If, then, you

I'm always searching for connections. The more I consume, the more it all seems to relate to each other. So in an attempt to bridge the gap between what you like and what you haven't experienced, here are my observations.

If you like the song "Human of the Year" by Regina Spektor, then you might like the story "This Person" by Miranda July.

If you like the song "Two Birds" by Regina Spektor, then you might like the Pixar short film "For the Birds."

If you like the movie "Taxi Driver" then you might like the story, "Weights" by Charles Baxter.

I've been thinking about this post for awhile, waiting until I had an impressive collection of thoughts to finally publish it, but I'm short on material. Should quality art remind you of other art? Or should it be entirely new? Do entirely new concepts make you think of other entirely new concepts? Is the goal to be universal or unique? I have no answers, only questions. Also, if someone could tell me definitively what Travis looks at in the rear view mirror at the end of Taxi Driver, my sanity would thank you.

What do you think? Does your brain do this too? I'd love to hear your examples and thoughts. Or thoughtful examples, whichever you prefer.

An update on things that are good

1. This week I lost a promotion but won a raise. Thanks, gov'nuh!

2. Elizabeth and the Catapult - Taller Children. Their first full-length album came out on June 9th and I didn't even know it! But thanks to iTunes, I got the whole thing for $6.99. Favorite tracks: "Taller Children", "Race You" and "Everybody Knows."


3. After watching Cabaret this weekend with the family, I finally broke down and asked Dad to send me a list of classic movies that I should've seen years ago. He sent me a list of 64 films and I promptly signed up for Netflix. So far this week we've seen Casablanca and Taxi Driver - back to back. It made for a very interesting evening. Tonight we're viewing On the Waterfront and Breakfast at Tiffany's. My goal is to watch as many as possible before classes start again on August 28th and I'll post reviews as I go along. If anyone has suggestions for classic movies to add to my queue, comment away!



4. Starbucks treat deals. In Manhattan, if you buy an iced coffee before 2, you can keep your receipt and bring it back after 2 to get any iced/blended/cold grande beverage for 2 bucks! It's the perfect excuse to splurge twice in one day.

5. Cherries. We've hit that holy grail of summer where, for one week, you can buy cherries at a non-absurd price. Yum.

men + guns + hats = happy Susan

(I wish more people wore hats)

Occasionally, it's helpful to have gaps in your education. Despite Dad's best efforts, I know very little about American history. I can recognize important names, and can put together a very vague timeline of important events, but that's about it. Most of the time it's frustrating and embarrassing, but last night, it paid off.

(It is so nice to see his real face again. Where'd you get that scar, Johnny?)

Public Enemies is the story of John Dillinger - legendary bank robber and American anti-hero. Michael Mann (Hancock, The Aviator) directs in his typical fancy fashion. Again, my ignorance shows here - Steven swears there's some special name for the cinematography, but neither of us know what it is. All I know is, it's pretty. And flashy. And full of those great "production qualities" that I love so much. Most of the reviews written about the movie criticize the decision to make the film at all because everyone knows how the story ends. How can you possibly build suspense when you know the outcome? Enter: my generation. A bunch of know-nothings with an affinity for pretty pictures and pretty people. I caught myself holding my breath through many of the scenes in the movie. I knew the end, but I didn't know how or when. Johnny Depp does a wonderful job of bringing this legend to life - to real life, in a true, 3 dimensional character. He's not just a bank robber, he has a story, a motivation, a perspective that makes him choose to rob these banks and love these women and make the silly decisions over and over and over again. Through Depp, you love the anti-hero, and hope, foolishly, that Mann will decide to re-write history.

(She lubs him. In real life - I'm sure of it)

Mann's crazy cinematograhpy works here, because these are beautiful, powerful characters. You want to understand them, but the camera keeps moving. The few times when it stops, and lets the audience really see a straight profile shot, is incredibly effective. It seems to work as a rhetorical device, allowing the emotion to swell at all the right moments. Perhaps this is what cameras are supposed to do, to narrow the field of vision on important moments, while setting the tone for other scenes. This is the first time that I've actually considered it as a narrative tool. At the very least, it's captivating. The 1930's are my favorite cinematic decade. You've got sweet accents, pet names, adorable costumes and all the little small-town details that I dream of finding in antique stores. It is my ideal world, and I was perfectly content to live in Mann's creation for the full 2.5 hour epic.

(Cotillard calls this a $3 dress. Shenanigans!)

Regardless of how much you know about the true tales of Dillinger and his co-horts, it's still a fascinating part of history. Good movies based on true stories can even inspire the young and lazy to do their own research, and dig out those textbooks they so enthusiastically ignored. Maybe Mann chose to make the movie to help inform society about the history of the FBI. Maybe he's passionate about tommy guns and 30's cars. In the end, I don't care why, I'm just glad he did it.

(The tommy guns were beyond cool)

Varieties of Disturbance*

Places I have come to fear the most

Tuesday night, Steven and I went bowling. We are so good at this. So good, that the owner, Mr. Zuck himself, remembered us and asked why we hadn't been in for awhile. (The last time we bowled I wore a long sleeve shirt and jeans. I'm thinking it was in March). We explained to him about the allure of Stimulus Tuesday, and then he gave me velcro shoes and Steven signed the credit slip. We played two games, and then took a snack break, which required me to venture into the Women's restroom. This restroom does double duty as a locker room for the league bowlers, and as I walked in, I was transported back 15 years to the YMCA locker room. I haven't thought about this locker room in an entire lifetime, but seeing the gray lockers and the little round bench brought back the chlorine smell, the cold carpet, the full-length mirror and the green swim bag filled with cracker bits, swim caps, goggle cases and earplugs. As the moment hit me, I was instantly exhausted, reliving the 6:30 practices, sunburned weekends and laps upon laps upon laps. The rest of the evening I bowled faster and faster, hearing whistles in my ears and constantly afraid that I would get kicked in the head by a girl doing a flip-turn. It worked. I scored a personal best of 143 and we got invited to join a bowling league. Thank you, Seahawks.

I'd rather be British

I live in an apartment complex attached to a car dealership. You can hear people being paged all day long. In our parking lot, old cars get their tires slashed, while 10 feet away, never-driven vehicles get waxed and buffed and loved. Now, a fireworks stand has joined the mix. It came in small doses. First with a small sign. Then a banner. Finally a table, then a tent over the table and a trailer. Yesterday there were two trailers and finally there were people. People and banners and tents and fireworks and pages. I do not like this, Sam-I-Am. My first memory of the fourth of july involved hiding in the back of the red car, seats prickly, air hot, my ears assaulted by the terrific noise of packs of black cats ignited at once. My second memory contains the image of Mom's burnt sock. Every other year melds together into a whirl of bug bites, fear, and exhaustion. I would like to reclaim my independence from this day.

Reactionary tale

These days, I have forgotten how to react. Someone starts telling a joke and I tense up - knowing that at the end, I will have to laugh. I know the right answer, but my brain will not respond. Instead I choke, or sneeze, or sit down and type an email. When someone is telling a sad story, I nod and ask what they would like for dinner. When a co-worker recently filled us in on her weekend adventures, I merely frowned, stared at her knee, and then started humming that new Lady Gaga song in my head. I think it's a result of watching too much TV. In the later seasons of ER, the acting is very similar to my behavior. People yell and cry and laugh and love, but never at the right time, or in a sensical way. They just... act. They are clinging desperately to a way of life that no longer exists. A hit TV show. A critically acclaimed drama. A part of Must See TV Thursday. We both exist in a world that has moved on, and so our reactions will never match up. We are marching to a different drummer. We are seeing a different reality. We are apart, and you do not understand.


*Title inspired by and stolen from Lydia Davis. Read the work. Let your mind bend around it. Then drink a milkshake.

List. Post. Haste.

The first day of summer has officially come and gone, which means that summer "vacation" has reached the halfway mark. If this makes you feel blue, here's a list of things to look forward to. (Rhyme!)

1. Away We Go (June 5th)


This was released to theaters awhile ago, but as all good indie flicks go, it takes some time to reach Kansas. The movie has been getting mixed reviews, but it has all the elements of a good time. Screenplay by Dave Eggers + Sam Mendes directing + The Office's John Krasinski and SNL's Maya Rudolph = good enough for this blog. Look for it if you find yourself in a big city with an arts theater.


2. Public Enemies (July 1)


Johnny Depp is back, and he's not in a disney movie based on a theme park ride. Throw in Billy Crudup, a 1930's setting and a wardrobe full of three piece suits and I might as well just add this to my desert island top 5.

3. The Fourth of July (July 4th)

I don't particularly like the holiday (it's my least favorite of all time) but lots of people do. Look forward to it, if you're that kind of person.


4. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (July 15th)


Wizards, and Dumbledore and Ron and Hermione love, oh my!

5. Funny People (July 31st)


Apatow and company are back. And this time, they've brought Adam Sandler with them! (Can you hear my Dad groaning?) Apatow gets ambitious with his first attempt to combine comedy and drama, and I'm hoping that the effect pays off. Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Sarah Silverman and Jason Schwartzman all lend a helping hand.

6. Julie and Julia (August 7th)


In the sweltering month of August, there's nothing better than sitting in a dark, air-conditioned room with a giant box of buttery popcorn, watching someone else turn on an oven and cook delicious food. And in this movie, the people cooking are adorable "Junebug" Amy Adams and diva incarnate, Merryl Streep. Plus, it's a movie based on a book based on a blog. Live the dream.

7. The Time Traveler's Wife (August 14th)


It's been a long time coming. The original rights to the screenplay were purchased by Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, way back when they were the perfect happy couple. Since then the script has been tossed around and back and forth and through years of edits and re-casting. Now it is here, and the first trailer doesn't exactly meet the massive expectations. If nothing else, use this as a reminder to pick up a copy of the book from a library or bookstore. Oh, and fair warning if you're searching at the library - Dewey classifies it as a Science Fiction book, so it'll take some digging. That's a little tip from me to you, free of charge.

8. Inglorious Basterds (August 21st)



Tarantino wraps up the summer season with his latest movie about WWII and Hitler's finest. I can't really tell what or why or how, but Brad Pitt and The Office's BJ Novak both star, so... good? I'm too curious not to add it to the list.

9. Paydays (June 26, July 10, July 24, August 7th and August 21st)

It's good to be employed.

10. Everybody by Ingrid Michaelson (August)


Not even a year after her tiny little album that could, Be Ok, was released, Ingrid is sending another full length record out into the world to be loved and adored. This also means a brand spankin' new US tour. Who's with me?

11. A Gate at the Stairs - Lorrie Moore (September 8th)


Her first new novel in ten years. Color me over the moon. There is absolutely no way it could live up the mountain of expectation that I have for it, but I had to share my joy with the internet, so that Steven doesn't get completely fed up and leave me forever. Ten! Years! (and only 77 more days to wait)

12. Far - Regina Spektor (June 23rd)

Last minute addition to the list. You can now test drive the album here.
Current favorites: Human of the Year, Eet and Folding Chair.

Happy summering!

Dunzo!

This weekend marked my last trip to Omaha for two. whole. months. It also marked the end of my first year in Graduate School. Almost 12 months later and here is what I've done:

- created a website
- learned how to read HTML code
- developed a web tutorial
- learned about Bloom's Taxonomy
- wrote a rubric
- created a new record in OCLC
- wrote confidently about the origins of XML
- chatted about copyright law
- used the word metadata. a lot.
- learned to love and loathe google searching
- discovered ICDL, the coolest digital library on the planet
- wrote several papers about organization

And, today, in the last assignment for my summer class - I have discovered my dream job.

When I grow up, I wanna be an....

Instructional Humanities Reference Librarian.

Ka-pow! Now all I have to do is survive 27 more hours of course work, 2 hours of a practicum, and one semester of comprehensive exams. Grad school is so much prettier at the end then the beginning.

I plan to spend my two months of freedom spending some quality time with the Wii, watching the rest of the ER seasons, reading one shelf of my little bookshelf, and finally decorating/unpacking the apartment. If you are looking for inspiration for your freedom, may I suggest guiltily sneaking to the air conditioned movie theater for this adorable pleasure of a chick flick:

It passes even the most severe checklists for chick flick gold.

1. Funny dancing? Check!

2. Funny singing? Check!

3. Cute outfits? Check!

4. Random Office character? Check!

5. Palpable chemistry? Double check!

6. "Finish the story" improv game? Bonus check!

It was wonderful. Hailey and I laughed and laughed and laughed, Sandra Bullock looks amazing, Ryan Reynolds has seriously funny timing, and it made me remember how great it is to watch two people fall in love. Nothing better.

In case you need a reason to like today

On sale at Target for under 10 dollars. Buy it and be happy and joyous and silly. She sings like a dolphin, people. What's not to love?

***UPDATE*** If you want to test drive the album, check it out here.