See, I just get lost in what I'm writing, and I forget Very Important Things.
Anony One. I have read your survey three times, and I still have no idea. Please tell me. Please? Pretty pretty please with sugar on top?
And: Oooooooh! Check it out! There are 15 entries for July, that's more than any of the other months! See how much better I am at updating? Be pleased.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Universe, Meet Julia
Grrr. So, this was supposed to be Prince Charming vs. The Beast: Round Two. And HOPEFULLY I'll get to that eventually. But right now, I am so consumed by this comic book idea, that I can't actually think about anything else right now.
Oh my gosh, you guys, you have NO idea how excited I am about this!
It's the sort of comic book that I would like to read, so hopefully other people will like it as well. For my most recent birthday I received The DC Comics Guide to Writing Comics, from my sister's girlfriend. (She told me it was actually my sister's idea, so big Thank You to both of you!!) This has provided me with the essentials of how to write a comic book. Mostly, it helped with the structure, and gave me ideas about layout and how to get the most out of your artist.
Artist. I think I've talked before about my fabulous stick figures. My idea is to get some scripts written, then put an add on craigslist asking for a comic book artist who doesn't mind that I can't pay very much. Hopefully, I'll find someone who is trying to get into the industry, and is interested in collaborating on a story, and getting it published. Everything I've heard says that the big companies don't accept solicitations, but that there are many avenues for self-publishing, and if you have something that is finished, which you can just hand to them and say, "hey, I did this," they will look at you much more seriously. And if I want to be a professional writer, I'm going to need to rein in those run-on sentences. They just get away from me sometimes.
Did I say "professional writer"? OK, this doesn't mean that I want to give up acting, because it's still a passion, and as soon as my agent gets back (he's out of town) I fully intend on meeting with him and working up a strategy and some goals for the future of my acting career. However, I've decided that I'm going to put energy into BOTH pursuits. I feel invigorated by this new idea that maybe I have talent in a couple different areas, and there's no law that says I can only have one career. I've wanted to be an actor for so long, I think I sort of blocked everything else out. I didn't want to see that there might be other possibilities because I thought that it would tempt me into taking the easy* way out. And maybe it would have. Maybe if I had realized how important writing was to me sooner, I never would have come to NYC and studied at AMDA. And then I never would have met Phil, who got me into comic books in the first place.
Everything happens for a reason, and if you keep yourself open to what the universe is telling you, things will fall into place.
That's how most of my life has happened, so far. I feel like when I shut down and refuse to see what is happening around me, that's how I miss stuff and get caught in a rut. But when I stop, open my eyes and really look, everything becomes clear. Of course, hindsight is always 20/20, but, do me a favor: try it.
Think about where you are in your life right now. How did you get there? What choices did you make along the way? How much of it was out of your hands? I know, for me, there have been things that happened which altered my life forever, over which I had no control. Hurricane Katrina, to name one. Here was this terrible disaster that turned my life upside down. And now look at the choices you made after whatever act of Fate occurred to you. I made the choice to go to NY and study at AMDA. Something that I was going to do after I graduated anyway, so who knows what would have happened. The point is, I made a choice. A Really-Bad-Thing happened, as they do in life, but I didn't let it make me helpless. Well, I did for a bit. I was in a bad place after that, unsure of my future, of what direction I should take next. And then I took control.
There are some things you just can't do anything about, and you need to know that, but you can't let it rule your life. You have to remember that this is your life, not Fate's, and you have control.
There I go with my preaching again. Do you find that I preach too much on this blog? I do. I'll try to keep it down.
What was I talking about? Right. We think that these things are random, that we go from place to place with no rhyme or reason, but if you look back, you can see the patterns. Some of you will call this God. And maybe it is; I really don't know. But I tend to think we make our own futures. We are beings of energy, positively bursting with the power to affect the world around us. And I believe that the energy we send out is what we'll get back. So if we're negative, saying that "bad things happen to me all the time, and there's nothing I can do about it," then that is exactly what will happen. And you will spend your life as a miserable person, blaming everyone else for your misfortunes. But if you believe that people are generally good, that you are capable and strong and in control of your destiny, then it will be so. There I go again....not two seconds after I promised to stop!
Anyway, I had to go to UNO to meet Kathleen. I have no doubts about that. I had to make friends with Phil so that he could introduce me to comics at the very moment that I was most ready for it. I had always been interested before, I just needed that extra little push. And it just happened that at that very moment, Countdown was beginning. A perfect book to start me off. Jenna began her blog, which sparked the idea that maybe I could do the same. This got me to practice writing more often, and got me used to people reading and responding to my writing. My Mom has supported me every step of the way, always offering that little bit of encouragement, and reminding me that I am intelligent and strong (good genes!) and can accomplish anything I put my mind too. Heck, my sister got me interested in writing in the first place! She's always been a great story-teller, and I guess I wanted to be one too. I remember her writing stories and I thought it was the coolest thing EVER! The idea that you could MAKE UP your OWN story?? Brilliant! (That, and she lent me Arkham Asylum, which I believe was actually my Very First Comic.)
And now, all these elements have come together in this idea I've had.
I actually have to pee, I'm so excited about this idea! That, or the iced coffee I had earlier has worked it's way through my system. Be right back.
Ahh, better.
So, do you want to hear about this comic book?
Jules
___________________________________________________________________
*"Easy" being a relative term. I mean, writing isn't exactly an easier profession than acting.**
**Ooooooh! My first foot-note...isn't it exciting?!
Oh my gosh, you guys, you have NO idea how excited I am about this!
It's the sort of comic book that I would like to read, so hopefully other people will like it as well. For my most recent birthday I received The DC Comics Guide to Writing Comics, from my sister's girlfriend. (She told me it was actually my sister's idea, so big Thank You to both of you!!) This has provided me with the essentials of how to write a comic book. Mostly, it helped with the structure, and gave me ideas about layout and how to get the most out of your artist.
Artist. I think I've talked before about my fabulous stick figures. My idea is to get some scripts written, then put an add on craigslist asking for a comic book artist who doesn't mind that I can't pay very much. Hopefully, I'll find someone who is trying to get into the industry, and is interested in collaborating on a story, and getting it published. Everything I've heard says that the big companies don't accept solicitations, but that there are many avenues for self-publishing, and if you have something that is finished, which you can just hand to them and say, "hey, I did this," they will look at you much more seriously. And if I want to be a professional writer, I'm going to need to rein in those run-on sentences. They just get away from me sometimes.
Did I say "professional writer"? OK, this doesn't mean that I want to give up acting, because it's still a passion, and as soon as my agent gets back (he's out of town) I fully intend on meeting with him and working up a strategy and some goals for the future of my acting career. However, I've decided that I'm going to put energy into BOTH pursuits. I feel invigorated by this new idea that maybe I have talent in a couple different areas, and there's no law that says I can only have one career. I've wanted to be an actor for so long, I think I sort of blocked everything else out. I didn't want to see that there might be other possibilities because I thought that it would tempt me into taking the easy* way out. And maybe it would have. Maybe if I had realized how important writing was to me sooner, I never would have come to NYC and studied at AMDA. And then I never would have met Phil, who got me into comic books in the first place.
Everything happens for a reason, and if you keep yourself open to what the universe is telling you, things will fall into place.
That's how most of my life has happened, so far. I feel like when I shut down and refuse to see what is happening around me, that's how I miss stuff and get caught in a rut. But when I stop, open my eyes and really look, everything becomes clear. Of course, hindsight is always 20/20, but, do me a favor: try it.
Think about where you are in your life right now. How did you get there? What choices did you make along the way? How much of it was out of your hands? I know, for me, there have been things that happened which altered my life forever, over which I had no control. Hurricane Katrina, to name one. Here was this terrible disaster that turned my life upside down. And now look at the choices you made after whatever act of Fate occurred to you. I made the choice to go to NY and study at AMDA. Something that I was going to do after I graduated anyway, so who knows what would have happened. The point is, I made a choice. A Really-Bad-Thing happened, as they do in life, but I didn't let it make me helpless. Well, I did for a bit. I was in a bad place after that, unsure of my future, of what direction I should take next. And then I took control.
There are some things you just can't do anything about, and you need to know that, but you can't let it rule your life. You have to remember that this is your life, not Fate's, and you have control.
There I go with my preaching again. Do you find that I preach too much on this blog? I do. I'll try to keep it down.
What was I talking about? Right. We think that these things are random, that we go from place to place with no rhyme or reason, but if you look back, you can see the patterns. Some of you will call this God. And maybe it is; I really don't know. But I tend to think we make our own futures. We are beings of energy, positively bursting with the power to affect the world around us. And I believe that the energy we send out is what we'll get back. So if we're negative, saying that "bad things happen to me all the time, and there's nothing I can do about it," then that is exactly what will happen. And you will spend your life as a miserable person, blaming everyone else for your misfortunes. But if you believe that people are generally good, that you are capable and strong and in control of your destiny, then it will be so. There I go again....not two seconds after I promised to stop!
Anyway, I had to go to UNO to meet Kathleen. I have no doubts about that. I had to make friends with Phil so that he could introduce me to comics at the very moment that I was most ready for it. I had always been interested before, I just needed that extra little push. And it just happened that at that very moment, Countdown was beginning. A perfect book to start me off. Jenna began her blog, which sparked the idea that maybe I could do the same. This got me to practice writing more often, and got me used to people reading and responding to my writing. My Mom has supported me every step of the way, always offering that little bit of encouragement, and reminding me that I am intelligent and strong (good genes!) and can accomplish anything I put my mind too. Heck, my sister got me interested in writing in the first place! She's always been a great story-teller, and I guess I wanted to be one too. I remember her writing stories and I thought it was the coolest thing EVER! The idea that you could MAKE UP your OWN story?? Brilliant! (That, and she lent me Arkham Asylum, which I believe was actually my Very First Comic.)
And now, all these elements have come together in this idea I've had.
I actually have to pee, I'm so excited about this idea! That, or the iced coffee I had earlier has worked it's way through my system. Be right back.
Ahh, better.
So, do you want to hear about this comic book?
Jules
___________________________________________________________________
*"Easy" being a relative term. I mean, writing isn't exactly an easier profession than acting.**
**Ooooooh! My first foot-note...isn't it exciting?!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Writing Crisis
Annette, one of the store owners where I work (and I promise that someday I'll just assume you all know who I'm talking about and stop explaining), asked me what I thought of The Dark Knight. She has yet to see it, but was curious to hear my opinion. I spoke glowingly of it, of course, and then mentioned that I had reviewed it on my blog. She insisted on reading it, saying teasingly, "I shall decide whether or not to see it based on your review."
"So, no pressure then," I replied, pulling it up on the computer.
She read it while I hovered nervously, thinking "she's going to hate it, she'll think it's too unfocused, poorly written, and just a lot of fluff."
"I think you should be a movie critic," she said when she had finished.
I stood agape, having expected something more along the lines of, "Hmm, very nice" said in a patronizing way.
Why do I react that way? Why can't I just be proud of the things I create, and assume that other people will like them as much as I do? Remember in the survey, when it asked what I disliked most about myself and I said, "my insecurities"? Yeah.
Anyway, I pulled myself together, grinned and blushed uncontrollably, and said, "Gosh, really?"
"Yes, you are a great writer, and you clearly love movies. Also, you didn't give away the whole plot like a lot of critics do in their reviews. I hate that."
I shuffled my feet and ducked my head.
"Aw, thanks," I muttered.
"No, really, you should look into it. Especially since you said you have a hard time finishing things. Maybe you would have an easier time with short pieces."
Annette and I have discussed my love of writing a few times, and she has read a couple blog entries before and was very generous with praise.
"But," I protested, "I wouldn't even know where to begin! Don't you have to have a degree to be a critic?"
Annette thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. Phil and I are friends with a writer for the New York Times, A.O. Scott. He writes reviews. Maybe we could ask him how he got started and whether he has any advice."
Do I not have the coolest bosses ever? (I'll recount some of Deirdre's coolness later, because she is equally helpful and supportive.)
In the meantime, I'm in a quandary. Yeah, yeah: "So, what else is new?", right?
I would like to take some creative writing classes, and there's this school called the Gotham Writer's Workshop which has all sorts of classes for every type of writing you would ever need to know. To take the basic Creative Writing class, which they recommend for those who are just starting and want some basic foundations for writing, it would be one day per week for six weeks and cost $320. Ouch. I'm pretty poor, but coming up with that much cash wouldn't be impossible. I don't really spend a lot of money (except on comic books....and food...oh yeah, and rent) so I could justify this one-time expense, and if I ever want to take another class from them I would get a discount for being a returning student.
One class a week isn't all that time-consuming, though the work might put a dent into my nights, but, hey, if I'm going to be up late anyway, I might as well be getting something productive done, right?
"So," you say, "what's the problem?"
I just feel like I shouldn't be trying to split my attention in too many directions. I'm supposed to be focused on my acting career, and I can't even make myself go to an audition. What happens when I start having more legitimate excuses for not doing what I should be doing?
Then again, sometimes a full schedule can have the effect of propelling me into greater heights of motivation. I feel like so much of my time is being wasted simply because I don't have enough to fill up my days. When I was at AMDA I was getting tons more work done and I had less time to do it. That doesn't seem right.
Now, I have more time, and part of my brain is always conscious of that. I'm constantly thinking, I have lots of time to get that done, so I don't have to worry about it right now. I'll have time later...later....later........later. (Screen dissolves into psychedelic wavy lines until everything is blurry. We come into focus on Julia stretched out on her couch, staring blankly at the TV screen, remote in hand, jaw slack with a hint of drool. Her ass is bigger than the couch itself and they appear to have melded.)
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So, I guess I'll sign up.
I don't know. What do you think? What should I do and why? Detailed answers, please.
Love,
Julia the Ass-Couch Slacker
And I think we've just found my stage name!
Next time on Blog:
I continue the discussion of dating in Prince Charming vs. The Beast: Round Two (look for Deirdre's contribution to my current Life Issues in this exciting post!)
Also, I was bored today so I thought up an idea for a comic book. More details coming soon!
"So, no pressure then," I replied, pulling it up on the computer.
She read it while I hovered nervously, thinking "she's going to hate it, she'll think it's too unfocused, poorly written, and just a lot of fluff."
"I think you should be a movie critic," she said when she had finished.
I stood agape, having expected something more along the lines of, "Hmm, very nice" said in a patronizing way.
Why do I react that way? Why can't I just be proud of the things I create, and assume that other people will like them as much as I do? Remember in the survey, when it asked what I disliked most about myself and I said, "my insecurities"? Yeah.
Anyway, I pulled myself together, grinned and blushed uncontrollably, and said, "Gosh, really?"
"Yes, you are a great writer, and you clearly love movies. Also, you didn't give away the whole plot like a lot of critics do in their reviews. I hate that."
I shuffled my feet and ducked my head.
"Aw, thanks," I muttered.
"No, really, you should look into it. Especially since you said you have a hard time finishing things. Maybe you would have an easier time with short pieces."
Annette and I have discussed my love of writing a few times, and she has read a couple blog entries before and was very generous with praise.
"But," I protested, "I wouldn't even know where to begin! Don't you have to have a degree to be a critic?"
Annette thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. Phil and I are friends with a writer for the New York Times, A.O. Scott. He writes reviews. Maybe we could ask him how he got started and whether he has any advice."
Do I not have the coolest bosses ever? (I'll recount some of Deirdre's coolness later, because she is equally helpful and supportive.)
In the meantime, I'm in a quandary. Yeah, yeah: "So, what else is new?", right?
I would like to take some creative writing classes, and there's this school called the Gotham Writer's Workshop which has all sorts of classes for every type of writing you would ever need to know. To take the basic Creative Writing class, which they recommend for those who are just starting and want some basic foundations for writing, it would be one day per week for six weeks and cost $320. Ouch. I'm pretty poor, but coming up with that much cash wouldn't be impossible. I don't really spend a lot of money (except on comic books....and food...oh yeah, and rent) so I could justify this one-time expense, and if I ever want to take another class from them I would get a discount for being a returning student.
One class a week isn't all that time-consuming, though the work might put a dent into my nights, but, hey, if I'm going to be up late anyway, I might as well be getting something productive done, right?
"So," you say, "what's the problem?"
I just feel like I shouldn't be trying to split my attention in too many directions. I'm supposed to be focused on my acting career, and I can't even make myself go to an audition. What happens when I start having more legitimate excuses for not doing what I should be doing?
Then again, sometimes a full schedule can have the effect of propelling me into greater heights of motivation. I feel like so much of my time is being wasted simply because I don't have enough to fill up my days. When I was at AMDA I was getting tons more work done and I had less time to do it. That doesn't seem right.
Now, I have more time, and part of my brain is always conscious of that. I'm constantly thinking, I have lots of time to get that done, so I don't have to worry about it right now. I'll have time later...later....later........later. (Screen dissolves into psychedelic wavy lines until everything is blurry. We come into focus on Julia stretched out on her couch, staring blankly at the TV screen, remote in hand, jaw slack with a hint of drool. Her ass is bigger than the couch itself and they appear to have melded.)
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So, I guess I'll sign up.
I don't know. What do you think? What should I do and why? Detailed answers, please.
Love,
Julia the Ass-Couch Slacker
And I think we've just found my stage name!
Next time on Blog:
I continue the discussion of dating in Prince Charming vs. The Beast: Round Two (look for Deirdre's contribution to my current Life Issues in this exciting post!)
Also, I was bored today so I thought up an idea for a comic book. More details coming soon!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Prince Charming vs. The Beast
My favorite fairy tale is Beauty and the Beast. It has been since I was a little girl, reading our huge book of fairy tales. Then the Disney film came out, and that clinched it. It remains my favorite Disney film of all time.
I've been thinking lately that all my ideas about men (more specifically, who the ideal man for me would be) came from my love of that fairy tale. In fact, I rather believe that every woman can be divided into two (no, wait, three) categories: those who go for Prince Charming, those who go for the creature that will one day turn into Prince Charming, and those who chuck 'em all and say, "Heck, I'm goin' for the hot princess!".
I'd like a guy who's quiet, reserved. Someone who doesn't have to talk to me all the time, but can just be silent with me, communicating everything with a glance, a touch. And, of course, I like a little monster in my men. Just a little one. The Beast is essentially a good man, after all, but he's a Bad Boy too.
This explains my obsession with Batman. He is very much a Beast figure. A rich, powerful, possibly arrogant, man who becomes cursed and forced to live in shadows, waiting for the day when someone will come along and lift the curse from him.
So, why is it that I always end up with sappy Prince Charming? If he was just plain ol- PC, I might be able to handle it, but I somehow end up with the useless-against-dragons-but-good-with-the-washing-up sort of PC's.
Oh gosh, have to go. I'll finish this discussion later.
Jules
I've been thinking lately that all my ideas about men (more specifically, who the ideal man for me would be) came from my love of that fairy tale. In fact, I rather believe that every woman can be divided into two (no, wait, three) categories: those who go for Prince Charming, those who go for the creature that will one day turn into Prince Charming, and those who chuck 'em all and say, "Heck, I'm goin' for the hot princess!".
I'd like a guy who's quiet, reserved. Someone who doesn't have to talk to me all the time, but can just be silent with me, communicating everything with a glance, a touch. And, of course, I like a little monster in my men. Just a little one. The Beast is essentially a good man, after all, but he's a Bad Boy too.
This explains my obsession with Batman. He is very much a Beast figure. A rich, powerful, possibly arrogant, man who becomes cursed and forced to live in shadows, waiting for the day when someone will come along and lift the curse from him.
So, why is it that I always end up with sappy Prince Charming? If he was just plain ol- PC, I might be able to handle it, but I somehow end up with the useless-against-dragons-but-good-with-the-washing-up sort of PC's.
Oh gosh, have to go. I'll finish this discussion later.
Jules
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
PS
I just saw this and had to put it up here. It's hilarious and brilliant. Watch it.
Brought to you by Itsjustsomerandomguy, the creator of all Hi, I'm a Marvel...and I'm a DC videos.
Brought to you by Itsjustsomerandomguy, the creator of all Hi, I'm a Marvel...and I'm a DC videos.
The Dark Knight (At last)
It's too big.
I'm not sure I can put into words what happened in that movie.
There are concepts that were brought up that I'm not sure I can wrap my mind around, yet.
My brain thawed a bit on the walk home from the movie theater, but it's still a little overwhelmed. I'm trying to break it down into smaller bits, and analyze those bits one at a time.
Human beings have such capacity for goodness. So why is the world so messed up?
What is a hero?
I'm not sure I can put into words what happened in that movie.
There are concepts that were brought up that I'm not sure I can wrap my mind around, yet.
My brain thawed a bit on the walk home from the movie theater, but it's still a little overwhelmed. I'm trying to break it down into smaller bits, and analyze those bits one at a time.
Human beings have such capacity for goodness. So why is the world so messed up?
What is a hero?
A title? A symbol? Justice? Revenge? A guy in a mask? The one in a uniform? The one in the suit?
A hero inspires hope. Sometimes, Hope is more important than Truth. And sometimes, the hero has to be something else in order to do some good. I don't mean that the hero has to be a bad-ass, moody, kick-your-butt Dude. I mean, sometimes the hero has a role to play in the minds of the people. Sometimes the hero has to be hated. You'll understand all this when you see the movie.
Batman is the epitome of selflessness. Everything he does is about sacrifice, about saving people. It's not about showing off, and it's not about trying to prove something. This Batman doesn't fight with big flashy moves. He gets the job done as quickly and cleanly as possible, without killing anyone or allowing anyone to be killed.
What about Regular Joe on the street?
There is a recurrent theme throughout the movie about who is qualified to be a hero, and who is not.
Spoiler alert--Take the fake Bat-men at the beginning, for instance. Are they actually trying to help, or are they doing this for personal gain?--end spoiler
And I think the ultimate conclusion is that we are all qualified. It depends on our choices, whether or not we are the hero or the villain.
The Joker, however, believes that even the staunchest heroes, when pushed past their breaking point, are corruptible. But he doesn't just test our heroes, he also tests the Regular Joe and Judys of Gotham City. And therefore, he also tests us, the audience.
What would you do? He asks, mocking us with his chilling eyes and blood-curdling smile.
He places the power of life and death in the hands of ordinary people. And not just their own lives, but the lives of total strangers. And we ask ourselves, what would I do? How would I vote?
It is not an original question. It is one that has been asked throughout time in literature and movies. And comic books. Definitely comic books. But new light is shown on the possible answers, as well as some surprising messages about human nature.
That's ultimately what this movie was about. Human nature. And whether or not there are some who slip beyond human into something closer to monster. And if that's the case, is that monster still worth saving? Is there enough human inside to be considered one of the precious human lives that Batman has devoted himself to protecting? Should he? Who is he to judge the value of a life? Who are we?
I could tell you that this was a great action flick with fantastic performances and cinematography to die for, but that doesn't encompass the whole of what this movie is.
Every movie, every book, every TV show, painting, sculpture, interpretive dance...whatever, they are concepts. They are a collection of ideas which reflect and make observations about the world and the people who inhabit it. Some do this better than others. The Dark Knight does it better than most I've seen.
That's all. My thoughts are scattered. Maybe I'll be able to focus them more after I've seen it a few more times.
Also, the theater was really cold. I brought a sweater, but DANG!
Later,
Jules
Batman is the epitome of selflessness. Everything he does is about sacrifice, about saving people. It's not about showing off, and it's not about trying to prove something. This Batman doesn't fight with big flashy moves. He gets the job done as quickly and cleanly as possible, without killing anyone or allowing anyone to be killed.
What about Regular Joe on the street?
There is a recurrent theme throughout the movie about who is qualified to be a hero, and who is not.
Spoiler alert--Take the fake Bat-men at the beginning, for instance. Are they actually trying to help, or are they doing this for personal gain?--end spoiler
And I think the ultimate conclusion is that we are all qualified. It depends on our choices, whether or not we are the hero or the villain.
The Joker, however, believes that even the staunchest heroes, when pushed past their breaking point, are corruptible. But he doesn't just test our heroes, he also tests the Regular Joe and Judys of Gotham City. And therefore, he also tests us, the audience.
What would you do? He asks, mocking us with his chilling eyes and blood-curdling smile.
He places the power of life and death in the hands of ordinary people. And not just their own lives, but the lives of total strangers. And we ask ourselves, what would I do? How would I vote?
It is not an original question. It is one that has been asked throughout time in literature and movies. And comic books. Definitely comic books. But new light is shown on the possible answers, as well as some surprising messages about human nature.
That's ultimately what this movie was about. Human nature. And whether or not there are some who slip beyond human into something closer to monster. And if that's the case, is that monster still worth saving? Is there enough human inside to be considered one of the precious human lives that Batman has devoted himself to protecting? Should he? Who is he to judge the value of a life? Who are we?
I could tell you that this was a great action flick with fantastic performances and cinematography to die for, but that doesn't encompass the whole of what this movie is.
Every movie, every book, every TV show, painting, sculpture, interpretive dance...whatever, they are concepts. They are a collection of ideas which reflect and make observations about the world and the people who inhabit it. Some do this better than others. The Dark Knight does it better than most I've seen.
That's all. My thoughts are scattered. Maybe I'll be able to focus them more after I've seen it a few more times.
Also, the theater was really cold. I brought a sweater, but DANG!
Later,
Jules
Monday, July 21, 2008
Survey Says...
1. Were you named after anyone? I don't think so.
2. When was the last time you cried? Reading the Dark Knight review.
3. Do you like your handwriting? Yes, no matter what my Mother says.
4. What is your favorite lunch meat? turkey
5. Do you have kids? Oh no. Goodness no.
6. If you were another person would you like yourself? Yes, but I'd worry that I don't get out enough.
7. Do you use sarcasm a lot? Only as a defense mechanism.
8. Do you still have your tonsils? Yes.
9. Would you Bungee Jump? Ah, the 'bungee jump' question. One that I have pondered long and hard. I'm gonna have to go with 'No', on that one.
10. What is your favorite cereal? Lucky Charms. But I prefer an omelet with hash browns. Or waffles. Oooh, waffles....And breakfast burritos! Is anyone else hungry?
11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? None of my shoes have ties, but I wouldn't untie them even if they did.
12. Do you think you are strong? It depends. Morally? Yes. Physically? So, so. Mentally? You are no match for my brain-power! MUAHAHAHAHA!!
13. What is your favorite ice cream? Anything with "ribbons of caramel" in it. Or peanut butter. I like mining the ice cream for the veins of yumminess, generally leaving the rest to fend for itself.
14. What is the first thing you notice about a person? The way they carry themselves.
15. Red or Pink? Red. Definitely. Eugh, pink. Shudder.
16. What is the least favorite thing about yourself? My insecurities.
17. Who do you miss the most? My Mom and Sister. (Waves! Hi guys, love you!)
18. Do you want everyone to send this back to you? Erm, difficult on a blog...
19. What color pants & shoes are you wearing? It is hot as Satan's balls (sorry Mom) here, so I'm in my underwear. They're black.
20. What was the last thing you ate? Celery with chunky peanut butter. Just like Grandma used to make.
21. What are you listening to right now? A mix of songs. Right now, Famous Last Words by My Chemical Romance.
22. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Deep purple, almost burgundy, but less red.
23. What's your favorite smell? That smell that comes out of the dryers at the laundromats when you walk by. Mmmm, love that.
24. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? My Mom
25. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yes. I LURRVE her.
26. Favorite sports to watch? Hockey, but really I just like it when they fight. So really, I should watch boxing or something...go figure.
27. Hair color? Now or then??? Dark brown, now, but I was blonde when I was a kid. It's also been artificially red at different times in my life.
28. Eye color? Brown. Ranging from light to indistinguishable-from-my-pupils, depending on the light. Or, so people tell me.
29. Do you wear contacts? Yes, but they aren't the correct prescription. I should really do something about that...
30 Favorite food? Anything that's been fried. With salt. Lots of salt.
31. Scary movies or happy endings? Both. But they usually have to go in that order or I'll have nightmares.
32. Last movie you watched? Wanted
33. What color shirt are you wearing? tangerine
34. Summer or winter? Summer
35. Hugs or kisses? Hugs.
36. Favorite Dessert? Krispy Kreme donuts
37. Most likely to respond? N/A, but I'll post my Sister's answer, cause I think it's funny:
I would say Julie since she hasn't filled out this questionnaire yet, but I suspect that I will actually hear from Mom first as Julie is probably out fighting crime.
Fighting crime? Moi? (Whistles suspiciously)
38. Least likely to respond? See # 18 and 37
39. What book are you reading? I just read Final Crisis: Rogue's Revenge and Batman and the Outsiders # 9. But I'm also in the middle of Curse of the Blue Tattoo by L. A. Meyer, on which I am seriously behind. I told you I have no time!
40. What is on your mouse pad? I don't have one. Mostly I just use my leg. Probably not the smartest thing ever.
41. What did you watch on TV last night? I don't really have TV in the literal sense, but I did watch several episodes of the second season of Dexter. I have gasped and stopped breathing so many times, I'm surprised I haven't passed out, yet. (I got it off of iTunes, by the way, for those of you who can't wait until August when it will be released on DVD.)
42. Favorite sound? That special little grunting sound Kim makes when she rolls over onto her back so I can rub her tummy while we're cuddling. Those of you who don't know that Kim is my cat may find the above sentence rather confusing.
43. Rolling Stones or the Beatles? Who? Just kidding. Beatles.
44. What is the farthest you’ve been from home? Singapore.
45. Do you have any talents? I can leave incredibly long rambling voice messages. Sometimes I'll talk so long I'll forget I'm talking to a machine and not a person. Which is strange, since I'm generally bad at talking to people on the phone.
46. Where you born? Boulder, Colorado.
47. Whose answers are you looking forward to getting back? I wouldn't mind if people wanted to answer in the comments section. Of course, I already got Mom and Liz's answers, which just leaves Jenna. Up for it, Jenna?
48. What it is that you want more than anything else in the world right now? International stardom. But I'll settle for one paying gig.
49. Favorite Kool-Aid as a kid? I was more partial to pixie sticks. For snorting, anyway. Kidding, Mom, kidding.
50. Your hero? My mom. Love you!
Well, there it is. A complete deconstruction of my tortured psyche. Or just some harmless fun. Hope you enjoyed it!
Jules
2. When was the last time you cried? Reading the Dark Knight review.
3. Do you like your handwriting? Yes, no matter what my Mother says.
4. What is your favorite lunch meat? turkey
5. Do you have kids? Oh no. Goodness no.
6. If you were another person would you like yourself? Yes, but I'd worry that I don't get out enough.
7. Do you use sarcasm a lot? Only as a defense mechanism.
8. Do you still have your tonsils? Yes.
9. Would you Bungee Jump? Ah, the 'bungee jump' question. One that I have pondered long and hard. I'm gonna have to go with 'No', on that one.
10. What is your favorite cereal? Lucky Charms. But I prefer an omelet with hash browns. Or waffles. Oooh, waffles....And breakfast burritos! Is anyone else hungry?
11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? None of my shoes have ties, but I wouldn't untie them even if they did.
12. Do you think you are strong? It depends. Morally? Yes. Physically? So, so. Mentally? You are no match for my brain-power! MUAHAHAHAHA!!
13. What is your favorite ice cream? Anything with "ribbons of caramel" in it. Or peanut butter. I like mining the ice cream for the veins of yumminess, generally leaving the rest to fend for itself.
14. What is the first thing you notice about a person? The way they carry themselves.
15. Red or Pink? Red. Definitely. Eugh, pink. Shudder.
16. What is the least favorite thing about yourself? My insecurities.
17. Who do you miss the most? My Mom and Sister. (Waves! Hi guys, love you!)
18. Do you want everyone to send this back to you? Erm, difficult on a blog...
19. What color pants & shoes are you wearing? It is hot as Satan's balls (sorry Mom) here, so I'm in my underwear. They're black.
20. What was the last thing you ate? Celery with chunky peanut butter. Just like Grandma used to make.
21. What are you listening to right now? A mix of songs. Right now, Famous Last Words by My Chemical Romance.
22. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Deep purple, almost burgundy, but less red.
23. What's your favorite smell? That smell that comes out of the dryers at the laundromats when you walk by. Mmmm, love that.
24. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? My Mom
25. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yes. I LURRVE her.
26. Favorite sports to watch? Hockey, but really I just like it when they fight. So really, I should watch boxing or something...go figure.
27. Hair color? Now or then??? Dark brown, now, but I was blonde when I was a kid. It's also been artificially red at different times in my life.
28. Eye color? Brown. Ranging from light to indistinguishable-from-my-pupils, depending on the light. Or, so people tell me.
29. Do you wear contacts? Yes, but they aren't the correct prescription. I should really do something about that...
30 Favorite food? Anything that's been fried. With salt. Lots of salt.
31. Scary movies or happy endings? Both. But they usually have to go in that order or I'll have nightmares.
32. Last movie you watched? Wanted
33. What color shirt are you wearing? tangerine
34. Summer or winter? Summer
35. Hugs or kisses? Hugs.
36. Favorite Dessert? Krispy Kreme donuts
37. Most likely to respond? N/A, but I'll post my Sister's answer, cause I think it's funny:
I would say Julie since she hasn't filled out this questionnaire yet, but I suspect that I will actually hear from Mom first as Julie is probably out fighting crime.
Fighting crime? Moi? (Whistles suspiciously)
38. Least likely to respond? See # 18 and 37
39. What book are you reading? I just read Final Crisis: Rogue's Revenge and Batman and the Outsiders # 9. But I'm also in the middle of Curse of the Blue Tattoo by L. A. Meyer, on which I am seriously behind. I told you I have no time!
40. What is on your mouse pad? I don't have one. Mostly I just use my leg. Probably not the smartest thing ever.
41. What did you watch on TV last night? I don't really have TV in the literal sense, but I did watch several episodes of the second season of Dexter. I have gasped and stopped breathing so many times, I'm surprised I haven't passed out, yet. (I got it off of iTunes, by the way, for those of you who can't wait until August when it will be released on DVD.)
42. Favorite sound? That special little grunting sound Kim makes when she rolls over onto her back so I can rub her tummy while we're cuddling. Those of you who don't know that Kim is my cat may find the above sentence rather confusing.
43. Rolling Stones or the Beatles? Who? Just kidding. Beatles.
44. What is the farthest you’ve been from home? Singapore.
45. Do you have any talents? I can leave incredibly long rambling voice messages. Sometimes I'll talk so long I'll forget I'm talking to a machine and not a person. Which is strange, since I'm generally bad at talking to people on the phone.
46. Where you born? Boulder, Colorado.
47. Whose answers are you looking forward to getting back? I wouldn't mind if people wanted to answer in the comments section. Of course, I already got Mom and Liz's answers, which just leaves Jenna. Up for it, Jenna?
48. What it is that you want more than anything else in the world right now? International stardom. But I'll settle for one paying gig.
49. Favorite Kool-Aid as a kid? I was more partial to pixie sticks. For snorting, anyway. Kidding, Mom, kidding.
50. Your hero? My mom. Love you!
Well, there it is. A complete deconstruction of my tortured psyche. Or just some harmless fun. Hope you enjoyed it!
Jules
Saturday, July 19, 2008
A Whole New Level of Scary
When I go into the bathroom, and the shower curtain is closed, I always check behind it before continuing about my business. I don't do this because I'm worried about mass-murderers lying in wait for me; I do it because I worry that one of my roommates will be hiding there, listening to me pee. Does that make me a full-on crazy-with-a-capital-C? Or do I slide under with a passable 'E' for eccentric?
I haven't seen Dark Knight, yet. It's been about all I can think about, especially after I read the glowing review in the New York Times. Annette likes to read the Times at the store when we're not busy, and I've taken to reading it as well. Funny. I never much liked reading the newspaper, but now I find I really enjoy it. You can learn so much! Mostly about how Bush has screwed us over, and I already knew that, but still: very compelling stuff. I especially love reading the Arts section. Specifically, the Weekend Arts section. I am an artist, after all, and it's good to know what is happening in good ol' show biz. My point is, I've read a lot of movie reviews in there. And let me tell you, the Times critics can be BRU-TAL. So brutal you have to say it with emphasis on both syllables. Just the other day I was reading about Mike Myers' new movie which apparently will make you wonder if you will ever laugh again. Ouch.
I was excited to read the review of Dark Knight, so when I came into the store and saw a large picture of Heath Ledger's Joker, staring hauntingly out at us from an empty Gotham street where he has clearly caused some damage, my heart skipped a beat. The review was so poetic, using great sweeping adjectives and drawing philosophical parallels between Batman's world and our own. I began to tear up, which made me feel foolish. It's just a review, Julia. Calm down.
So why, you might ask, if you're looking forward to it so much, haven't you gone to see it yet?
Oh, you DO ask the hard questions, don't you?
The short story is, I want it to be perfect. I have agonized over which theater, which day, and what time would be optimal for viewing this masterpiece. The screens are bigger at this theater, but the sound is better here. Plus, this one is probably going to be less crowded, which might be better. Nothing worse than a bad audience to ruin your theater-going experience. I think audience atmosphere can severely affect how you view a film. The same goes for hype. Have you seen that trailer one too many times? Did you hear someone you dislike say that they absolutely loved it? Has everyone in your life told you to watch this film because, "it's the best thing ever, and you will totally love it!"? I hate that. If just one too many people say that to me, I am then predisposed to hating the film just on principle. So I can say, "I'm obviously not that easy to figure out because I DIDN'T LIKE IT!" cough Napoleon Dynamite cough
Ah, the tangents, how they gain control.
I'm going to see it tomorrow night, so we'll talk about this more later.
What I really wanted to post was this e-mail survey my Mom sent me. I thought about just e-mailing it back, but then decided I could get a blog out of it, and I am not one to waste resources. In fact, this post is quite lengthy. I think I'll hold off on the survey for another day. HA HA! See, I've learned to budget my blogs so they can be spread out over a longer period of time. Yay!
So, I'll post the survey at 9:00am on 7/21 (Monday). I figure none of you will see this one till tomorrow, so this'll serve as Sunday's post. Then, of course, I'll probably write something about the Dark Knight. Something else, that is. You know, after I've actually SEEN it. This is bordering on terrifyingly obsessive, isn't it? I promise not to go on a killing spree if it doesn't live up to my expectations. In fact, I'm going to try (difficult though it may be) to go in without any expectations whatsoever.
Wish me luck!
Jules
I haven't seen Dark Knight, yet. It's been about all I can think about, especially after I read the glowing review in the New York Times. Annette likes to read the Times at the store when we're not busy, and I've taken to reading it as well. Funny. I never much liked reading the newspaper, but now I find I really enjoy it. You can learn so much! Mostly about how Bush has screwed us over, and I already knew that, but still: very compelling stuff. I especially love reading the Arts section. Specifically, the Weekend Arts section. I am an artist, after all, and it's good to know what is happening in good ol' show biz. My point is, I've read a lot of movie reviews in there. And let me tell you, the Times critics can be BRU-TAL. So brutal you have to say it with emphasis on both syllables. Just the other day I was reading about Mike Myers' new movie which apparently will make you wonder if you will ever laugh again. Ouch.
I was excited to read the review of Dark Knight, so when I came into the store and saw a large picture of Heath Ledger's Joker, staring hauntingly out at us from an empty Gotham street where he has clearly caused some damage, my heart skipped a beat. The review was so poetic, using great sweeping adjectives and drawing philosophical parallels between Batman's world and our own. I began to tear up, which made me feel foolish. It's just a review, Julia. Calm down.
So why, you might ask, if you're looking forward to it so much, haven't you gone to see it yet?
Oh, you DO ask the hard questions, don't you?
The short story is, I want it to be perfect. I have agonized over which theater, which day, and what time would be optimal for viewing this masterpiece. The screens are bigger at this theater, but the sound is better here. Plus, this one is probably going to be less crowded, which might be better. Nothing worse than a bad audience to ruin your theater-going experience. I think audience atmosphere can severely affect how you view a film. The same goes for hype. Have you seen that trailer one too many times? Did you hear someone you dislike say that they absolutely loved it? Has everyone in your life told you to watch this film because, "it's the best thing ever, and you will totally love it!"? I hate that. If just one too many people say that to me, I am then predisposed to hating the film just on principle. So I can say, "I'm obviously not that easy to figure out because I DIDN'T LIKE IT!" cough Napoleon Dynamite cough
Ah, the tangents, how they gain control.
I'm going to see it tomorrow night, so we'll talk about this more later.
What I really wanted to post was this e-mail survey my Mom sent me. I thought about just e-mailing it back, but then decided I could get a blog out of it, and I am not one to waste resources. In fact, this post is quite lengthy. I think I'll hold off on the survey for another day. HA HA! See, I've learned to budget my blogs so they can be spread out over a longer period of time. Yay!
So, I'll post the survey at 9:00am on 7/21 (Monday). I figure none of you will see this one till tomorrow, so this'll serve as Sunday's post. Then, of course, I'll probably write something about the Dark Knight. Something else, that is. You know, after I've actually SEEN it. This is bordering on terrifyingly obsessive, isn't it? I promise not to go on a killing spree if it doesn't live up to my expectations. In fact, I'm going to try (difficult though it may be) to go in without any expectations whatsoever.
Wish me luck!
Jules
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Post Script
Sorry, forgot the whole point of the post below was to share this with you:
It is FABULOUS! It's a super-villain musical written by the great Joss Whedon. Go check it out, but it'll only be online through Sunday, so if you want to watch it for free, you must go NOW! Otherwise you can download it from iTunes for about $4.
That's really all, now. I'll be going.
It is FABULOUS! It's a super-villain musical written by the great Joss Whedon. Go check it out, but it'll only be online through Sunday, so if you want to watch it for free, you must go NOW! Otherwise you can download it from iTunes for about $4.
That's really all, now. I'll be going.
Wanted, Credits, and Fish
Well, I've just (wait, no, that was an hour ago now...my goodness, where DOES the time GO?) gotten back from seeing Wanted. I know I've been talking about movies a lot lately, but I've been going to the movies a lot lately. I used to go all the time back in high school, but have gone less and less over the years. But it's something that I really enjoy, and I just remembered how much I enjoy it, this summer. I went to see Iron Man and suddenly: "Oh yeah, that's really fun. I should do that more often." And, ok, I go by myself most of the time, but at least I'm getting out of the basement (or the "batcave" as I call it).
Anyway, back to Wanted. It was pretty much as I expected: violence packed with little else in the way of storytelling. Sure, there was some plot in there somewhere, and squeezed between the shots of guys getting their heads blown off was the occasional emotional scene between characters. Still, it's really just an excuse to watch things blow up and people attempt to kill each other, all so that we can further numb ourselves to an already hyper-violent world. Gosh that was bleak. I'll try not to be so jaded.
Actually, I had fun watching this movie. There was even a twist that I didn't see coming, which is rare in films like this. Mostly I just wanted to veg out and eat popcorn (why is cinema popcorn so much better than any I make at home?).
One thing that did stand out was the score. It was phenomenal! I actually took a mental break from the carnage for a bit to think, "OK, I've got to remember to look this up on iTunes when I get back, 'cause this is seriously good stuff." And so it came as no surprise when I saw in the credits (I always stay to watch the credits, something that is getting harder and harder to do. So many theaters try to shove you out the door as soon as the movie is over, and most people give in to the looming staff, armed with brooms and dustpans. Almost every time I've gone to the movies in the past month, I have been the last person to leave the theater, and the workers all scowl and sigh and bang their brooms around impatiently, but I am very stubborn. Especially if it's a movie I enjoyed, I like to stay and watch the credits. I even read them. Not every single one, of course, that would be impossible. And it's not like I remember all the credits that I do read, but I like to acknowledge, even for the briefest of moments, the people who put such hard work into something that I liked. There are certain things I always look for, like the assistants: it's interesting to me to see which stars had an assistant during the movie. Some even have two. And then I try to think, well, is so-and-so really a bigger star than what's-er-name? Why then did s/he get an assistant while asexual amoeba did not? Wow, this is the diversion to end all diversions. I've completely forgotten where this sentence was going before the interruption. Might be best just to start again.)
Danny Elfman was the composer for Wanted. Of course, I said to myself, it was music I thought was really good, so NATURALLY it was composed by Danny Elfman. For those of you who don't know, D.E. wrote music for The Nightmare Before Christmas, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Spider-man 1 and 2, Mission: Impossible, Edward Scissorhands, Batman (with Michael Keaton), and many many more.
The man is incredible.
Why does this remind me that there's a video I was making that needs finishing? I have promised to post it for a couple weeks now, and it still isn't finished. GAH!
Next time, I promise. I hope. See, the problem is that making these videos is very time-consuming. I mean, it's fun, don't get me wrong. If it wasn't, I wouldn't do it. BUT (big 'but' here) it takes FOREVER. Especially when you're such a perfectionist like I am. I have to search endlessly for the exact-right-clip to go with this section of the music which is usually only seconds long! And while searching through the episodes for the exact-right-clip I will sometimes get caught up in watching the episode. Working with good material can get you in trouble that way, especially since these episodes all have such compelling stories...
No. I will fish. Er, I mean, 'finish'. Small typo, but I thought it looked funny, so I left it. Clearly a sign that I need to stop blogging now.
Good night all,
Jules
Anyway, back to Wanted. It was pretty much as I expected: violence packed with little else in the way of storytelling. Sure, there was some plot in there somewhere, and squeezed between the shots of guys getting their heads blown off was the occasional emotional scene between characters. Still, it's really just an excuse to watch things blow up and people attempt to kill each other, all so that we can further numb ourselves to an already hyper-violent world. Gosh that was bleak. I'll try not to be so jaded.
Actually, I had fun watching this movie. There was even a twist that I didn't see coming, which is rare in films like this. Mostly I just wanted to veg out and eat popcorn (why is cinema popcorn so much better than any I make at home?).
One thing that did stand out was the score. It was phenomenal! I actually took a mental break from the carnage for a bit to think, "OK, I've got to remember to look this up on iTunes when I get back, 'cause this is seriously good stuff." And so it came as no surprise when I saw in the credits (I always stay to watch the credits, something that is getting harder and harder to do. So many theaters try to shove you out the door as soon as the movie is over, and most people give in to the looming staff, armed with brooms and dustpans. Almost every time I've gone to the movies in the past month, I have been the last person to leave the theater, and the workers all scowl and sigh and bang their brooms around impatiently, but I am very stubborn. Especially if it's a movie I enjoyed, I like to stay and watch the credits. I even read them. Not every single one, of course, that would be impossible. And it's not like I remember all the credits that I do read, but I like to acknowledge, even for the briefest of moments, the people who put such hard work into something that I liked. There are certain things I always look for, like the assistants: it's interesting to me to see which stars had an assistant during the movie. Some even have two. And then I try to think, well, is so-and-so really a bigger star than what's-er-name? Why then did s/he get an assistant while asexual amoeba did not? Wow, this is the diversion to end all diversions. I've completely forgotten where this sentence was going before the interruption. Might be best just to start again.)
Danny Elfman was the composer for Wanted. Of course, I said to myself, it was music I thought was really good, so NATURALLY it was composed by Danny Elfman. For those of you who don't know, D.E. wrote music for The Nightmare Before Christmas, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Spider-man 1 and 2, Mission: Impossible, Edward Scissorhands, Batman (with Michael Keaton), and many many more.
The man is incredible.
Why does this remind me that there's a video I was making that needs finishing? I have promised to post it for a couple weeks now, and it still isn't finished. GAH!
Next time, I promise. I hope. See, the problem is that making these videos is very time-consuming. I mean, it's fun, don't get me wrong. If it wasn't, I wouldn't do it. BUT (big 'but' here) it takes FOREVER. Especially when you're such a perfectionist like I am. I have to search endlessly for the exact-right-clip to go with this section of the music which is usually only seconds long! And while searching through the episodes for the exact-right-clip I will sometimes get caught up in watching the episode. Working with good material can get you in trouble that way, especially since these episodes all have such compelling stories...
No. I will fish. Er, I mean, 'finish'. Small typo, but I thought it looked funny, so I left it. Clearly a sign that I need to stop blogging now.
Good night all,
Jules
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Time and Doubt
Oh time. TIME! Why is there never enough time?! Who's idea was it to have days be a measly 24 hours, half of which we ought to spend asleep (well, ok, not half, but darn near, and I swear, if I don't get the requisite 9 hours I am likely to be cranky, and I usually get more like 6, which, as an upside-down 9 is not really conducive to Happy-Julia, and could this sentence BE any longer?)?
It is now time for me to be in bed. Asleep. Note, that the time that shows up on these posts is actually the time I STARTED writing, not when it is actually posted. Which means, it is at least an hour after the time you see at the bottom that I finished writing. At least an hour. Often times longer.
And yet, now is the time that my mind wants me to write. I was prepared to go blissfully to bed, but NO! Blog now, my brain commands, and goodness help me if I don't obey; I would NEVER get to sleep.
Okay, okay, this was supposed to be about my revelations.
See, I'm used to being that person that people call when they have problems and they want to talk about them, and I try to offer advice and comforting words, and be generally supportive, and that's fine. I mean, I like that I can be that person, and even though it pains me when the people I love are in pain, I still want to know about it and try to help if I can. What I didn't realize was that I could demand reciprocation. Well, 'demand' isn't quite the word we're looking for, but you get the idea. I always thought, "I don't want to burden them with my troubles, so I'll just not talk to anyone until they go away."
That's stupid.
I realize that now, but it has been a long journey to this realization, and something that I still struggle with.
Just a few months ago, I was worrying about my life in general, because a friend of mine decided that trying to be an actor in NYC was too hard right now, so she moved back home and is going back to school. A valid choice, to be sure, and one that I hope she will be successful and happy with, but it brought up some interesting questions for me. This particular friend is very talented (I want to say more talented than I, but I'm trying to resist those thoughts because they aren't true. She and I are on very even footing, having had about the same amount of training. She has a few strengths where I have weaknesses, and I have some strengths where she has weaknesses, so we're pretty even. It's something we discussed a few times, and were in agreement. Anyway, that is so not the point of this...) and she's slightly better motivated than I am. I mean, I'm motivated, but she's more willing to put herself out there, take a few more chances. I really just need to take a few more chances. In fact, a LOT of chances. And big ones. If I fail, I should fail bigger and better than anyone else, and then pick myself up, dust myself up, and prepare for another flying leap, because that's the only way you get anywhere in this world. WHAT ARE WE ALL SO AFRAID OF? So what if I don't get such and such part? Just audition anyway, and eventually someone somewhere will realize that I'm right for something, and then something else and then something else until pretty soon I have a career, and I'll look back and think how foolish I was for being so AFRAID of everything.
Whooo! That felt great.
Anyway, I was sort of thinking, "gee, if she's giving up, then what am I still doing here?" And then, instead of moping and fretting for days and days, losing sleep, and generally being a big dope, I called my Mom and discussed my fears.
Relief.
Isn't it amazing how moms can just say a few words and you suddenly feel better? Where do they learn to do that? Is there a special Mom School that I don't know about? Very hush hush?
And that's all it took. One phone call, and I felt 90% better. Now, of course, not everything can be solved just like that. We all have doubts and little niggling negative thoughts that cloud up our brain, but the key is to keep them locked away in a tiny storage unit in your mind. When they slip their ropes and pick the lock (as they will) you can let them run around for a little while (they really just want to remind you that they're there) but then you have to round them up again, tie them down with a few new knots, and stick a shiny new lock on their cage. That way all they can do is shout at you through the cracks, which have been muffled with big thick blankets, so they're easy to ignore.
GAH! It's 1:00am, and I have to work tomorrow! Early! Well, early by my standards.
This is sort of rambling without a conclusion. The academic perfectionist in me demands coherence!
But I'll have to stuff him (why is the academic perfectionist a him? I don't know. He sounds a bit like Wesley from Buffy, though...) in with the doubts where I'm sure they'll have much to talk about in the way of my failures as a person.
Good night,
Jules
PS- I do not know a 'patrick' so don't get all excited. It is possible that random people stumble across my blog, in which case: Hello Random Person! I clicked on his profile, though, and it seems that he reviews movies on his blog. Interesting. He even has a review of 1776 on the 4th of July, which is my favorite musical of all time! Squeal! Anyone who hasn't seen it should rent it now. NOW!
It is now time for me to be in bed. Asleep. Note, that the time that shows up on these posts is actually the time I STARTED writing, not when it is actually posted. Which means, it is at least an hour after the time you see at the bottom that I finished writing. At least an hour. Often times longer.
And yet, now is the time that my mind wants me to write. I was prepared to go blissfully to bed, but NO! Blog now, my brain commands, and goodness help me if I don't obey; I would NEVER get to sleep.
Okay, okay, this was supposed to be about my revelations.
See, I'm used to being that person that people call when they have problems and they want to talk about them, and I try to offer advice and comforting words, and be generally supportive, and that's fine. I mean, I like that I can be that person, and even though it pains me when the people I love are in pain, I still want to know about it and try to help if I can. What I didn't realize was that I could demand reciprocation. Well, 'demand' isn't quite the word we're looking for, but you get the idea. I always thought, "I don't want to burden them with my troubles, so I'll just not talk to anyone until they go away."
That's stupid.
I realize that now, but it has been a long journey to this realization, and something that I still struggle with.
Just a few months ago, I was worrying about my life in general, because a friend of mine decided that trying to be an actor in NYC was too hard right now, so she moved back home and is going back to school. A valid choice, to be sure, and one that I hope she will be successful and happy with, but it brought up some interesting questions for me. This particular friend is very talented (I want to say more talented than I, but I'm trying to resist those thoughts because they aren't true. She and I are on very even footing, having had about the same amount of training. She has a few strengths where I have weaknesses, and I have some strengths where she has weaknesses, so we're pretty even. It's something we discussed a few times, and were in agreement. Anyway, that is so not the point of this...) and she's slightly better motivated than I am. I mean, I'm motivated, but she's more willing to put herself out there, take a few more chances. I really just need to take a few more chances. In fact, a LOT of chances. And big ones. If I fail, I should fail bigger and better than anyone else, and then pick myself up, dust myself up, and prepare for another flying leap, because that's the only way you get anywhere in this world. WHAT ARE WE ALL SO AFRAID OF? So what if I don't get such and such part? Just audition anyway, and eventually someone somewhere will realize that I'm right for something, and then something else and then something else until pretty soon I have a career, and I'll look back and think how foolish I was for being so AFRAID of everything.
Whooo! That felt great.
Anyway, I was sort of thinking, "gee, if she's giving up, then what am I still doing here?" And then, instead of moping and fretting for days and days, losing sleep, and generally being a big dope, I called my Mom and discussed my fears.
Relief.
Isn't it amazing how moms can just say a few words and you suddenly feel better? Where do they learn to do that? Is there a special Mom School that I don't know about? Very hush hush?
And that's all it took. One phone call, and I felt 90% better. Now, of course, not everything can be solved just like that. We all have doubts and little niggling negative thoughts that cloud up our brain, but the key is to keep them locked away in a tiny storage unit in your mind. When they slip their ropes and pick the lock (as they will) you can let them run around for a little while (they really just want to remind you that they're there) but then you have to round them up again, tie them down with a few new knots, and stick a shiny new lock on their cage. That way all they can do is shout at you through the cracks, which have been muffled with big thick blankets, so they're easy to ignore.
GAH! It's 1:00am, and I have to work tomorrow! Early! Well, early by my standards.
This is sort of rambling without a conclusion. The academic perfectionist in me demands coherence!
But I'll have to stuff him (why is the academic perfectionist a him? I don't know. He sounds a bit like Wesley from Buffy, though...) in with the doubts where I'm sure they'll have much to talk about in the way of my failures as a person.
Good night,
Jules
PS- I do not know a 'patrick' so don't get all excited. It is possible that random people stumble across my blog, in which case: Hello Random Person! I clicked on his profile, though, and it seems that he reviews movies on his blog. Interesting. He even has a review of 1776 on the 4th of July, which is my favorite musical of all time! Squeal! Anyone who hasn't seen it should rent it now. NOW!
Friday, July 11, 2008
Philosophy of a Superhero
The Dark Knight.
SQUEAL!
Heath Ledger looks absolutely terrifying. So much so, I'm thinking I shouldn't go to this one alone. Not only is it going to frighten me, but it will make me extremely depressed. His life ended far too soon, and I was genuinely sad when he passed.
Is that weird? To be sad about someone I didn't even know? But that's the thing about this profession: the idea is to touch people in a way that affects their hearts and minds. It's about sharing a part of yourself with your audience, almost like your souls bump together for a bit, then separate, now changed in some subtle way. It's an exchange of energy, and if it's done right, it makes us better people than we were before. We come away with some lesson or idea that helps us view the world a little differently. That connection with the characters on the stage or on the screen brings you closer to the whole human race, reminding you that you are not alone, that there are other beings who think and feel and that we should be kinder to them because we're all part of this earth.
Not that the Joker is really a character I'd like to bump souls with, but he represents the chaos in the world, the things you can't control, and then we are offered a hero who defeats this demon showing us that we, too, have the strength to defeat our own demons; that with logic and reason and applied ass-kicking techniques, we can take control of the chaos and reign it in, even if it's only the chaos of our own scattered lives. We all have a Batman inside of us, someone who is trying to make sense of the darkness in the world, and fighting to eliminate it both in ourselves and in the people around us.
And now I'm going on about the philosophy of superheros...could I be any stranger?
But seriously, I'm reading Final Crisis right now ( I think I've mentioned it only five hundred times) and Grant Morrison (the author) was talking about the idea that there is a feeling of fear in the western world, right now. Everyone is a little on edge, a little unsure about the future. There is darkness in the world, and since 9/11 we've started to realize that the darkness can touch us. America was so certain of it's own power that we never dreamed an attack like that could happen, and then it did. And now it feels like everyone is afraid. Afraid and waiting. Waiting for what, I don't know. Waiting for another attack? Waiting for mother nature to finally take a swing at us and say "Hey! NO. No. Bad humans. I've had just about enough of you!"?
Off topic.
So, Morrison was saying that he wanted to reflect that fear in the comics, and that he wanted to present the idea that evil has already won. That it slipped in, past all the heroes, and no one even realized it. And, of course, how do the heroes deal with that? That's what makes comics interesting. We have these super-powered beings and a world full of problems. How would they solve those problems? Can they solve those problems? Are they, actually, any more qualified to solve those problems than we are? How, in the absence of super-heroes, can we solve those problems? Can we, perhaps, learn something from the way they would solve...you get the idea.
My goodness, what DO they put IN that popcorn?
So, I can't wait to see Dark Knight.
This was supposed to be an entry about false accusations. And then I was going to tell you about my recent discoveries on the idea that if you have problems and are upset, that maybe it would help if you, you know, TALKED to someone. Rachel and I had a whole conversation about the way we tend to push people away when we're sad. It's only recently occurred to me that instead of crawling into my little hole with all the high impenetrable walls when I'm sad, that I might call a friend and tell him/her about my troubles, and that maybe that person could say something that would make me feel better, or just allow me to rant until I feel better all on my own. This shouldn't be a radical concept. GAH. Okay, next time, I promise.
And, hopefully, I'll have finished my video by then.
I'm actually doing really well, right now, so, who knows why I got all serious and ranty on you up there. I'm a strange girl.
Later,
Jules
SQUEAL!
Heath Ledger looks absolutely terrifying. So much so, I'm thinking I shouldn't go to this one alone. Not only is it going to frighten me, but it will make me extremely depressed. His life ended far too soon, and I was genuinely sad when he passed.
Is that weird? To be sad about someone I didn't even know? But that's the thing about this profession: the idea is to touch people in a way that affects their hearts and minds. It's about sharing a part of yourself with your audience, almost like your souls bump together for a bit, then separate, now changed in some subtle way. It's an exchange of energy, and if it's done right, it makes us better people than we were before. We come away with some lesson or idea that helps us view the world a little differently. That connection with the characters on the stage or on the screen brings you closer to the whole human race, reminding you that you are not alone, that there are other beings who think and feel and that we should be kinder to them because we're all part of this earth.
Not that the Joker is really a character I'd like to bump souls with, but he represents the chaos in the world, the things you can't control, and then we are offered a hero who defeats this demon showing us that we, too, have the strength to defeat our own demons; that with logic and reason and applied ass-kicking techniques, we can take control of the chaos and reign it in, even if it's only the chaos of our own scattered lives. We all have a Batman inside of us, someone who is trying to make sense of the darkness in the world, and fighting to eliminate it both in ourselves and in the people around us.
And now I'm going on about the philosophy of superheros...could I be any stranger?
But seriously, I'm reading Final Crisis right now ( I think I've mentioned it only five hundred times) and Grant Morrison (the author) was talking about the idea that there is a feeling of fear in the western world, right now. Everyone is a little on edge, a little unsure about the future. There is darkness in the world, and since 9/11 we've started to realize that the darkness can touch us. America was so certain of it's own power that we never dreamed an attack like that could happen, and then it did. And now it feels like everyone is afraid. Afraid and waiting. Waiting for what, I don't know. Waiting for another attack? Waiting for mother nature to finally take a swing at us and say "Hey! NO. No. Bad humans. I've had just about enough of you!"?
Off topic.
So, Morrison was saying that he wanted to reflect that fear in the comics, and that he wanted to present the idea that evil has already won. That it slipped in, past all the heroes, and no one even realized it. And, of course, how do the heroes deal with that? That's what makes comics interesting. We have these super-powered beings and a world full of problems. How would they solve those problems? Can they solve those problems? Are they, actually, any more qualified to solve those problems than we are? How, in the absence of super-heroes, can we solve those problems? Can we, perhaps, learn something from the way they would solve...you get the idea.
My goodness, what DO they put IN that popcorn?
So, I can't wait to see Dark Knight.
This was supposed to be an entry about false accusations. And then I was going to tell you about my recent discoveries on the idea that if you have problems and are upset, that maybe it would help if you, you know, TALKED to someone. Rachel and I had a whole conversation about the way we tend to push people away when we're sad. It's only recently occurred to me that instead of crawling into my little hole with all the high impenetrable walls when I'm sad, that I might call a friend and tell him/her about my troubles, and that maybe that person could say something that would make me feel better, or just allow me to rant until I feel better all on my own. This shouldn't be a radical concept. GAH. Okay, next time, I promise.
And, hopefully, I'll have finished my video by then.
I'm actually doing really well, right now, so, who knows why I got all serious and ranty on you up there. I'm a strange girl.
Later,
Jules
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Double Feature
Well, I've just seen Hancock and Get Smart. Not in that order. It should have been that order, because Get Smart is the better movie and I would have liked to let it linger in my mind more than Hancock, but the whole double feature thing was rather impromptu, so I didn't really get a chance to plan things out.
See, that's one of the reasons why I like going to the movies by myself; I can make decisions like that without having to worry about someone else. Not that I don't like seeing movies with other people, despite the way I've gone on about solo-movie-watching on this blog. I especially like seeing movies that I've already seen, with other people, because I like sharing the experience, watching their reaction. And there was that one time that Mom and I saw some movie then noticed that something else we wanted to see was just starting in a theater we were passing on the way out, so we ducked in without even paying for tickets. We're such rebels.
Anyway, Hancock was very much as my sister described it to me: the first half is great but the second half falls completely apart and you are left with the feeling of "gosh, I really wanted that to be better. I really wanted to like it."
By the time we got to the huge emotional climax I said to myself, "Self, I wish I had goosebumps and crashing waves of emotion surging through me right now, 'cause I'd really like for this to be emotional and cathartic, but it just isn't. Something has gone wrong, and I've lost the shiny edge off my caring. I mean, I still sort of care about these characters and their predicament, but not enough."
spoiler alert--Also, I didn't believe for a second that they were really going to die.--spoiler alert
Get Smart was just plain fantastic. I laughed out loud which is difficult when you're alone and there are only about 6 other people in the audience. It's easier to laugh in a crowd. I wonder why that is? I thought Steve Carell was just plain brilliant. He made me believe he could actually be a secret agent in spite of his seeming incompetence. I'm not describing that well. He did have funny mishaps often of a physically comedic nature, but he still made the audience believe that he was quite capable of being a hero. Also, he displays real emotion. Real comedy has to come from a real place, or it's just not that funny, which is why comedians are often times the best actors. So why, you may ask, do comedic actors rarely get Oscars? There is no answer. Comedy is ten times harder than drama; every actor knows that. These days, a lot of comedians go for the flash without the substance. Jack Black is particularly guilty of this. He tends to wave his arms about and act like an idiot without offering anything of substance behind it. His comedy always seems rather empty to me.
I didn't mean to get onto this rant. It was just sitting there at the train station of my brain, and BOOM, I hopped right on. And I really shouldn't be so hard on Jack Black as I haven't seen any of his movies (with the exception of King Kong in which he was truly terrible. But then, he wasn't funny in that. On the contrary, he seemed to be trying desperately NOT to be funny, and therefore came off like a robot reading lines. And we're not talking Blade Runner robot, we're talking "danger Will Robinson, danger" kind of robot. It was as though he was afraid to move around or else he might accidentally be funny and therefore ruin his whole "I'm a serious actor" vibe.).
I have gone waaaaay off topic. Maybe I should do what Robin McKinley does and put my tangents in footnotes. Nah. Then my posts would be two sentences, and my footnotes would be 3 pages. I much prefer the non-linear way of blogging.
Hey, I saw a preview for Dark Knight.
And now this post has become incredibly long, so I will split it in two. I leave you with that tantalizing tease, which you can follow up on at 9:00AM on 7/11.
And now I must go to bed, because I just had to write half of this post AGAIN because my computer did something extremely strange and rather annoying when I tried to split the post into two posts. The other half is fine, sitting, waiting to be posted on Friday, but this one decided to get all weird and mostly deleted. Don't worry, I put everything back in, so you haven't missed anything. That's assuming I get through this without incident. Please don't let there be incident. I don't think I could handle rewriting it a third time.
I should go before anything else happens.
Later,
Jules
See, that's one of the reasons why I like going to the movies by myself; I can make decisions like that without having to worry about someone else. Not that I don't like seeing movies with other people, despite the way I've gone on about solo-movie-watching on this blog. I especially like seeing movies that I've already seen, with other people, because I like sharing the experience, watching their reaction. And there was that one time that Mom and I saw some movie then noticed that something else we wanted to see was just starting in a theater we were passing on the way out, so we ducked in without even paying for tickets. We're such rebels.
Anyway, Hancock was very much as my sister described it to me: the first half is great but the second half falls completely apart and you are left with the feeling of "gosh, I really wanted that to be better. I really wanted to like it."
By the time we got to the huge emotional climax I said to myself, "Self, I wish I had goosebumps and crashing waves of emotion surging through me right now, 'cause I'd really like for this to be emotional and cathartic, but it just isn't. Something has gone wrong, and I've lost the shiny edge off my caring. I mean, I still sort of care about these characters and their predicament, but not enough."
spoiler alert--Also, I didn't believe for a second that they were really going to die.--spoiler alert
Get Smart was just plain fantastic. I laughed out loud which is difficult when you're alone and there are only about 6 other people in the audience. It's easier to laugh in a crowd. I wonder why that is? I thought Steve Carell was just plain brilliant. He made me believe he could actually be a secret agent in spite of his seeming incompetence. I'm not describing that well. He did have funny mishaps often of a physically comedic nature, but he still made the audience believe that he was quite capable of being a hero. Also, he displays real emotion. Real comedy has to come from a real place, or it's just not that funny, which is why comedians are often times the best actors. So why, you may ask, do comedic actors rarely get Oscars? There is no answer. Comedy is ten times harder than drama; every actor knows that. These days, a lot of comedians go for the flash without the substance. Jack Black is particularly guilty of this. He tends to wave his arms about and act like an idiot without offering anything of substance behind it. His comedy always seems rather empty to me.
I didn't mean to get onto this rant. It was just sitting there at the train station of my brain, and BOOM, I hopped right on. And I really shouldn't be so hard on Jack Black as I haven't seen any of his movies (with the exception of King Kong in which he was truly terrible. But then, he wasn't funny in that. On the contrary, he seemed to be trying desperately NOT to be funny, and therefore came off like a robot reading lines. And we're not talking Blade Runner robot, we're talking "danger Will Robinson, danger" kind of robot. It was as though he was afraid to move around or else he might accidentally be funny and therefore ruin his whole "I'm a serious actor" vibe.).
I have gone waaaaay off topic. Maybe I should do what Robin McKinley does and put my tangents in footnotes. Nah. Then my posts would be two sentences, and my footnotes would be 3 pages. I much prefer the non-linear way of blogging.
Hey, I saw a preview for Dark Knight.
And now this post has become incredibly long, so I will split it in two. I leave you with that tantalizing tease, which you can follow up on at 9:00AM on 7/11.
And now I must go to bed, because I just had to write half of this post AGAIN because my computer did something extremely strange and rather annoying when I tried to split the post into two posts. The other half is fine, sitting, waiting to be posted on Friday, but this one decided to get all weird and mostly deleted. Don't worry, I put everything back in, so you haven't missed anything. That's assuming I get through this without incident. Please don't let there be incident. I don't think I could handle rewriting it a third time.
I should go before anything else happens.
Later,
Jules
Monday, July 7, 2008
Teeth & Terror
Happy 4th of July everyone! Hope it was wonderful. I, myself, did not see fireworks or do anything, really. I could have stepped out onto my street and looked up, if I so desired, but I didn't.
I'm working on a new video now, which is why the blogging has fallen by the wayside. My free-time is taken up with that, as well as all my creative energy. But, I figured I would try to type out a few words before getting back to it.
This entry was supposed to be about my visit to the dentist. I wanted to write a story full of horror and graphic violence where I described in detail the number of needles they stuck in my mouth, and the large carving tool they used to chip and crumble my poor tooth, sucking away all the bad cavity bits. The entire right side of my face was numb, and when they asked me to bite down for insidious reasons of their own, I bit my own tongue rather viciously without realizing.
"Why do I think you are biting your tongue?" the doctor asked. "Open." I obeyed. "Yes, you did." We tried again, this time with wads of cotton now trying to corral my unruly tongue into one corner of my mouth, away from grinding teeth.
Finally, I was released from the chair of torture, only to be hit with another blow. The bill.
That's just mean. They couldn't send me the bill so that I would see it AFTER I had recovered from the trauma? No. They just poke and prod and terrify me until I want to curl up in the fetal position and cry like a wounded puppy, and then they ask me to pay them my hard-earned money for having done all these terrible things.
And then they sent me on my way. My face still numb, and the cotton still packed in my mouth ("I don't want you to bite your tongue, okay?") feeling like an insane person, certain that half of my face was drooping and possibly drooling without my knowledge.
I made it home, crawled into bed, turned on Slings & Arrows, and pulled the covers up to my chin.
I'm better now, but my tooth feels weird. It's like I've got gum stuck in it that I can't get out. I'm getting used to it.
Well, there you have it.
Hopefully I'll be able to post this video next.
Later,
Jules
I'm working on a new video now, which is why the blogging has fallen by the wayside. My free-time is taken up with that, as well as all my creative energy. But, I figured I would try to type out a few words before getting back to it.
This entry was supposed to be about my visit to the dentist. I wanted to write a story full of horror and graphic violence where I described in detail the number of needles they stuck in my mouth, and the large carving tool they used to chip and crumble my poor tooth, sucking away all the bad cavity bits. The entire right side of my face was numb, and when they asked me to bite down for insidious reasons of their own, I bit my own tongue rather viciously without realizing.
"Why do I think you are biting your tongue?" the doctor asked. "Open." I obeyed. "Yes, you did." We tried again, this time with wads of cotton now trying to corral my unruly tongue into one corner of my mouth, away from grinding teeth.
Finally, I was released from the chair of torture, only to be hit with another blow. The bill.
That's just mean. They couldn't send me the bill so that I would see it AFTER I had recovered from the trauma? No. They just poke and prod and terrify me until I want to curl up in the fetal position and cry like a wounded puppy, and then they ask me to pay them my hard-earned money for having done all these terrible things.
And then they sent me on my way. My face still numb, and the cotton still packed in my mouth ("I don't want you to bite your tongue, okay?") feeling like an insane person, certain that half of my face was drooping and possibly drooling without my knowledge.
I made it home, crawled into bed, turned on Slings & Arrows, and pulled the covers up to my chin.
I'm better now, but my tooth feels weird. It's like I've got gum stuck in it that I can't get out. I'm getting used to it.
Well, there you have it.
Hopefully I'll be able to post this video next.
Later,
Jules
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
3 Hot Chicks and a Van...
...is the title of the porno I'm starring in. Just kidding. Jeez, I can hear your jaws drop and your eyes bug out from here. But seriously...
This is the story of why I should be a part-time mover. Jen, Rachel and I managed to move Rachel's stuff out of her storage unit into the apartment and Jen's stuff out of the apartment and into the storage unit, and we did it in under 4 hours. We rock. We also did it entirely by ourselves, and the big, burly guys who were doing something similar at the storage place said that we were making them look bad. Rachel's unit, by the way, was on the third floor of the storage place, so we had to take everything out, move it to the elevator (which wasn't close), then put it in the van we had rented. We moved two beds, two dressers, some shelving units, a table, chairs, stools, a closet, a sofa, and lots and lots of boxes. My arms are still a little sore (we did all this on Monday) and I have random bruises and scrapes in the oddest places. Still sounds vaguely dirty, doesn't it?
Whatever. I think we should do this part-time for extra cash. Even better that we're 3 hot chicks. In fact, I think that's how we'll advertise.
So, after the moving extravaganza, I took the fastest shower of my life, then pelted off to work. When I got back, Rachel was still in the process of moving her things around and unpacking. I hung out in her room/in the way and helped/hindered. She's all finished now, and her room looks great. She's a deeply organized person, so it looks much better than my room ever will. However, I was inspired somewhat, so I cleaned my room, even going so far as to look through old paperwork and discarding what I no longer needed and filing what needed to be kept. Yes, I have a filing system. And I found stuff that I hadn't thought about for over a year. Mainly, it was a bunch of papers from AMDA, most of which got tossed. I did keep my evaluation from Chris Neher, my favorite teacher at AMDA. For the mid-term he wrote "Excellent work! Clearly has a penchant for the work" and he gave me an "A". For my final evaluation he wrote "Excellent. Superb. Thank you."
"Thank you" he said. THANK YOU!!!! I think I'll hang it on my wall.
The other thing I kept was from a teacher I never actually had. For our final demonstrations for each class we would have to perform something for all the teachers who taught that specific class. This particular one was for Voice Production and Speech. We all had to do a monologue from the Tempest. This was second semester, and they still didn't want us to do any movement, but, instead, focus on posture, breath, diction, and tone. Basically, all we were allowed to do was stand there and deliver the monologue. Which is what most people did. I have no doubt that it was very annoying to watch all those people do the same thing over and over again. But this particular monologue happened to be one I really enjoyed, and I wanted to act it even though I wasn't allowed to move. Many of the teachers commented on the fact that I had a great voice and that they liked seeing me act the piece, but the best comment I got was from Joe.
He wrote: "Outstanding connection. Nice work! I am watching a good actor!"
That is word for word, except he underlined "good actor".
Later, in fourth semester, I was chosen (based on my third semester VPS demo where we got to choose our own monologue and perform it) to be part of VPS tour. Basically, we would perform for the rest of the school. We would travel to the different classes and instead of them having a regular VPS class that day, they would watch us, then ask us questions, and then discuss what they saw. It had been my goal since seeing the VPS tour when I was in first semester, to be invited to perform in it. I was thrilled to be chosen (they don't choose that many people, and by the way, Rachel was also chosen), and the man who put it together was Joe. He came up to me at one point and told me that he remembered my second semester demo and how impressed he was, and that I was doing great work on my tour piece. I really wish I could have had him as a teacher.
I think that will also go on the wall. Or maybe the refrigerator.
Anyway, seeing these and remembering that I actually do have talent, was a nice little pick me up. I consider myself fully out of my slump now, and ready to forge ahead.
See you next time, when I tell you about my trip to the dentist!
Jules
This is the story of why I should be a part-time mover. Jen, Rachel and I managed to move Rachel's stuff out of her storage unit into the apartment and Jen's stuff out of the apartment and into the storage unit, and we did it in under 4 hours. We rock. We also did it entirely by ourselves, and the big, burly guys who were doing something similar at the storage place said that we were making them look bad. Rachel's unit, by the way, was on the third floor of the storage place, so we had to take everything out, move it to the elevator (which wasn't close), then put it in the van we had rented. We moved two beds, two dressers, some shelving units, a table, chairs, stools, a closet, a sofa, and lots and lots of boxes. My arms are still a little sore (we did all this on Monday) and I have random bruises and scrapes in the oddest places. Still sounds vaguely dirty, doesn't it?
Whatever. I think we should do this part-time for extra cash. Even better that we're 3 hot chicks. In fact, I think that's how we'll advertise.
So, after the moving extravaganza, I took the fastest shower of my life, then pelted off to work. When I got back, Rachel was still in the process of moving her things around and unpacking. I hung out in her room/in the way and helped/hindered. She's all finished now, and her room looks great. She's a deeply organized person, so it looks much better than my room ever will. However, I was inspired somewhat, so I cleaned my room, even going so far as to look through old paperwork and discarding what I no longer needed and filing what needed to be kept. Yes, I have a filing system. And I found stuff that I hadn't thought about for over a year. Mainly, it was a bunch of papers from AMDA, most of which got tossed. I did keep my evaluation from Chris Neher, my favorite teacher at AMDA. For the mid-term he wrote "Excellent work! Clearly has a penchant for the work" and he gave me an "A". For my final evaluation he wrote "Excellent. Superb. Thank you."
"Thank you" he said. THANK YOU!!!! I think I'll hang it on my wall.
The other thing I kept was from a teacher I never actually had. For our final demonstrations for each class we would have to perform something for all the teachers who taught that specific class. This particular one was for Voice Production and Speech. We all had to do a monologue from the Tempest. This was second semester, and they still didn't want us to do any movement, but, instead, focus on posture, breath, diction, and tone. Basically, all we were allowed to do was stand there and deliver the monologue. Which is what most people did. I have no doubt that it was very annoying to watch all those people do the same thing over and over again. But this particular monologue happened to be one I really enjoyed, and I wanted to act it even though I wasn't allowed to move. Many of the teachers commented on the fact that I had a great voice and that they liked seeing me act the piece, but the best comment I got was from Joe.
He wrote: "Outstanding connection. Nice work! I am watching a good actor!"
That is word for word, except he underlined "good actor".
Later, in fourth semester, I was chosen (based on my third semester VPS demo where we got to choose our own monologue and perform it) to be part of VPS tour. Basically, we would perform for the rest of the school. We would travel to the different classes and instead of them having a regular VPS class that day, they would watch us, then ask us questions, and then discuss what they saw. It had been my goal since seeing the VPS tour when I was in first semester, to be invited to perform in it. I was thrilled to be chosen (they don't choose that many people, and by the way, Rachel was also chosen), and the man who put it together was Joe. He came up to me at one point and told me that he remembered my second semester demo and how impressed he was, and that I was doing great work on my tour piece. I really wish I could have had him as a teacher.
I think that will also go on the wall. Or maybe the refrigerator.
Anyway, seeing these and remembering that I actually do have talent, was a nice little pick me up. I consider myself fully out of my slump now, and ready to forge ahead.
See you next time, when I tell you about my trip to the dentist!
Jules
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