm getting ahead of myself. Here is the story of two college girls setting out to find treasure hidden in their own back yard.
Approximately 9:30 Saturday evening, Madeline and I set out to find our first geocache. Of course it was raining, because there's no way the weather would ever cooperate regardless of what we were doing. But that didn't get us down, we just grinned and bore? beared? which is it? Whatever, you know what I'm saying. We make a quick pit stop at the QFC to buy an umbrella to shield my TomTom from the rain. By this point we're both pretty much giddy, we are real life pirates! How exciting!
Side note: neither of us have ever done this before. I have only heard of the fantastic fun this hobby is from a close friend, Gwen, who has geocached all over the place with her family.
Okay, so yeah, it's dark and rainy, but we went ahead and typed in those coordinates into my GPS. We set off down the Burke-Gilman trail towards the stadium. We were eventually lead somewhere behind Hec-Ed in a marsh. Not the ideal place to be in running shoes and without a rain jacket, but we were determined. We had the smallest little LED flashlight our roommate Brooke lent us (THANK YOU BROOKE!) but it just wasn't getting the job done. We struggled to even get to the actual point these coordinates were leading us. Our shoes were getting sucked off by the deep mud and our hands, arms, and legs stuck with thorns. After a wild goose chase around the marsh, we heard an enormous sploosh! in the adjacent lake. Madeline freaked, in turn, causing me to panic. We both hopped the guard rail and high tailed outta there!
So yes, sadly, we gave up on our first geocache. However, I am determined to find it someday. Perhaps the water levels were higher than normal and it was underwater? I figured that was why I was having so much trouble finding the exact spot TomTom was trying to lead us. Regardless, we saw some cool evidence of beaver activity!Since this geochache was proving a harder find that anticipated, we moved on to another, near by. But of course we went the EXTREMELY LONG WAY around the entire stadium to get there. By this point the excitement was beginning to wear off, as our feet were soaked to the bone and we had our share of tree debris in our hair. But we trucked on. We found ourselves out behind the softball fields at the UW, by yet another source of water. Oh joy. I began digging around the trees near the creek with no luck except for the occasional thorn scratch and a near slip into the cold water below. We did find a weird NCAA ball in the trees. It's probably nothing special, but I wasn't about to go home completely empty handed! So that was our trophy for the night.
We headed on back to our dorm, which seemed impossibly far to travel. By this point, we're soaked to the bone, muddy, and tired. We just want to make it back in time for SNL. We start to make the hike all the way back to McMahon. For those uninformed, the walk from the softball fields to North Campus is ALL UPHILL. It was very tiring. We thought we could catch a break by taking those well hidden, but amazingly convenient escalators located under Padelford. JK! Those turn off at like six! Great, now we just had to walk up the escalator like a regular set of stairs. A lot of steep, narrow, regular stairs. Both of us were panting as we reached the top and I couldn't help but celebrate with a Rocky pose!We didn't find our geocaches. Sad day. But we haven't given up! We are planning on embarking again this weekend in search of these elusive treasures hidden in our own backyard. I'll be sure to update with info on our travels, our successes and epic failures.
There's gold, and it's haunting and haunting;
It's luring me on as of old;
Yet it isn't the gold that I'm wanting
So much as just finding the gold.
Robert Service from "The Spell of the Yukon."
It's luring me on as of old;
Yet it isn't the gold that I'm wanting
So much as just finding the gold.
Robert Service from "The Spell of the Yukon."
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Chinatown (1974)
Chinatown is the type of film that's perfect by the books, but just lacks that one thing that really hooks you and keeps you interested. The acting is outstanding, the plot is interesting with great twists and turns, and the sets and locations are beautiful and almost flawless. But once I began to watch the film, I found myself becoming bored from time to time from lack of action. Often the story just seemed to be moving so slow, almost like realtime. And realtime in the life of a private investigator doesn't move too fast. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the movie, but I'm not going to lie, it took me two times to get through it because of the slow pace.
The film takes place in 1937 Los Angeles in the midst of a drought. Mr. Hollis Mulwray, the head of the department that handles the water reservoirs and dam building ends up dead after a false Mrs. Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway) hires J.J. (Jake) Gittes (Jack Nicholson) to investigate her suspision that Hollis is cheating on her with another woman. In the process of investigation, Jake ends up falling in love, stumbling upon a murder, and uncovering who really killed Hollis Mulwray. In the end, Jake can't seem to protect the people he loves and his heart is broken again.
Perhaps the most intreaguing aspect of this movie has to do directly with the title. Chinatown is a place Jake used to work when he was with the police force. There, Jake ended up in a situation where he tried to keep a woman from getting hurt. However, Jake's involvment insured she got hurt. We begin to find out that is the very situation that he is thrust into again with the Mulwray case.
Chinatown ends up representing the power that the rich and influential have over everything. In Chinatown, the poor are forgotten, like they never existed. The police in Chinatown had to ignore a large portion of what was going on in order to avoid the power of the rich. Chinatown ends up being a representation of not only this part of L.A., but any hard off city in the world. For all I know the film could have been called "Oakland" or "Philidelphia".
Best quote: "Forget it Jake, it's Chinatown"
My recommendation: If you're a die hard Jack Nicholson fan (like me) you'll probably love this movie. It's definitely a watch alone movie. I tried to watch it with my roommates and got sidetrack really easily.
******** (8/10)
The film takes place in 1937 Los Angeles in the midst of a drought. Mr. Hollis Mulwray, the head of the department that handles the water reservoirs and dam building ends up dead after a false Mrs. Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway) hires J.J. (Jake) Gittes (Jack Nicholson) to investigate her suspision that Hollis is cheating on her with another woman. In the process of investigation, Jake ends up falling in love, stumbling upon a murder, and uncovering who really killed Hollis Mulwray. In the end, Jake can't seem to protect the people he loves and his heart is broken again.
Perhaps the most intreaguing aspect of this movie has to do directly with the title. Chinatown is a place Jake used to work when he was with the police force. There, Jake ended up in a situation where he tried to keep a woman from getting hurt. However, Jake's involvment insured she got hurt. We begin to find out that is the very situation that he is thrust into again with the Mulwray case.
Chinatown ends up representing the power that the rich and influential have over everything. In Chinatown, the poor are forgotten, like they never existed. The police in Chinatown had to ignore a large portion of what was going on in order to avoid the power of the rich. Chinatown ends up being a representation of not only this part of L.A., but any hard off city in the world. For all I know the film could have been called "Oakland" or "Philidelphia".
Best quote: "Forget it Jake, it's Chinatown"
My recommendation: If you're a die hard Jack Nicholson fan (like me) you'll probably love this movie. It's definitely a watch alone movie. I tried to watch it with my roommates and got sidetrack really easily.
******** (8/10)
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Eastern Promises (2007)
Synopsis: Anna (Naomi Watts), a midwife at a London hospital, finds a journal written in Russian in the personal belongings of a young teen who has passed away in childbirth. In her pursuit to find the relatives of Christina, the baby born to the deceased teen, she becomes involved with Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen) and the Russian Mafia.
Review: In Eastern Promises, director David Cronenberg dissects the mystery of the often overlooked Russian Mafia. The realness of this film is so stark and so striking, I often found I had to remind myself it was just a movie. The streets of London seem so unsafe from the looming and dangerous presence of the mobsters.
It almost goes without saying, Mortensen was the highlight of this film. His chilling performance as Nikolai sends shivers down my spine and makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. His slicked back hair, heavily tatooed body and thick Russian accent give this man the presence to intimadate the unflappable.
My favorite scene by far is the fight scene (not just because Viggo is in the buff, but hey, I'm not complaining). The extreme violence Cronenberg brings to film is something you don't really see these days. I'm a fan of blood and gore and this movie doesn't let me down. I love how Nikolai kills his attackers, the first by shoving his head down on top of a knife and the second by gouging out his eye. Totally cool and totally believable, no SawIII shit here.
I was (and still am) facsinated by the history and story behind each of the tatoos that Nikolai has on his body. The Russian Maffia ink themselves as a way to tell who they are, what they've done, and where they've been. The whole concept of permenently marking yourself with your past is so interesting to me and the symbolism behind it all is something I have never known.
So, if you want to see Viggo Mortensen act his pants off (literally) I highly recommend you see this movie. Stay away if you have any sort of aversion to blood and fighting. You'll probably hate it for the most part!
Favorite quote: "My name is Tatiana. My father died in the mines in my village, so he was already buried when he died. We were all buried there. Buried under the soil of Russia. That is why I left, to find a better life"
******* (7/10)
Review: In Eastern Promises, director David Cronenberg dissects the mystery of the often overlooked Russian Mafia. The realness of this film is so stark and so striking, I often found I had to remind myself it was just a movie. The streets of London seem so unsafe from the looming and dangerous presence of the mobsters.
It almost goes without saying, Mortensen was the highlight of this film. His chilling performance as Nikolai sends shivers down my spine and makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. His slicked back hair, heavily tatooed body and thick Russian accent give this man the presence to intimadate the unflappable.
My favorite scene by far is the fight scene (not just because Viggo is in the buff, but hey, I'm not complaining). The extreme violence Cronenberg brings to film is something you don't really see these days. I'm a fan of blood and gore and this movie doesn't let me down. I love how Nikolai kills his attackers, the first by shoving his head down on top of a knife and the second by gouging out his eye. Totally cool and totally believable, no SawIII shit here.
I was (and still am) facsinated by the history and story behind each of the tatoos that Nikolai has on his body. The Russian Maffia ink themselves as a way to tell who they are, what they've done, and where they've been. The whole concept of permenently marking yourself with your past is so interesting to me and the symbolism behind it all is something I have never known.
So, if you want to see Viggo Mortensen act his pants off (literally) I highly recommend you see this movie. Stay away if you have any sort of aversion to blood and fighting. You'll probably hate it for the most part!
Favorite quote: "My name is Tatiana. My father died in the mines in my village, so he was already buried when he died. We were all buried there. Buried under the soil of Russia. That is why I left, to find a better life"
******* (7/10)
Monday, December 1, 2008
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
Synopsis: R.P. McMurphy (Jack Nicholson), lovingly called "Mac" by his friends in the insane asylum, thinks he can get out of jail time by pretending that he's crazy. While in the institution, he attempts to liven up the place with games of blackjack, betting cigarettes, and impromptu imitating of the World Series. However, the head nurse, Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher) has it in for Mac, making his stay more difficult than intended.
Review: Every time I watch this movie, without fail, I fall in love with Mac, the Cheif, and Billy over and over again. As do I love to hate the evil Nurse Ratched. The emotion present in this movie hooks you from the get go as you feel for each of the characters, all of their ups and downs. It's so easy to become invested in these characters, it's hard to see how they are treated inside the nut house.
I also like the idea behind the movie, the commentary on the individual versus the system. How is it Mac can weasel his way into the institution without immediate detection of his deception? I don't want to give away the ending, but there are so many events that take place in the film that suggest such harsh repremands on behalf the system that seem so unfair and cruel. It makes for a most interesting perspective on the topic.
If you haven't noticed yet, I'm on a bit of a Jack Nicholson stint. I've just watched The Shining a few days ago and I have Chinatown at the top of my Blockbuster Queue. There's something about the guy that just appeals to me. He's so freaking good at what he does, it scares me and intreagues me. I've made it a goal to see every Jack Nicholson movie out there just to see the master at work. Especially in this movie, I can never tell if the character he is playing is actually Jack Nicholson or just a character that lives in the movie. I have to believe though that every character Nicholson touches has a part of him in it. It astounds me and I will always be facinated by his work.
Back to Cuckoo's Nest, I am blown away every time by his performance in this film. He's charasmatic as Mac, and you can 't help but to root for him, even though we know his crimes are deplorable and a man like that surely deserves to be in jail. There's something about ole Mac that draws you in.
My favorite quote also comes from my favorite part in the film when Mac cons his way onto a fishing boat with all the 'boys' form the ward:
Also, fun fact, it was filmed at the Oregon State Hospital in, you guessed it, Oregon!
Now, go to Blockbuster, find this movie, and rent it. If you don't have a Blockbuster account, go to Fred Meyer and buy it. If you're broke, borrow it, but whatever you do, see it. You won't be disappointed.
********** (10/10)
Review: Every time I watch this movie, without fail, I fall in love with Mac, the Cheif, and Billy over and over again. As do I love to hate the evil Nurse Ratched. The emotion present in this movie hooks you from the get go as you feel for each of the characters, all of their ups and downs. It's so easy to become invested in these characters, it's hard to see how they are treated inside the nut house.
I also like the idea behind the movie, the commentary on the individual versus the system. How is it Mac can weasel his way into the institution without immediate detection of his deception? I don't want to give away the ending, but there are so many events that take place in the film that suggest such harsh repremands on behalf the system that seem so unfair and cruel. It makes for a most interesting perspective on the topic.
If you haven't noticed yet, I'm on a bit of a Jack Nicholson stint. I've just watched The Shining a few days ago and I have Chinatown at the top of my Blockbuster Queue. There's something about the guy that just appeals to me. He's so freaking good at what he does, it scares me and intreagues me. I've made it a goal to see every Jack Nicholson movie out there just to see the master at work. Especially in this movie, I can never tell if the character he is playing is actually Jack Nicholson or just a character that lives in the movie. I have to believe though that every character Nicholson touches has a part of him in it. It astounds me and I will always be facinated by his work.
Back to Cuckoo's Nest, I am blown away every time by his performance in this film. He's charasmatic as Mac, and you can 't help but to root for him, even though we know his crimes are deplorable and a man like that surely deserves to be in jail. There's something about ole Mac that draws you in.
My favorite quote also comes from my favorite part in the film when Mac cons his way onto a fishing boat with all the 'boys' form the ward:
"You're not an idiot. Huh! You're not a goddamn looney now, boy. You're a fisherman"I love this part because Mac genuinely sees these men as whole, complete and perfect and does not see the point in treating them like inferiors because they are in a mental hospital and Mac's quote in this part sums up every bit of his character in the way he treats his ward-mates.
Also, fun fact, it was filmed at the Oregon State Hospital in, you guessed it, Oregon!
Now, go to Blockbuster, find this movie, and rent it. If you don't have a Blockbuster account, go to Fred Meyer and buy it. If you're broke, borrow it, but whatever you do, see it. You won't be disappointed.
********** (10/10)
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