Reviews on Various Media.

I have read a few books and watched a lot of movies in the past few weeks. Let me utter my opinions to you:

Books

Memoirs of a Geisha: Although I was initially disappointed upon discovering that this "memoir" is a work of fiction, it was a very enjoyable read. It provides very interesting cultural insight. It is descriptive even about the day to day tasks of a Geisha, but because the lifestyle is so foreign to me, even that was interesting. I definitely recommend it.

The Road: A post-apocalyptic novel without a flicker of hope. After an implied nuclear war, all that remains are ashes, a dying sun, dozens of cannibals, and a boy and his son. The writing style is unique and poetic. It's awesome.

Her Fearful Symmetry: Audrey Niffenegger's second novel has a very different tone than her first. It's a whimsical and dark tale of mirror twins, ghosts, the Highgate Cemetery (I want to visit it very badly), and deception. The end seems less developed than the first two-thirds or so of the book, but I still enjoyed myself. I love how Niffenegger creates a character out of the setting. She makes you long to explore Highgate cemetery (or Chicago in the case of The Time Traveler's Wife).

In Theaters

Did You Hear About the Morgans?: DO NOT GO SEE THIS MOVIE. It's bland and awkward.

Avatar: The plot borrows from a variety of other stories; in that way, its a bit cliche. But the 3D animation is so wonderful and the world so well developed, it doesn't even matter. I cried with happiness during the film.

Sherlock Holmes: The film was more action-packed than I expected from the English detective, but the characters were likable and the plot interesting. Certain parts dragged on more than necessary, but I had a fun time watching it. And the soundtrack was awesome, especially the heavy use of the banjo!

Up in the Air: I hadn't even heard of this movie, starring George Clooney, until I saw it last night. I really loved it. I found the tale about a man hired to fire employees at various corporations during an economic downturn incredibly relevant and heartfelt. The movie ended on an unexpectedly sad note, but its moral that relationships and communities are the key to happiness was a really important one. The film made me want to hug all of my friends.

Rentals

Julie and Julia: Wonderful! It is evident that Meryl Streep worked extremely hard to replicate the demeanor and mannerisms of Julia Child. Amy Adams is charming as always. Makes you want to spend your life cooking.

Away We Go: A quiet, "indie" feeling film about commitment and dealing with change. A young couple with a baby on the way goes on a road trip to find community and a suitable home for themselves and their child, running into various eccentric relatives and friends on the way. It leaves you with an understated happiness.

Paranormal Activity: The scariest part is that there isn't a lot of in-your-face gore or any kind of exorcism. I was impressed by the concept, but I don't like scary movies because, well, they freak me out.

New Year's Resolutions.

1. No online shopping (if you can find it at a store locally): you have to pay shipping charges and it's too much trouble to return something you decide you don't want.

2. Seriously restrict facebook-ing. It wastes time.

3. Do yoga or jog. Move around a little more.

4. Attend church more regularly.

More to come (maybe?)

6/11/07

I wrote this in 2007, but its still describes the yearning to write, and the frustration of writer's block:

These years have stripped
away my energy
the angle, the words
corralled together into what
some like to call art
the romance died with the
first failed rhyme
the story left unfinished
the essay without conclusion
tumultuous change
whipped about like warm
clothes in the dryer
only to be wrenched out to
repeat the cycle
the world hardens us
but we must not ignore
the written word
calling, crying, begging
to serve a higher purpose
art.

Expectations.

Is there anyone out there who isn't a little disappointed with life's outcome? As each year of college passes, I grow a little more uneasy, disenchanted, despairing.

I had ups and downs in high school. But everything was simpler. And being young and dependent left me free to dream about my marvelous future. Don't get me wrong, my life isn't bad. But I'm never truly at ease with my circumstances. Maybe I'm ungrateful. But I had such high expectations going into college of studying abroad, getting in shape, working toward something meaningful. The closer I get to complete independence, the more I feel like fleeing from it. How does anyone with decent goals and expectations meet those expectations in a life full of messy relationships, stress, rearrangements, and impossible decisions to make?

I want my life to be enjoyable, peaceful, exciting, meaningful. Am I asking too much?

Planz.

I've been thinking I could probably graduate a semester early, especially now that I don't intend to double major. I could finish a linguistics and English minor by next Fall. Of course, I have no idea what I would do with myself afterward.

It's all about opportunity cost. Is it benefiting me to stay in school an extra semester? I think I would like to look into getting a teacher certification, but I'm not exactly sure who or what I should teach.

Mary thinks I should go to seminary and become a pastor. I think I've always felt compelled toward that career and life choice, but it's also very scary. How do you lead people if you don't have a firm set of ideologies and doctrinal beliefs? Then again, maybe it would be useful to be a pastor who encourages discussion rather than following a list of human-made Christian expectations.

I dunno. We'll see what becomes of my life these next few years. Marriage, graduation, entering the work force. It's sure to be exciting.

Wistful is a lovely word.

I just stumbled across the blog of a girl I don't know while looking up the source of a quote in the story I just read. I read a few of her posts and looked at her blogger profile. A strange, wistful nostalgia overcame me. I think we would be really good friends.

It may have been a silly thought, but its interesting to think about all the people in this world we don't know. They've had lives like ours, experiences like ours, deep thoughts and emotions and perspectives. And we're missing it. But we're also living it.

I'm in a state of contemplation that has no direction and yields no conclusions or concrete thoughts.

This link is to a music video that I found really touching. The idea of living as a rambunctious, carefree child even when we're old is so beautiful. We need to live, and go on aging, with the spirit of children and the wisdom experience brings.

Security.

I've been having a really hard time lately. I'm fine for two or three weeks at a time, appreciative of my friends, getting through my classes, seeing things optimistically.

Then, it seems something small - real or imagined - comes and shakes my confidence. It's like I spend a few weeks fitting bricks together to make the walls of my house, to provide some warmth and safety, and then the big bad wolf comes and blows my house down again.

Sometimes it's unnecessary stress: thinking I'm going to fail my classes, freaking out about how little money I have, feeling like I'm not achieving enough. But sometimes its something physical like getting sick, saying something hurtful to someone, or absorbing a life change.

I am at the emotionally tumultuous phase again. My dad just got a job in Indiana and he and my mom will move there in the next few months. I knew this was coming and I thought I could handle it rationally. Things change and I haven't lived at home for 2 1/2 years. It's not really my home anymore. But when I get stressed out here, at least I know there is some stability, something I knew for so long, only three hours away. Where will I go when I get homesick?

Part of getting married is establishing a home of your own. But it's a phase, a gradual pulling away, getting comfortable as an adult, with a life of your own.

But I feel so much like a child. And I feel like I'm losing my home.

Middle class children do well in school because they experience relative stability in their personal lives. In many cases, they have parents with steady jobs, emotional support, and food on the table. To be successful as people we need security. I keep trying to lean on things, and they fall out from under me. That's why I can't seem to manage my life. College is very hard sometimes. And life is not all fluff and dreams and success stories.

I need to depend on something, on someone who is infallible.