Freaks and Geeks

  • Stef (the librarian): Have you checked out the new blog I set up for the Book Club?
  • Me (her colleague): Does that link directly to atomicwedgie.wordpress.com, DORK?
I was really surprised upon reading the Wes Anderson profile in last week’s New Yorker that The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou received poor reviews at the time 2004; there was something whimsical about it that I loved despite it not being as good, whole-product wise, as Rushmore or Bottlerocket or The Royal Tenenbaums.  “If we don’t do something soon, they’re going to kill everybody on board, including her and her unborn British child!” was probably my favorite line, and the article basically points out how people like me are always going to dig Wes Anderson because of little tidbits like this.  (After finding out that this favorite dive of mine closed on 72nd/Amsterdam, I remarked to a friend, “What a shame.  They had a bartender here, Kino, who made the best rum cannonball I’ve ever tasted.”  Heh.) I wonder, then, if I need to give that Indian railway movie of his another look.  I was very “meh” about it, but reading more about it in the New Yorker write-up makes me wonder if I was just having an off day.  I had a similar experience in China: two friends and I booked train tickets from Guangzhou, in the south, to Chengdu, in the western province of Sichuan—one of the only places you can normally get a fight to Tibet, which was the whole point.  The overnight train trip through the Chinese countryside was just supposed to be bonus, and the first night—which we spent on bunks in second class with a bunch of very confused Chinese people, who thought we should have had our own sleeper—was a blast.  We ate noodles, drank a good-sized case of (22 oz.) Tsing Tao’s, practiced our Chinese, made friends and passed out.  The problem, we discovered in the morning, was that the arrival time on our ticket didn’t specify what day the arrival was; regular Chinese trains, it seems, do not make it the distance from St. Louis to San Francisco overnight.  The second day/night on the train wasn’t nearly as fun, I’ll tell you. So, Darjeerling Limited—back on my Netflix queue?

I was really surprised upon reading the Wes Anderson profile in last week’s New Yorker that The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou received poor reviews at the time 2004; there was something whimsical about it that I loved despite it not being as good, whole-product wise, as Rushmore or Bottlerocket or The Royal Tenenbaums.  “If we don’t do something soon, they’re going to kill everybody on board, including her and her unborn British child!” was probably my favorite line, and the article basically points out how people like me are always going to dig Wes Anderson because of little tidbits like this.  (After finding out that this favorite dive of mine closed on 72nd/Amsterdam, I remarked to a friend, “What a shame.  They had a bartender here, Kino, who made the best rum cannonball I’ve ever tasted.”  Heh.)

I wonder, then, if I need to give that Indian railway movie of his another look.  I was very “meh” about it, but reading more about it in the New Yorker write-up makes me wonder if I was just having an off day.  I had a similar experience in China: two friends and I booked train tickets from Guangzhou, in the south, to Chengdu, in the western province of Sichuan—one of the only places you can normally get a fight to Tibet, which was the whole point.  The overnight train trip through the Chinese countryside was just supposed to be bonus, and the first night—which we spent on bunks in second class with a bunch of very confused Chinese people, who thought we should have had our own sleeper—was a blast.  We ate noodles, drank a good-sized case of (22 oz.) Tsing Tao’s, practiced our Chinese, made friends and passed out.  The problem, we discovered in the morning, was that the arrival time on our ticket didn’t specify what day the arrival was; regular Chinese trains, it seems, do not make it the distance from St. Louis to San Francisco overnight.  The second day/night on the train wasn’t nearly as fun, I’ll tell you.

So, Darjeerling Limited—back on my Netflix queue?

Let's Talk About Cesc

  • Ian (via Facebook comment): Did you happen to see Cesc's goal? Golazo, über goal. Messi-esque.
  • Me (via gchat): I was going to ask you if you saw Cesc's goal the other night, but you signed off, like a Nicoll
  • Ian: ha
  • Ian: it was fantastic
  • Me: He shredded them
  • Me: I was like...he really is the greatest in my mind right now
  • Ian: yeah, I don't know if he knew he could do that
  • Ian: but now that he knows
  • Ian: watch out
  • Me: I mean, he's a fantastic player...but more in distribution and management
  • Me: ...or so I thought
  • Me: That goal made him look like a hybrid of Torres and...well, Cesc
  • Ian: it was a Torres goal
  • Ian: it was Adrian Peterson on a soccer field

Fantastic!

Ha—maybe it’d be hip to resurrect Fudthebiker and chat up a storm on the AIM, like all the kids are doing?

natashavc:

HA! Here’s a new and disturbing trend: AIM!

I never used it for anything but work. Over the summer a couple folks —SOME ATTRACTIVE— have been like what’s your AIM name? And I’m like, oh it’s _____, but how funny, I rarely use it!  But now, I’ll be logged on at night and when the ambien kicks in and I chat people! People who really should probably be left alone to wank to bang bus porn or write a screen play or a fun mash up of the two! But now they are the recepients of statements like this:

WAIT, BUT DO YOU THINK I’M DOPE? LIKE WOULD YOU JUST GIVE ME A RIDE IF I ASKED FOR IT OR WOULD YOU BE SAD IF I DIDN’T PAY YOU ATTENTION?? I feel like you’re being distant.

I’m a cyber panhandler of acceptance. The aggressive kind! I AM A SQUEEGEE MAN OF EMOTION.

PS. apologies, obvs.

UGH.

UGH.

In honor of Liverpool’s now-infamous beach ball goal.  Cari, I expect an IMMEDIATE reblog on Fuckyeahstarwars!

In honor of Liverpool’s now-infamous beach ball goal.  Cari, I expect an IMMEDIATE reblog on Fuckyeahstarwars!

“How often does the El train go by?” “Often enough you won’t notice.” moviesinframes: The Blues Brothers, 1980 (Dir. John Landis)

“How often does the El train go by?”

“Often enough you won’t notice.”

moviesinframes:

The Blues Brothers, 1980 (Dir. John Landis)

moviesinframes: El laberinto del fauno (Pan’s Labyrinth), 2006 (dir. Guillermo Del Toro) [Note: this is a re-frame. You can see the first one here]

moviesinframes:

El laberinto del fauno (Pan’s Labyrinth), 2006 (dir. Guillermo Del Toro)

[Note: this is a re-frame. You can see the first one here]

In honor of Arsenal’s 3-0 ripping of Spurs today, here is an awesome video of them coming from behind—in a 3rd match replay—to beat Spurs at Shite Hart Lane in 1987.  Such atmosphere!  Must have been 100,000 people crammed in that night!

(via the Guardian)

Advanced Placement

  • Konstantin: I'm REALLY enjoying Beowulf--it just reads so well for me.
  • Me: Is that because English is your second language?
  • Konstantin: Wow.
  • Me: Yup. Now let me finish my breakfast.