Two Films Reviewed

David Linklater's movie Waking Life is a philosophical treatise, presented in an animated style by a series of random people talking about philosophical ideas. This movie made me shift over to the library's website and reserve a biography on Jean-Paul Sartre.
It made me think of college . . . discussions about life, meaning, identity. This movie would make a lot more sense and be even more meaningful if I was smoking pot while watching it, you know?
But, it was interesting, both visually and intellectually.


But, let's talk about visual interest for a minute, okay? David Lynch has always had a lot of visual interest in his films. You don't always know what the hell the films are about, but you are always treated to some interesting visuals. The Short Films of David Lynch is no different. Six films that range in length from 10 seconds, 55 seconds, to about 30 minutes. Subjects as varied as animations ("Six Men Getting Sick"), weird silent pictures on a young boy estranged from his parents ("The Grandmother"), to probably the most accessible film of the bunch "The Cowboy and the Frenchman." Each film is introduced by the auteur himself and the film stretch from 1966, into the 1970s. to 1988, and to 1995.
It would be foolhardy in the extreme for me to try and explain/describe any of these films. If you are a David Lynch fan, check this DVD out. If you don't like Lynch, you wouldn't go near this disc with a ten foot pole topped with $50 bill.

'05 Review, '06 Preview

I've already spent some time reviewing 2005, but there are some items, accomplishments, and thoughts that should be highlighted or thought about in more detail.

1. Hopefully Lynda won't have such a hellacious year upcoming. She's worked plenty hard this past year. She deserves a bit more normalcy.
2. I read a lot more this year than in the past. I hope that I keep that up. The best books that I read this year? Well, I really enjoyed House of Leaves, The Da Vinci Code, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, and Everything Bad is Good for You. Which one was my favorite? Well, I've read Half Blood Prince twice this year, but that doesn't mean it's my favorite. I think that goes to House of Leaves. It's a great idea for a book done in a very arresting and imaginative way. I recommend it to anyone with enough desire to fight your way through its enigmatic design.
   
3. I also listened to a lot of good music this year--thanks to Jack T., Spec, and Raisinette. My favorite album this year ?According to iTunes, my most listened to song this year was "Mad World." No surprise there. However the most listened to album that was actually released in 2005 is Coldplay's X&Y. But that shouldn't really be an accurate indicator, since I got a lot of albums within the last calendar year that weren't actually released in 2005--I'm behind the times after all. Beck's Guero and Gorillaz's Demon Days were also high on my rotation.
4. Other favorite things that happened this year? Well, Sarah made strong improvements in her ability to ride a bike and swim. But she's not ready to solo on either front quite yet. One of the best occurrences of the past year has to be LOST--an imaginative show that broke boundaries, brought people together, made everyone think and talk . . . even if season two hasn't quite lived up to the mighty high expectations.
   
5. Hey, what about the big disappointments of 2005? Personally, I didn't host enough cookouts at the house this summer, and I didn't play nearly enough tennis. The depressing arrival of Ben and Jen (part II) and the birth of the Gaffleck . . . well, neither of these events helped my fantasy life, as you might guess. Combine that with a mediocre end to last season's Alias and the end of Alias this season presents one of the least satisfying Jennifer Garner years ever. And of course, Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith sucked really, really bad!
   

What's upcoming for 2006? Well . . . I hope that I can find a way to simplify our life a bit--and by that I mean heartlessly cull out the junk that isn't necessary. I don't know if I'll be able to pull that off, but I am always confronted by the amount of stuff we have overflowing in our house--clothes, toys, items of various persuasion. I need to either make it useful in some way or get rid of it. If it is sitting in a closet or otherwise gathering dust, maybe we can get along without it. Of course this will probably involve many weekends of wandering through the house with trash can liners and the recycling bin . . . but in the end I think our house will seem more inviting and (possibly) even larger. Decorations for decorations sake--can I make them go somewhere else? Probably also, this will have to be done when Lynda is off on a business trip and she can't be there to veto my actions. (All of this is something that I mention every year . . . but this time, I MEAN it! Come by my house and make me clean it up. Force me to live up to it!

We'll all be better off in the long run.

The Memories of Christmas (Just) Past

What can I say about my holiday trip down to Georgia? I find myself at a bit of a loss on how to proceed to be honest. Maybe I've been away from the keyboard for too many days or maybe I'm too far removed from the memories.

But there are a few things that I can mention.

First, there is a distinct difference between being one of the in-laws and being a sibling. Since I spent time with both families on this trip (though I spent more time with my family as it turned out) I can reflect on that issue. Being a blood family member (as opposed to being a legally included member) means you have a depth of experience with those around you that can't be replaced. Lynda's parents and brother have never been anything but welcoming, loving, supportive, whatever you could ask for or expect from your spouse's family . . . but they aren't the same, can't be the same, SHOULDN'T be the same as my family.

I admit that I am biased in this regard. I have always had (as I have stated in this forum before) a blind-spot of love and affection for my parents and siblings. I realize that they aren't perfect and each of them has their own quirks, personality traits and flaws. But they have been a part of my life experiences for as long as I have memories. And I am blessed that so much of it is happy, supportive, nurturing memories. That can't be duplicated by anyone else.

Lynda of course should agree with me, but from the other angle. I see how she interacts with her family and I recognize the rhythms of their shared history, shared memories. I can't intrude upon that and I don't want to.

Second, I was able to spend some time reflecting and having conversations with both of my brothers during the visit, but did not have that same amount of "catch up" time with my sister. This undoubtedly occurred because she now lives in Tifton and has her own home to return to at night. Plus, her youngest son was sick during the visit, so she had more evening time spent with him than at Mom and Dad's place. I get to see them all so infrequently, it sometimes seems that we spend all of our time covering the basics of life (progress of jobs, status of children, movies/books recently watched . . . the typical small talk stuff) and never get to anything more meaningful.

I don't know what I expect this more meaningful stuff to include, to be honest. I recognize that most siblings struggle to even get this stuff out of the way and then what? They don't know where else to go, but they don't really WANT to go anywhere else. But, I hope that I can get more out of my time with my family. They are important to me and I don't want to just go through the motions.

Secretly I sometimes feel like I'm the most outside of my family now, because I am so far away and see the rest of them so infrequently. I know they aren't having monthly dinner parties or anything--they each have their own busy lives. But given my geographic distance I am less knowledgeable of their life and the things that are happening to them. It makes all the small-talk necessary, but it maybe makes it seem more hollow as well.

Ultimately, it's on me I suppose to maintain contact better than I do. So, I guess that will be another resolution for this year (as it probably was for last year as well) . . . do a better job of keeping the small talk up to date. That way, the important stuff can be dealt with when there is time to talk about it.

(To see pictures taken during the trip, click on my Flickr photo box. It's on the right side of the webpage and down a bit.)

. . . jiggity jig

Well, I'm back from the South.

I'll fill in more details later, but it was a good trip and we got to see everyone.

(Whomever can get the title reference will receive a shiny new dime!)

('Cause it's not that hard . . .)

Chrismas in GA (weather)