There’s a form of literature known as magical realism that I recently had to give a 10 minute lesson on in my World Novels class. There’s a couple of things that define magical realism, one of which is a cyclical element to time. See, in the book 100 Years of Solitude (what we’re reading in class) time just keeps repeating itself with different people in the same roles. That’s kinda how I feel right now, only without the being Columbian and without being catholic and without having a sister who flies away while doing the laundry. As soon as I feel like I got things back under control I get bogged down again. As soon as I think I can handle work without making waves for the last 15 days I start to hate my coworkers again. Also, I just went through a whole nother glut of spending. Here’s what was on the buy list:
- Trash Culture – a book on literature and pop culture (for a paper)
- Cultural Literacy – a book for the same reasons as above
- Sex Drugs and Cocoa Puffs – a book on pop culture (because I lent out my copy and it got stolen)
- Queen’s Greatest Hits
- ELO’s Greatest Hits
- Something/Anything – A CD by Todd Rundgren (because it was listed by Cameron Crowe as one of the 10 best albums of 1972 on Almost Famous. It is quite awesome)
- The Incredibles
- Sugar and Spice (which is on TV as I type)
- Griffinn iTrip FM transmitter for my iPod
- Car charger for my iPod
- A sleeping bag
I don’t know why you might want to know that other than to say that Something/Anything is really REALLY quite good and I enjoy it mucho. Also I would guess that I wanted to tell you that so that you would be impressed. Did it work?
Also something particular to magical realism that has taken my life is the questioning of reality: I heard an alarm clock sound the other day and thought I was about to wake up from being awake right now. The whole thing smacked of the Thirteenth Floor.
Speaking of smacking: am I the only one who is sometimes disappointed that life doesn’t turn out more like the movies? Sometimes I’m even kept from doing something because in the movies there’s always some grand romantic gesture and I don’t have a boom box.
Posted by Brandon O at March 19, 2005 12:21 PMYou were right to assume that because Tony didn't like "Ring Two" that it was probably decent. Because it was much more than decent. Very nearly awesome.
I know I'm going to be in the minority on this, but I'll go ahead and say that it's just as good - if not a little better - than the first one.
Not as scary as the first, but very atmospheric, very artful, very cool. It had a very classic feel, kind of like "Rosemary's Baby" or "The Omen". They did some very different things with this one, and I can see why a lot of audiences won't respond to it as well, because it's really unconventional and at times genuinely weird. It just really worked for me, though. Already skyrocketing to the top of my list of underrated sequels.
Posted by: Dave at March 19, 2005 3:56 PMAlso, when you come visit, please note that I wanna rip mp3s off your Rundgren and I also have yet to see "The Incredibles".
Posted by: Dave at March 19, 2005 3:56 PMLife like the movies... good question
It would be nice to finally realize that I have super powers at some point in this life... and big romantic gestures are always cool - and a nice song and dance every now and again (where everyone knows the words and the dance moves) would be great...
But then again there are those movies where everyone dies - such, as Dave pointed out, THE RING (haven't seen the 2nd) -> everyone you care about gets killed by some chick named Samarah. And you've got your war flicks too... and if life were really like the movies, I'd be dead... so no good
Unless you're simply referencing such classics as WE SHALL DANCE - whereby you gain confidence and the love of your dance instructor... I could see that
Posted by: thomas at March 19, 2005 9:35 PMAlso, when I saw "Ring 2" the shitty theater had a leak in the roof so one of the seats had a bucket in it collecting water drips and it really helped add to the effect of the movie.
Also also, I hope you read the entire article in the new EW on "Desperate Housewives" because while reading it I realized how esoteric it was and how to someone who does not watch the show, it would seem hopelessly weird and random. So please, I'd like to know what your impression of that whole thingy was.
Posted by: Dave at March 20, 2005 2:17 PMDo you ever spend a ridiculous amount of money (ie: your list) and realize you forgot to buy something you actually need, but don't go out and buy it because you already spent a whole lot of money?
Crappily Curious
Strongbad
Nope. I always have a set agenda when I go shopping. Also, I haven't gotten my new EW yet, so I can't read the article. I do at least a little something about the show, though, so I don't know how impartial I can be.
But seaking of random, I watched Arrested Development tonight and I was thouroughly empressed. I was trying to decide if I liked watching the whole season at once better than just catching random episodes when i realized it makes about the same amount of sense either way. But one question: a hook?!? When did Buster get a hook? How is it that easily the funniest show on TV is looking at cancellation?
Posted by: brandon o at March 20, 2005 8:18 PMLong story short, Buster went swimming in the ocean against Lucille's wishes in an act of defiance but a Loose Seal bit his hand off. The seal had been given a taste for mammal blood by GOB in a magic trick mishap involving cats and a yellow bowtie, and then GOB set it free. (The seal was somehow related to GOB's wife, the seal dealer.) So they were gonna track down the seal using crates of terminally ill cats as bait, in order to get Buster's hand out and reattach it. They gave up looking for the seal after they found that the seal itself lost a flipper (which was where the tracking device was) and Buster felt that they were karmatically simpatico. Plus the lost hand got Buster out of army duty, which he had been signed up for by Lucille when a Michael Moore lookalike dared her to on camera. Turned out the lookalike was only working for the Jimmy Kimmel show.
Every single word I just typed is true.
I must say, tonight's episode was brilliant. Mrs. Doubtfire jokes are always great, and Maeby is maybe becoming one of my favorite characters.
Posted by: Dave at March 20, 2005 8:30 PMYou can borrow my boombox if you like.
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