I had a dream last night.

Dream:

Home/America – post-apocalyptic (feel if not in actuality). Economy had maybe not collapsed but certainly went downhill. I was out of a job or not working or market was so bad that I was unable to. Anyways, something with garbage – no collection or some such. Mom sent me overseas to Europe in the meantime.

Overseas now. Speaking English, didn't feel very foreign.

I went to a comic shop I knew over there – looked around. Expensive comic artist art (big though, like poster-sized or bigger) for sale, as well as comic books etc.

Then I snuck into somewhere where others were being held by a military group. Others were friends or from my same group or something. Recognized two of them who greeted me. Something about me being allowed to leave because I'm Jewish.

Went back to comic shop only it had closed (for good, not temporary). Odd shopping area/shopping structure(s) with a hotel nearby/above (up some stairs). Don't remember physical layout and connections very well – not clear. Same expensive art was for sale by someone else. Didn't lower prices though should have. I thought it was overpriced.

Also, somewhere in this mix (first? middle?), I went into a shopping building looking for a/the comic shop. Entered a small room (bigger than a broom closet but not much) that had some shelves with Legos. Looking at them. Gentleman and his son arrived after – "Wait for him to finish. Then we can go look." or close to that. Could buy them. Somewhat expensive/overpriced, especially in light of the post-apocalyptic nature/economic collapse (extreme recession?). Somewhat intricate designs, though. One with loud noises. Scary fun house theme to that one.

~//~//~//~

Generally a good feeling about the dream. Not negative, not overly positive. Felt like I was living a story. Elements of it probably could be a good story. Did not feel afraid at any point. Nor concerned. Didn't feel much of anything, really, not even when found my group who was being held. I think I felt happy to find my two friends, but didn't hate military group or have an otherwise strong reaction to the scene. In some ways, felt like a movie – but one with bright colors and sensations. Maybe that's just a description for life? *shrug*

More Art

Oh boy. As you may or may not recall, I bought two prints earlier this year and had them framed. I am extremely happy with how they came out, though with me (still) living at home, I don't really have anywhere to hang them.

Regardless, I have made an inquiry regarding *gasp* another piece. This time, however, I'm moving up from limited edition prints to original sketches. The one in question is from the cover of Ascension #12, pencilled by Brian Ching and inked by Victor Llamas - it's the inked art (not colored) for sale. Looks pretty cool, in my opinion. Plus it's original art from one of my absolute favorite comics. Hopefully I can buy it (it's looking that way).

My plan is to amass a collection of art and.. ummm... the end?

Indecisiveness

I've been staring at my computer for at least 15 min. I think I'm trying to resist the urge to play a computer or video game. Part of me wants to start up WoW or MTGO. But I know where those roads lead - the first to semi-addiction and the latter to semi-poverty. I want to do something but I know not what. I suspect I may end up killing time until I go to bed, for lack of anything else I can think of right now.

Catch Up

EDIT: I had this fantastic catch up post typed out.. and then Blogger decided it didn't need to be posted. ...

The short version plus:

Vonnegut died. So it goes. He will be missed.

Virgina Tech. Whoah.

I had dental work on 4/20. Lots of fillings (6-8?) and 3 wisdom teeth yanked. Not too bad, really. I got a cold the next day. That lasted 1-2 weeks. Over it now.

The CDs I got myself for my birthday are hotness in an iPod. Very good stuff. Happy am I. Sorta.

eHarmony has failed to come through. Completely.

SPIDER-MAN 3!!! ZOMG! I CAN'T WAIT! I'M GOING TO SEE IT THIS WEEKEND, THEN AGAIN ON WED. NIGHT ON AN IMAX SCREEN. I'M SO EXCITED THAT MY CAPS LOCKS IS STUCK. !!!! SPIDER-MAN 3!!! VENOM! :O

And I need to see Next because it's based on a Philip K. Dick story (even if the movie doesn't quite follow the story and reportedly stinks).

Aaaaaand that's all I have for the now. [10:04 PM, 5/02]

Happy Birthday To Me!

Happy Birthday to me,
Happy Birthday to me,
Happy Birthday to meeee,
Happy Birthday to me!

Today is income tax day. In 1979, it was also Easter Sunday and my birthday! In celebration thereof this year, I.. went shopping.. for CDs.. that I paid for myself (mostly - except the gift from my grandparents). Well, in all fairness, i get 20% off from FYE on my birthday (vs. 10% off normally) so it was worth it. Good stuff - I got 14 CDs and 2 DVDs.

Woot & Cheers to all!

GRINDHOUSE

I saw Grindhouse on Friday night.

CAVEAT: This is two feature-length films in a row. That is, this movie is 3 hours and 20 minutes long. Yes, that's a damn long time for a movie. No, that doesn't adversely affect my opinion or recommendation.

This is really two movies - "Planet Terror" directed by Robert Rodriguez and "Deathproof" directed by Quentin Tarantino, reviewed separately below. Both directors 'aged' the films, adding scratches, dirt, and dust, to simulate the feel of the real Grindhouse films. Note that there were some hilarious fake movie previews interspersed here, including one directed by Rob Zombie (fake trailer segment "Werewolf Women of the S.S."). Whoah - "Apart from US theaters, the two segments started as individual movies and had different release dates in cinemas all around the world."



"Planet Terror

In "Planet Terror", a deadly pathogen is released on an army base and turns the townspeople into zombie-esque carnivores. Of course, they're lucky enough to have Rose McGowan and Freddy Rodríguez around to battle the flesh-eating monsters, though McGowan uses a gun for a leg, as you've seen in the trailers (undoubtedly).

"Planet Terror" opened with McGowan giving a go-go dance. I can only begin to express how good an opening this is. It's probably 3 steps from softcore porn. I actually contemplated the beginning of this review at that time, ready to note that the movie went downhill from there.. only it didn't. "Planet Terror" is a beatem-up zombie action flick with plenty of blood, guts and zombies. (I would add in T&A except both movies had plenty of that.) Thankfully, the action never stops - it just keeps going. I really enjoyed this one.



"Deathproof"

"Deathproof" stars Kurt Russell as a psychotic driver who enjoys killing women.. up until he meets his match. This one is *slightly* less action-oriented, sporting some of that quintessential Tarantino dialogue. However, it also features a 30-minute long car chase scene that is simply intense. A great movie with a killer plot (pun!) and a fun time.


REACTION:

Good lord is this a good one. GO SEE THIS MOVIE, NOW! It's that good. Rodriguez and Tarantino successfully assemble a fantastic atmosphere that grabs you from the start and never lets go. It's also incredibly irreverent (mostly by not taking itself too seriously) and damn funny. Everyone in the theater was laughing and enjoying the ride. For that's what this truly is - a ride. You become a passenger through the twisted talents of two fantastic directors and a host of wonderful actors and actresses. They nailed it dead on. Just sit back and experience it. It may be long but you'll love every minute of it. I can say with no reserve that this one is about as perfect as you get for the goal (B-movie-esque "Grindhouse" flicks). I can't recommend it enough. Go see it.

3 Movies & 1 Play In Short

But not necessarily in that order.


Happiness (link): The official line in one sentence - "Three middle-class New Jersey sisters all have their problems with their families and sex lives." This movie is messed up. One can guess that the main topic is "happiness" and how different people seek it in different manners. And when I say different, I mean very different. To wit, Pilip Seymour Hoffman is an obscene phone caller and Dylan Baker is a psychiatrist and a pedophile. Yeah, not for the faint of heart. I thought it was "okay" at best. Just a bit too messed up for me - so much so that you lose the direction (of the film) for the unsavory details (like the pedophile).



L4yer Cake (link): I bought and watched this one because it stars 007 himself, Daniel Craig. Don't make the same mistake I did. First off, this is a British flick, and I don't mean "British" like Lock Stock or Snatch where you can still understand the dialogue. To put it bluntly - I turned on the English subtitles and I needed them. Second, the plot is convoluted and confusing. Granted, I probably lost a bit since I only turned on the subtitles 1/3-1/2 of the way through, but even so it was not clear. I suspect it could have been a good movie with an interesting plot if only the dialogue and plot were clearer. Clearly this is not a ringing endorsement.



"Doubt" (link): Saw it at the Schubert Theatre in New Haven courtesy of movie.girl. Stars Cherry Jones in the lead role. The official line:

Set against the backdrop of a Catholic school in 1964, DOUBT is the story of a strong-minded woman faced with a difficult decision. Should she voice concerns about one of her male colleagues...even if she's not entirely certain of the truth? The play examines the line between gossip and truth, discipline and compassion, certainty and doubt.

I thought it was an excellent performance of a truly interesting work. There was no definitive point of view or answer espoused. Everything was very ambiguous, lending to the overall theme of doubt. There were so many good subtopics and quotations. An excellent play that certainly got me thinking about doubt and uncertainty. I highly recommend it if you get the chance.



Little Miss Sunshine (link): Wow. I liked this one. The plot is really just to hold together collective observances of a very dysfunctional family. But it works. It works really well. If you like thinly-plotted movies that give you a glimpse of imperfect people in odd situations... well, granted that's an odd preference for movies, but it describes this one fairly well. It's worth seeing if you at least occasionally watch movies that critics also enjoy.

Restlessness

Today, I feel increasingly restless. I don't want to sit in my chair, pouring over a patent application. I want to be... somewhere else doing something else.

Furthermore, I want to be somewhere and do something this weekend, at least on Saturday. No real reason other than an unquantifiable drive. I had thought that movie.girl and I might meet up on Saturday (as the day holds some significance for her) but I am told, via an e-mail, that this will not occur.

Which leads to further restlessness since, if I cannot rendezvous with movie.girl, perhaps there is another friend I might be able to call up and meet up with instead? But... there isn't. I'm either (a) not that close with some of my friends (i.e., close enough to call them up on a whim and meet up for something in the extremely near future), or (b) any such close friends are of a distance away (i.e., greater than 1-2 hours and/or costing more than $20 in transportation) that such an impromptu rendezvous is impractical.

In other words, I don't have any good friends who live close by. Movie.girl is about as close as it gets for impromptu and that's 45-60 min. from here. The Lawless one is more like 2-2.5 hours. I s'pose I could try LT et al. but I've only met up with them once since law school and I've always generally considered them to have active (i.e., filled) weekends, whether true in fact or not.

Clearly, I'm also feeling verbose.

I know I should: (a) pick someplace to go and go there, all else be damned; or (b) pick something to go see, all else be damned. I'd prefer not to spend too much money as that will be an issue this year, what with the 3 weddings to attend and two trips to Michigan. Similarly, I'd prefer not to go shopping (e.g., book shopping... again). If I don't go anywhere or do anything, I'll likely end up engrossed in a computer game or movie or such in order to preoccupy myself. I'd rather that not become the entirety of my weekend.

So, what to do? What to do...

ADDENDUM: Under the above view, my habits regarding movies, books, computer games and action figures could be seen as attempts to preoccupy myself at least partially due to a lack of personal interaction with friends. Granted, sometimes this is entirely reasonable and just, for example, on weeknights when there really isn't much time to go gallivanting around. However, sometimes these habits simply serve as escapes from an otherwise inactive reality. Today, and this weekend, feel exactly like that. [3:17 PM]

ADDENDUM II: Okay, I'm feeling a little bit better and a helluva lot less emo. I blame a temporary chemical imbalance induced by Passover and too much work. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it!) Still not sure what I'm going to do this weekend (run away and join a monastery, perhaps?), but at least it feels a little less urgent. [5:51 PM]

Employment Love/Hate

Some days, I love my job. Last week and the week before that, I spent an inordinate amount of time figuring out how an invention works and expanding on the disclosure. It got to the point where I derived a new formula (an equation) that will be included in the application. It was fun! I understood everything and had the opportunity to play around with it and further explore interactions.

Some days, I hate my job. I have two "urgent" cases, both requiring intensive reading and comprehension before I can make proposals. Each file will take at least 1-2 hours in background preparation before I can start considering what we need to do. Both also require additional background learning relating to the subject matter. Neither file is particularly fun.

The "love" days are much rarer than the "hate" days. If it weren't for the facts that (a) I can stand doing my job; (b) I'm actually pretty good at doing my job; and (c) it pays damn well, I would probably really dislike doing what I do. Even so, it's not always a picnic. And this is why I sometimes wonder if this is what I'm going to end up doing indefinitely, for my career (so to speak).

More With Movie.girl

Well, on Monday night, during a lull in the after-dinner Passover Seder festivities, movie.girl called me and invited me to a play on Wednesday night at the Schubert theatre in New Haven. (She had purchased the tickets far in advance at a nice discount.) A review of the play ("Doubt") is forthcoming (at some point).

After the play, we sat in a nearby restaurant, drinking beer and coffee and talking at great length. Incidentally, at that time I reminded her of my blog so she may very well be reading this. (If so, hello!)

It's always a bit odd, movie.girl and I. We both share a similar taste and interest in movies. We get along incredibly well. It's always been such a weird kind of thing, truly. We can talk about anything and everything excepting a small portion of truth (i.e., anything "us"-related). And I always enjoy time spent together. Always.

I am somewhat hesitant to relate any further specifics regarding either our topics of conversation or my impressions and thoughts relating to movie.girl (at least based on the above reminder). I think it will suffice, for the moment and the here, to observe that she is a very good friend of mine – one of those people who I can lose touch with for a while then reconnect with no sense of discomfort or disconnect. It's a quality I only find in my truest of friends, the ones who know me (the real me) better than most.

Brief State of the State

or: Random Bits of Stateliness

My eHarmony contacts have stalled, more or less. The one Open Communication I had languishes in non-responsiveness or at least exceedingly-slow responsiveness. I suspect I may have revealed too much of my personal brand of humor (or what passes for it with me) in my last communiqué.

Although I met up with movie.girl 2 weeks ago, she has not called me since (and my parting words were "Call me"). I'm honestly not sure why. *shrug* Maybe I'll call her next week. Or maybe I'll let it go another two weeks just because.

I think I found something to engage me and occupy some spare time. I will not reveal it here because.. err... I don't want to.. yet.

Passover starts Monday night. This is truly exciting. 8 days of non-bread ahoy! Yay matzah?

Work has been going well of late. They shortened my leash a bit but it worked - I'm much more on top of things. I also generally feel better, overall, because work is going well. I suspect that if things stay at this "good" level, work may not be odious by any degree and I will feel better in total. I cannot help but think that this is a step in the right direction.

I bought more graphic novels today at the "local" comic book store. In this case, "local" means 15 miles and 20-25 minutes of driving (one way). Unfortunately, this is as local a store as I am currently aware. Fortunately, the store is excellent. Unfortunately, this means a not-insubstantial charge to my credit card. Ah well.

My framed art should be ready next week. YAY! I think the framed art-readiness will coincide with me learning how to actually work my digital camera. I plan on sharing the art goodness with you, faithful readers, as well as the comic book company from whom the art was purchased.

I am tired.

My head ees goeenk to essplode

I got in late due to my Remicade infusion this morning (a recurring medical thingy that keeps me out of hospitals). Came in with a minor headache that has since blossomed into a medium headache. I feel tired for no good reason and I'm loathing the Official Action that I'm currently trying to respond to.

Yeah, I don't think I'm going to last beyond 5pm today.

Until that time, however, I must return to beating my head against the brick wall that this Japanese Official Action (Final no less), in conjunction with some device for measuring something, have thrust upon my weary, mildly-addled brain this day.

ADDENDUM: Shortly after I tapped out the above, I turned on my iPod and put on my headphones. 'Lo and behold! Music does soothe the savage beast. I felt a little better. [8:27 PM]

Dream A Little Dream Of Me

In the past few days, I've had at least 3 dreams that I vaguely remember.

One had me and one or two women battling a zombie infestation in a building I thought was a mall but resembled an office building (with hallways, etc.). Getting past the slow-moving menaces, getting to the elevator and in it with the two women, heading down to the ground floor (to escape?).

The second had me on a first date with a woman that involved meeting her family at their home (her home?). It was a moderately pleasant atmosphere and event.

The third had two parts, the first (and primary) which since has been forgotten. The second part involved me playing tennis with one of my bosses. I was making some incredible shots even though we were only trying to rally. I kept making them, my boss would sort of smile at me (in a joking, somewhat-disapproving manner) and I was disappointed in myself. But then I kept making good shots.

Kind of weird. I hope I have some more memorable ones. I love remembering my dreams, regardless of their content.

Five Movie Reviews In Short

I just finished watching Secretary, which makes 4 movies (DVDs) in the past 24 hours. I might as well hit 300 while I'm here. Brief reviews in order.

300 (link): Frank Miller's work given breath and force. The story itself is engaging, but the actors, scenes and directing make this a must-see. There's quite a bit of blood & gore, but what else can you expect when 300 Spartans fight a massive army? My favorites are the stylized fight scenes. It's an inspiring movie, filled with rhetoric and hyperbole. If you buy into it for half a minute, you will be in awe. Go see this if you haven't already. I saw it twice within the first week. It is worth it.

Man With The Screaming Brain (link): Vintage Bruce Campbell. It's stupid and pointless at times with a paper-thin plot and no small amount of overacting yet I love it. I'm a fan of all things Bruce Campbell and this, for better or worse, is classic. It's not good. In fact, it's so bad it's almost too bad. But if it were actually good, it wouldn't be what it is and Bruce Campbell wouldn't be who he is. Classic, silly semi-horror. Watch at your own risk.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (link): The reason you would watch this is because you're a FFVII fan. It's excellent animation with a decent storyline regardless, but you won't get it unless you're a fan, plain & simple. I'm a fan of FFVII. I've watched someone else play through it once and I've completed it myself, putting over 90 hours into it. FFVII was a masterpiece of its time. This movie is a fantastic legacy for a wonderful game.

Mirrormask (link): This one was a true delight! The story and characters are pure Gaiman while the art and style are clearly McKean. Take those, add in some fantastic sets, actors and puppetry and one is left with a masterpiece of imagination. I find all of Neil Gaiman's works to have a definite soul, a life of their own as it were. This movie is no different. It wasn't a box office smash. It will never be a Top 10 rental at Blockbuster. It will be an underground smash that those who have seen it will cherish. It's something to show your children. It's something to watch on a rainy day when your imagination needs a small kick in the pants. It will make you want to be a kid again. It is pure imagination given form. I don't think I can give it a better recommendation.

Secretary (link): Wow. This one is dark and mildly disturbing at times while still sexy and sharp. Maggie Gyllenhaal is amazing, as is James Spader. It's a truly provoking movie. I enjoyed it, you may not. But if you like a good, unconventional movie, this one is damn fine.

Yesterday & Today

Yesterday was a fun day because:

• I got a private tennis lesson (no one else from the group showed up in the wake of Friday's snow).
• I finally put new windshield wiper blades on my car (nevermind that it took an auto mechanic to tear my old ones off).
• I paid over four times the cost of two prints to get each one framed (though they will certainly look very nice for the price).

Today was a fun day because:

• I read Book 4 of J.Michael Straczynski's "Rising Stars" (a graphic novel).
• I watched "Man With The Screaming Brain" which stars the illustrious Bruce Campbell.
• I watched "Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children" which is an animated movie based on the characters and events of Final Fantasy VII (an excellent Playstation RPG).
• I watched Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean's "Mirrormask."

All-in-all, it's felt like a fun, restful long weekend. For the first time in a long time, I feel pretty good. Almost happy. Screw anything else, this was a fun weekend and that's a rare occurrence for me.

Quick Note(s)

I owe you two Miscellany posts, the contents of which I have queued up but unformatted/linked. Even having the contents, it takes me a good 25+ min. to assemble it all. Those will be forthcoming, as overdue as they are.

Incidentally, the reason they're overdue is because my blogging time is very reduced of late. Weekday posting is generally limited to pre-work and post-work hours as work is insanely busy. This is a good thing, believe it or not.

I have plans in the back of my head to update the links menu based on the Miscellany, e.g., add Warren Ellis' blog; add Warren Ellis' Second Life Reuters column to the weeklies; add non-Warren Ellis things, etc.

The Dreamfather bit will stay up until it ceases to amuse me. BOW BEFORE THE DREAMFATHER.

I've been playing Titan Quest: Immortal Throne of late. Well, actually, I've been leveling up a new char but same diff. My WoW time is greatly diminished, as in to zero. I'm contemplating reducing game time and instead watching more movies (DVDs) and reading more. These would be good things, too.

This post is back-dated to predate the immediately-following post as I prefer that one to lead the page rather than this one.

I'll try to remember to snag photos of the frames prints. Of course, that would require me charging my digital camera and learning how to download pictures from it. These are things I should probably do regardless of framed prints. The framed prints should be ready next month (early April). I swear, they're going to look very nice. Worth-the-money nice? Too soon to say and I'm sure most would say "no" anyways. But then again, I haven't learned money conservation yet so why should I start now? (Plus, the 58% off coupon I have was only good through the end of March.)

Cheers!

Stream of [Mad] Thought

I'm so unsettled right now, it's unsettling. It feels like a Sunday because I had half of Friday off thanks to the white, fluffy stuff. (Snow, damnit!) I'm awake but only half. I feel like I should be doing something, perhaps even something meaningful, yet I'm unable to figure out what that is. I'm currently tired of my current computer game but I also know I shouldn't waste my time with that crap. I feel like I should be creating something in my spare time, something with a vision, yet my artistic talents (aside perhaps from writing) are only a hair better than a 5th grader's. By the way, that new show "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?" Yeah, I am. I spent too much money today on getting things framed to be hung/shown even though I have no great place in which to hang/show them. I spend money like it's water and drink water like it's.. well, water. I feel like I can see things that others don't, and I don't mean dead people like in "Sixth Sense." I mean just things. I swear I have some vision of something somewhere within me but I just don't know how to bring it out/about. It's almost like I'm an artist without a medium - the right medium just hasn't been invented yet. It's St. Patrick's Day and I'm home and sober. Maybe tomorrow I'll watch a few of the dozens of movies I have yet to watch that I own. I'm tired but refuse to sleep. I open my web browser and don't know why. I'm looking for something but I don't know what. Privately I second guess myself on stupid things. I almost regret my previous post about movie.girl. And yeah, I didn't get in touch with The Lawless One as I said I would. ~//~

A Late Night

Last night, I met up with movie.girl to go see 300 in an Imax theater.

First, it was definitely worth it to see 300 on an Imax screen. The picture and sound were much better than a normal screen. It was crazy! The level of detail you could see was simply astounding. I <3 Imax

First and a half, we had to catch the 10:05 because the 7:20 was full. On a friggin' Wednesday night, no less. Which in turn meant that I didn't get home until 1:30 AM. Ugh. Even so, definitely worth it. No regrets.

Second, the whole hanging out with movie.girl was just insanely fun. It was one of those things where you would kill for a first date like that... only it wasn't a date. And I have no intention to pursue a relationship with movie.girl. But the way we click is just, wow. No real breaks in the conversation. We both have some similar interests (e.g., movies). We both laugh at each other's jokes (similar sense of humor). We challenge each other at the right times, her calling my bullshit and me calling hers. We both find the interaction very entertaining. (Of course, I'm assuming the last but it's a pretty safe bet.) It's downright fun.

I've never written here why I won't pursue movie.girl and I don't think now is the time. (I'm a little afraid it could bite me in the ass down the road.) However, later tonight, I think I'll give The Lawless One a call and ask him to agree with me/convince me that I'm making a good decision here.

It's one of those things where I know my reasons for not going after her are entirely reasonable and sound, but we're so good together that it feels almost painful not to do anything.