Ready for your friday movie?? Great Tunes on this one too-Break out the Netflix!

Hey there again
I've noticed a few new blips on the feedjit from around the globe so welcome to my little corner of the blogosphere.

I saw a reader from Iraq the other day and it got me thinking. We hear about all these far off places in the news, paper, internet and such. We see the pictures and hear the words, but sometimes I dont think we understand something. Those bombings in Gaza, Prince Charles, Jack Nicholson, crying babies in Africa...they all have something in common. Its profound but simple. We are all on same planet, all breathe the same air and feel the same feelings. I read somewhere that with every breath you take, you breathe in 50,000 molecules of air that Leonardo da Vinci breathed. Wow, you-I-your neighbor breathe the same air as da Vinci. It gave me a very profound sense of being connected to people and history.

I know, you are waiting for me to wax philosopical for a few minutes before you start yelling "GET TO THE POINT!" Well, the point is tonight's movie, Night on Earth.

Night on Earth came out in 1991. It is the story of one moment on Earth in 5 taxi cabs in 5 different cities, LA, Rome, Paris, New York and Helsinki. It has an amazing ensemble cast including Gina Rowlands, Wynona Ryder, Rosy Perez, Armin Mueller Stahl and Roberto Benigni. It was directed by Jim Jarmusch.

The stories include
LA-A talent agent finds the perfect person for a part in a movie in her cab driver. The driver is a young girl happy driving a cab and who aspires to be a mechanic. The agent tries to get the driver to audition but she is reluctant to give up her happy life for fame.
Rome-My favorite story of the 5. The taxi driver takes the fare of a priest. As he drives the priest, the driver decides to confess to the priest. He tells a tale so shocking that the priest dies from a heart attack.
New York- An immigrant cab driver is continually lost in a city and culture he doesn't understand.
Paris - A blind girl takes a ride with a cab driver from the Ivory Coast and they talk about life and blindness.
Helsinki - an industrial worker gets laid off and he and his compatriots discuss the bleakness and unfairness of love and life and death.

One of the true gems of this movie is the soundtrack. It is by Tom Waits. Tom is kind of an aquired taste, but he is just...so good its really hard to describe. He has a gift for layering sound and using obscure instrumentation. Over his career he has spanned blues to avante garde. He is a musician's musician and worthy in every sense of the name Troubadour. I highly recommend giving Waits a listen. The first time you might sit there and say "WTF is that"! That's ok, I definately had my wtf moment the first time. But I gave it another listen and it really grows on you. This soundtrack is a good introduction to Tom Waits. I mean it, listen a couple times, especially "Back in the Good old World". Tom rarely tours and tickets go in minutes, but oh so worth it.

So there you have it, tunes and a movie all in one neat package! Feel free to comment on any of the movies and music I have talked about. Im feeling like Rocketman-its lonely out here in cyberspace! Keep sane, be good and wear your seatbelt!
later gaters!
C

Where is Bill Hicks when I need him to kick some butt?

You are reading the title and going "Oh shit". Naaa, just really weary of badly behaved people tonight. A coworker-and I use the word "work" (solitare all day) loosly, has been a burr in my ass for the last two weeks. He and his buddy (client) have been watching over my shoulder (micromanaging me) every day as I design a program for a local event. I am truly hoping tomorrow they leave me in peace so I can put the bastard job to bed.

So, ok. I guess I am in a bit of a mood. Tonight, I'm in a Bill Hicks mood. I found a cd at Bookmans (www.bookmans.com) called "Bill Hicks, the Flying Saucer Tour, vol 1". It is a concert recording of him in Pennsylvania in 1991. The audience was awful...they didnt get it all all. It gives true meaning to "flying saucer tour"-basically Bill was seen in small hick towns, the same places that you hear about people seeing flying saucers. God, I can tell Im tired, I cant even speel ;)

Ok, so if you are sitting there asking "Who is Bill Hicks" you are making me sad. Bill was an amazing comedian from Texas. I cant begin to summarize the life and greatness of Bill. The best way to share Bill is via the website his family set up for him, www.billhicks.com. Read the bio, really. Then, go get Relentless.

His career breakthrough was cut short in 1994 when died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 32. He made no appologies about drugs, sex, politics...pretty much name it. He called it the "Comedy of Hate, join me". He joked about LA (Hell-A) falling into the ocean after the "big one" leaving a beautiful oceanfront property called "Arizona Bay".

Ok, so I admit, Im not a great novelist like Steven King (Sheeesh man, chill out on Steph Meyer already. Just because you havent written anything relevant in the last 20 years is no reason to pick on someone for being sucessful-jelousy is ugly man, just ugly) oh, was I ranting?? Well, my POINT and yes there is one,(beside the fact that I cant summarize for shit) is to check out Bill Hicks.
Bill, you left us way too early and you are sincerely missed. RIP.

As far as YOU-MR or MS Reader, your assignment is to look up Bill Hicks and listen to him. Let me know what you think. You know me, I will continue to rant to myself and cyberspace, even if you dont read me or comment. It is my catharsis, after all ;)
Peace, and tommorrow, I will assign another movie! I promise, its a good and obscure movie and you will love it. Why, because I told you to. My blog, my talking to myself, my rules!!

Heya! Got some music to groove too? Try this!

Hey guys
I know, it's been a couple days. I dont like to blog if Im not inspired, it just comes off as incipid drivel. But tonight, ahh inspiration strikes. Driving home from work tonight... You guys remember, I like to roll the windows down and enjoy the desert as the sun goes down. Well, the stereo hubby got for me for Christmas has an ipod jack. So, he let me have his ipod as well so I could listen to lots of music I like.

Im driving home along the river just paying attention to the sights and smells of the desert. It was amazing. I could smell the clean earthy smell of the dirt, the sweet musky mesquite burning in a fireplace. I could smell the fantastic bbq place near my work. The owner is really cool and he smokes all the meats onsite. He had the smoker on and the smell just travels... As I crossed the Rillito river bridge, I caught the scent of honeysuckle that was profusely blooming along the river walk trail. During this, the most perfect music was playing on the ipod. I hadn't heard the album in a long time but it just blew me away. It was Pink Floyd, Animals.

Ah, Floyd. Floyd while driving home with the vast expanse of the desert around me. It was almost like hearing the earth breathe.

Hearing this album made me go and get another of my favorite Floyd albums. I got my cd player and went out into my backyard to watch the mountains turn gold then red as the sun set.

Delicate Sound of Thunder. You know this one, it had the lightbulb suit on the cover. This album was my first exposure to Floyd. I know I know, but I had a very conservative upbringing. For god's sake, I missed Kiss ENTIRELY!! My mother didnt allow THAT kind of music in the house. But I digress and thank GOD I escaped to be the little sicko you all know, read and love ;)

The first song that sticks in my memory of Floyd is "Learning to Fly". I was in high school and I had such a crush on my manager. He drove a Camaro and I didn't even hold that against him ;) He was big into Floyd. We used to work close saturdays together. That meant Floyd blasted from the time we locked the doors at 11pm to the time we left at 2:30am. I remember Learning to Fly. It made a distinct memory of happiness during a time that I didnt have a lot of happy in my life...

So tonight I remembered those nights at McDonalds, listening to Floyd and being desparately in love with my manager. I sat in the cool of the evening, smelling the orange and lemon tree and getting lost in the music. Would have been the perfect moment to smoke a joint, except for the fact that I never have smoked pot... Besides, I can't smoke at all anymore. It's not just the "smoking is bad" thing. It's the weak lungs - smoking can kill me - thing.

Oh well, at least I have my cool evening, my Floyd, my memories and the smell of honeysuckle.

Twofer tonight! Music to hear AND a Movie you have to see!

So, I haven't blogged in a couple days, sorry! But I'm going to make it up to you right now.

Well which first, movie or music? Let's go music shall we? Tonight, I am recommending Rainer Ptacek.
This man was an amazing singer, songwriter and guitarist. Was, yes that is correct. Rainer passed away from a brain tumor in 1997. Here is some video of him on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFNsbNAB5zw&feature=related
and info about him on wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainer_Ptacek

He was highly influential for many artists, such as Robert Plant, Emmylou Harris, Jimmy Page and Billy Gibbons. He had a beautiful, pure sound. Very good music to sit back and chill to. The guitar work is so...wow. You have to hear it to really hear what I mean.

When he got sick, he had no health insurance. So, to try to help with the medical bills, a group of friends and admirers came together to make a benefil album. This is the album I am listening to tonight. It is called The Inner Flame. It is a compelation of Rainer's songs perfomed by himself and other artists. It is a beautiful tribute to a man who left a big hole in the world of music. I dont know how available the album is, but I was able to find it on amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Inner-Flame-Rainer-Ptacek-Tribute/dp/B000002JD0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1232855713&sr=1-2

You will not regret this album. It is worth the time and effort to aquire it.

Now, for your movie...Those with Comcast are in for a wonderful black comedy. Go to the OnDemand-free movies and look up Wristcutters, a Love Story.
It's based on Etgar Keret's short story "Kneller's Happy Campers". It stars Patrick Fugit and Shannyn Sossamon.

Zia (Patrick Fugit), distraught over breaking up with his girlfriend, decides to end it all. Unfortunately, he discovers there is no real ending, only a run-down afterlife that is strikingly similar to his old one, just a bit worse. Discovering that his ex-girlfriend has also “offed” herself , he sets out on a road trip, with his Russian rocker friend, to find her. Their journey takes them through an absurd purgatory where they discover that being dead doesn’t mean you have to stop living.

This movie did well at Sundance in 2006. I remember seeing it listed on fandango. I thought the concept life after death being just like life but a little worse was interesting. I tried to see it in a theater, but like with too many indie films, it was in one theater for all of twenty minutes, so I didnt get to go. I like dark comedies so I was so happy to see this one come up on OnDemand. If you enjoyed Sweeny Todd, Nightmare before Christmas and Edward Scissorhands, you will like this one! It has a website www.wristcutters.com and a here is a link for imdb
http://imdb.com/title/tt0477139/

Enjoy and let me know if you like my recommendations! If not, I'm just sitting here talking to myself in cyberspace....
C

Movies you have to see: Pan's Labyrinth

Ok guys, we have finally sworn in the new president. Let's let him get settled. In the mean, it's time for another movie recommendation. I can recommend all sorts of movies, but I'm trying to talk about ones that you might not have seen, but should. Today, I thought, do we need a "chick flick" or something with a bit more meat to it. I decided it's a meat day. I found a very good review on www.sledgeweb.com. Rather than me butchering the synopsis, I'm going to borrow a bit from it. :)

In 2006, movie came out called Pan's Labryinth. It was critically acclaimed, but not a lot of people saw it. Labyrinth was written and directed by Guillermo del Toro. This film won three Academy Awards: Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, and Best Makeup. Don't let that lead you to believe this is just an f/x movie though, at the heart of Pan's Labyrinth is a beautifully tragic story about a little girl, Ofelia, who escapes the disturbing world around her into a fantasy whose frightening characters pale in comparison to her real world demons.

Labyrinth is like a much darker, grown up version of Narnia. It's been described as a fairy tale for adults. We tend to think of fairy tales today as nice bedtime children's stories, but at their root, fairy tales have always been about our fears. Del Toro expertly contrasts the fears we face in our real world, versus the fears Ofelia faces in her fantasy reality. In the end, Labyrinth contrasts innocence with evil, and asserts that while evil may temporarily overcome innocence, in the end, it is innocence itself that destroys evil.

The harshness of the subject matter is balanced by the beautiful cinematography, which lends a sublime dreamlike quality to the story. Indeed, the entire art direction of the movie is near perfect. Labyrinth is one of those rare accomplishments that becomes more than just a film, it is a piece of art - skillfully stitched together and succeeding on several levels. It stands as a masterpiece of imagination and creativity, and begs the viewer to move around it in order to view it's construction from different perspectives (as any good piece of art does).

In addition to the themes and psychology of fantasy, reality, and fear, Pan's Labyrinth is also deeply involved in examining human relationships. Ofelia is dragged into a terrifying situation when her pregnant, and sickly, mother marries a Spanish Captain (a personification of evil) out of necessity. Forced to live together, Ofelia struggles to resolve her inner emotional conflict between the step-father she despises, the mother she loves, and the unborn brother she comforts by speaking stories to. Her struggle to resolve the relationships around her lead Ofelia into a fantasy world, full of disturbing characters and very real danger. There, she learns that she is a princess from an underground kingdom, who's soul has been lost for ages. In order to reclaim her throne, she must overcome three challenges submitted to her by an aged faun in order to prove her soul is still intact. Is this fantasy world real? Or, is it a protective creation of her psyche? Del Toro leaves this question to be resolved individually by the viewer.

There was only one scene that I found to be truly disturbing but, in this case, the violence is necessary to demonstrate the evil and harsh real world situation in which Ofelia finds herself. In addition to the violence, the fantasy realm deals with some very disturbing creatures and situations that you may find scary. This is not a film to watch with small kids. The movie is in Spanish, and subtitled in English. It is rated R. It

If you like fantasy, and like films that actually have a good story at their core, I highly recommend Pan's Labyrinth. Check it out, and let me know what you think
C

The Big Fat Lie

This picture is the reality of "Ana" This girl died due to complications from Anorexia.

I recently became friends with a young woman on facebook. Not unusual I know. The reason I decided to be friends with her might be.

One of my friends tagged me to do a "25 random things about you" list. I did and tagged 25 people-well, 19 as that is all I have in my friends ;) I was looking at a few other lists that tagged some of the people I had and came across this girl's "50 things about me" list. I read about how she hated her body, her shape, her size...how she was so fat. I think she weighs all of 110 pounds. I saw a pretty girl, she saw FAT and UGLY. She is 17. I thought about my self image and self esteem at her age. I felt awkward and shy. I was smart and pretty, just very shy with the same low self esteem and body image issues as my new friend. I am 5'3" and at that time I was a size 14. I was healthy-not a stick but not "fat".

My mother has had a lifelong weight and self esteem battle. My entire life she has been on a diet. I was raised on diet soda and "low fat" because oh dear god you don't want to be FAT! Well, I'm now 37. I am a overweight person. Man, that is a hard line to type. I am and I admit it. My mother now sends me all sorts of diet this and loose weight now that, recipes from spark people, gift subscriptions to weight watchers magazine and articles on how "fat people can't_________. Yeah, that's right, it is a fill-in the blank. Because if you can think it, she has sent it to me. She makes statements like "well, when you loose weight you will be happy" I am a happy contented person but all she sees is fat. Since she con notates fat with unhappiness, she assigns that unhappiness to me.

And why? Why the hysteria at the mere word FAT? I have my own theories which I will share but first, I did a little googly research before starting this entry tonight. I started with one word. Anorexia. I saw stories and pictures of dead and dying people who look like they were right out of the concentration camps. The difference is that these poor souls have starved themselves. The stories are heartbreaking, lives just starting being ended by this quest for skinny.

But alas, the Internet can shock more. When I did the anorexia search, I found other sites. Sites about life with "Ana" and "Mia". Ana and Mia are Anorexia and Bulimia. These sites offer weight loss support and encouragement for anorexics and bulimics. It was a how to for eating disorders. Hints on how to hide your disease, how to pretend to eat, how to work through the hunger...on and on. Other sites I saw were nofatchicks.com which made fun of fat girls including pictures. Sad to say, several of the people they labeled fat were not. Oh, don't forget the pictures of "happy" fat guys emblazoned with "I BEAT ANOREXIA" tshirts.

Which brings me back to why. Why is fat a dirty word? My thoughts on the whole thing, well...
1. Fashion magazines and clothing designers are designing for women with the body of a 8 year old boy. I read somewhere that the average size of the American woman is a size 14. When will the fashion industry wake up to reality. Real women generally are not a size 0-2. Real women have curves and breasts and butts. Real women eat carbs. A woman who wears a size 0-2 has no boobs let alone a cleavage. Guys, you like to motorboat?? You won't get far with one of these women. The fashion industry makes us feel inadequate and fat - no matter if you are never going to be 5'10" and 100 pounds.

2. The diet industry is a multi billion dollar business. What do you think would happen to their pills and books and programs if they actually worked? What if their products really "cured" obesity? Bye bye business. It is their job along with the fashion industry to make you hate yourself and not be able to accept yourself. If you look in the mirror and say "god I hate the way I look" and then slimquick, or Jenny Craig, or Alli commercial comes on the TV... That if you take brand X, you will loose weight and your life will be perfect! News flash, life isn't perfect, no matter what pill or program or book you buy. My mother's favorite magazine-Woman's World- has a new diet every week. I mentioned this to her. She said "no they don't". I let it drop but she later came to me and said that she had gone through 2 years of the magazine (yeah, she keeps them) and that I was right. Not only did every one of the 104 magazines have a diet but that they seemed to rotate. Several of the diets pop up over and over. So, this magazine has a stake in you feeling fat. If you are fat and want to diet -"Here's the magic secret", their magazine.

I am fat. Their are things about my body that I do not like. If you have read my blog in the past, you know that I can be blunt but that I don't lie. Diets are a lie. There is no magic bullet or pill to loose weight. I am working on my weight but I am doing it for the right reasons. I want to be healthier. I know that loosing weight is a journey. It took time to gain, it will take time to loose. It is about making good choices. Do you buy the Super chunky hungry man stew or do you make chili at home with turkey and barley? Do you go for the super size coke and fries with your double quarter pounder or do you get a grilled chicken sandwich plain and eat only the meat and give the bun to the pigeons? Well, that's not enough to eat you say? Get the super large ice tea and a fruit and walnut salad. Go to Wing Stop or Subway?

Great book out now called "Eat This Not That". It is a great help for people of all sizes trying to make better eating choices.

It all comes down to you. You have to love you. You can still not like your stomach but if you don't love yourself then how do you expect anyone else to see how great you really are? I'm fat but I really, really do love myself :) Don't ever forget to love YOU too!!

Otto Titzling-the Man, the Legend-the MYTH!

Good evening all! I sit here tonight with you, scared. I have to have oral sugery tomorrow morning. They are going to put me under with a general. I have had surgery twice. More deep down frightening than anything the Saw movies can dish out. So, since I am trying very hard to distract myself from the fact that my tooth hurts and I am thirsty (no water or food for 8 hours before...) I am going to talk about something near and dear. Just feels like a big weight I have to get off my chest. Yes, for those keeping score, that was a pun. sheesh-I am TRYING to cheer myself up for cryin out loud!

Soo, get into the time machine folks, back to ancient history. Hair Metal ruled and men wore just as much if not more makeup and hairspray as women. 1990, 1989...1988 Ah, 1988. Music sucked, it was all processed cheese. Movies wern't as bad. 1988 brought us one the greatest chick flicks of all time. Beaches. Men ovulate at the mere mention of this movie... Two girls meet, become friends, grow up, one gets famous, one becomes a lawyer and dies. There it is, in a nutshell. You have to have boobs to understand why women have to watch Beaches any time it comes on tv.

Ah come on, gimme a break. If you read my blog you know I am the MISTRESS of tangents. But this one has a point. Bette Midler sings a song in the movie called Otto Titzling. It's a song about the origins of the bra or "over the shoulder boulder holder" HOORAY!

Well, it basically says Otto Titzling invented the bra after watching a big boobed opera singer fall over from the weight of her breasts. He invented the "Titsling". Which was stolen by "none other than the very worst of the French Patent theives, Phillipe D. Brassiere" Which is why its called a brassiere and not a titsling.

Only problem, it's a crock of doodie. Here is the article from Snopes

http://www.snopes.com/business/origins/bra.asp

Apparantly the first bras were invented in the mid 1860's but corseting had been around for several centuries. The Greeks even had a type of chest binding.

So my dear friends, if I die tomorrow (Im melodramatic and hormonal, so sue me!) know I loved making you laugh. I hope you chase your dreams, pass along random kindness to strangers and have a meaningful, fulfilling life.

I leave you with this, a couple stanzas from "Otto Titsling"

"...Oh, my god! There she blows!
Aerodynamically this girl was a mess.
Otto eyeballed the diva lying comatose amongst the reeds,
and he suddenly felt the fire of inspiration
flood his soul. He knew what he had to do!
He ran back to his workshop
where he futzed and futzed and futzed.

For Otto Titsling had found his quest:
to lift and mold the female breast;
to point the small ones to the sky;
to keep the big ones high and dry!

Every night he'd sweat and snort
searching for the right support.
He tried some string and paper clips.
Hey! He even tried his own two lips!..."

and of course, a link for youtube! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqxWhBZXF8Q