Things I've Learned in College Part 10

It will never NEVER not be creepy whenever anyone does that whistle thing from Kill Bill Vol. 1

Things I've Learned in College Part 9

There's something to be said about "2nd Timers", those who for one reason or another dropped out college and return years later to create an idea of self-fulfillment or advance their career further.

I have known several personally. My freshman year I met my first, a 26-year-old Iraq War veteran who was swimming in the G.I. bill (which I envy all the time). He had stories that made my sappy adolescent heartbreaks seem like a stubbed toe. Fantastic incredibly talkative man.

Others are close family friends with heavy conservative ideals.

The majority as it seems has lost the ability to abide by the collegiate code of nodding your head in agreement. Conformity, essentially. The life experience they bring to my politics of inequality tend to make focusing difficult. While I appreciate everyone's life story in an Ira Glass sort-of way, some seem to get a little too carried away.

...

There's a scene in Stanley Kubrick's classic "Full Metal Jacket" where the main character Joker confronts a sniper who turns out to be a teenage girl witha gigantic machine gun. Another person, before the sniper is able to shoot Joker, sprays the girl with machine gun fire. As she's laying on the ground with minutes to live, she begins speaking English (it's a Vietnam war movie, I forgot to mention) with a simple phrase, over and over again "Shoot me."

This scene comes into mind today in the aforementioned "Politics of Inequality" class. This class has halted along with all remaining structure (as a fucking 300-level class!) and I am forced to listen to two women expressing their love for small children in princess dresses. This seriously is clashing with Hemingway discussing war with an Italian priest during World War I.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to drop this class.

...

In my Comm 220 class (the name actually slips as it my last required class before I submit my portfolio). The thing about all communication classes is the teachers are (obviously) excellent communicators. HOWEVER, some attempt the comedic, shall we say, "attention maintainer", aspect. This man for the first 45 minutes was enthusiastic about shaking hands with your neighbors (it felt oddly similar when I use to attend Catholic church services on Saturday nights when I was little..er.), and had a keen parent-like self awareness of things the kids to like ratemyprofessor.com and facebook, and yet, made it seem very much like he wasn't trying too hard (despite the fact that I'm pretty sure he was. the best teachers tend to be.)

ANYWAYS as he's discussing what creates great communication between two parties (here's a hint, it doesn't involve using parenthesis) and he keeps giving his t.a. "the eyehump". Often making absurd segways to say something somewhat flirtatious. After his most recent endeavor and several glances towards my neighbors with the eyebrow raise/sideways head tilt that signifies fornication, he goes into a story about the first time he told said t.a. that he loved her, "when I was 16". THEN he finally goes into the fact they he's been married to the random women for 22 years, which is followed by subsequent collection of sighs and "oooohh...."'s

It's been a hell of a first week.

The best purchase I have EVER made for $0.99.

When the world is constantly concerned about inflation, just know that somewhere in Bellingham there are vinyl recordings of humpback whales in the bargain bins of record shops.

"This is a private residence, man." -The Dude

I just realized I can't sing to Vampire Weekend and type a blog at the same time.

Nor can I do the guitar solo whilst typing.

Oh well, who gives a fuck about an oxford comma?

That's NOT the point I'm trying to convey right now.

My point is I'm struggling to find motivation in stagnation, but I'll try...

HOWEVER I've decided to make a new project for myself (well, four, technically, but this one I'm about to announce is specifically pertinent to BUSINESS TIME.

I'm going create a personal list of the best albums circa 2000-2009.

I'm not sure how many albums there are going to be.

This list will be completely bias in every single way possible, meaning despite M.I.A.'s talent and ability to exploit her child, YOU WILL NOT SEE HER ON MY LIST GOD DAMMIT!

in other words this album list might come out as a giant autobiographical timeline, which I'm seriously considering

or possibly a list. But either way it's what I love more than anything so fuck you I don't care what you like.

I'm sorry I didn't mean to swear at you. That was a bit mean, wasn't it? Ok big hug.

YES.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

I can't believe I just realized this...

Congress is making a weird transition into becoming British Parliament

I noticed this first when Joe Wilson decided to act like a an asshole.

But now

if the Republicans hate Socialism,

and Joe Wilson is acting like a member of British Parliament,

and Britain to Republicans is a Socialist nation,

then is Joe Wilson integrating Socialism into congress?

DUN DUN DUN....

(500) Days of Summer... meh

First reaction: I liked it better when it was called ANNIE HALL.

Second reaction: The whole "successful underdog" indie phase is done... just, done. There's a great Strong Bad E-mail out right now about how obnoxious the concept has become. Rarely (often) they're right about things... and they kinda pegged the whole concept; album, prepubescent drawings for credits. For lack of a better term, it's all kind of fucked out.

Third reaction: This is another thing I'm going to call now; that was a last movie like this. The ONLY reason Juno & Napoleon Dynamite is in the win bracket was they were AIMED toward teenagers. This just in between and wasn't groundbreaking.

Fourth reaction: That's not to say this this was a bad movie. The editing was interesting but shoddy. After the fourth instance of how in looooooooove Tom was me and the ladyfriend were both very much of the "get on with it!" opinion. The acting... good (Zooey Deschanel showed about as much range and she could actually muster in this movie. Singer, yes. Actress, FAIL.

I hate to rag on a movie that put forth some effort, but it just didn't have enough of anything. The plot was interesting in that it put the main character as self deprecating and realizing. But the story just felt juvenile and the depth was toooooo shallow. Which I suppose was good because a lot of people these days can relate (if this movie was only made 2 years ago...) to monogamy and love

Why the hell didn't anyone tell me that Norman Borlaug died?

God Dammit.

What do I pay you people for?

Inglourious Basterds (much like Pulp Fiction)

This movie was fantastic, contending for the number #1 film this year.

Quentin Tarantino is really getting his own game, and his honing his craft.

Now here's the thing, this movie is NOT better than Pulp Fiction (which would be impossible), but it's damn close. In other words, I get this funny feeling watching this movie that he will soon make the next Godfather or Ben Hur or Citizen Kane. He's getting back to what he knows and he's doing it well again. It's only a matter of time before he makes his coup de grace.

It's like Pulp Fiction with subtitles in Nazi-occupied France.

BUT here were the three biggest problems with the movie (and not the fault of the actual movie or creators of said movie)

1. EVERYONE before the movie's premiere was expecting Kill Bill, which it was not. The violence was graphic and horrifying, but very few times did it actually occur, and not in highly stylized ways (much like Pulp Fiction).

2. EVERYONE expected a lot of involvement of the actual "Basterds", just genuinely their romping around killing various people and whatnot. FALSE. The Basterds only take up about 1/3 of the movie. You WANT them to exist more and more but don't (much like Pulp Fiction), and you like the torture!

3. EVERYONE I talked to who had seen it before I did kept expelling their anguish for Brad Pitt's role. They thought it was obnoxious and too much and over the top. I'm telling you right now, Lt. Aldo Raine (Pitt's character) was the adhesive. He was so damn funny with every line he had, as few as their were (rather, not as much as I wanted). He was obviously not the smartest character, but it was obviously intentional to glue all the obscure pieces together.

Soundtrack was a great score of spaghetti western themes, Edith Piaf-esque vinyl, and 70s b-movie songs (and a David Bowie song as well???)

Dialogue was great. Cast was amazing. Setting took nonsense and made it work.

Oh and it has many subtitles.

Hugo Stiglitz!

Ok first watch this video:

Ok so several things here to point out.

A. At the 2:15 mark you see the whole thing go down in real time. Don't talk shit. Just don't.

B. This is hilarious and depressing all at the same time. It's funny to see someone get their shit called out, but you know Legarrette Blount has got Mike Tyson like violence issues. How is letting him off easy in practice helping the situation? The saddest thing about this is NOBODY states the not-directly-obvious.

C. And what really pisses me off is the announcers are trying to pretend that they're martyrs of good sports ethics as opposed to staying neutral in the matter. Journalism (even sports journalism) prides itself on that ideal, although it is rarely carried out.

D. I'm done hearing why collegiate football is more ethical and sportsmanlike than professional football. They can't prove that because IT'S NOT TRUE. The only difference between NFL and NCAA is the number of teams in the league and the ability of the players. And it's sooo satisfying to watch their "sportsmanship" initiative blow up in their faces.

final thought:

E. At about the 2:50 mark you see two things.

1- How fucking bro-y college football fans are.

2- The pomposity accumulated that Boise State has gained after winning one ONE bowl games ever. Good job, guys.

Let me say that Battle Ground, Washington is a developing-ish rural-ish town north of Portland, Oregon.

The population is about 16,000 and lowering, as the housing boom took many plots of developed land and turned them into vacant lots for weeds to occupy.

It has three Starbucks, one Fred Meyers, a Safeway, a Tire Factory, and a 8 screen movie theater.

It has a clash of young families integrating into the newly developed, still occupied, non-foreclosed suburbia with the vanguard of still rural occupants there for many many generations.

I described Battle Ground once to a really really pretentious professor at my uncle's wedding (whom thought my flannel shirts humorous) like "living in a more urbanized version 'The Last Picture Show' with the sanctuaries of a still standing theater and Portland, Oregon"

now to the point:

if there's one thing that DOES NOT exist in Battle Ground are returning college graduates, for there are no jobs (maybe at "The Columbian" for Journalism majors, but that's in Vancouver) for the young fledglings.

this is what baffles me for when I returned two weeks ago for a wedding the headlining movie at the movie theater was "Post-Grad"

According to yahoo.com "Post Grad" is this:

"Ryden Malby had a plan. Do well in high school, thereby receiving a great college scholarship. Now that she's finally graduated, it's time for her to find a gorgeous loft apartment and land her dream job at the city's best publishing house. But when Jessica Bard, Ryden's college nemesis steals her perfect job, Ryden is forced to move back to her childhood home. Stuck with her eccentric family - a stubborn do-it-yourself dad, an overly thrifty mom, a politically incorrect grandma, a very odd little brother - and a growing stack of rejected job applications, Ryden starts to feel like she's going nowhere. The only upside is spending time with her best friend, Adam - and running into her hot next-door neighbor, David. But if Ryden's going to survive life as a post grad, it may be time to come up with a new plan... "

Now you can understand my confusion, I think... I can understand the lack of decent storyline and the chick-flic-ness , but the demographic is all wrong.

Observations Watching "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York"

For reference, I was not under any influence writing my observations while watching this movie.

This movie should be renamed "Home Alone 2: Hotel Concierge Held Liable For Child's Disappearance"

The weirdest part, aside that the kidnappers should be dead or unconscious after at least 3 serious injuries, is recently watching "Goodfellas" (which is amazing) and "Casino" (which is close to amazing) and seeing Joe Pesci being so vulgar and violent (by which I mean stabbing many many people), and then going from that to Joe Pesci (in the same YEAR as Goodfellas) being beat half to death and NOT being vulgar because of a 10 year old.

A. I really miss Joe Pesci

B. He was as hot as a camel's ass in 1990

As well, Catherine O'Hara, because of the Home Alone series, was PERFECT for Orange County

and speaking of which, I'm glad Colin Hanks is getting solid work acting in Mad Men. I wondered where he went since Orange County, and I get him confused with the guy from "(500) Days of Summer".

FINAL THOUGHT:

The crazy pigeon lady in "Home Alone 2" looks insanely similar to Susan Boyle.

I swear this will be the last campaign song related post for a while.

I read not too long ago that John McCain formally apologized to Jackson Browne for using his song "Running on Empty" during his campaign.

First off, thank you.

Second off, please hang Sarah Palin upside down for using "Barracuda"

Third off, thank you for going back to normal John McCain. We really missed you being the normal non-partisan politician that I would have voted for. Please don't listen to the GOP anymore.

Forth off, why the hell would you use (of all amazing Jackson Browne songs) "Running on Empty". That just seems like a generally bad song to support a campaign with.

Personal suggestions:

-Take it Easy

-These Days (if he had real testes, he's use the Nico cover)

-Late for the Sky