Monthly Archive for February, 2004
The Passion of the Christ 3 stars.
So Jay and Kyle and I went to see Jesus get beat up. That’s really what this movie is about. “Passion” really refers to Christ’s suffering and pain, and there’s a whole hell of a lot of it. We were expecting a movie that would be a little bit more concerned with the why of Christ’s death rather than the brutal, bloody, ultraviolent how. While the movie does an exceptional job of beating the shit out of Jesus, I don’t think it really hammers home (pun sort of intended) the whole message of the greater purpose for it happening. It’s sort of mentioned here and there, but not really. Mostly they just womp on Jesus. It’s probably the most violent movie I’ve ever seen. I guess we’re just supposed to remember that this happened so we could be saved. As a Buddhist I can identify with the suffering, but as a non-Christian I can’t see how this would make me want to convert without more explaination as to the theology centering around the substitutionary atonement of Jesus’s death. Living in Christian America you pretty much know that Jesus died for your sins, but this movie doesn’t do a good job of explaining that. Which is ok, because I don’t think that’s what Gibson set out to do. He wanted to make a very very bloody film version of the stations of the cross. He’s successful in that. What comes through is this: Jesus’s suffering, and the capacity for humanity to be unflinchingly cruel to one another. I think, theology aside, that this is what this movie is about. Set aside the fact that it’s supposed to be Jesus and what you get is a film that depicts how cruel we can be to each other. And what really works for the film is the stark blood-on-skin contrast of violence set against the little bits we get about Jesus’s message of love and forgiveness.
Other than that, it’s extrememly well done. The visual images are stunning, if not a little stomach turning at times, the music is wonderful, and while I at first thought it would be annoying to have to read all those subtitles, it turns out there there really isn’t that much dialog. It boils down to about 100 minutes of beating up Jesus, 13 minutes of flahsbacks, and 13 minutes of dialog, A pretty good film, but not one you really want to watch over and over again. And you probably should eat before you go, unless you have a weak stomach.
Johnny Quest
So I went to Diversions tonight with Shaz and got really toasted cuz I didn’t have anything else to do but mostly because I wanted to see John. He reads this, so maybe he’ll know I really like him. Or it will freak him the fuck out and he won’t ever talk to me again. Either way, it’ll probably fuck up, so what they hey, huh? I think I could let myself fall in love with John, and that’d be pretty cool right now. Reciprocity is always the conundrum.
Night folks. Bourbon all ’round.
And yes, Jim, I did drink Jim Beam at the bar. I have Maker’s Mark and Knob Creek here, so I’m drinkin’ that. But I really want someone to bring me a fifth of Absolut Kurant.
“It’s Dawn… the party’s over…” -George, “Who’s Afraid of Virginai Woolf?”
btw- Josh touched down in Paris around closing time. I hope he’s having a blast.
It is so nice to be able to walk. Josh is going to Paris tomorrow for his spring break. I’m not going anywhere, but I’m kind of glad I didn’t book anything, because I can’t walk very fast or very far without it still hurting a bit. I have to work at 10am, so I can’t take him to the airport, which sucks because I really wanted to, but oh well. I’ll get to see Todd The Ex-Boyfriend tomorrow and that’ll really make up for it (sarcasm).
Dino had this idea to go to North Carolina with some friends and I was going to meet him in Baltimore, but it’s looking more and more like that’s going to fall through. I still want to go somewhere, though, so I was thinking about picking a random place and going there on a road trip. Josh said he wanted to go but then he was all lukewarm about my suggestions, so I might just go by myself and show up at some gay bar. I’m trying to go someplace that’s about 6-10 hours away by car. It looks like I will be able to go where ever I want since I only have two days of work next week, which is 18hrs, which is not nearly enough to pay bills and keep my health insurance. There is a new person in the float pool who is taking shifts from me. I will have to email my boss and his boss and let them know that there shouldn’t be more people in the float pool if I’m not able to get my full ammount of hours because they take shifts away from me.
Ok. That really pisses me off a lot. Time to start sending emails out to people looking for permanent full time positions at other stores.
Thursday night Travis decided to come over, which was excellent because I haven’t seen Trav in like a year and a half. We got really drunk. This kid John from Albion decided to come over and hang with us… he was really sweet to me and I think he’s very very handsome, so maybe something will happen there. Travis puked in the basement, so I had to clean that up today. I was surprisingly hung over, which was pretty weird since I just drank vodka and I usually don’t get that much of a hangover from vodka. Maybe it’s time to switch liquor again. Or just not drink at all, that’d probably be a good thing, but that probably wouldn’t happen.
I’m really upset about this work thing, but really hopeful about this John thing, so I guess it all evens out. I should really get to bed now.
Update: Called work to see how they were doing without me and they told me not to come in, so I got the day off! Woohoo!
Well, went to the Orthopaedic doctor today. I got to see two of them, one an older guy and another one not much older than me. They looked at my x-rays and decided I have an avulsion fracture of the left ankle. But they didn’t give me a cast, the gave me a splint that I can take off. That’s the most important part, because it means I can take a shower! Which I just did. I have this huge blister on my heel from the first splint they put me in, so I soaked that for 1/2 hour and took a shower… now I’m milking it until I go to work. I’m still using the crutches which they told me to do; use two for awhile and then switch to one. I get to go back in 2 weeks to see how it’s healing. It still hurts, tho, but hopefully Motrin® 800mg will take care of that, otherwise I will call and complain and ask for some more Norco®.
I was still up at 4am and Joe was hungry so he brought over Steak’n Shake.
I was doing a random Google search for the cookies I was eating and Google came up with this:
Advent Lutheran Church – April, 2003 Newsletter
… The devil's power is great and it should be our … church with fellow members, eat delicious
food, have fun … with grocery certificates for Marsh, Meijer, and Kroger …
www.adventlutheran.org/newslet/anl03-04.htm – 30k – Cached – Similar pages
Read that all together and it says “The devil’s power is great and it should be our church with fellow members, eat delicious food, have fun with grocery certificates for Marsh, Meijer, and Kroger…” Hahaha I think we should call that a googley-oops: when google quotes part of a web page and the results aren’t exactly what the web page is all about…
Scare off the terrorists with your own Terror Alert Banana
Dino was kind enough to find this link for me.
That was my two minutes of laughter for the night…
So I broke my foot. I went to Borgess at Woodbridge Hills this morning. They took two sets of x-rays. Which were cool because they are all digital, I’m not sure exactly how they work but they zapped my foot and wham! they were right on the computer. I was there from 11 to 1:30 and I was so bored… should’ve brought a book. I pondered bringing my digital camera, but I didn’t. I have to see the orthopaedic dude at KCMS on Wednesday so I will definately bring it then so I can blog that experience. I just hope they don’t have to break it again so they can set it right. What an adventure!
Metafilter is back up.
Metafilter is down again.
Dino (03:13:20): “Any person who has a small game hunting license or a fishing license or is entitled to fish without a license may take frogs with a spear, club, hook, or by hand. A small game hunting license is required to take frogs with a gun and with a longbow. “
Dino (03:13:29): how fucking big are these frogs!?
Dino (03:14:01): http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/fish/fishregs/fishregsspangl.html#Frogs
Paul (03:14:29): LOLOL
So Metafilter was down like all week and finally it was up last night.
They’re right.
Said to Joe: “Metafilter was down for six days, and somehow I survived. Granted, those six days where bookended by days of heavy drinking, but I did survive.”
Go to MetaFilter.com and see what the fuss is all about!
Saturday night was Diversions night… I had a blast, like I always do. Joe (not roommate Joe), Chaz, Joe’s boyfriend Aaron and I all went. Kelly was there and we got to hang out. Then I managed to twist my ankle falling on the ice. It hurts a lot and is all swollen. Despite that I went the Zoo on Sunday with Aaron and Joe. It was packed and I wasn’t really having all that great of a time so we left early. Monday I went up to GR on a “date” with Kelly and we had dinner and saw LOTR:ROTK since he hadn’t see it yet. Today I work at the West Main store with ex-boyfriend Todd. It was his birfday. They had cake. He was cranky. I’m glad I don’t have to put up with him on a regular basis anymore. That’s all that’s been going on. Time to elevate and ice my ankle…
Thursday night I had some folks over and we partied… I didn’t get all that sloshed so I had a pretty good time.
Jay got off tether yesterday morning, so last night Josh, Jordan, Kyle & I went with Jay to Benton Harbor/St Joseph to see his old stompin’ grounds. It was pretty fun.
So I went and got my hair cut and highlighted today. The lady handed me some magazines for me to read while I was under the dryer, Golf and Car and Driver. I chuckled and said, “Can you hand me the Vogue?” she said “Oh, sorry” and chuckled a bit herself. Don’t assume I’m str8! LOL Going up to Diversions tonight, hope to have a good time. Come say hello!
This is what my hair looks like now. I have a little chin-goatee thing that I’m liking. I had a full goatee thing, but I decided I didn’t like that so much, but I’m gonna keep this for awhile.
Lost in Translation (2003: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Directed by Sofia Coppola)So I waited like 6 months to see Lost in Translation with Bill Murray. It was exceptional. It’s visually very well done, with sparse dialog. Sofia Coppola’s style of sparse dialog makes you concentrate on what is said when things are said, as well as the visuals she presents. It was shot entirely on location in Japan… it’s just a wonderful movie, if not a bit slower (and thus more contemplative) than the some of the movies I’ve seen recently.
