Physics

Why did I leave so much until today? I'm an awful person, that's why. 80 pages of intense physics homework is not the way I wanted to spend my Wednesday. Blast and damn procrastination.

Tonight:

I'm teaching a sewing lesson!

Eeeeeeeeee!

[There will even be money as a result. I'm very happy.]

here i dreamt i was an architect

School has been booming, and after long hours of physics homework behind tired eyes, I decided that I will never become a physicist. Not because I don't think I could be one, but because I'm sure that the job would cause me to hate my life. Despite being interesting and useful, physics is definitely not my favorite science.

In fact, this week I arranged my relationship to school subjects like this: chemistry beats physics, biology beats chemistry, math beats science and English beats all. I really like school.

This weekend has been full to the brim! The shape of my John Lennon calendar squares are hidden beneath a crows-nest of pen ink. There was a quiz meet, a birthday bonfire, my fourth Lifesaving Instructor class and another bonfire. I'm absolutely dead tired.

Also, I saw Taxi Driver. What a fantastic movie! My mind is still blown. Watch it.

My newest "questionable film" experience:

[Yes, I saw it with my mother.]

It would seem as though that very woman has given up her sheltering techniques on me. Of late, she has revealed a more laid-back parent; the kind that allows every "questionable" film in my collection to be pulled from the shelves for sudden watching. So far, we've seen everything from Monty Python's religion-parody Life of Brian, to the terrifying Jack-The-Ripper film From Hell, to the controversial "American love-story" Brokeback Mountain. What was it this week? 8 Mile.

This series of films have made me realize that "perverse", "edgy" or "questionable" movies can have a smaller effect on me than I might have thought at first [remember the days of pining after "grown-up films" with all the swearing that you were never allowed to watch?] I mean, Monty Python's jabs at Islam and Christianity are boldface and mocking, but as long as you don't base your beliefs on the opinions of a troupe of comedians [no matter how funny they are] you'll come out alright.

In fact, I discovered Brokeback Mountain to be a super-excellent film that I really like. I never heard from anyone that it was anything more than vicious anal-shagging done for no reason and in poor taste. [Watching it made me realize how small-minded some critics are, and what a great cinematographer Ang Lee is.]

As for 8 Mile, there's nothing really to be said. Lots of swearing and suggestive language, some violence, some stiff acting from rapper-turned actor Eminem [including a very awkward and unappealing sex-scene between him and that blonde girl from Clueless.] The only part I didn't find utterly lame was the set of rap-battles at the end. Those ripped it up, yo.

But still! I saw it! It did nothing for me, but I saw it with my mum!!

Next up:

Taxi Driver

Layer Cake

Fight Club

an arachnid behind glass

A pleasant sight through my window one evening. I absolutely love spiders.

there are power-lines in our blood-lines

I will never be a blue collar/pariah/prole. I will be paid doing something interesting, something meaningful and something I love [I don't love cashiering, answering phones or mopping floors, if you were wondering.]

So far in my career-planning endeavors, these things look marvelous:

CPR/lifesaving instructing, psychiatry, genetic engineering, free-lance journalism, biochemistry, arbitration, biology, pharmacology, oceanography, physics engineering, theology, optometry, physiology, critiquing, real estate, bee keeping, cinematography, cardiology, biological science technology, film directing...

...I will never bag groceries for a living.

Brokeback Mountain

After all these years of humming and hawing, I finally just watched it.

A once hugely controversial film, Brokeback Mountain crossed a very touchy Hollywood barrier: can we allow blatant homosexuality on-screen? Screenwriters Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana thought so after reading the short story by Annie Proulx. Though it took them a long time to find a director to actually shoot it, eventually director Ang Lee [Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon] picked it up -and 'needed to make it'.

After its successful release with Focus Features in 2005, the film not only managed to offend an entire population of stay-at-home moms [who only watched it for the attractive male leads] but it officially broke the ground for thousands of screenwriters to write more 'edgy' films. It was raved about by art and film communities, laughed at by teenagers and beer-drinking men and cried over by such single women as think such things are touching and romantic.

Personally, I thought it looked hilariously bad, and mocked it a lot.

However, against my better judgement, I finished my science homework early yesterday afternoon and plopped myself behind my television with a mug of tea, a critical eye and a vow to 'give this infamous movie a chance!' Surprisingly, as the film played out, my firm bias against it began to dissolve at a disturbing rate. Ang Lee's directing gave the story a realistic, raw feel that drew me into the characters and their problems; sweeping aside all the hype and 'lawl gay cowboys' that swam in my head. It became more than all that as the story unfolded.

To add to this strangely effective storytelling was a great cast, beautiful cinematography, interesting shots, subtle [but gripping] dialogue and acting which told more with silence than with words.

In conclusion, once the film was over [and I had put aside the graphic, hard-to-take sex scenes which found me squirming and giggling immaturely behind a pillow], I discovered the horrifying and humbling truth: I did not hate Brokeback Mountain!

With that shocker being said, I don't actually recommend that you watch it. In fact, I don't recommend that you do anything at all. The purpose of this post was to make something clear: sometimes films that you thought would be terrible can take you by surprise.

Even if the characters are gay cowboys.

Lawl.