I was looking up images from Buster Keaton's "Cops" to compare with Jackie Chan's "Supercop" and found this great picture of Buster and Roscoe Arbuckle.


It makes me happy, so I shared it.

dard-e-disco

How much do I love Shah Rukh Khan right now? We watched Om Shanti Om last night and it's going to be my favorite movie for a long, long time. This song is a lot funnier in context (not that it doesn't have plenty of laughs as-is, especially since it's "the pain of disco"...). Warning to cousin/roommate -- I'm getting the soundtrack.

Kickin' Ass and Takin' Notes

This man-movie class is going to be a little more difficult than I thought it would be. I'll have to re-think my shhedule for the next 4 weeks to get everything done. It's summer school, sure, and I guess I went in thinking movies+summer school = no worries, but it's a lot of outside stuff that I don't really have much time for. You know, watch action films or make dinner ... what should I do?

Although I've already watched the homework movie Mr and Mrs Smith, and spent most of my watching time obsessed with Jolie's lips. They're unnaturally huge and the camera was up against them through the whole movie, so they just looked bigger than usual. It bothered me for a good hour before I made the connection.

Alone Again. Naturally.

The cousin/roommate is off to Hav-a-ee for the week leaving me the run of our side of the duplex.

I've decided to only have one bad dinner this week. I've got a fatty, heart-attack-inducing pot pie in the freezer, but I also went out and picked up a number of lovely vegetables at the Saturday Market. Salad, beets, two colors of squash, onions -- honest, I'm going to make a serious go at it. Not only that, but I found an affordable balance ball and I'm going to do all those wee balance ball exercises. No, really. I've got the fever for fitness.

Although I'm kind of loopy from being up since 1:30 am and I haven't eaten much since we had breakfast at The Roxy at 4 this morning. And ... well ... I know you should never use the bathroom on the right at The Roxy, but I didn't listen to myself and I ... well, there were these people outside and I didn't want to look like a sissy-mary, so ... cah. Do you want to know what was in there? Do you? Things that no one other than a hospital orderly should have to pick up. That's all I'm sayin'. And the toilet paper was wet on one end -- dude, you don't want me to go on.

It's killed my appetite for the whole day.

Anyway, cousin's off sunning and I'm already bored from the lack of fighting with him over dumb stuff, so I'm going to go read a book or something.

(Do you guys know the words to "Alone Again Naturally"? Duuuuuuuuuude... that's a messed up little song. How the hell was it a #1 hit?)

My My! At Waterloo Napoleon did sur-ren-dah

It's how I remember that today is the cousin/roommate's birthday. Same day as the Battle of Waterloo. I used to wake him up with Abba, but that was when his bedroom was directly above the stereo. Now he can close the door and it doesn't work as well.

I'll just have to bang pots and pans around instead.

Almost relaxed for summer -- it's only Tuesday, so, ya know, give me a minute, okay? I've been gardening and reading ("Night Watch" by Sarah Waters) and trying to get into the summer mood before the return of the long day next week. But I suspect the next 4 weeks will go by quickly and I'll be at the Bally's pool sooner than expected. I hope anyway...

Events:
Nothing new from the real estate guy and it's not listed on their website yet, so I guess we just have to keep it clean a little bit longer. The front lawn is mowed and (sort of) weeded and the spare room is organized. What ta do... Our previous landlord had a house for rent, but I ain't got none $1350 to pay (even divided in two), so we had to pass.

Wow, maybe it really is summer and the livin' is easy. No drama. No excitement. Just a birfday dinner of salmon on the new beebeeQ and all ist gut, ja. Bon.

How I spent my summer vacation

School officially ended on Friday. My last final was Thursday, but Friday night was the initiation into Kappa Tau Alpha -- no paddling or beer bongs, and we didn't have to wear red robes or sleep with a Phi Beta Kappa to join. It was a collect the pin/get a photo/go celebrate type of thing. Saw the Ethics professor after the initiation and he had this look on his face like "I know you, but who are you" -- as if I didn't flipping bark questions at him in every class period for the entire term. I'm officially smart, Herr Mac. So there! Side note: bookstore wouldn't take back his textbook. "We're not buying it," they said. Neither am I -- so, through with it, I threw it in the donation bin, which is a collection of books going to Africa. What they'll do with it, I can't imagine. I'm sure it'll be just as useful in Africa as it was in Oregon.

I'm KTA number 61301 (I am not a number! I am a free ... erm ... student.). I celebrated with a nasty bout of food poisoning Friday night and all day work on the house Saturday. We're fixing the "problem areas" for the real estate guy and hoping that our quick gloss will convince the would-be buyer that we're worth keeping on as tenants. I really don't want to move the books again. I mean, this place isn't the greatest -- and last night's serenade of losers and creeps outside ("That's 5 years in San Quentin, man" -- reminiscing about the past or planning for the future? And why did he have to yell it?) confirmed that this is one of the worst locations in the city -- but, I've got to say, this place grows on you. And now that we've Rug Doctored I feel a sense of ownership.

I don't know. No possessions, as the Daoists say. Possessions make you heavy. I'm ready to let it go, but not until I have to. I'm not going to hole-up with 10 sticks of dynamite and threaten to blow the place if they make us move, but I'm not going to roll over either. Didn't I just plant Italian tomatoes in the back? (I did.)

Now ... if we can just convince them to kick out the duplex neighbors...

good, bad, ugly, good, bad, sweet, nondescript

We got the phone back yesterday and the real estate guy came to give a cursory glance around the place. It goes up on the market next week (!!), which, yeah, kind of freaked me out a little. But RE guy says that it's marketed as an investment property and that people would rather have it filled with reliable tenants than chase everyone out ... but they would give us legal notice if it came to that.

Cousin/roommate and I were watching that episode of Star Trek where Spock cries about his mom and we were both getting choked up. That's the state we're in. It doesn't help that it's still fecking winter outside. It's a wonder the entire town doesn't have SAD by now. Why the hell am I wearing a sweater and 2 pairs of socks in June??

We did look at a house the other night. Good things - location, HUGE yard, hot tub (!), solar heating and cooling, 2 car garage.

Bad things - The living room was ... oh ... about 6' x 6', give or take. Maybe a tad bigger, but with a stone fireplace on one of the walls, which kiboshes it's use as a TV wall. The whole space is located between the tiny wee kitchen and the tiny wee bedrooms, so it's more of a hallway with a bit attached for a couch. I didn't like the house much because it smelled like socks, but cousin/roommate was really trying to make the living room work, coming up with all kinds of positions for the couches and the stereo. No way. Like Scotty says, you can't change the laws of physics no matter what happens.

Funny thing is the landlady called us last night (our first call!) to ask if we still wanted it. I didn't have the heart to pick up. We didn't even turn in the application and she still called, which I thought was kind of sweet. Most of the time they just blow you off. Made me almost want to go back and re-measure the place ... I mean, gee whiz, it had a hot tub ...

One more final and then I'm done done done -- for a week -- during which time we've apparently got to finish painting the hallway in time to show the place. fahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

side note:
Looks like those fuckwits who share the duplex with us cut the phone lines to the whole house.

sad note:
We didn't notice it for a week.

Why does it always happen during finals?

Hello [li'l hateful] and [cousin/roommate] –

I have decided to put your duplex on the market and sell it. My realtor is [the Man]. I would like to have him come by and scout out the place next week. He can come either Tuesday 6/10 between 4p and 6p, or around midday on Thursday 6/12. Do either of those times work for you to let him in? Please contact [the Man] via email (cc’ed) or at [666-xxxx] as soon as possible.

Thanks,

[landlord]

I was better than Cats!

To celebrate the end of the regular school term, the cousin/roommate and I went out and caught the new Indiana Jones movie.

Dude, I don't know if it was because I had a headache or if it was the smell of the guy next to me or what, but this movie kind of sucked. And that makes me sad because I loves the Ray Winstone and I've had a crush on John Hurt since I was eleven (because he's just amazing, that's why -- he can be Caligula, the Elephant Man or a gay undercover cop and he's just brilliant, brilliant), but they just seemed intensely wasted in this movie. I mean, gee whiz, when you're stealing bits from "The Mummy Returns" you've got to be a little desperate, right?

That little Shia labeef kid wasn't bad tho'. This is kind of a sad comment, but whenever he took out his comb or his switchblade the movie picked up and was entertaining. So, yeah, it hinged on the minor props, sure.

Oh, well, actually, it was better than the Temple of Doom, so there you are. I'd see this one again over Temple of Doom any day of the week.

The Big Screen

How does "Emergency!" look on the new television? Check out the duds on Dr. Kelly Brackett.


Now, picture that on a great big giant screen.

Wheet-whoo. Man, the 70's have never looked so good.