Skewed Priorities

Tomorrow I'm giving a presentation on Ogham in my class. I was hoping to have my paper done as well, but I haven't even started it yet. And rather than starting it, I'm planning on going to Blockbuster to get movies because I don't want my coupons to expire while I'm out of town this weekend. At 24, shouldn't I have more self-control?

Ok, That's Enough

I have to admit that I am ready for fall. I want to be able to wear jeans, sweaters, and shoes other than flip-flops. I want to have my real job back. I want to be teaching, not selling clothes. I want to be studying what I am ultimately interested in, not just mildly intrigued by (or required to to graduate). I want to have a regular schedule. I want to be busy enough that I actually get things done, rather than thinking "I can do that whenever," which really is "I'll do that never." I want the leaves to change colors. I want to walk in the woods without worrying that I'll melt. I enjoy the summer, but if you're not in a place where you can go swimming outdoors frequently, three weeks is sufficient.

The Joy of Dance

This music video by Ok Go is brilliant, even better than Spike Jonze's Fat Boy Slim "Praise You" video. And that's saying a lot. The dancing is amazing (the lead reminds me of Dr. Venture), plus the song rocks!

(The video may take a minute to load, but it's the best quality one that I found. This one comes up more quickly, but has the website in the corner of the player's screen.)

Miss Wizard

I'm always surprised when I notice that I haven't posted in a number of days. I mentally compose numerous entries that never make it to the screen, even though I read other blogs twice a day. Well, onwards and upwards.

I love Diet Coke.

A lot.

Yesterday I conducted an experiment to evaluate all these new products, so I had a glass of Diet Coke, Diet Coke with Splenda, and Coca-Cola Zero. I tasted to see which I liked better, and then switched 'em all again to see if I could still distinguish between them. I could.

The results:
Coca-Cola Zero is very distinct from the other two (I didn't have a regular Coke, because I don't really care about how close it is to that). It probably does taste more like Coke, which I don't like (yes, I just prefer the taste of Diet Coke; it's not really a calorie thing), so never again shall that product darken my door.

Diet Coke with Splenda is very similar to Diet Coke, but slightly sweeter. If you've been to the Continent, it reminds me of Coca Light, which is even better than Diet Coke! I'm not sure that I can quite say that the Splenda variety Diet Coke trumps the original, but I would just as gladly drink it.

I'm curious about the future of all these products because I can't really believe that the market could support so many products that essentially serve the same purpose (no calorie Coke). I took the time to find out the difference, but do most people really care?

Charlie Corpuscie Says

"Be nice to me, I gave blood today." Just in case you were thinking about mean, I thought you should know.

I watched About Adam today. It's an Irish film, so I already was predisposed to liking it, although I'm not certain I can give it a completely positive endorsement. The story deals with Stuart Townsend's character and his relationship with an entire family--each of three sisters and a brother. The story is never told through Adam's point of view, rather subjectively from each of the siblings. The unsettlingly part of the film comes at the end--after we've seen a very different interpretation of Adam from each of the other characters--when Adam looks straight at the camera, like he has hoodwinked us, too. It's creepy; I don't know if I've been taken in by his smarmy good looks or if I'm too clever for that.

Book 7 Comes Out When?

Well, I've just finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and am waiting for my mom to finish so we can talk about it. She's only fifty pages behind, so it shouldn't take long.

The release party was fun-ish. I had a killer Hermione costume and merrily passed out S.P.E.W. buttons while knitting in the cafe. My friend was working, so I only got to see her intermittently at breaks; otherwise it was me and the other faithfuls who were there at five o'clock to wait. [I read the book Ice Haven, a graphic novel, by the same guy who did Ghost World while I was there. That deserves its own post on another day, but if I never get to it, at least its been given passing mention.]

I read the first two hundred pages that night, but was unable to read anymore until late Saturday night due to much solo driving and a wedding. I hoped I could soldier through the night and finish it, but alas, I fell asleep after a mere fifty pages. So, I skipped church and have read the day away (Ooo. Wouldn't some Christians just want to burn me at the stake?!)

And now, tears only now beginning to dry, I ask...

• So, Snape really is evil? The red herring, isn't actually a herring?
• Who is R.A.B.? (Surely there's a list of every possible character from the other books already out there.)

oh, Mom's done, so for now I'll just ask the biggest question....

When is the next one coming out?

The Ultimate Fix

I thought I was over it, finished, but who was I kidding? I bought the entire Buffy series on eBay this weekend. V. exciting. I now can watch any episode at any moment. I want to watch "Buffy Vs. Dracula" followed by "Once More With Feeling" and then "School Hard" and "Hush"? Done.

Tonight though, I spent my time making "S.P.E.W." buttons for the Harry Potter release party. I also put together my costume. It's fab; I look quite like a British schoolgirl, complete with knee socks.

And after HP, there's a wedding to attend, which I should have asked my crush rather than the safe gay friend, but that's not the problem. My dress. It's a bit tight; so do I find another outfit, or not eat for the next few days? Would that even work? I've never tried such a thing. We'll see.

Film at it's Most Noir

The study of film/literature comprises a small portion of the English department's resources where I attend. The few of us often get together and dream about luxuries we don't have, such as seminar classes. Tragically, there is one woman about to graduate who will not have had any seminars in one of her fields of study. Because we only have one professor, who is bound to teach the courses required for the MA in Film/Lit, and he only has taught one class per semester, we've been s.o.l.

But--this fall we have a new professor coming from Wales and we have been hoping for more opportunities for classes, especially seminar classes. When trying to think of what we'd like to study in a seminar, inevitably the topic of film noir arises. Like I've learned to do so well, I smile and nod understandingly while offering such non-specific approvals as "yes" and "definitely."

The dirty truth was, until recently, I'd never seen much film noir and didn't really care one way or the other about studying it. I'd seen The Maltese Falcon in a film history class and rented Double Indemnity. I really enjoyed both of them, but could hardly claim familiarity on a genre based on two films. Well, thanks to my public library, and the fact that I have a two week lapse between re-reading Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince, I've seen three more films and think I am qualified (as far as the casual viewing masses) to have AN OPINION on the subject.

I watched The Asphalt Jungle (yay, John Huston), The Postman Always Rings Twice, and Murder, My Sweet. (I also have The Big Sleep but haven't watched it yet.) Guess what? Film noir is awesome. The dialouge is snappy, the characters are gritty, and I just like it. Now when we pontificate on subjects worthy of our academic attention, I can smile and nod, knowingly.

More Thoughts on the Raison d'être of Blogs

Okay, thoughts isn't exactly the right word, just some quick links. I've been reading my friend's blog from when she first started, right as we were finishing college. It was fun, there's so much of her personality there. It made me remember who we were two years ago, even if it is just her random thoughts and goings-on. So, if in two or ten or more years, I look back on this site (the Internet never deletes anything) I'll have fun remembering. Although. I hope it isn't quite as bad as Amy's Diary.

Post Secret

Post Secret is a fantastic website, organization, quest, thing. Um, people send in homemade postcards with a secret on them. Some are funny, some are sad, but all seem so sincere. Often I find a part of myself resonating with the secret sharer.

So Much to Say, So Little...Energy? Motivation?

I have been thinking of a number of clever, pithy subjects to write about for the past week, but every time I sit at the computer I turn into the dog with ADD, distracted by the nearest butterfly fluttering past and never get to actually writing my blog. Perhaps another reason for this is a friend, upon learning I keep a blog, asking "So this is basically a journal/diary of what you do?" I said "Yeah, something like that" to which she replied, "Not to sound mean, but who cares?" Who cares, indeed?

I don't actually think anyone beyond a very few friends reads this. (But that is helpful seeing as those friends live far away.) In some ways, keeping a blog is just good writing practice, but I never sit down and say "Gee I feel like working on my communication skills today; I think I'll blog." So is there any value in what this is? Many of the blogs I enjoy reading have a theme (academic, knitting, satire), but I've not done that. I don't know that there's one thing to which I would want to solely dedicate my blog. Maybe my problem is that I am not envisioning or invoking an audience.

Although I don't know that that's really a problem per say.