A Formal Announcement (for one reader)

I don't think I was quite prepared for that.
What wonderful trash!

I've blogged plenty today, so I won't say too much, and will wait to really discuss more until I've watched a couple more episodes and had some time to digest, but here are my initial off the bat questions, and things I can't wait to see play out after just watching one episode.

-How many episodes until Chris does Angie the teacher (or will it be the other way around)?

-Why is Sid even friends with Tony? Just to be closer to Michelle?

-What the fuck is Cassie's deal? Loved the trampoline sex psych out. She's like a mix of Drusilla and the "your aura, it's purple" girl from Almost Famous.

- The French teacher from the all girl's school is Tony's neighbor! Awesome!

Why didn't you push me into watching Skins sooner?

It's Like God's Vagina!

I'm sure that once summer rolls around, everyone will be talking about The Pineapple Express, but what's not to be excited about? Judd Apatow, Seth Rogen, James Franco, and oddly enough, directed by David Gordon Green. All the Real Girls is one of my favorites, and I can't wait to see what David Gordon Green does here with a stoner comedy.

That part where James Franco kicks his foot through the windshield. Hilarious!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Anywhere But Here

This blog entry is definitely late. First, this issue (#10) came out over a month ago (Issue #11 is already out). Second, I first was inspired to write about it almost a week ago when Emily made mention of how she found the end of Amory Wars devastating, which made me think about how not so long ago I had read a comic book that I also considered pretty devastating, and then decided to reread it that next day to find it even more moving and affective than I did the first time around.

I also probably can't continue this entry without mentioning what has kept me from blogging which was this fantastic weekend with Valentine's Day (the first great one in a long time), Emily's parents in town, my cousin Nadia's first birthday, and Emily's aunt's 60th birthday dinner at the Pump Room.

Joss Whedon has always been great at devastating. Although some of those moments have come along with a bit of heavy-handedness, between Buffy, Angel, and Firefly, I can think of several moments that he has written or directed that have had my jaw on the floor or my eyes filling with tears including (spoilers ahead): Buffy closing the portal to Acathia by shoving a sword through Angel as he just regained his soul in "Becoming, Part 2," Buffy realizing the meaning of "death is her gift" in "The Gift," "The Body," "A Hole in the World" and the loss of Fred, Tracey's funeral at the end of "The Message" (which is all the sadder because it also acted as a funeral for Firefly itself), and the shocking deaths in Serenity.

Little did I expect that he would be capable of the same emotion in comic book form.

Season Eight has really been a mixed affair for me. Regardless of the stories being told, the form is just never going to be the same. The three act structure of a television show is not something that lends itself to the new medium. So far, while it's nice to see the plots not constricted by a television budget and the high costs of special effects, allowing the depictions of a giant Dawn, a Slayer Army, and Warren (gross), and it's also just nice to not have to only imagine what has happened to all my favorite characters and to hear them speaking again (really some of the dialogue is so quippy and spot on that I can just hear the actors speaking it while I am reading), I haven't felt very invested in the ongoing plot, especially in the multi-part stories. The one-shots have really allowed Joss to shine in The Chain (Issue #5), but especially here.

I always got the feeling that while Joss Whedon had some impact and guidance with Seasons 6 and 7 of Buffy, he had pretty much handed the reins to the other writers for better or worse while he took the time to develop Firefly. With three shows in production, the man had worn himself thin. The best parts of Season 8 have provided the oppurtunity for Joss not to revise the final seasons of Buffy, but to redirect our viewpoint to the emotional nuances and depths of what took place from the time that Buffy jumped into "heaven" to that final smile when the Hellmouth collapsed in upon itself and it was no longer just her alone to stand against the vampires, demons, and the darkness.

What works so well about "Anywhere But Here" are the revelations we get, and the way they are so masterfully woven and edited together. I really was getting annoyed with a giant Dawn (though it can provide for some funny moments) but even the reveal of what exactly happened between her and Kenny was extremely sad. Maybe Dawn's betrayal and lies are really only so effective because of its juxtaposition with the Willow reveal, but it sure does work.


I guess I never really thought about how Willow could see the choice she made to bring back Buffy as directly leading to the death of Tara. When Season 6 started, the Scooby gang looked anything but happy having to fight without Buffy, and when that lame demon biker gang came in, it seemed all but necessary to bring her back, but for Willow, Xander, Dawn, and even Giles, they could have turned their backs on Sunnydale and tried to live a semblance of a normal life. It really makes Tara's death seem all the more tragic. I can't wait to see how the rift between Willow and Buffy plays out, though I have my doubts that it will at all with writers switching for another multi-parter.

And yet with all the emotions already on high for this story, Joss was able to add yet another layer of tragedy which makes this issue even sadder. As explained in the letters section, to promote the launch of the comic, Joss hosted a contest on Myspace asking fans to write in telling how Buffy changed their lives. The winner would be drawn into the comic for a guest shot. That winner was Robin whose husband wrote the letter. Robin suffers from acute schizophrenia, and as her condition began to worsen she discovered Buffy on DVD. The letter describes how she began to relate to characters like Drusilla and how the character of Buffy "gave her the strength to battle her demons." It might seem a little trite, but to me, it's one of those true stories that is just powerful enough to be inspiring that someone is able to find such identification with a piece of art, especially one that I love so much.

Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose

Sometimes a show just astounds you by doing what it naturally has set out to do, but you never realized you were waiting for it it to get there. Last week's Friday Night Lights bowled me over.

The fact that I am writing about an episode that aired a week ago, that I finally got around to watching this morning should make pretty clear how I was beginning to feel about Friday Night Lights. It was a show that I still cared about, but it wasn't exactly appointment television. I had let three episodes get stockpiled before I got around to watching them sporadically through the week, and for the most part, those episodes were underwhelming. Carlotta stereotypically had to go back to her family in Guatemala, Diego's gangbanger friends came and shook stuff up (poor Weevil), Riggins again couldn't catch a break, Street continued to figure out his place in Dillon no longer being able to play football by becoming an auto dealer, Lyla continued to find Jesus (and Logan Huntzberger in the process) and Smash had another run in with racism that was far less affective the second time around. In fact, the entire season has kind of been a drag and a downer. But somehow that was all just a slow build to this one moment that nearly drove me to tears, and another that just put a silly grin on my face.

Poor Matt Saracen. We've seen some angst from him, and we've seen him struggle to take care of his grandma and balance his life, but we've never seen him let loose the way he did here and seem so lost. While all the things leading to his breakdown this episode have been swirling around for the entire season and series, it's easy to forget how hard he has it, and just how many times he has been abandoned and how much has been put on his shoulders. I never liked him and Carlotta being together, but to lose her and then have to step up again as caretaker to his grandmother was an effective combination by the writers, and it was easy to understand how looking back, he'd feel the same way about Eric, Julie, Carlotta, and his father. "Everyone is always leaving me." Heartbreaking stuff. The show always makes it that overtly it seems that Riggins can't catch a break, but it's a lot subtler and sadder what has happened to Matt.

And as for Landry and Tyra. I honestly never knew I wanted them together so badly, but it really just put a giant smile across my face. Usually I'd find myself rooting for the cute pixie indie girl (or guy a la Piz), but not here. Plus, after the drama of the murder plot, it was nice to see a light and jokey Landry again. "Which movie is going to be more conducive to romance, is it going to be Jaws or is it going to be Wrath of Khan?"

I wouldn't be surprised if tonight is the series finale of the show due to the strike, and the shows abysmal ratings, so it's definitely sad to see such a bright spot so close to the end, but considering it's a show that I never even imagined I would watch or like (me and football, not so much) I'm glad I've been watching.

America, Fuck Yeah

It’s Super Tuesday, and as if I wasn’t jaded about the system to begin with. I’m sitting in St. Luke’s Academy, my polling location as I even type this, and if I wasn’t already intent on voting, I’d have to leave and forfeit my right to vote entirely because of course even this part of the process isn’t running so smoothly. Instead of simply handing my voter registration card over, filling out my ballot, and leaving, I’m stuck here waiting to see if they get the voter registration activation computer (don’t even ask me what that is or what it does other than the obvious) working, so I can vote provisionally. Meanwhile, I’m just left wondering why I felt the need to attempt to get involved this year in the first place.

With all this talk of change, and how historic of a moment this is, I’m none too excited about anything. Big confession. I’m 24, and this is the first election I’ll ever have voted in. That’s right, I stood idly by in 2004, and can only justify it by being so jaded to think, and unfortunately almost know, that in Illinois, this wonderful blue state, my vote pretty much doesn’t matter. Like there was no doubt in November of 04 that the state would go to John Kerry and the Democrats, there is no doubt now that in the primary, this state will go to Barack Obama. And I’m not drinking the kool-aid.

In December, around the time of the Iowa caucuses, out of a little discussion and a lot of boredom, I decided that I would take an investment in the election this year. That I would attempt to do my research, learn about the candidates, and become an educated voter. What did I find out so far? Basically, that everything I ever learned in my media studies classes was right. That the more media coverage one watches, the less they know. That with what seems like tons of choices, it really all boils down to a lot of the same coverage, filled with sound bites, cat fighting, and no real information. That who the media decided to cover, because how is the first viable black candidate versus the first viable female candidate not the most interesting story to cover, basically can make or break a campaign (poor Edwards and poor America; it was so tempting to still vote for you with your name still on that ballot). After two months, I can’t say I really know much more about the candidates than I did two months ago other than their campaign platform, and who snubbed who. I heard the word change bandied about enough.

Add on to that the fact that the ballot also contains a bunch of important local government positions, and the amount of information on those candidates is scarce to none without really digging, something I really did not have time for. Voting for names that sound familiar or just good, or someone I may have shook hands with in front of the el station or grocery is not the way I wanted to make voting decisions.

After 30 minutes, this whole voting mess sort of got sorted out, but it means I still have to call the Board of Elections, who still has to decide if my ballot actually counts based on the affidavit I filled out with my ballot at a precinct with bad organization, and no precinct head. And in a room full of adults, who should seemingly take charge and responsibility, and set an example, it was a 16 year old girl that was able to straighten things out and even make sure I could get a ballot.

Hooray for democracy. Here’s to 4 more years of garbage. Should I give John McCain his congratulations already? Plus, I didn’t even get an “I Voted Today” sticker.

Case of the Mondays

 That's Tucker, one of the stars of the Puppy Bowl, one of the highlights of Super Bowl Sunday.  It's too bad he got taken out of the game for unnecessary roughness or something.  How cute!

After a nice weekend, Monday really was a slap in the face.  After pleasantly sleeping in and ditching work this morning, Emily and I trudged through the muck (when will this weather let up!), and I went to yet another daunting and pointless IP panel put on by the career services office.  It is constantly the same old story of a bunch of patent attorneys with technical backgrounds and engineering degrees talking about how important grades are.  It's a little too late for me on all of those fronts as my grade leave a lot to be desired, I have no technical background, nor interest in even working in patents.  Please, just get someone to speak with my background or at least working in my field of interest.  They're out there, right?

Then it was off to work, where I proceeded to summarize a summary already prepared by Westlaw, only to lose two hours of work when Word crashed.  Then, right before I leave I get an e-mail with a memorandum that my supervisor filed that I researched and drafted for, only to find that none of my work was even included in it.  I thought I did good work, but it is seriously discouraging, and I don't really know if I have the guts to ask about it.

To top it all off, seriously, how long is it going to take for her to get over him?! Stop IMing me about it!  You broke up over 5 years ago!

I hope the puppy at the beginning made it a little easier to take that I basically am just complaining.  

Stop Killing Yourself

This post is in tribute to Guy Fieri, but more on that later.

Has it really been a whole month since the last time I blogged? I really hope I don't let it lapse for so long ever again, because as evidenced by when I first started this, I really was enjoying writing and posting.

So why has it been so long? As at least some of you know, oh you many readers, I've just been sort of stressed out, and when I decided to start blogging, I never wanted this to just turn into my personal journal. In fact, I did draft an entry nearly three weeks ago, but out of shear frustration with myself, quickly deleted it because I was finding that I was simply too angry. I might be one, but I hate whiners, and who wants to read someone just venting. Nonetheless, let me still explain myself. This may be a particularly easy semester, but it is still my last. My last semester of law school, and most likely of school generally (as much as I'd love to go get a graduate degree in cinema or media studies) which means that I ultimately need to figure out what to do next. What does it mean not to be a student after twenty years of being one, and that's not even counting preschool? Where will I live? How will I pay rent? Will I have a job that makes me happy, and satisfies me when I have felt so dissatisfied by the legal work I have done so far? Will I be able to stay in Chicago? Will I be able to stay close to my friends, family, and everyone I love? Add in my everyday anxieties, insecurities, and my tendency to over analyze and it's no wonder that some days I wake up scared shitless. But I want to move on. I want to be able to just take things day by day, recognize the people around me that truly care about me and love me and want to see me succeed, buckle down when I need to, have fun when I can, and have faith that everything is going to work out. Wooo, I just got myself a little teary there....

So a little bit of catch up. What's happened since January 2?

Besides school starting, and the fact that at every turn they are already trying to freak every last one of us out about an exam that isn't until July (really, don't forget to actually try to pass the first time), I started back up at the AG's office. So far they've kept me busier, but it doesn't change the fact that I really don't feel very rewarded by the work I am doing. I found out that I am a twink (or I would be if I were in fact a homosexual) from a 47-year-old-pear-shaped-bear who I work with on a daily basis who has a bizarre gay crush on me, though he means well. Heath Ledger died, which had some really odd effect on me. I don't think I have been as shook up by a celebrity death since Kurt Cobain died. I really am deeply and madly in love with Emily, no matter how cliche that sounds. We might both be a mess sometimes, but I really wouldn't have it any other way. My dad moved into a smaller apartment. His moving has really provided a chance for us to bond a little more. I know I can't really count on him all the time, but it is nice to feel that sometimes we are making up for lost time. And speaking of strained paternal relationships, Lost started back up, and again, I have no clue how to even begin to rationalize what in the world is going on on that island. If only I had blogged over the past month. There's probably some great individual entries buried in that mess of a paragraph, and a lot I am missing, but so it is.

On to Guy Fieri:

My very mild obsession with The Food Network, as well as many other things food, means that I have of course viewed my fair share of episodes of Guy Fieri's Diner's, Drive-ins, and Dives. For those not familiar with the show, it is literally a show where one watches Guy Fieri slowly kill himself as he clogs his arteries with the fat and grease of small family breakfast establishments, taquerias, burger joints, barbeque pits, and any other location falling within the category of the title of the show. Watch bleached blonde Guy Fieri take a too large bite out of the offerings of whatever location he is visiting, and watch as his heart slows, his weight increases, and his face turns redder and redder from a poisonous combination of sun burn, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Is the man even capable of taking a small bite?

Today for lunch, my sister and I went to Smoque, a barbeque restaurant on the Northwest side that was previously featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. It's become a small tradition that my sister Emily and I visit restaurants that we see featured either on Check Please!, Food Network, LTHforum, or hear about on the SOMB. Mostly, our endeavors have focused on the kind of mission that Guy Fieri is partaking in, slowly killing ourselves by gorging ourselves on more protein than one is supposed to eat in one sitting until we feel sick, insisting we'll never do it again, and then returning for more weeks later when we find the time to do lunch or dinner again. Today at Smoque we got one sliced brisket sandwich, one pulled pork sandwich, coleslaw, and sides of mac and cheese, bbq beans, corn bread, and peach cobbler. It was delicious, and some of the best barbeque I have ever had in my life. In fact, it was so good, that we also each took a pound of meat home with us, before we proceeded to continue our other tradition of getting lost and taking the long way home. Last time we went to lunch it ended up being a 6 hour trip. This time we got it cut down to 4, including a trip to the grocery to get rolls to further enjoy our take-out barbeque. I insist that she only does it to spend more time together, bonding, but she would never admit it.