Don't Stop Believin'

I've written my last college paper (on Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress -- how cool is that?) and I only have finals left (which include two multimedia slideshows one with 5 levels of audio that still need to be edited), and I still get irritated by low grades on stuff. A frickin' 89 on the last art history exam! It's so unfair. Is it because I mentioned Friedrich before we were quizzed on him? Was I supposed to save that for the final?? 89 ... what a load of ... If I get a B in this class I'll cry. Of course, by the time they get through grading the final I'll be graduated so screw it.

Yeah, I said screw it.

How bitter am I?

The Best News EVER

From the news today:
Guy Ritchie is set to branch out from the world of gangster cinema - the filmmaker is reportedly in Hollywood to begin writing a script for a remake of Guys And Dolls.

The director, best known for his London-based crime films, is said to have roped in movie hardman Jason Statham to show off his vocal talents in a reworking of the classic musical, which originally starred Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra.

A source tells British newspaper The Sun, "Guy has been on the case with the idea of making a musical recently. He had been throwing ideas around with Jason Statham about writing their own musical.

"Guy has had a lot of meetings with top studio bosses about other projects but the Guys And Dolls idea really tickled him."

But Ritchie could be sticking to a familiar formula when shooting begins - he is apparently considering basing the song-and-dance classic in his native Britain.

The insider adds: "He is torn between keeping the script true to the original in New York and taking it to familiar surroundings in London."

I can't wait until this is out on BluRay -- and it will be because it stars Jason Statham. Maybe it'll even go straight to BluRay.

It's Duff Time

Just got back from the blood doctor -- platelets dropped again, so the no-alcohol experiment has ended in failure.

Which means I'm up for a beer if anyone wants one! WHOO HOO!

yin + yang = beer.

I Loves the Spring

Should I include a picture of the Le Tour in my photo portfolio? How many daimyos can you have in a warrior government? Wasn't Toranaga-san a daimyo when Anjin-san was made samurai? Why can't JMW Turner paint within the lines? Was Goya's Maja Desnuda painted in 1798-1804 or 1803-1806?

Gee, school presents more questions than answers. Better go outside and ride the bike instead.

Helpful Hints

There is no "L" in the word "both" -- it's not pronounced "bolth".
There is a "Y" and an "O" in "crayon" and "mayonnaise" -- it's not pronounced "cran" and "mannaise".

that is all.

The Balkan Girls like to party like nobody, like nobody

Thank you Wuh for reminding me that I've been so busy that I'VE NEARLY MISSED EUROVISION.

I'm just in time to check the first semi-finals, and how happy am I that Romania made it through?

I'm gonna start my weekend with a tonic and lime... and my hips are ready to glow.

Boo

Ferrari kills Kimi's car and then short-fills Massa on fuel, and then Rubens Barrichello is beat back by team orders AGAIN. Formula 1 makes me cry.

This story out of crash.net on Rubens:

"He would remain there all the way to his first pit visit on lap 19, having eked out a small advantage over Button along the way, but unbeknown to him the team had switched the British star to a two-stop strategy during the stops, whilst he had been left on three. That meant that whilst the 36-year-old now had an even greater lead, he would need to push harder still to extend his margin in order to remain ahead at the end of the race, and ultimately it was just too tall an order.

"At one point looking in danger of missing the podium altogether, Barrichello took the chequered flag 13 seconds behind Button in second place – his second rostrum appearance of the season, but one that was scant reward for what he felt should have been his first F1 victory in more than four years. Fastest lap to his credit too was little consolation."

Ay, Rubens ...

Sweet righteousness

So, I had to photo this sports event for the photo journalism class, right? And it's Spring, right? So there's plenty of sports out there, right? Oh except for the ones in other parts of the state and ones that I didn't get a media pass for and the ones that happen on Monday when I have the samurai class. Oh yeah, and then there are the ones that I went to.

AYSO soccer. Friends, don't let anyone tell you that little league is where you get the angry parents. I have never heard someone tell a kid "Now you know what fear will do to you" as an admonishment. Not even my dad said crap like that and he used the old "stop crying or I'll give you something to cry about" line. I mean, think about it, this ball is coming for your head and this other kid's ready to kick it and your head, so, yeah, maybe you're going to be afraid, especially if you haven't reached your growth spurt yet and the guy bearing down on you looks like Baby Huey. Do these adults, responsible parents and guardians, care? Hell no.

GET UP! DON'T JUST LAY THERE!
(uh, coach, he's lying there, not laying there)

Then I sat down and filled out my exit questionnaire on the student loan only to come face to face with mortality issues: "Wait, so I have to pay this amount for 10 years or this amount for 25 years and in 25 years I'll be on whatever's left of Social Security, so ... ... Jesus." I had to put down 2 friends as contacts for people who would know where I was in 3 years, which means if I gank on the loan you'll get a call. You can solve for yourself who those 2 friends are. I will pay you in pie if you get hasselled by the gub'ment. I promise ... just like I promise to pay off the loan.

suckers.

weird

I'm trying to watch last week's House, but the school wi-fi is being particularly iffy. At the table next to me are 4 girls comparing Grey's Anatomy with Scrubs.

Weird.

Just overheard: "I don't know if I want to go to Maui this summer or not." God! I know. What to do? What to do?

But in this ever changing world in which we live in

The term's almost over and I just don't think it's going to work out in a pretty fashion. The weekend was spent at a narrative journalism workshop, which was helpful on its own, but not helpful considering all the junk I have to work on this week and the time I missed by being in the classroom. I just sat there playing over in my head all the crap that's due and not done. It's relative to money fear -- that feeling you get on the Wednesday before payday, where you know you've got to get through Thursday with $2.50 in the bank.

In two days I pushed through a paper on Rashomon, (it's due tonight), and an edited news story for tomorrow, a series of portraits for Thursday (psychological photo? They're all psychological -- it's art demmit), we planted vegetables (rain? yes) and I learned how to write about suicide and murder in a narrative fashion. Rich. Full. Weekend.

One day I'll sleep and it will be good.

Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blast

When I hear that people are dressing up like Star Wars characters I don't reach for my revolver, but I do tend to get a little leery. I'm used to Trekkies -- well, not used to, but that's what I'm familiar with. Guys like this one who posted a review of the Star Trek BluRay series on Amazon:

"Paramount is the worst. This release is just a thrown together bunch of crap to collect money from trekkers. Face it fellow Federation Members until we unite and stop buying these travesties they will keep rolling merrily along picking our pockets as long as they can. A blu-ray release should include everything we deserve as loyal Star Trek customers who have shelled out hundreds if not thousands each over the years and that means re-mastered theatrical and extended releases with all the extras thrown in. These Paramount Pirates obviously adhere to the Ferengi Rule of Acquisition which states: Sell the sizzle and NOT the steak - and then sell it again - and again - and again - as long as the rubes keep coming back. IT'S TIME TO WAKE UP AND STOP HANDING OVER THE LAUDINUM! "

So, yeah, it's a little scary. You don't know if they're belching or speaking in Klingon, and it can get a little dicey if you don't know your Sulu from your Seven of Nine.

Star Wars people on the other hand are kind of fun. I spent last Saturday with a group that does events for charity: The Cloud City Garrison.


First of all, their costumes are amazing. Darth Vader, Boba Fett, Chewbaca, the stormtroopers, Leia ... absolutely stunning. They put a lot of time and work into making them as real as possible.


Second, these are just the nicest people you could ever run into in any galaxy. They do stuff all over town -- here, Portland, wherever in Oregon you need a better than average meet and greet, and if you get a chance to take your kids to one of their events go.


They do everything for charity. Lucasfilms states that it's all got to be non-profit, which is cool. Honestly, it's amazing to see people actually going to these lengths with nothing to gain for themselves.


So while some Trekkies count their credits and look to trade up on tribbles, the Rebellion and the Evil Empire have joined forces for good, and prove yet again that Yoda was absolutely right:

Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter.

And in the blue corner, with his mouth open

Tarver Sues Rocky Balboa Bosses
Professional boxer Antonio Tarver is suing the makers of Rocky Balboa for failing to pay him a performance bonus for his role in the movie.

Tarver starred as heavyweight champion Mason 'The Line' Dixon in the 2006 film, opposite Sylvester Stallone.

He claims bosses owe him a bonus based on how much money the movie pulled in, according to a lawsuit filed on Thursday in Los Angeles' County Supreme Court.

Tarver is seeking what he claims he is owed - $1.5 million - plus interest, reports TMZ.com

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The cousin/roommate had better watch his back. He used Tarver to win a series of devastating knockouts in Fight Night 3.

And, you know, I kind of liked Tarver. He's mouthy, but he seemed to be able to back it up most of the time. Now, I just don't know.