IAA, or, moderation is the key
Fireworks viewed through prism-vision glasses
Is there an organized group for Internet Addicts Anonymous out there? I feel like there should be, and that I am slowly making my way towards self-recovery.
Not to say that I am totally abandoning the internet! It is especially useful for things like research. and maybe streaming Netflix.
Speaking of, how can I explain that the last several movies I've rented were based on true stories about people who've all died prematurely (either by murder, suicide, or 'unintentional suicide') without seeming like I have some morbid death wish? I try to wonder why I gravitate towards these types of films, since why would I exactly find these entertaining? But for the most part, I don't usually view movies as merely entertainment, but as a way to educate myself and expand my horizons. It's visual communication at it's finest!
One common trait among these featured people is that they lived out their personal values despite societal norms for that time, which is very admirable, but their lives ended shortly after.
-Into the Wild: What is it with guys taking "self-discovery" treks to Alaska, only to meet a tragic end? (see also: The Grizzly Man, which ironically I haven't seen). The reason for Christopher McCandless's solo journey was part self-discovery but also rebellion against his quarrelsome parents and societal pressures of being a young adult, fresh out of college. He was escaping, literally. He destroyed all forms of identification, donated his trust fund, and set out for the Alaskan frontier with whatever would fit in his backpack. People either sympathize or criticize McCandless for this fact: that he was insufficiently prepared for what he set out to do. He either didn't know what he was doing, or perhaps he knew exactly. Roughing it in the wilderness, there was a very great chance that he may not even make it to his destination. But if he died trying, then that was all that mattered to him. I think the most tragic part is the ending, where he makes a note which reads "happiness is real only when shared." How devastating. There he is, all alone in this abandoned bus in Alaska, starving to death, and he has this revelation on the verge of his death. So heartbreaking.
-Milk: Another Emile Hirsch film! Well, more like Sean Penn. Milk is based on the life of Harvey Milk, who was the first openly gay elected official in California. He only served one year in office before he was killed. He is often likened as the 'Martin Luther King Jr. for homosexuals'. Although he was assassinated, I'm not quite sure it was because he was gay, but rather because his running opponent, Dan White, was replaced and left without a job, considering he also killed the mayor of San Francisco right beforehand. This where the term "The Twinkie Defense" originated. Dan White's attorney claimed that White's heavy diet of fast food was to blame for his depressed mental state. Now really, what a load of crock is that? He was sentenced to 7 years in prison, but it would be reduced to 5 if he "behaved himself." WHAT THE HELL. This guy openly commits two murders in the city hall and only serves five years for it. Well, he ends up committing suicide anyway so... :|
-An American Crime: I like Catherine Keener (who co-starred in Into the Wild! What the heck is with this six degrees of separation insanity!) and Ellen Page, but I honestly don't think I could watch this movie again? The gist: Sylvia and Jenny Likens, two sisters from a carny family, are fostered into a home of Ms. Gertrude Baniszewski, a single mother living with her six kids (!!!). She is to receive $20 per week in exchange for housing the girls. When the money doesn't arrive on time, she takes them down into the basement and beats them. It gets worse when Gertrude's oldest daughter confides in Sylvia that she is pregnant, and somehow the word gets out. She blames Sylvia for spreading rumors, and eventually she is kept in the basement, where the only human interaction she receives are from the neighborhood kids who only visit to torture her. This movie just made me really mad, and knowing that it is a true story makes it even more infuriating. The thing is, Sylvia NEVER once fought back or said one malicious thing during the whole ordeal. She was too "nice" for her own good, and others saw that as a way to manipulate her without any direct consequences. Remember "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth." Does this statement even hold any value?
-Fur: This isn't so much a "based on" movie rather than "inspired by" Diane Arbus, who was a photographer most noted for her portraits of social deviants, outcasts, and disfigured people. It never really touches on the fact of her suicide, but moreso creates a tale of how her ordinary life is changed by a new tenant who moves upstairs in her apartment complex. I'd like to say this film is sort of a mix between Beauty and the Beast and Alice in Wonderland. It's a creative take on how she might have been influenced to become the controversial photographer everyone knows her as. Although I would have liked for it to show more of her actual work, the basis of this film is more how she came to be, and the rest is history.
Of course, I alternated these with more family-friendly movies like Ponyo and Kristen's Fairy House, l-lol. How about that Fujimoto, huh? Was he supposed to look like a tired old drag queen? My favorite scenes involved food, but it was not as up to par compared to Miyazaki's other films, IMO.
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Over Father's Day weekend, I stayed at a cabin that was right on the Trinity River! I took many pictures, will upload to FB or to a future entry here. Unfortunately, the river was too high to catch any fish. :c Sad, because I was hoping to catch something! It was so nice to wake up in the morning, grab some fruit & coffee and just sit out on the deck overlooking the river. If it wasn't so darn hot, it would've been like hanging out at my grandpa's deck on Anderson Island, overlooking Puget Sound in Washington. I really miss the atmosphere of the Pacific Northwest. :') Plus all my relatives are there, and I wish I was closer to them (both physically and emotionally). For instance, I just found out my cousin is pregnant with her second child, and she's due around December! I am very excited for her of course, but we haven't even seen her first one yet! Traveling would be so much easier if we had more vacation time, not to mention sufficient funds.
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Okay, this post is turning out to be more movie-centric and nostalgic reminiscing than what I was hoping to write about.
Back to the point of this entry is that I AM STARTING TO DO STUFF! I am finishing the Spring Cleaning that I never really started (lmao), and this includes going over my house with a fine-toothed comb, both inside and out. I have to keep reminding myself that the whole process will be very gradual and to not expect a miracle within a few days, or else I just get overwhelmed and my motivation dies instantly.
Yesterday, I made compost with old herbs and coffee grounds. I also received a few herbs/plants from Dad and Maria's garden: Oregano, Mint, Thyme, Rosemary, Papaya, and Chile Pequin. Kinda nervous about transplanting the papaya, as the soil it's in is more clay-like while the dirt around our house is fairly sandy and poor (it can barely grow grass!)
In conclusion, physical baggage equates to emotional and mental baggage. I feel that once my living space has been thoroughly organized, I will be able to move on and finally start projects and set goals that will become beneficial rather than just another burden on my mind.
Think of this as a new beginning, a clean slate, tabula rasa.