The Nativity Story
Sunday, 03 December 2006 00:15:00

Hey All I just got back from a matinee of THE NATIVITY STORY. In case if you guys were wondering whether or not to go see it, save your money. Amazingly enough, the Greatest Story Ever Told in this case is as dull as church sermon. It adds nothing new to the story of Christ's birth and the whole thing just seems lifeless, which is a bit dissapointing, since the gal who directed the movie made the incredible movie THIRTEEN a few years ago. I dunno. Even though I'm not a big church goer, I do have a spiritual side to me and I think one of the biggest powers that movies have is to have the same spiritual catharsis that a good church service could have, and even more. And since PASSION OF THE CHRIST came out two years ago, Hollywood has taken notice of the power of cinema and spirituality (at least in dollars and cents). But to me, this just seems like the same thing AGAIN. And all I was thinking of was about other movies that accomplished what this movie did so much better. Like this movie was supposed to illuminate what life was like two thousand years ago in Judea under Roman occupancy. LIFE OF BRIAN was a way better movie in regards to that, and it was a comedy. And as for movies about Jesus, THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST was the be all, end all Jesus movie. You actually felt what Jesus felt as he grappled with the notion that he was the Son of God and what he went through. And despite all the controversy attached to it, THE PASSION at least had the balls to tell the Easter story in a slightly different way. In short, skip this flick and go to THE FOUNTAIN. Now THAT's a deeply spiritual movie that you have to see.

further..further
Sunday, 03 December 2006 03:18:06

Okay, maybe after the new year for the move thing. I have successfully stoked the woodstove to the point where it is around 85 degrees Farenheit two rooms away. Upstairs is close to toasty for the night, which was my goal. The funny thing is I wasn't trying that hard. What was that last log I threw on?! I'm scribbling tonight. Cocoa enhanced blurbage! It's too late to try for drunken verbosity this evening. Peeking at the boards just made me smile. Someone opined that they would not want to get naked pictures like Nathan. I did not ask about whether they'd like to get naked pictures *of* Nathan. I do not know of any, though I suspect his mum might have a few from his youth. We are old enough that you could still get a picture taken on a bearskin rug when you were a baby. Bottoms up, tushling! :biggrin: Also the flan thread provided a smile. "Backup Bash/Flan B". I snorted. We're about to give out free Emergency Contraception on Wednesday at work. The brand we carry is called Plan B. It's for when your condom fails you, for those who are reading this and not familiar with the concept. Whereas fandoms never fail! ..or something profound like that.

Erica's Sojurn Eroica
Sunday, 03 December 2006 18:13:58

My sister moved to Japan for year to teach English. She set up a photo blog online to maintain contacts with people. This is cool. She's already posted pictures from Chicago, of the Bean, and of her friends apartment near Wrigley Field, which is also sort of close to the Music Box Theater, which ran "Serenity" at a few midnight screenings in November. I missed the BDM screenings but I saw a movie there called "Mutual Appreciation" which I loved because it reminded me of so many people I know. I recommend it. Anyway, my sister is supposedly doing fine in Japan. She's called, emailed, etc. Before she left, she asked all of us (family) if we wanted her to bring anything back from Japan for us. All I said was Cowboy Bebop paraphenilia and photos of cool non - western architecture. I'm easy. I'm down to my last two projects before the semester is up. I admit to writing really flat essays these days. Its times like these when I like to quote agent Mulder and say, "might we not turn to the fantastic......" This makes me feel so much better about wasting time on obscure lyrics. So, am I happy for my little sister? Yes, of course. :smile: Am I bummed a little that she's gone? Yes, a little. :disappointed: She's no doubt the coolest member of the family, already having lived in Hawaii and Colorado. I guess now she's up there with Scarlett Johannson in "Lost in Translation." I told her not to get sullen, and not to listen to too much "My Bloody Valentine" in cabs. I should have told her to look out for actors doing ad-work in the midst of mid-life crises.

Avatars and Nicknames - have we evolved?
Sunday, 03 December 2006 19:41:00

My uncle "Gino" died last week. He was 90 years old. Gino was his nickname. Don't know where he got it. Guess I'll ask my cousins. My mother died when I was in my early 30's and my father a few years ago. There is only one uncle still living so my brother and I have become the matriarch and patriarch of our immediate family. We grew up in a small town, extended family, grandparents lived with us growing up, lots of aunts and uncles and cousins around. If you couldn't walk or ride your bike you didn't go - most of the time. The people we knew were all colorful characters, mostly Irish and German immigrant stock. The men in particular all had nicknames, like Chicken, and Potts and Jupe. My dad was called George altho that wasn't his name. I asked him once how he got to be called that nickname. He said when he was in the Marines in WWII in the South Pacific, whenever anything needed to be done, they'd say "Let George do it." He frowned and his eyes looked faraway when he said it. My dad was the kind of person who didn't talk just to hear himself talking. When he had something to say, people listened. Everyone had stories, too. The folks in my family were all story tellers, some would call them bullshitters, but I loved the stories. My dad had a character called Goose Goblin and every night he would tell my brother and I stories about Goose Goblin. We loved it! My Uncle Ralph was more for the ghost stories. He could creep out the best of em. Somehow the stories and the nicknames seemed to fit together. I still love a good story. I've written a few and quite a number tunes over the years. My anam cara (soul friend) told me she supposed that my love of FF derives from my love of story - of the amazing and impossible put into words and brought to life - a way leaving day-to-day struggles and, for a little while, explore the edges of mystery. So, now we have avatars - don't hear about nicknames so much these days - it's avatars that give us the ability to be more than what we are, to play at who we wish we were or might have been. I truly did love those stories and have a few of them written down. When I think of those folks who lived thru so much, sacrificed and did without - they earned those nicknames - can we say the same about ourselves? My avatar name is Siri - it means "beloved." Not sure I've lived up to that one. Perhaps it's about striving for something not necessarily claiming to have made it. "We all die alone."