Friday five.

I attended my first Festivus party this year and listened to many of the guests air their grievances.  It was amusing and I meant to put together my own list at some point this month...  But truth be told, I don't have a lot of grievances right now, especially not with people I interact with regularly (which is what I think you're supposed to focus on). 

Far be it from me to shirk silly traditions, though.  Over the past week five things did occur to me, and so I bring you five grievances in no particular order:

• the fact that "bi-monthly" can mean "twice a month" OR "every other month"
• people who cancel meeting invitations after the meeting date/time has already occurred and they've already verbally cancelled the meeting
• email confirmations that confirm your request to unsubscribe from email notifications (followed closely by email unsubscribe requests that "may take up to 2 weeks to process" - really? it's THE INTERNET!)
  
• sub-par cookies in the break room
  
• the fine print that no one ever reads, that says you can't use both Groupon coupons for yourself if you purchase two at the same time

So yeah, that's pretty much it. 

Here's to a 2012 filled with exciting changes, adventures and good times - and an even shorter grievance list!  Cheers, friends.

I need a harder list.

I'm going to go on the official record and cross off #31. It's work-related and technically, I published it, but it means I can add professional writing to my resume and that's really all that matters to me.

Next up: #27! Five weeks and counting...

Belated Friday five.

A roundup of five bands I saw (or didn't) this month, in chronological order, begins now. Hold on to your hats!

December's musicpalooza started with Mumford & Sons. The music was amazing as expected, but it was at an arena, the light show was ridiculous (who are you, the Stones?) and the section where we sat bounced. And not in a Crystal Ballroom fun kind of way - more of an "um is this really safe?" way. I can say that I saw them, but I have much better memories of sitting on my couch in my pajamas streaming their various live performances. (Now get off my lawn?)

The next show was my absolute favorite show all year, as I've previously alluded. Astounding energy, great crowd, great venue. Before Time to Pretend, there was this song. And it was good. I will officially follow them to the ends of the earth. As long as the show is in Portland.

I'd halfheartedly gotten tickets to The Joy Formidable and Grouplove the following night but honestly, after the Dandy Warhols, my partner in crime and I were not in the mood. We stayed for a few songs and then spared our ears from the rest.

Finished up with last night's AgesandAges show at the Doug Fir. Always a good time. Always.

Really excited to check out some of this stuff next year. Musicpalooza 2012, here I come...

There is much internet controversy about the last five syllables.

i am pretty sure
this work thing is for the birds
(the really dumb birds)

And then some days, you're the bug...

i know yesterday
cutting and pasting was fun
not so much today

And I've seen a LOT of shows this year.

going on record
the dandy warhols last night?
best show of the year

That run-on sentence in bullet #2 doesn't really suck, either.

Five things that didn't suck today, because it was that kind of day, in no particular order:

• Cranberry roll fake turkey real cheese sandwich with multi-grain tortilla chips. (Yes, I just blogged about what I had for lunch. Sorry, Maggie.)
• Overhearing the boss say "oh wait she's still here let me ask" as I was shutting down at 5:25pm, cursing (not entirely... okay, not at all) under my breath, then learning that the question was to verify that my vacation hours should roll over to next year instead of to ask me about something else I need to do ASAP before I left or the world would end.
• Inside jokes in crowded elevators.
• An impending 5 mile run. (Ed. note: make that 3... but at a 7mph pace to make up for it.)
• Eight-point-five weeks until New Zealand!

Early Wednesday three.

News you can use times three, in no particular order:

• MMMhop, ba duba dop, ba du bop, ba duba dop, ba du bop, ba duba dop, ba du...
• Kermit is a commie! Story at 11.*
• Oregon is AWESOME, in case you weren't aware.
  

________________
* And my one run-on sentence review of The Muppets: I want to watch it again (and again) on DVD so I can fast forward through all the Amy Adams/Ms Piggy crap and enjoy everything else a second time, especially "mee mee mee mo!" (for which I might have to put in a ringtone request).

When it's time to change, you've got to rearrange...

thin walls, loud neighbors,
foreigner, billy ocean -
i will not miss you

The most exciting haikus you will read all day!

(really! i mean it!
okay, that was sarcastic...
consider ye warned)

no more leftovers
excited to get back to
plain old sandwiches

good news this morning:
creepy bus driver's "last day"
(on route or on job?)

silly stupid brain
yoga could not shut it up
maybe wine will help

"It's just we're putting new coversheets on all the TPS reports before they go out now."

after a weekend
of wanderlust discussions
monday really sucked

world heritage sites
are more fun to contemplate
than project planning

________________
Alternate subject: "Human beings were not meant to sit in little cubicles staring at computer screens all day, filling out useless forms and listening to eight different bosses drone on about about mission statements."

Bah humbug.

not happy about
christmas music already
can't they wait three days?

At least it was a local shop...

"buy nothing day" fail:
waterproof camera sale
how could i resist?

I can't believe I never thought of this.

things that make my day:
grilled peanut butter sandwich
with bacon, of course

Sorta late Friday five.

Five bands that rounded out November's musicpalooza, in no particular order:

• John Wesley Harding and the King Charles Trio - I would've loved more in his solo acoustic set, but it was really nice to see the other Decemberists get lost in some basic, old school rock. It looked like they were having a blast.
  
• We Were Promised Jetpacks -loud and tight, just like last time. Not loud but pretty amazing here.
  
• Bryan John Appleby - high quality sleepy indie pop. (Check out The Words of the Revelator especially.)
  
• Hey Marseilles - yes, again, and they were brilliant this time too.
• Noah and the Whale - SO. MUCH. FUN.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled evenings in... until December musicpalooza, anyway.

They had me at "starring Ryan Gosling."

Crazy, Stupid, Love. - It was like American Beauty, only funny... and with better cameos.

And don't get me started on "jeggings."

i don't get fashion
when did we stop wearing pants?
can we start again?

He's also very helpful.

things that make my day:
the eastern european
responding, "groovy"

Occupy my soggy socks.

for a rainy town
there are a lot of puddles
drainage 2012!

winter in portland
when i abandon all hope
for a good hair day

I did not write these during a rather irrelevant meeting. I didn't.

best part of my day?
realizing that new zealand
is ten weeks away

funny thing, this life
everything for a reason
noted, Universe

next aventura
follows sixteen months of work
... need to make that twelve

I hope his apology was begrudgingly delivered.

somehow i don't think
that mario batalli
will lose all that much

Halloween is just another day in Portland.

is it a costume
or just a dirty hipster?
really hard to tell

But who won the football game?

one week, no facebook
biggest realization?
don't miss it at all

"You are very likely thinking I’ve lost my mind by now and you may not be terribly far off."

I decided to try these as a reward for some people working really hard this week. It was quite the production, indeed, and I wasn't totally pleased with the results (in my opinion, they were good but not the WOW I had hoped for - but I expected that since I let the dough sit in the refrigerator longer than I'd wanted to).

But, they were gone in 60 seconds and several people requested the recipe. I'd call that a success.

a world of yum

Purchased!

It made my day.

Time out.

highly recommend
good beer(s), good band* and park swings
on a wednesday night

________________
* Black Prairie played free shows every Wednesday this month, and a month ago I was really excited about that. Then life happened and I missed them all. But seeing as how last night was their last show, I finally got organized about it and dragged a friend along. We sat in the back corner where we could hear well enough but avoid the mass of humanity in the other room.

Good music, and Jenny Conlee was actually there which was awesome. But the best moment was during a music break; I was waiting behind Chris Funk at the bar and some woman asked us to move so that she could get water from the jug. Chris politely extended his hand for her glass to help her out, and she cradled the glass and edged around us. He looked at me and said something about her being serious about sanitation.

If you know who either of these people are, then I probably don't have to explain that Chris could have sneezed on my food and I would've happily eaten it. As it was, I could barely crack a smile. I WAS STANDING BEHIND CHRIS FUNK! IN A TINY BAR!

I love Portland.

Oh, and probably another eight on Saturday.

seventy nine in
another eight on Friday
... job security?

Pre-Wednesday three.

Three amazing things I learned about today, in no particular order:

• Trent Reznor is ready to let go of the steering wheel.
• I hope it's a musical.
• Why I will never go to a haunted house, exhibit #9.
  

Need to start paying attention again.

i had no idea
such atrocities occurred
thank you dave eggers

Occupy Portland, Day 15.

tempting... but no thanks

I walk by this park every day on my way from the bus to the office. Sometimes someone is screaming into a megaphone. Other times a drum circle is surrounded by people dancing. Once in a while it's quiet.

The protest signs range from clever ("bros before CEOs!") to angry ("to hell with wall street!") to snarky ("keep shopping, everything is fine!") to I-have-no-idea-how-it-relates ("this is 100% recycled material," "Oregon is killing its senior citizens").

The park smells funny and soon it will start to rain again.

On the up side, a friend was telling me that she was at her (behemoth) bank yesterday and witnessed several people closing their accounts. She then went to take care of some business at her local credit union and changed her mind because the line was out the door.

Baby steps.

Bank changes aside, I haven't quite figured out what actions I need to take in support of all of this. The homeless problem is rampant here and that seems like the obvious place to devote some free time... but this is Portland, where people line up months in advance for volunteer opportunities. And also I'm getting old and complacent so I may just resort to giving money to local shelters and other community-building establishments. I have been shopping and eating local like crazy the last few weeks though.

But whatever the outcome? Sorry, Oakland and Berkeley friends, but our protest has THE BEST acronym. Army with harmony!

I love that "corpse in an elevator" has become a plot keyword.

Last Sunday I was thrilled to see Attack the Block on the marquee at the local $4 theater. I'd been eying this since hearing that it involved various people who were also involved with Shaun of the Dead and related movies that I didn't like as much but still laughed at. And what with Halloween almost upon us, I had to keep up my string of recent campy blood-and-guts monster flicks.

I was entertained, but not wowed as I'd hoped to be. The social justice angle seemed a bit forced and the stoner angle was tired. But the blood-and-guts action was spot on, and really, that's all that matters as far as these films are concerned.

Right? Who's with me?

(Um... I also clapped after Sin City and I couldn't stop grinning after Grindhouse. And I love that "corpse in an elevator" has become a plot keyword. Do I need help?)

Wednesday three.

The best thing about no Facebook has been that I've managed to catch up on the bazillion items in my google reader subscription list. I know, I know - I've traded one time sink for another. But seriously, does Facebook have gems like these:

• "The glass is half full, you know why? Because someone bumped my arm, and now half of my drink is gone!" (from here)
• the cutest monkey EVAH!
• poor T-Rex (I feel his pain, I always lost the "shotgun!" game too)
  

?? I ask you!

________________
And also, OMG this is going to be an HBO series? If only Alan Ball was in charge...

And also, sweet.

Public service announcement for Spotify users.

You can find a brilliant version of "District Sleeps Alone Tonight" by Frank Turner on Spotify. It's raw and rough and it's how that song should have been recorded in the first place. (No offense, Ben Gibbard, this is just imho.)

Search for it. Do it NOW.

(Please. Also, please let me know your Spotify "name"? I am still figuring this thing out but I did subscribe to the $5/month service for a trial run.)

I saw Frank Turner and his band Saturday night and it was an amazing show. He's been dubbed "the Billy Bragg of our generation," and while I wouldn't go that far, it's not a terrible comparison. Some politics, some history, some really good love (and anti-love) songs. He's only 30 so his lyrics are a bit immature, and I mean that in the nicest way. This song (and cutest video EVER!) and this one are my current faves.

Andrew Jackson Jihad opened. They were very fun as well...

Almost halfway to a Friday five.

Five reasons I deactivated my Facebook account, in no particular order except for maybe the last most important reason:

• I recently heard a "futurist" speak about the future of social networking (as well as advances in research that had people moving objects with their minds - WITH. THEIR. MINDS!!) and it was so terrifying, it made me want to buy a cabin in the woods and never, ever come out of hiding.
  
• If you aren't reading this here blog right now, I don't really care that your baby rolled over for the first time, or that your basement flooded during the last storm, or that you "checked in" at the local pizza joint.
  
• My ex's ex kept coming up as a recommended "friend." (Um, no.)
  
• My 20 year high school reunion is next year and I want no part of that. I started to just hide people with the plan of doing a clean sweep after the actual event, but that quickly became way too much work. So I redefined "clean sweep."
• 1844 pages:
  

There are many more reasons but those are the highlights. Honestly, I was mostly using it to track local bands and it was AMAZINGLY helpful in that sense (not too little info like with email subscriptions, not too much info like Twitter feeds - it was just right). So now I'll have to figure out how to keep up with that proactively. I will probably go back someday in the near future, but it will be nice to experience actual life for a little while.

And, you know who you are, in response to "WHAT ABOUT THE BLOG. (no pressure.)", it stays and I hope to post more now that I'm not reading about what my 4th grade classmate ate for dinner. Thanks to all of you for your support. (Whoever you are. With the exception of YKWYA and a few others, I really don't know for the most part... and I kind of like that.)

And yet I'm up four hours later.

nineteen ninety nine
last time i partied like that
i'm too old for this

One day I will learn: ice cream before bed equals insomnia.

on nights like tonight
i wish my gym was open
twenty-four hours

I was kidding! (Sort of.)

Today in a meeting I commented that we really needed to do a good job scoping this project so that if I decided to stay in New Zealand next year, someone else would be able to easily pick it up.

Crickets.

No sense of humor, these people...

File under: people I would like to be friends with.

Spent way too much time today trolling the internet. Waaaaaay too much time. Most of the people I read about were not people I would like to call friends.

But a handful were creatively inspiring and made me wish I could hang out with them on a regular basis so that we could inspire each other. Examples:

• Ran across this creation via a mommy/designer blog I follow. (I am neither mommy nor designer; however, I enjoy her stories and storytelling method... However, I would not like to be friends with her. Just the musician.)
  
• Was reminded of this, which I got to through a very circuitous internet route starting with Facebook and meandering through sites I hardly ever read (Elle, Us Magazine) and sites I do read occasionally (Salon, Gawker). I used to keep up with his site years ago, before it turned into such an interesting collaborative artistic effort. What a brilliant idea. I hope to contribute someday... but it's kind of intimidating.
• Everything is amazing right now, and nobody's happy.
  
• And finally, this oldie but goodie. I love this lady.
  

Does an outlet mall count as a corporation?

lazy saturday
now for retail therapy
it's been a long week

iAm a PC.

Yesterday on the drive back to LAX after a work meeting, a coworker was checking her iThing and announced that Steve Jobs had died.

"Oh." That was all iCould muster. iFelt a little bad about that, so iAdded what iThought was an appropriate follow-up comment: "Wow."

And then iWent back to decompressing after the all-day meeting.

iKnow this is monumental - epic, in fact. Like most people my age, iLearned simple commands on a Mac at summer computer camp (um, you went to computer camp as a kid, right? it wasn't just me, right?). iWatched most people my age move into the Mac world at one point or another over the past decade and rave about the products. iUsed to live in the Bay Area where the annual Macworld was a mecca for geeks worldwide. When iNeeded a new computer iAsked for advice and all iGot was "OMG YOU MUST BUY AN APPLE." A flight attendant asked everyone to turn off "everything that starts with an 'i'" before we took off the other day.

But iAm a late adopter who just wants to be able to send an email now and then, preferably from the comfort of my couch, and listen to music on something portable, and edit photos occasionally. iHave not followed Apple. Like, at all. iBought an early version of the iPod several years after the first was released, mostly on a whim. iAppreciate my hand-me-down iTouch and Nano but really, iWould never have purchased them if left to my own devices. There are so many other products that do all iNeed for a much cheaper price. And iHate typing on those tiny keypads.

And then it occurred to me (and thus ends the snippy i's). Without Mr. Jobs, I would not have access to all these other, cheaper products. And then I saw this quote: "We’re born, we live for a brief instant, and we die. It’s been happening for a long time. Technology is not changing it much — if at all."

[Ed. note: you know what? Never mind. I still like the quotes and I still hope he has free wifi though.] I've seen many similar humble posts on Facebook and elsewhere, and I now realize he was just a regular, stand up guy... who happened to be a genius billionaire.

So thank you, Steve. I hope you are comfortable and happy in your new home, wherever that may be. I'm sure there's free wifi. If there's not, there will be soon. iJust know it.

________________
Another fave: "I think it’s brought the world a lot closer together, and will continue to do that. There are downsides to everything; there are unintended consequences to everything. The most corrosive piece of technology that I’ve ever seen is called television — but then, again, television, at its best, is magnificent."

The real question: with the week, or with the job?

i think that working
forty one hours so far
means i am all done

Text messages do not count.

writing anything
every day no matter what...
harder than i thought

This weekend's infotainment inspired by Joss Whedon.

To honor the winners of the song title-off, I saw Fright Night this afternoon.

(Yeah, that work stuff? Ain't. Gettin'. Done. It's sacred Sunday, for Pete's sake! More realistically, vamps and beer were calling! I'll just go in early tomorrow. Whatevs.)

But first.

Yesterday I saw Tucker and Dale Vs Evil, which I was mostly interested in because it was showing at my local nonprofit theater that I love to support no matter what, and also because it featured my favorite comedic wingman, Alan Tudyk. You may recall him from such roles as Wash in Firefly/Serenity and Steve the Pirate from Dodgeball, and a bunch of other stuff (holy cow - HE was Alpha in Dollhouse? did I know that? I need to watch that whole series all over again immediately). TADVE was campy and awkward and uber-bloody and ridiculous... and I loved, loved, loved it. I think the last time I laughed out loud so much at a campy horror movie was during Sin City. Or maybe Grindhouse. Where is that Quentin Tarantino these days? Anyway, it's been a while since a movie caused me to literally LOL. (I have been following the "literally" warfare, and I can assure you that this use is legit.)

But back to the topic at hand. I watched the original Fright Night at a sleepover a bazillion years ago and loved it, and I was very excited to see that Marti Noxon had a hand in the 2011 version of the remake. It had been at a pricey theater for a few weeks (in 3D no less - WHY??), so when I saw it on the marquee at the local $3 pizza pint picture place, I planned my entire Sunday around that 4:30 showing.

Welcome to my life these days.

Sadly... it was "eh." It flowed okay. The vamp CGI (especially of them dying) was kind of interesting. The main kid, Toni Collette, Colin Farrell, and that guy from Doctor Who (who I would know if I ever watched Doctor Who) did a good job, and Lisa Loeb was in it (although I have no idea which character she played). There were a few lines where I recognized sarcastic intent.

But overall I have to say that I expected much more from Ms. Noxon.

Hello, you have reached my own private Whedonesque world. We charge a hefty price here. Hope you can afford the critique.

Also, I have 23 songs about ghosts.

I'm supposed to be working this afternoon, so naturally I decided to see who would win in a vampire/zombie song title-off in my iTunes collection.

I mean, really, which would YOU rather do?

It was a pretty close call but if you count anything with "Dracula" in the title, the vampires eeked past the zombies. Just barely. As it should be. However, if the contest was based on the song title, Sufjan Stephens would win for the brain eaters with his marvelous song, "They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From the Dead!! Ahhhhh!"

I might finally tackle that Decemberists pie chart too. Every new album they release makes it a bigger and more arduous project... Wait - someone already did it for me! I LOVE YOU, INTERNET!

A magical equation.

oregon zoo show
aimee mann plus the weepies
plus some elephants

(This is about two months overdue.)

The Weepies - the name fits the bass player,
but the other two were all smiles the whole time

"hoarders" inspired this song
(not too much different from all the "intervention"-inspired songs)

Holy crap, it's October.

Hello, Fall! Which means it's out with the old and in with the new.

• one photo walk a week - ehhh... my intentions were good... see below
  
• weekend at the coast - check!
  
• survive Hood to Coast - check!
  
• anything on The List -#31 should happen any day now... and if this doesn't I have another plan lined up... it's all work-related, but it counts!
  

I wasn't really feeling the photography goal over the past three months. I won't make too many excuses, but it was pretty darned hot for a while there (and I hate hate hate the hot, so I tend to stay immobile), and there's not much excitement in my 'hood these days (though I did go out of my way to get that one shot), and I think my weekend excursions sucked up all my photography creativity.

Otherwise, I'm quite pleased with my accomplishments over the last three months.

4Q2011 goals:

• write something, anything, every single day - yes, this goes against everything I believe in as far as these goals are concerned but I am quite serious about this, so even if it's work-related or an email to a friend or FTTDS or a mere 17 syllables, it will count
• reduce my energy bill by $3 every month - at $32/month it's not exactly breaking the bank, but there has to be more that I can do... like turning my modem/entertainment center/computer power strip off when I go to work and remembering to unplug all the kitchen appliances I use sporadically
• re-establish my gym routine - after Hood to Coast I completely slacked off, and while this has been good for my wardrobe (which hung off me pre-May but has started to fit really nicely now that I've gained several pounds), it has wreaked havoc on my sleeping habits and general mental health
  
• anything on The List!
  

And here... we... go! What are YOU going to do by the end of the year?

Also embarrassed for Ben Folds.

embarrassed to say
i watched the whole episode
hoda is a freak

Three point five hours shy of a Wednesday three.

Three films I saw over the weekend, in no particular order:

• Pearl Jam Twenty: probably only for die hard fans so it's good that I am one - Cameron Crowe did a really, really great job.
  
• My Own Private River: a compilation of extra shots from My Own Private Idaho that Gus Van Sant (in a possibly ill-advised state of mind) consented to James Franco making into a movie.
• My Own Private Idaho: to remind myself that the original was really brilliant and I miss River Phoenix.

I can't leave the last two at that though. The original was filmed in Portland twenty years ago, so the "remake" screening was a benefit for a local nonprofit theater, and I happily paid a hefty price to be able to sit 10 feet from James Franco and Gus Van Sant for 30 minutes while they explained Franco's interpretation of the film. The film itself... Well, I hadn't seen the original in years and I meant to watch it before the benefit but didn't get around to it, so I'm sure some of it was lost on me.

(Digression: As a result, after the viewing I tried to Netflix the original ($^%& new Netflix! NOTHING WORTH WATCHING IS STREAMING!) and then drove to the local rental place to snag the last VHS copy they had.

Yes, I still have a VHS player. In case you needed more proof that I am behind the times. End of digression.)

All in all, I thought Franco did a much better job capturing the intimacy between the two main characters and explaining the overall story... but I also thought it was about an hour too long. A combo of the two would have been amazing.

The original is still brilliant, although somewhat misguided in its attempt to incorporate Shakespearean dialogue. (Our street folk are good, but they're not that good.)

I was actually a bit surprised to learn it was filmed in downtown Portland. One of their frequent run-down haunts is a frequent more-upscale happy hour haunt for us twenty years later.

Kinda neat.

Kinda weird.

Little me will start a joke.

Normally I would think this is weird-bordering-on-annoying, but this particular evening* I find it charming that Ritchie is wearing his own band's t-shirt in this clip.

And the clip makes me wish I was their neighbor so that I could see stuff like this all the time.

And I want one of those t-shirts.

________________
* I did spend a few hours cleaning mold out of my windowsills today, after spending the last few days hacking up a lung or two and getting dizzy when I stood up too fast. So take this opinion with a grain of salt.

Not even remotely Wednesday three.

Three movies I saw in the last week, for $3 at our local pizza pint picture house, and my favorite new way to review them, in no particular order:

• Super 8: JJ Abrams has officially redeemed himself for Lost: Season 6 (and maybe 5), and it fills me with joy to know that today's youth have the equivalent of ET and The Goonies.
  
• TrollHunter: Adding Norway to the list of places to visit in the near future, and Norwegian Ninja to the list of movies to see immediately.
  
• The Tree of Life: I have probably seen about 500 movies in the theater and never once fallen asleep... until yesterday.
  

I think it's called "middle."

i have reached that age
where hiking downhill hurts more
than hiking uphill

Serene Lake Loop ~ Mt Hood National Forest

I laughed out loud when she said it tonight at the end of yoga class.

the best magnet I've seen all year

Belated Friday five.

But this one is OK because it wouldn't have made sense to do last Friday, and if I wait until this Friday I will have forgotten everything. So. Five good decisions I made during this year's MusicfestNW, in no particular order:

• Stayed on the east side, mostly. I wandered over to Backspace for a decent rock show Saturday night and headed downtown briefly Sunday for one set, but otherwise I parked in about the same southeast spot every night and wandered. In that area there are at least six venues I frequent within a 10 minute walk (and another dozen featuring music I don't usually listen to). I love Portland.
  
• Ditched numerous sad bastard indie pop shows Saturday night for mix-mastry and related dance fun instead. (I know, right, who am I and what have I done with me?) Local faves Boy Eats Drum Machine and Jeffrey Jerusalem were really fun, and Y4CHT was amusing for the extra 20 minutes I could bear to stand in that unventilated warehouse when it was 90 degrees outside. I need to do that more often... in the winter.
• Ditched the Pioneer Square show after a good set by Morning Teleportation and saw Hey Marseilles instead. (You may remember them from such festivals as MFNW 2009.) I was supposed to see Cass McCombs and Band of Horses that night, but after such good loud fun the nights before, and a particularly dull start to Cass McCombs' set*, and learning that HM was doing a free set in southeast, I wasn't in the mood. The crowd at the Square seemed like they were only there because they got a ticket with their MFNW wristband, but the large group of people in front of HM was there to see them, and it showed, and it was great fun.
  
• Gave live Helio Sequence another try. You may recall from the above MFNW 2009 link that I was underwhelmed last time I saw them, but I do love them and the Doug Fir was the perfect venue Saturday night. The bar brawl during the set was amusing - a confused hipster flew past me followed by a drunken angry frat boy, the chaos lasted about 60 seconds while beer flew and audience members tried to figure out what the hell was going on, and then it was back to this. Their drummer gives Animal a run for his money.
  
• Met up with some random people through a Meetup group for some of the shows. Didn't hit it off with all of them but a few were pretty awesome and I hope to see them again soon.

Thus ends another fine festival. Good job, Portland.

________________
* He's a Baltimore guy and I really, really want to like him. Just isn't happening...

Oh, and also? Thursday is the new Friday.

Five things that did not suck today:

• Thursday is the new Friday.
• Thursday is the new Friday.
• Thursday is the new Friday.
• Thursday is the new Friday.
• Thursday is the new Friday.

Once again I packed a full 48 hours in advance. I was antsy and distracted all day. I fear this using-long-weekends-to-make-up-for-a-9-to-5 could become a habit. If only I had more vacation days...

Wednesday three.

Three things that did not suck today, in no particular order:

• being extremely hungry around 10am, lamenting the fact that people only seem to bring in food when I've eaten a proper breakfast, then happening upon a non-advertised batch of yummy fig/blueberry muffins by the printer
  
• a random high five from a coworker as I passed him in the hallway
• using the secret phrase* with another coworker to get off of a post-5pm, long-winded, non-work-related phone call

Bonus TTDS to round this out to an even five:

• shoe shopping at lunch (but OMG, can someone please explain these to me?)
  
• the last of the leftover pepperoni pizza from Sparky's

________________
* I'd tell ya, but then I'd have to kill ya.

Oh, and also? No &%^$ glittery vamps.

Subtle, understated, engaging, enthralling, mostly unknown actors (except that Richard Jenkins... must watch everything else he has ever touched immediately)... which is all to say that I liked Let Me In a lot.

Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the positive.

I'm in need of perspective these days, so I'm hereby reinstating the daily FTTDS. Five things that didn't suck yesterday, in no particular order:

• running across this after a coworker sent an email saying "for all intensive purposes..."
• finally finishing draft posts I started weeks ago
• finally getting my Hollywood Fringe Festival t-shirt (a gift for donating -the shirt is awesome)
• Family of the Year (they never suck but I particularly appreciated them yesterday)
  
• leftover pepperoni pizza from Sparky's
  

Five things that didn't suck today, in no particular order:

• waking up late and still catching the early bus
• coworkers with warped senses of humor
• 67 degrees and cloudy
• leftover pepperoni pizza from Sparky's
• two more days and then four-day weekend

This hasn't happened yet but in about an hour, I'm pretty sure that hearing Colin Meloy & Carson Ellis discuss their new book is really not going to suck either...

Living in Portland? Definitely does not suck.

Survive Hood to Coast: check.

In case you don't know, Hood to Coast is the world's largest relay race. Twelve hundred teams run from Mt. Hood to Seaside, a total of 197 miles. Entry is a competitive sport in and of itself and I was lucky enough to have a friend who made this year's cut. I'd originally only offered to volunteer, but since I was training for the July 4th half marathon and it was probably a once in a lifetime opportunity, I mentioned that I'd be an alternate if needed. Lucky for me, I was needed.*

Even luckier for me, I got the easiest legs of the race. And the shortest. And some of the prettiest, too. I got to run down the road that leads to Timberline Lodge (of The Shining fame) with views of Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams in the distance and lovely wildflowers lining the road. I got to run along the Willamette River in scenic downtown Portland. And I got to run through Mist, OR as the sun was rising and the mist was clearing. Despite running and then sitting for eight hours until my next run, and despite getting a total of about four hours of sleep over a 40-hour period, and despite my lack of training post-half marathon run, I kept my predicted pace and was able to drive us all back to Portland afterward. And I was able to walk (fairly) pain-free the next day.

However. The last third of the race was a total shit show. Somehow they messed up logistics on traffic, and we found ourselves dropping off runners at one spot, heading to the next drop-off point 5-6 miles up the road, and watching our runner blow past our van as we sat in miles and miles of traffic. My last leg was supposed to be in the dark through Mist, but because of the delays I didn't end up running in the dark (which I was a little disappointed about - I mean, when else am I going to run on a back country road at 4:30am?). On our van's last leg we ended up handing our runner "the clipboard" (the one set of papers we used to track time that would need to be turned in at the end of the race) as he passed us, and he ran for a mile holding the clipboard so that the runner in the other van wouldn't have to wait an hour for us to arrive. We also had to wait for about an hour and a half at the end for the rest of the other van to arrive so that we could all cross the finish line together.

But we all finished (fairly) injury free, I spent 40 hours in a van with four total strangers and a distant coworker and we all got along (fairly) well, and I can say I participated in the world's largest relay race.

I never need to do it AGAIN, but I participated. And survived. Check.

not our shirts

________________
* Lest you think I'm callous for being happy about someone being injured and having to drop out, the guy I replaced ended up recovering just fine and replacing someone else who got injured. Win win! Er... win win lose.

Blowing your mind all over your face.

I recently remembered this web comic and have been enjoying it immensely. But the following blurb under this day's strip caused me to do a double, and then triple, take:

In summary, a fictional character I made got turned into a computer program, and now another computer program exists solely to psychoanalyze it.

He thinks this is awesome. I, on the other hand, am selling all of my shit and moving to a cabin in the woods IMMEDIATELY. But first I have a sudden urge to watch season 4 of Buffy...

Friday five.

Five movies that actually did justice to their book predecessors, where I've actually read the book and seen the movie in a short enough time span to make such a judgment*, in no particular order:

• Fight Club
• The Princess Bride
• The Virgin Suicides
• The Godfather
  
• Bridget Jones' Diary (hey, I didn't say the book and/or movie had to be high quality)
  

Movies based on short stories don't count but if they did, The Body/Stand By Me and Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption/Shawshank Redemption would definitely be on the list.

Inspired by this news. I'm not sure how I feel about a movie version of one of my favorite books ever. The movie version of one of my other favorite books actually made me angry (and I do mean angry), and I didn't even see it.

But The River Why is playing at the theater in my 'hood so I'm sure I will go... even if it's just for the free air conditioning.

________________
* meaning the LOTR trilogy and the Narnia series don't count, although I suspect the LOTR trilogy might trump Bridget Jones' Diary on the list above when I read it again

Weekend at the coast - check.

The kayak trip was canceled (OMG I KNOW RIGHT, AGAIN?! or maybe that was just MY reaction) but since I'd booked a room and got the email message 12 hours before the trip and couldn't cancel the motel without financial penalty, I decided to make the most of the weekend at the coast.

Saturday morning I loaded up on carbs and caffeine at Kettleman's and headed out early to try to find some waterfalls around Wilson River.

it's a trap!

For the record, this is apparently the Bermuda Triangle of hiking trails. After wandering unsuccessfully for about three miles, I got really frustrated and headed back toward the parking lot. On my way I came upon someone squatting on the trail. (And by "on the trail" I mean ON THE TRAIL. Really? You're surrounded by trees and THIS is where you choose to squat?) That made me dislike this hike and area even more. So I headed to Kings Mountain.

Kings Mountain, if you don't know, is a training hike for the summit to Mt. Hood. I did not know this when embarking on the hike. I just knew it was "difficult" and there was a 2700 foot elevation gain in just 2.5 miles... which, in hindsight, probably really should've been a big clue. It ended up being one of the most challenging day hikes I've done in Oregon - possibly harder than South Sister (but definitely not harder than Misery Ridge).

It's been four days and my legs are still a little sore. That's how hard the hike was. It was worth it, though... the views were stunning despite the slightly overcast skies.

imagine the views on a clear day!

After the hike I checked into the cheap motel, settled in and cleaned up. Research showed that Munson Falls was nearby and only a .25 mile hike, which sounded right up my alley.

worth the short drive and even shorter walk

Next, I drove the Three Capes loop near Tillamook and made a few stops.

the aptly named Octopus Tree

After a well-earned fish 'n chips dinner and beer at a local dive, I headed back to the motel but got sidetracked by the moon.

I've got your full moon kayak trip right heah

Free cable entailed a Hoarders marathon on TLC, which I absolutely do not recommend under any circumstances. But eventually I found a Scrubs marathon and got to bed in more pleasant spirits, and Sunday morning I got to the Oregon Coast Aquarium right as it opened in an attempt to avoid the kiddies. I spent two hours enjoying the bizarre crabs, sea horses, fish and oh-so-AHDORAHBLE sea otters. The aquarium was surprisingly well done and I'd recommend it to anyone heading out to the Newport area.

{heart}

And then north toward home... but not quite ready to head home. Between the World's Smallest Harbor and the World's Shortest River, I found Drift Creek Falls. A short hike leads you to a really great visitor center and a really long suspension bridge, which ends at a really great waterfall.

"world's smallest" entry #1


Drift Creek Falls suspension bridge and falls

"world's smallest" entry #2

And finally, on the way to a 5-mile hike I happened upon Roads End beach and decided that was a much better use of my time than more leg torture.

Note to self: do not end the weekend lounging on the beach. It will wreak havoc on your mental perspective and make you especially cranky at work the following week.

I'm so lame, I bet I think this post is about me.

I don't remember the last time I heard a song for the first time and it not only blew me away, it also accurately summed up my mood at that very moment in time. (There's a fairly good chance that the last time this happened it was 2008 and it was Built to Spill's Strange - yeah, I was a little late to the BtS party. There's another pretty good chance that it was 2009 and it was Dr. Horrible's My Eyes - his part, not hers.)

Today it was Andrew Bird's Lull.

I first heard Bird when he opened for the Decemberists in 2009. I liked him and was quite impressed with his array of musical instruments as well as his whistling skills. But then I kind of forgot about him, until recently when he came up on Pandora and I queued a bunch of albums at the library and loaded them onto my iPod. But then I kind of forgot about him again, until today when I had the iPod set to "shuffle."

And I had to listen to this song again, and then again.

The link has the song and the lyrics if you want one or the other...

Really late Wednesday three.

Three things that did not suck today, in no particular order:

• Muppets: the Green Album on NPR's First Listen... I love about half the songs and this sentence makes up for the other half: "The kids who grew up with them are now adults and want to give back. We live in cynical times, but listening to The Green Album is a nice reminder of the joy and beauty that remains."
• deciding that actually? my living room arrangement is just fine the way it is, thank you very much, and scrapping plans to move furniture tonight
• still hurting from the Kings Mountain hike two days ago
  

All that said, I do not recommend Sunday early evening beach lounging. It was so hard to leave last night, and I was cranky the whole way home, and I realllllllllly did not want to get up this morning. I've got to do something about this.

The suspension bridge is actually pretty darned cool.

not worth five dollars
but with an annual pass
check it out for sure

Drift Creek Falls near Lincoln City

The owner wanted to know if I wanted a refund *and* a gift certificate.

kayak trip canceled
for the third time in a row
just the refund please

I'm looking at you, INXS. And you, Van Halen.

similar question...
replacing only the lead:
false advertising?

In which the haiku gods punish me for excessive use of punctuation.

when all that is left
is the original lead,
are you still "the shins"?

still, me + 349 people + them = awesome

Early Wednesday three.

Three songs I do not want to hear at 6:45am on a Monday, in no particular order:

• Rat in a Cage - Smashing Pumpkins
• any version of Smoke Two Joints
• Animal - Nine Inch Nails
  

94.7, please take note.

Into the wild.

Alaska blah blah blahg is up.

Belated Friday five.

On our last day in Alaska, we had wi-fi access and after checking his various internet sites, the (several years younger) Aussie announced that Amy Winehouse had died. I expressed the proper sadness, and then I told my story of being in South America and learning that Corey Haim had died. The Aussie had no idea who Corey Haim was.

Damn, I'm old.

Being the Lisa Simpson that I am, I had Corey fever as a tween/teen - taping every photo of both of them to my wall, watching every movie they put out (even the eventual crappy ones), scouring the magazines for info. I never properly mourned this loss, so I'd like to mention my top five Corey Haim moments and tip a glass to him. Say what you will but life was not easy for him, and I really do hope he's resting peacefully. And Amy too.

• The Two Coreys - a train wreck to watch, but I am probably one of the 100 people that watched it religiously.
  
• Silver Bullet - my intro into the world of werewolves, which (with a little help from Steven King early on and Joss Whedon cementing it later) would subsequently lead to my obsession with vampires and other mystical creatures.
• Dream a Little Dream - a beautifully underrated movie featuring Piper Laurie, Jason Robards, Harry Dean Stanton and a line I often quote ("it's a party! WHO'S GOT THE CHIPS?").
  
• Lucas - if you didn't cry at some point during this movie, you have no heart and I don't want to know you.
• The Lost Boys - if I were stranded on a desert island I would want this movie with me, that's how much I love it.
  

The end is near.

I'm packed. A full FORTY-EIGHT hours in advance. (Think I'm ready for a vacation?)

Of course, this means I have 48 hours to stew about what I'm forgetting. AKA, why I ALWAYS pack at the very last minute.

Photo walk #1: "a" for effort.

I tried a few "shoot from the hip" shots in Forest Park tonight. Most of them turned out like this:


But a few were pretty darned close:

How cool would it have been if the little girl was in perfect focus and the rest was fuzzy? Time to practice!

Trial run.

Avatar - I thought it was over and then it just kept going and going... and going.

3Q goals, at last.

Honestly, I didn't put much thought or heart into this quarter's goals. Heat and/or hormones and/or general meh has been rampant lately. But finally, I have them:

• one photo walk a week - reading this guy's blog inspired me, not necessarily to take street photos but just to get outside regularly, and now that it's staying light until forever o'clock I have no excuses
  
• weekend at the coast - which will probably occur the weekend I've rescheduled (x3) the kayak trip
  
• survive Hood to Coast - I offered to be an alternate a few months ago, and mostly hoped I wouldn't have to actually run, but someone's injured and now I'm officially signed up
  
• anything on The List

Ready, set, go.

Let's try that once more with feeling. Ready? Set? GO!

Put a Mayor on it.

Hey, Portlandia writers - I have a sketch idea for you: a couple sees the Mayor everywhere they go. Happy hour at the bar across the street from the office. Hiking in Forest Park. At the Doug Fir. Walking down the street on a Thursday night. On a remote beach out at the coast. In the shower at the gym. At SantaCon. The sketch can end with the couple realizing that the Mayor is stalking them.

I will admit being very amused when he started following me on Twitter, back when I did that. But in true "damn small town" fashion, seeing Mayor Adams has become so commonplace that I don't really think about it as everyone around me points and whispers, "oh my God, isn't that the Mayor?"

So there's my contribution to the show I don't even like. (And can't actually watch, even though I live here.) Annnnnd scene.

Roger Ebert, he's not...

... but I might have to steal this methodology.

Humble thyself.

To counterbalance my temporary bout of paid self-righteousness, I volunteered at the local nonprofit movie theater tonight. I did this once before, on a really sunny Sunday evening where it was slooooooooow, and the staff and other volunteers were really nice, and I was totally in my comfort zone. Plus? Volunteers get free passes and free popcorn, what's not to love?

This time I decided to step it up and opt for a Friday night volunteer stint. The staff and volunteers were still nice, but otherwise? NEVER. AGAIN. In the course of three hours I managed to do five amazingly awesome things, including:

• registering $100 in tickets as "comped" in the system, even though I'd taken money for the tickets (the operations manager had to reverse everything one by one by painful one - he was a great sport about it, though, and kept reassuring me that he'd had to clean up far worse messes before, and it really did only take him a few minutes to correct... though he did send me upstairs to clean the bathroom right after he said this, which I took as a penance sign)
  
• almost burning the popcorn (almost! but I caught it in time)
  
• squirting butter on my t-shirt (I'd been warned extensively about this my first night, but tonight there was a line! and I was hurrying! because people love their popcorn! I mean don't you?! and as an aside, personal observation shows that EVERYONE wants butter on their popcorn so go ahead and just ask for it, you know you want it)
  
• pointing people to the wrong theater (not entirely my fault... but mostly)
• asking a guy who was not a senior, if he wanted the senior price (after that I stopped asking, figuring if they were, they would tell me)
  

And this was a slooooooow Friday movie night! I kept having flashbacks to "Doublemeat Palace."

On the plus side... They use chalkboards outside each theater to list which movie is showing, and my idea for chalkboarding one of the movies was very well received. After I acknowledged my major ticketing screw up the ops manager still left me in charge of holding down the fort while he and the other volunteers did other tasks (instead of making me clean out the recycling bins, which is what I probably would've assigned a volunteer like me tonight). And I got another free pass which I am sooooooo going to use to see Troll Hunter.

There is some old "me" that would've called it a day after this stupid night. But the new "me" is going to keep going back. The last time I threw myself into something like this, the first few attempts were awkward and uncomfortable but eventually I gained great friendships, great new skills, great challenges and eventually, even a great job. Who knows what could come of this?

I hope it's not mean to say that his question totally MMD.

Occasionally, there are some interesting characters on public transportation. Some days are better than others.

This morning getting on the bus I passed by a seat adjacent to a tall, thin, white man spouting statements like "I hate The White Woman... the White Woman hates me because I have bad teeth... Ice Cube and George Clooney told me that... I have no friends or family... I do not need people... people are irrelevant... I am alone... I hate The White Woman."

The speech was directed at the passing scenery out the window. And it continued for 20 minutes with slight variations here and there. Everyone else was either ignoring him, snickering or rolling their eyes. All I could think was, "Oh boy, it's Tuesday. Better hit the books."*

The man I sat next to was also a self-talker, although his was a more Rainman-like rambling obsession with how the windows had to be shut because of the air conditioning. He was very concerned about this. And honestly, rightfully so - there are year-round stickers on almost every window letting riders know that the air conditioning works best with windows closed. TriMet is very serious about this and clearly makes no assumptions about the wits of their ridership. (I appreciated his tenacity. It was hot on the bus.)

A nearby woman mentioned to him (after he almost accidentally hit her in the head while ensuring her window was closed) that the air conditioning was not, in fact, on. At this point the man's obsession turned to making sure every window in the near vicinity was open. (I was grateful. It was hot on the bus.)

If I'd sat next to the first guy I would've moved immediately. I almost got punched by a man spouting vile back in Oakland so I treat them carefully, and from a distance.

The second guy was totally harmless, so I stayed put. And I'm so glad I did. If I'd moved I probably wouldn't have heard him mumble out loud to himself, "wait, is [tall thin white man] talking to himself? I thought he was on a cell phone but I think he's just talking to himself... that's weird."

________________

*Sadly, the link to the study is no longer valid and a quick scan of teh intarwebs revealed nothing. Little help, Whedon Universe?

Belated Friday five.

Top five cookie/cake recipes from 2Q, in no particular order except the last one:

• strawberry shortcake cookies - you would think these would be too sweet, but they're actually quite perfect
• blue cornmeal chocolate chip walnut cookies - unusual, in a very good way
• orange butter cookies - the orange was very subtle, and the icing was a nice touch but not necessary
• blackberry crumb bars - the guy at work who never takes two? he took two... and these were amazingly easy to put together
  
• chocolate pistachio cookies - took about 3 hours in total but OH MY GOD were they delicious... and I don't really like cookies (or chocolate) all that much
  

Runner up was the rhubarb streusel muffins. I'd never used rhubarb in anything, let alone baked goods, and I found it pleasantly interesting.

July, July.

2Q goals in summary:

• cookie o'the week: done, for the most part - I think I only missed one week due to work insanity, and some weeks I did coffee cake instead of cookies
  
• buy cheap and local: ehhh... this was a dumb goal because I am so frugal, but I do still love my socks, I finally checked out a few food co-ops, and I supported local movie theaters and restaurants more than usual
• 13 miles by 6/30: I got to 11 last week and the 1/2 marathon is Monday, so we shall see
• anything on The List: nothing during 2Q but I might get to cross a few off during 3Q

Speaking of. I haven't come up with 3Q goals yet. Stay tuned.

Brought to you by Fight Club and the witching hour.

with insomnia
you're never really, fully
awake or asleep

TGIFFF.

a word to the world
consultant and mind reader
are not the same thing

But what doesn't suck at all...

... is that Auntie Jen(n)'s summer camp is open for bidness!


(Looks a little familiar, eh?)

Guess what it is today?

currently having
a love/hate relationship
with my work ethic

"Inside every cynical person, there is a disappointed idealist."

You know how you never really believe in all that astrology crap, especially the mass-produced horoscopes that are almost always so generic and based on major world events? But every now and then, you read one, and you're all "OMG DUDE that is totally spot on!" And it motivates you to do that thing you were on the fence about doing that is probably a really good idea?

I think that qualifies as an awesome thing. Don't you?

________________
Subject - thank you, and hope you're still RingIP, George Carlin.

In case you haven't been to the eye doctor lately.

Wild onion:

one...


... or two?

Bleeding hearts:

one...


... or two?

Wild iris:

one...

...or two?

Thank you, Clackamas River Trail, for making up for lost wildflower time.

Getting my groove back.

Most people who know me know that I've had my share of therapy. Probably not enough, in fact, but I've found that pretty much everyone is in need of a little therapy now and then.

This past winter was pretty rough for many reasons. One of these reasons had to do with not knowing what I wanted to be when I grew up. Okay, I know we never ever really know what we want to be when we grow up, but I'd gotten to the point (again) where I felt like there should be more to life than pushing paper in cubeland, no matter how worthwhile cubeland professed to be. This, along with several other reasons that I won't go into here, encouraged me to get some help moving past the winter "meh."

So I went back and did some soul-searching. Part of my work this time involved an incredibly tedious and annoying but informative exercise where for every hour of every day I wrote down what I was doing, who I was with, and how I felt.

Every. Hour. Of. The. Day. I did this for three weeks straight. Did I mention that it was tedious?

What I knew was reinforced - I am happier during creative endeavors, I like community and camaraderie (and yet, like Randall, I hate people, how ironic), I like closure and I don't like spending days on end updating spreadsheets or having my time wasted. So that's helped shape my recent work and life pursuits.

The best side effect of the tedium was learning how to be in tune with my mood at any given moment. It sounds so simple, right? I'm happy/not happy RIGHT NOW because... But instantly recognizing where you're at (and how you got there, and how to redirect the negative energy into something positive) is not always easy, or pleasant, for that matter. Sometimes things build up in your subconscious and your pencil point breaking during a meeting can be the cause of your meltdown, and that's just the way it goes.

It's still a work in progress (and I suspect this will be true for the rest of my life) but I've definitely enjoyed the power of tuning in and then turning off or redirecting as appropriate. On top of this, yoga has helped with reminders to be present and put things into perspective. Will anyone die because the client gets a deliverable that's 90% instead of 100%. Um, no... and it's pretty likely they won't even notice the 10% of diminished return.

Unless they are a crazy perfectionist like you. In which case, you both need a vacation already.

________________
This post brought to you by the top five regrets of people on their deathbeds. I'm taking #2 and #5 to heart.

Thought o' the day.

There is nothing more sad than fuzzy cheese.

(Related advice o' the day: do NOT Google "fuzzy cheese." Seriously. DO NOT. Just know that I am talking about the leftover brie that gathered some moss in my refrigerator... and nothing else.)

Not nearly as disgusting as it sounds.

And best of all - free!

Belated Wednesday three.

Movies that have made me think more than once this past week about quitting my job and traveling the world because life is too fucking short to spend 2080 hours a year sitting in a cubicle staring at a computer screen, in no particular order...

One Week: But first, a disclaimer. I am not ashamed to admit that I watched Dawson's Creek back in the day. Not religiously or anything - I mean, it was no My So-Called Life - but enough that I can tell you all about the characters and their intertwined high school dramas. I didn't care for the lot of them in general, because as with The Hills or Glee, WHOSE HIGH SCHOOL LIFE IS LIKE THAT??, but I did have a particular fondness for Joshua Jackson's and Michelle Williams' characters. (And the later addition, Michael Pitt, who has gone on to do some amazing things. Unlike our friend Mr. Dawson.) So I tend to follow those actors and in general, this has served me well. One day when I'm ready for more crime scene investigation shows I might even hop on the Fringe bandwagon.

So anyway, this guy (played by Jackson) unexpectedly finds out that he has mad crazy cancer raging through his body and he will die any minute if it's not treated, or possibly in a few months if it is. (Note: spoilers follow but I suspect I lost you with the DC reference so I have no preconceptions of you actually queuing this film anyway.) He does what any rational person would do - ditches his fiance, buys a motorcycle and heads west across Canada taking pictures with the "world's largest bacon slice," "world's biggest set of false teeth," etc., and so on. And he has some revelations and a love affair and then apparently he does the next thing any rational person would do - gets treatment and survives and writes a book about it.

The point is... Actually, I don't know what the point is. Maybe that's the point. But I liked this movie a lot. I watched it during a break from crisis mode at work and it was helpful perspective. A bit predictable, so take the recommendation with a grain of salt.

Keith: Another disclaimer. I hate that I have seen A Walk to Remember more times than I care to admit, but I have. It's a big reason I didn't subscribe to cable when I moved into my new apartment a year ago (I get sucked into all this sentimental crap! I do not need to watch The Lake House or 13 Going on 30 or In Her Shoes one more time!). Anyway, Keith is at least three times better than AWTR - in a surprisingly refreshing reflection of what high school IS really like, it's a combination of teenage cruelty-meets-teenage superstar-meets-tragic ending in a way we haven't quite seen before. The actors did a fantastic job and the end to this one is also predictable, but I am not ashamed to say that I liked it a lot.

Hesher: A third disclaimer. I will go on the official record to state that I will watch anything Joseph Gordon-Levitt puts his name on from now until eternity. In most cases I will pay money to do so. Hesher, a story involving death and grief and pain, features JGL shirtless for a good portion of the film. As with the other two, I saw the end coming about 10 minutes into it and as I predicted, I didn't like it, but I always hate endings anyway. Oh and also? Rainn Wilson like you have never seen him. I was never a fan but now I am.

And a final disclaimer: it's not just about the movies. My mom has recently shared some pretty nontrivial health issues that are causing her to contemplate how much she wants to invest in herself (lifestyle- and financially-speaking) when in reality, she could die tomorrow regardless of whatever she chooses. Generally speaking I'm okay with the circle of life stuff (and so is she) but between her choking up on the phone telling me, and me feeling guilty for adamantly wanting to be so far away from the east coast, I'm having a hard time with all of this.

On the up side, it makes me want to run that half marathon over July 4th weekend even more than I did before. Two weeks off training and allergy season settling in nicely here in PDX, but tomorrow? Ten miles, here I come. Or at least eight. Eight would be okay.