Dispatches from the Field

My friend Seume recently started his own label based in Kansas City called Grassland Records. His own album will be coming out soon, but his first single is now available for free download at the Grassland Records website. Check it out and spread the word. Whether it's news or music, the old media paradigm is being destroyed.

Author Robert Jordan Dies



1948-2007

"The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot. Thank you, WDRV.

I'm not sure entirely how this started, but Stephanie gave me the letter W with an assignment to list ten of my favorite things that start with W. I think she did P. So now for the list in alphabetical order:

1. Water. Water is one of the absolutely critical elements necessary to life on earth. To further our aims towards clean, pure water, Stephanie and I purchased a Big Berkey water filter which among other things filters out the nasty chemicals leeched from plastic as well as fluoride and arsenic.

2. Weather. I love all learning about all kinds of weather and especially wrath of God type scenarios. I love to go outside in violent storms and can feel the pressure change in my gut. In short, weather is fascinating.

3. Westerns. Movies, not books, miniseries, or awful television shows. I love many classic westerns, particularly those directed by John Ford or Howard Hawks. My absolute favorite subgenre is spaghetti westerns, particularly those directed by Sergio Leone, a film god. If you haven't seen Once Upon a Time in the West, you don't know what you're missing. Although the only "modern" western of note is Unforgiven directed by Clint Eastwood.

4. White Album, The. The unofficial name for the Beatles' ninth album, a double feature featuring many fans favorite Beatles' songs. It's not my personal favorite Beatles album (Abbey Road), but I had to work something from the fab four into the list.

5. Whole Foods. If you're not eating organic with all the garbage that gets put into most food, you're insane. We love Whole Foods, and being near one is one of the best parts of living in Wheaton.

6. Wife (Mine). Stephanie is the best and most wonderful element of my life.

7. Wine. We have both really gotten into wine tasting and trying to find great values on a limited budget over the last year or so. Vino 100 is a great place to start if there's one in your area.

8. Winter. Many people despise it and loathe the changing of the seasons. I find that I enjoy winter attire more than summer and I love snow. It's a match made in heaven (an icy one).

9. Wong Kar-wai. One of the most gifted directors currently making film today, Wong Kar-wai has brought us In the Mood for Love, Chungking Express, and 2046 among others. Time Magazine dubbed Wong Kar-wai as "the most romantic filmmaker in the world." Watch Happy Together and try to disagree with that statement.

10. Words. Encompassing my voracious appetite for consuming tomes of any kind as well as my love of writing and speaking, words sums them all up nicely. (I also appreciate a large and well-used vocabulary, and have been accused of being a grammar freak) It's also the name of a great Neil Young song.

There's the list, let me know if you would like a letter. Enjoy.

First day of class tomorrow, trying to get everything ready to go before I attempt a few hours' sleep. Some of you will be interested to note that I received a call from the school's Director of Health Services, informing me that while my vaccination waiver letter was acceptable according to Illinois state law, in the event of an vaccine preventable outbreak I will not be allowed on campus. Pursuant to this point, my name has been placed on a "special list" (her words, not mine) that will be forwarded to the CDC via the college's legal department. Thanks, though I'm sure I'm already on quite a few "special lists." For that matter, in the event of an "outbreak," do I really want to be on campus? In any event, apparently I can't get out of the TB skin test, so I have to report to Herr Direktor before class begins tomorrow to prove I am TB free.

Things are starting to settle down relatively close to normal. We're all in the new house, but not unpacked yet. Stephanie and I were married at the courthouse on Friday 7/27/07. It was a nice, private ceremony with a judge who had an awesome handlebar moustache. The cats have adjusted very well and found themselves in all manner of adventures in the house (Franny got lost in the ceiling of the basment for a while). My new commute to work is about an hour and half each way. I feel like I'm tired all the time and I live in the car, but this is only temporary as my last day is 8/17. School will be starting soon, but in the meantime, I get to wind down work, try to get a supervisor promoted to replace me (she deserves it), hang out with my friend Adam and pick up some new LPs, and settle in with Stephanie. There may be a trip to see some parents somewhere in there, and Mom is coming to visit on the 18th. Should be a good month.

I took apart our bed tonight, and I can tell that Drake and Gabby know this means moving time. They've been in a severe state of freaking out ever since. Gabby decided to use the top of my foot as a spring board and left me with three deep gashes that demanded attention. We've got many boxes packed and moved over to the new house already. The big furniture move is going down on Tuesday morning. We rented a Penske truck (S has had good past experiences with them) and will be driving from Wheaton to Sycamore to pick up a bed, to Crystal Lake for our stuff, to West Chicago to pick up a couch, and back to Wheaton. I'm not sure when the cats are making the transition, but after Tuesday, there won't be much here. I'm maintaining sleeping bag quarters in Crystal Lake for the release of HP7 because I'm going to get about 4 hours of sleep between release night and my next day's work. I'm not looking forward to taking S' place as having the long commute in August (Wheaton to McHenry). I spent some of my packing time playing the compilation CD I made for the closing of my favorite bar of all time (J&K Half Moon in St. Charles) while texting suitable memories back and forth to my friend Adam who will be helping us move on Tuesday. It was one of those places where you always felt welcome and everyone knew your name...except it wasn't Cheers. But there was a fat guy who always sat in the same stool. Ah well, back to packing...

So after talking things over with a few people on the phone (I always tend to talk my way through dilemmas utilizing other people's varying viewpoints) I changed my entire schedule for the upcoming fall semester to 18 hours of history. We agreed that my focus should be on getting in and out as fast as possible, and since I definitely want to complete the history degree, I'm going all in. I was (still technically am) a communication major, and I was kinda sorta planning on finishing that major as well. But as I sat this evening staring at my upcoming schedule, I found myself dreading the prospect of spending any more time in the comm building resuming my studies of dwelling on the minutiae of how we all communicate inter-personally or through mass media, blah blah blah. I lost interest with it 3 years ago, and nothing has changed that I am aware of that would make me feel different. In fact, I think that one of the reasons I had sort of given up 3 years ago was that I had begun to feel trapped in a field I had basically zero interest in, and had taken the classes for pretty much social reasons. You'd have thought it would have occurred to the guy who devoured The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire for a little light, fun reading and DVRs the History Channel on a daily basis where he should have ended up. If I really push myself I may be able to finish this in 2 semesters, that's if I can make the right connections with the professors to get into the full classes needed for the core requirements, etc. 3 semesters seems the likelier scenario. And let's not forget, I still have to take the Math-For-Dummies class because I absolutely failed my math competency--and that was almost 7 years ago! I don't even want to think what would happen now.

Some pictures from our new house!
 





Our house has an awesome glassed-in front porch and a "greenhouse" on the back. For my former classmates, it is right across the street from the Michigan Apartments.

Move-in has commenced.

Somehow I was able to gather the energy to spend 3 full hours tonight packing boxes for tomorrow's mini-move to the new house in Wheaton. This was, of course, only after I made toddy for Stephanie, peeled and sliced cucumbers for a salad I was making, and had some of Hodgson Mills' organic flax seed spaghetti with a local organic tomato sauce I discovered in Jewel. Oh, and I had a chance to catch up on some reading at the same time. I shouldn't say my time was just spent packing boxes, I also emptied all of my movies from the Ikea shelving unit they lived on (that was falling apart) and fixed that with a drill and some screws. Also, as Stephanie has been persistently insisting that all the unsorted junk currently living in BGI boxes from two moves ago not make a third moving trip, I managed to reclassify 4 boxes as complete garbage, amazing myself that I ever kept most of it. I may have to explain again that the original NES is not junk, even if I don't really play it anymore, it is an heirloom...

On a cat note, after 3 different rounds of fireworks tonight, Franny was more or less hiding in the laundry room behind the dryer. Now that it has been intensely thunderstorming for the last 45 minutes (further terrifying him) I was able to coax him out and he's been laying at my feet while I tackle HP6 waiting for Stephanie to come home from work.

Tomorrow, Stephanie has to work, and I will be moving the aforementioned boxes to the house, where thankfully we also got the electric and gas bill switched into our names today, hopefully before we draw the ire of the owners for waiting until an activiation date of 7/11.

I can't wait until everything settles down.

Wow, so it's been going on 3 months since I last thrust myself into the blogger's chair, and I'm quite sure you've all been waiting with bated breath (perhaps not). Let me summarize, in brief, a few of the main events in no particular order. I became engaged, was accepted back into college after nigh on four years of "sabbatical," read a book/became a Beatles fanatic, started a vinyl LP collection, gave my notice at work, went to Maine, found a sweet house to rent in Wheaton, became a fish-grilling master, lost 40 lbs, went to Florida, went to a wedding (congratulations again, Rachel and Matt), proved my dominating knowledge of all things Harry Potter in a showdown grudge match of HP trivia at work (I work at a bookstore), re-entered my favorite fantasy football league, and cracked my windshield on a roadtrip. If you want to know anything in greater detail, let me know. I originally began posting less because certain people at work had begun to guess a little too close to the mark about me leaving to go back to school, and I wasn't ready to out myself, and that turned into laziness, which turned into absolutely forgot about it. So, the plan is now to try to post more regularly and more interestingly, finish my last month and a half at work productively, pack and move relatively painlessly (not my strength), survive the release of Harry Potter 7 (I am the "Master of Ceremonies" for the midnight release party), and start the academic year off with a bang. Let's hope it all goes according to plan.

stephaniebird and I are getting married. We got engaged yesterday.

I still cry at the end of Terminator 2: Judgment Day...like a baby... Damn it that they had to ruin it by making T3 without James Cameron, and damn it that I still bought it and will watch it again.

ATTENTION, HELP WANTED!

I'm struggling a bit with an essay that I have to write, and time is running out. "Describe the single accomplishment of which you are most proud and explain why" is my only instruction, along with a limit of 32,000 characters. Do I have a defining moment or experience? If you know me at all beyond surface level, I need your help. Even if we're just acquaintances, suggestions are welcome. I can't wait to get back to school and write essays and papers and theses about real topics. Ugh, I hate this application introspection garbage...

Breakfast

20 oz "Green Lemonade"

Lunch

Raw Blended Carrot Renew (2 cups of fresh carrot juice, 1 ripe avocado, 1 tablespoon curry powder, 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, 1 clove of garlic blended until smooth).
Oh-So-Simple-Romaine (Romaine lettuce leaves with raw almond butter and raw honey)

Snack

20 oz "Green Lemonade"

Dinner

Raw baby greens and chopped peppers with raw carrot ginger dressing.
Steamed asparagus, boiled potatoes with olive oil and fresh garlic, chicken breasts marinated in yogurt with various spices (cumin, cardamom, ginger, turmeric, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder) and grilled to perfection.

Dessert

1/3 Organic chocolate bar.

53 days until full chemical detox

Breakfast

8-20 oz of "Green Lemonade"
A bunch of red grapes and 1 box of organic raisins

Lunch

Raw spring greens tossed with red peppers, radish, carrots, and an olive oil/raw cider vinegar dressing

Snack

Larabar (coffee flavored, very tasty)

Dinner

Raw salad (to be determined)
Organic sprouted grain spaghetti noodles and organic tomato basil sauce

Dessert

1/3 Organic chocolate bar

54 Days to go until full chemical detox.

Today's Menu

Breakfast: 8-20 oz of Green Lemonade (1 heart of romaine, 5 stalks of kale, 1 unpeeled lemon, 2 apples, and 2 inches of ginger root all juiced together) and fresh fruit as desired.

Lunch: A freshly made raw salad with homemade dressing (organic spring greens, red peppers, sprouts, and organic olive oil/balsamic vinegar dressing).

Snack: Larabar (raw snack bar) or fresh fruit.

Dinner: Braised lentils and shopped vegetables.

Desert: 1/3 of an organic chocolate bar (Newman's or Dagoba).

55 Days to go until full detox.

After watching part of Supersize Me again the other night, I was reminded of my onetime past goal of detoxing my body from all the nasty chemicals, irradiated meats, and yes, sometimes live viruses that the FDA joyfully puts in our food supply. As a result, S and I have agreed to try the Raw Food Detox Diet. To further this goal, we bought a juicer because the theory behind the raw food diet is that we miss most of the live enzymes and vitamins our bodies need when we eat cooked or processed foods. If you juice raw, organic vegetables and fruits, you not only get those goodies, but also most of your required water intake for the day and it's the organic water contained within the veggies themselves. The leafy greens seem to be the best, although I have to cut Romaine and Kale with lemon and ginger to make it palatable.

In other news, my cafe supervisor and I will be training the new cafe supervisor from the East Madison store. I don't mind, because our district manager acknowledged that our cafe is the best in the district, which can only mean good things. Plus, training is always fun.

Oh and also, I've been cigarette free for two weeks. Now S has to keep up her promise to cut aspartame from her diet.

I've been invited to participate in a "deadpool" which is where I have to pick 14 people who I think will die in 2007 and then a 15th "dream pick." I'm morbidly curious, but some small part of me fears the universal rule of what goes around, comes around, and maybe I shouldn't dwell on who I think will or who I think should die. Any thoughts? In the words of Gandalf the Grey, "Many that live deserve death. Some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo? Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. Even the very wise cannot see all ends."

Many of you know that I keep a movie journal of every movie I see during the calendar year period. With the ending of 2006 and beginning of 2007, I have taken some time to compile the data from my journal and loaded it into excel for all kinds of fun. There are many interesting facts and patterns that emerged this year, which I will go into in addition to the actual movie list; but first, a word on method. In my journal, each film is originally catalogued by viewing date with a four star rating, and if necessary, a note or two to jog my memory. Some have asked why I use a four star rating instead of the more popular five star scale. I find the four star scale more appealing for two reasons: 1. Using five stars tempts one to make the fifth star level a pedestal level for "the great films," thereby discouraging the entry of other deserving films to the same level. 2. The four star scale forces one to make a decision regarding those borderline films, i.e. it's either as deserving as Citizen Kane (the gold standard) or it's not for these reasons. Another important factor to consider is that my ratings are subjective, and therefore subject to change in some cases based on various determining factors.  And last, this is my favorite hobby, and I freely admit that I am by no means an expert; however, the question of what makes a film good beyond what everyone thinks of (acting, music, "it was sweet," etc) fascinates me. I invite you to check out my list and ratings, let me know what you think agree or disagree. And now for the fun categories:

Most Watched Movie of 2006
1. V for Vendetta x 4
2. Big Lebowski, The x 3
    Die Hard x 3
    LOTR: The Two Towers x 3
    Zombi 2 x 3

Most Watched Director of 2006
1. Spielberg, Steven x 5
2. Bergman, Ingmar x 3
    Jackson, Peter x 3
    Jones, Alex x 3
    Verbinksi, Gore x 3
    Wachowski, Andy and Larry x 3

Most Watched Year in Film 2006
1. 2005 x 27
2. 2006 x 17
3. 2001 x 8

Most Films Watched in One Day 2006
1/1/06 and 1/29/06 x 6

Most Movies Watched in One Month 2006
January x 56

Total Movies Watched 2006 (Duplicates Included)
169

And now the list...

2046	****
12 Angry Men	****
9/11: The Road to Tyranny	**
Airplane	**½
America: From Freedom to Fascism	**½
American Movie	****
American Movie	****
Apocalypto	****
Aristocrats, The (2005)	***
Best in Show	***
Big Lebowski	****
Big Lebowski	****
Big Lebowski	****
Black Hawk Down	***½
Blazing Saddles	***
Boogie Nights	***½
Braveheart	****
Break-Up, The	**
Bride of Re-Animator	***
Brokeback Mountain	***½
Brokeback Mountain	***½
Broken Flowers	***
Bullitt	**
Cannibal Holocaust	***
Cannibal Holocaust	***
Capote	****
Christmas Story, A	**½
Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, The	***
Corpse Bride	**
Da Vinci Code, The	**
Dancer in the Dark	****
Dawn of the Dead (Extended Edition)	****
Day After Tomorrow, The	**
Day After Tomorrow, The	**½
Dead Hate the Living, The	*
Death of a President	**
Die Hard	**½
Die Hard	***
Die Hard	***
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room	***
Fargo	****
Ferris Bueller's Day Off	***
Field of Dreams	***½
Final Countdown	*½
Fistful of Dollars	***½
Glory	***
Godfather, The	****
Godfather: Part II, The	****
Good Night, and Good Luck	***½
Goodfellas	****
Grizzly Man	***½
Guerilla: The Taking of Pattie Hearst	***
Hannah and Her Sisters	***
Happiness	***½
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire	**½
Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone	***
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer	***
Hire, The	***½
History of Violence, A	***
Hollywoodland	*½
Home Alone	**
Ice Storm, The	***
Ichi the Killer	**½
Idlewild	**
In the Mood for Love	****
Inconvenient Truth, An	***
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade	***½
Invasion of the Bodysnatchers (1956)	****
Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers	***
Jackie Brown	***
Jarhead	***
Jaws	****
Jerry Maguire	***
Jesus Camp	***
JFK (Director's Cut)	***½
Jungle Holocaust	**
Keep the River on Your Right: A Modern Cannibal Tail	*
Key Largo	***
Kingdom of Heaven (Director's Cut)	***½