piggy in the mirror

i didn't make the vh1: 100 sexiest artist list.

damn.
posted by paul 10:16:48 AM

go on take everything

friday night, after the pine club performance, i went out with a bunch friends to celebrate our friend frank's bachelor night. of course that meant going to a strip club. this was my first gentleman's club experience, by the way. it was... interesting. i felt like i was in some hbo: america undercover documentary. cute girls with fake boobs dancing for dollar bills is kinda depressing, in a way. oh well, it beats flipping burgers, i guess.

saturday night, i became obsessed with courtney love taking over mtv2 for 24 hours. i know people hate her, but i love her. she reminds me of a really bitchy version of my sister kim. she played a lot of really, really good videos. she even played the radiohead: live from the 10 spot show. for a while ryan adams, molly ringwald and some of the strokes were hanging out in the studio. she even talked to cameron crowe and michael stipe on the phone. quite an amusing evening (but then again, i was drinking lots of beer).

well, allison was out of town this weekend, so what the hell else was i going to do?

cheers
posted by paul 6:00:32 PM

the kids are all not alright

there is a point around the beginning of the last quarter of shunji iwai's all about lily chou-chou that continues to stick in my mind. it is a scene where the film's villian/bully, hoshino, is standing in a field listening to the music and starts to scream. it is a scream of a wounded animal, a scream of a confused and very disturbed young man. it is a clear portrait of the decent into despair and madness in which this former honor student turned fear-monger has fallen. though hoshino is not the main focus of the story, he is the catalyst for events that affect those around him and in turn is the films most tragic character.

the story is mostly seen through the eyes of a middle school boy named yuichi. not unlike most young people his age, he finds solace in the music and his fanatic devotion to lily chou-chou, a fictional popstar. he runs an internet message board devoted to her which provides him with a realm where he is in control. his actual life is more like that of a passenger in a highjacked vehicle. he is the victim of hoshino, who also uses yuichi as a tool for the victimization of others.

hoshino's actions never deserve any form of justification. he is a young man in desperate need to control his environment. the way he achieves this is through invoking fear. in doing so, he provides an atmosphere that puts yuichi in danger of going down the same road, a state of soul-destroying acceptance of his situation or into a the direction of responsive action.

visually, the film is captivating and difficult to follow at the same time. there is a sequence that is entirely filmed on handheld cameras which is realistic, jarring and appropriate for the vacation setting in which it occurs. the story can be difficult to follow due to some sequencing, cultural differences and wording, but not enough to totally detract from the overall impact. at two and a half hours, the film may tax some viewers, but in end it is a worthwhile venture that is disturbing as well as compelling.

3.5 kendo lessons out of 5.
posted by paul 12:12:20 PM

coffee & t.v.

i don't really watch as much t.v. as i used to, but when i do, it's usually because a show i passionately follow is on. and as some of my friends have learned, you don't bother me when my stories are on!

the lovely allison was kind enough to tape the sopranos season four premiere for me on sunday. i own the first two season boxsets and i was able to see a smattering of episodes from season three, so i wasn't too lost. i could go on and on about how great the show is, but everyone else in the universe has beat me to it. good, clean, wholesome fun.

the sci-fi channel has decided that it is in their best interest not to air a fifth season of farscape. what the fuck?!! i just started to watch the show this year! i love it; it's awesome! thankfully, a massive campaign has started up to save the show. there's been some coverage from cnn and t.v. guide, so hopefully, the show will be saved.

sunday night was season finale of the dead zone. it has been an entertaining show for the past thirteen or so weeks and i plan to follow it when it picks back up. the show is a good heir to the x-files spooky/weird throne. it's got a writing staff that has put out some great television in the past and hey, its got anthony michael hall. c'mon, what more do you want?

and last but not least, the second season premiere of enterprise hits the tube on wednesday. matt and i will be planted in front of the set at 8:00 p.m. ready to get our geek on. i enjoyed the show last season and i'm hoping that it will continue get even better.

cheers.
posted by paul 3:21:15 PM

love is stronger than death

i guess i might as well reflect on the one year anniversary of the september 11, 2001 events; every scrap of media seems doomed to, it would appear. first off, i have to say that any loss of life is a horrible occurrence. my heart goes out to the victims of those attacks and their families. it was a tragic event that should have never happened. it was a stupid, senseless nightmare.

now comes the part some of you may not like.

i have a problem with the government turning such a tragic event into an excuse to perpetuate its increasing domineering agenda on the rest of the world. america cries foul when its innocents are caught in the crossfire of conflicting ideologies, but turns a blind eye when death and destruction is laid out in the name of "freedom". how can the death of a fruit vendor in nagasaki be excused and the death of an office clerk in nyc not? for every heroic firefighter that died in new york, there's a scorched village in vietnam, bombed out baghdad block, or victim of a puppet government gone bad.

the united states of america has to stop being so holier-than-thou and acknowledge its dirty hands. i have a problem being proud of a country that was built on the bodies of indigenous american people, african slaves, and impoverished immigrant labor. how can i love a country that still practices the socio-economic repression of most of its non-white citizens? america runs to the rescue of royal families with oil but doesn't want to get involved with the genocide inside of former yugoslavia. it is my understanding that 50% of our arab-american citizens became victims of racism dealt out by other americans as a response to the events of september 11th, 2001.

and do not give me that "love it or leave it" bullshit, either. everyone says "home of the free", and that is crap. this is a fucking church state whose citizens do not celebrate or tolerate the individual freedoms guaranteed by its constitution. i love the idea of america. unfortunately, the execution of the plan hasn't been i would expect, given what was laid out in the bill of rights. yes, we do have some wonderful freedoms in comparison to most countries in the world, but sometimes i wonder, "at what price?"

and you might wonder why a straight, recovering catholic, white boy like me would be bitching so loud. i'm am in no way claiming any form of victim status. all i am trying to do is something i think a lot of people just can't bring themselves to do; something which i believe, if practiced by more people, would help reduce the hate and fear in our world: empathize.

you have the freedom to disagree with every word i say. it is your right and i will honor that. just be good to each other.
posted by paul 2:10:56 PM

double blah

are you noticing a theme?

i have spent the last week in allergy hell. headaches that float around the skull like weather systems, shotgun sneezes, buckets of snot, not a nice picture. yesterday, i felt the worst i've felt in a long time. i guess it didn't help that i was a little hung over. and on top of it, the two other guys in the office are out, today. one is on vacation and the other is sick, which leaves little ol' me to do their work for them. sheeeeeeeeeesh!

friday, i went out to eat with the lovely allison, the norm, la lisa, and mr. devon. we dared a wonderful persian restaurant and were all quite pleased. tasty food, fine wine, friendly service, and a good time had by all. after that: more drinky-drinks at the back door.

saturday, i travelled down to e-town to help the folks load up the moving truck bound for tampa. their neighbors were kind enough to lend a hand and make everyone some lunch. i escaped with minor cuts and sore arms. i hope mom and pop's trip is a smooth one.

later that evening, i hung out with matt, allison and some of her friends. needless to say, i had insane amounts of beer and turned into an idiot by the night's end. i can become over emotional and paranoid when i drink way too much. i'm surprised that i still have the friends i've got after some of my binges (a binge is officially 5 drinks, according to trivial pursuit, by the way).

say it with me... "moderation".

cheers.
posted by paul 2:53:44 PM

blah

i've been in somewhat of a funk for the last couple of days. it's not a 70s dance kind of funk or the smelly kind either; just a general feeling of "blah". it isn't anything that i can put my finger on and say "this is the root of all my woes". i guess money is a bit tight this month, so i'm having to do some checkbook trickery to get the bills paid. as a result, i've been hiding at home and playing games online, just not to spend money. it's not like there aren't things i can do that don't require the spending of cash. i've got some great friends and i'm currently seeing a truly wonderful young lady, so there are people whose company i enjoy being around available. i guess i need to get off my ass, quit my bitching and make a few phone calls.

cheers.
posted by paul 2:39:17 PM

playas wanna play, ballas wanna ball, rollas wanna roll

friday afternoon started out as total shit. i got off work an hour early, crawled into the car and turned the key. the result was a whole lot of nothing. one of the guys at work gave me a jump and all was good. i get a couple miles away and the power cuts out- boom! actually, there wasn't a boom, more like the reverse- a loud nothing. my windows were down, the transmission is an automatic, electronic type, so it's stuck, part of the ass of my car is in the street. no fun. i ran across the street to a restaurant and called work to see if someone could help me again. another jump and an escort home finally, two hours after i intended to be home. the car wouldn't turn over after that, but at least it (and myself) was home.

saturday afternoon, i took out the battery and woke up matt so he could take me to his favorite place in the world, pepboys. they tested the battery and it was, thankfully, dead. needless to say, i bought a new one, popped into the car, and it started like a champ. i was totally fearing an alternator replacement was going to be the answer to my woes, but the cheaper solution, luckily, surfaced.

allison and i went to omar's gyro on friday. damn fine food, i should say. i plan on going back and i recommend it to anyone.

speaking of fine food, we went over to neil's place for a little birthday feast. the norm, devon and la lisa know how to make a meal. i was nice and stuffed by the end of the evening.

cheers.
posted by paul 3:32:45 PM