To a Place Where Gasping is the Only Sound
Ok, so someone has a parrot in a nearby apt that makes sounds like someone macking it. It's definitely a parrot, which just makes it disturbing.
Played some kick-ass kick ball with Megan and a bunch of her friends in Santa Monica. Good times were had. I sweated a bit, and Megan and I got some nice shin bruises from when she tried to take first base, and I was determined to stop her. Some bruises are fun to get.
So, I saw "Where the Wild Things Are" last night, and I left in awe of the artistry but unsatisfied. I knew such an artistic movie had to be chuck full of metaphor, but I couldn't decipher it. I knew there had to be a reason all the monsters had very distinct personalities, but I couldn't clearly determine if they were supposed to represent people in Max's life or tidbits about the world in general. And I was very frustrated. But 2 hours after the movie, I GOT IT! The monsters are all different part of Max's personality and the whole movie was a metaphore for Max trying to decide which personality to listen to, before returning home. I was angry because Max seemed selfish and never learned compassion, but one does not have compassion for all parts of one's self. I need to see the movie again, now that I get it. I hope this helps any of you who have not seem it. I think it will be more enjoyable to you (if you're like me, and can only enjoy an artistic movie if you know what it's supposed to mean). It's a movie about a child's struggle to understand his emotions. Very well done.
The movie made me sad, bc I kept thinking "This is where Tim Burton should be by now. Making genius work like this."
There is a wonderful book of essays out there that I think many of you would enjoy. It's called "Small Wonder" by Barbara Kingsolver. It's basically call to make changes for a better and healthier America. Here are some bits of wisdom she provides.
1. "Maybe the cynics are on top of the game, and maybe they're not. Maybe it doesn't cost anything to hope, and those of us who do will be able to live better, more honest lives as believers than we would as cynics [...] Maybe life doesn't get any better than this, or any worse, and what we get is what we are willing to find: small wonders, where they grow."
2."We are expected to go along with this plan, in which people lose wars and corporations win them-- the missile builders, the mining companies, the oil magnates, and that's just scratching the surface-- and a little person like me should not dare to be so insolent as to suggest a moment's time out to review the monstrous human waste of an endless cycle of violent retaliation. Well, I'm daring. I have read that some of our missiles we are using against our current enemy-- one of the poorest countries on earth-- cost a million dollar apiece. Excuse an outrageous suggestion, but has anyone considered just sending innocent civilians the cash so THEY can dispatch the wretched tyranny in their midst and save everyone a huge cleanup? Masses of people tend to join cults of anger and vengeance only when they are desperate. History shows that populations with food in their bellies, literacy skills (women included), access to information, and immunization against the major diseases do not long tolerate martyrdom to the likes of Taliban warlords or Saddam Hussein."
3. "Our flag is not just a logo for wars; it's a flag for the pacifists, too. It's the flag of all of us who love our country enough to do the hard work of living up to the highest ideals [...] Maybe this is hard for some men to understand but that emblem wasn't handed to me by soldiers on foreign soil; it wasn't HANDED to me by men at all-- they withheld it from women for our nation's first century and a half. I would have never have gained it if everyone's idea of patriotism was to go along with the status quo."
Played some kick-ass kick ball with Megan and a bunch of her friends in Santa Monica. Good times were had. I sweated a bit, and Megan and I got some nice shin bruises from when she tried to take first base, and I was determined to stop her. Some bruises are fun to get.
So, I saw "Where the Wild Things Are" last night, and I left in awe of the artistry but unsatisfied. I knew such an artistic movie had to be chuck full of metaphor, but I couldn't decipher it. I knew there had to be a reason all the monsters had very distinct personalities, but I couldn't clearly determine if they were supposed to represent people in Max's life or tidbits about the world in general. And I was very frustrated. But 2 hours after the movie, I GOT IT! The monsters are all different part of Max's personality and the whole movie was a metaphore for Max trying to decide which personality to listen to, before returning home. I was angry because Max seemed selfish and never learned compassion, but one does not have compassion for all parts of one's self. I need to see the movie again, now that I get it. I hope this helps any of you who have not seem it. I think it will be more enjoyable to you (if you're like me, and can only enjoy an artistic movie if you know what it's supposed to mean). It's a movie about a child's struggle to understand his emotions. Very well done.
The movie made me sad, bc I kept thinking "This is where Tim Burton should be by now. Making genius work like this."
There is a wonderful book of essays out there that I think many of you would enjoy. It's called "Small Wonder" by Barbara Kingsolver. It's basically call to make changes for a better and healthier America. Here are some bits of wisdom she provides.
1. "Maybe the cynics are on top of the game, and maybe they're not. Maybe it doesn't cost anything to hope, and those of us who do will be able to live better, more honest lives as believers than we would as cynics [...] Maybe life doesn't get any better than this, or any worse, and what we get is what we are willing to find: small wonders, where they grow."
2."We are expected to go along with this plan, in which people lose wars and corporations win them-- the missile builders, the mining companies, the oil magnates, and that's just scratching the surface-- and a little person like me should not dare to be so insolent as to suggest a moment's time out to review the monstrous human waste of an endless cycle of violent retaliation. Well, I'm daring. I have read that some of our missiles we are using against our current enemy-- one of the poorest countries on earth-- cost a million dollar apiece. Excuse an outrageous suggestion, but has anyone considered just sending innocent civilians the cash so THEY can dispatch the wretched tyranny in their midst and save everyone a huge cleanup? Masses of people tend to join cults of anger and vengeance only when they are desperate. History shows that populations with food in their bellies, literacy skills (women included), access to information, and immunization against the major diseases do not long tolerate martyrdom to the likes of Taliban warlords or Saddam Hussein."
3. "Our flag is not just a logo for wars; it's a flag for the pacifists, too. It's the flag of all of us who love our country enough to do the hard work of living up to the highest ideals [...] Maybe this is hard for some men to understand but that emblem wasn't handed to me by soldiers on foreign soil; it wasn't HANDED to me by men at all-- they withheld it from women for our nation's first century and a half. I would have never have gained it if everyone's idea of patriotism was to go along with the status quo."