Take a Break Week
Has it only been 11 days since my last update? In all honesty time has been moving in slow motion lately.
In my last post I mentioned an idea for a short story, but the closer I got to sitting down and writing it the more unappealing it got. So no dice on that one. The day before I came to Hamilton, I had some time to kill and ended up writing a few pages of dialogue between two characters based on Rockwell and I. That one lost its flare pretty quickly too though.
Last Friday the 16th I packed my things and got picked up from my place in Guelph. Later that night, after grabbing a bite to eat at home, Pete and I met Sarah (who came home from Waterloo the same day) at Jackson Square. The three of us went to see Pan's Labyrinth. This film deserves more of an explanation than I will likely give it here, but let me say that it is a wonderful film. One critic, if I remember correctly, described it as a fairy tale for adults. That's a pretty good explanation. There's a well-balanced mix of fantasy and realism in the film, so you can feel like you've enjoyed a fairy tale, even though the main characters are all human. The visuals are also very nice, and the acting above par. All three of us loved it.
The next night, the same 3 plus Sara PJ met at Skyline to shoot some pool. I'm out of practice. We hung out at my place afterward, and after Sarah left, Pete and Sara and I lazed around until around 2 in the morning. The movie Beethoven was on TV. (That really old one about the Saint Bernard.) After they left I watched Angels in the Outfield, which came on after. I think I still have that one on VHS somewhere, and I've seen it about a million times. The scene near the beginning where George Knox loses his temper and knocks over a rack of bats is absolutely priceless.
Sunday night I took it easy - walked over to the store and rented The Quiet and Little Miss Sunshine. The Quiet was terrible. I think people my age, especially those of us who aren't avid 24 fans, are still reeling from Elisha's drastic change from
this to
this. Granted, we probably missed some stuff in between, but who can blame us? As for Little Miss Sunshine, I don't need to talk about it. It was as good as everyone said it was. I got both my parents to watch it, and even my dad laughed a lot, which I didn't expect. I award the host of the beauty pageant The Creepiest Dude Ever Award. If you haven't seen this one yet, I highly recommend it, obviously. Despite a bit of off-colour language, this is a good one to watch with the family. (If my dad liked it, just about anyone would.)
Monday night was Poker night at Rockwell's. We were joined by Paul and Katelin. All I can say is, it's a good thing we don't play for real money. Paul won. Tuesday: nothing to report.
Today Pete and Sara and I went over to Westdale to make our rounds visiting old teachers and friends. We saw Mr. Queck, Mr. Spree, Ms. Baboudjian, and Miss Dickson. (Among others, actually, but those are the ones I talked to.) It's always nice to do that. I think people appreciate knowing that you haven't forgotten about them. Of course, half the fun is feeling like a big shot as you stroll around, as if you never left. Afterward we had lunch at the Snooty Fox and went back to Sara's, who helped us continue our little trip down memory lane. She had some tapes that were recorded of our class in Grade 1. We were singing (in French!!) and dancing in the gymnasium for our parents. Very cool. It's funny to see how we looked when we were 6 years old, and pretty mind blowing to think about how far we've come. I wonder if our teachers ever imagined that the same friends would still be together many years later, home from our pursuits of higher education to watch in amusement our former selves doing a dance number to Frere Jacques.
Tomorrow I'm going around to a bunch of places with copies of my resume, and hopefully buying a new pair of shoes somewhere along the line. I'll let you know how that goes, but for now I'm calling it quits because I realize I should probably work on finding something more interesting to discuss than my life. Agreed? Agreed. Ok.
Spark
I've got this idea for a short story. It's a little lame, but I want to write it anyway. If I do, I'll post it here.
Today is a drab day. It will mostly consist of cleaning up my room and doing neglected laundry, and possibly buying more groceries. I might also go to the mall with Pete later.
This upcoming week is the last before Reading Week: 9 glorious days of freedom. I originally had some asperations to embark on some great adventure, but it's more likely I'll be in Hamilton looking for a job. I think I already said that in my last post, didn't I? Yeah, I did. Well, there it is again.
So, despite the unexcitingness of today, I'm feeling swell because I did a good deed. While browsing a forum, I came across a short story somebody had posted for constructive feedback. I didn't read the whole thing, but from skimming through it for maybe five minutes I got a reasonable idea of the writer's skill level and major problems. Based on that I gave some very constructive and detailed criticism, and she was very appreciative. I did it because I know probably not all young writers are encouraged the way I was, and I also love it when random people help random people on the internet.
Classes and Asses
I should be working on my Critical Thinking Assignment right now, but I keep looking at my blog and noticing how long it's been since I posted, so I'm giving in and updating. Although, maybe I should point out that, being busier now, I probably won't be posting as much as I used to. I do want to keep this up though, no matter what. I think blogging is a constructive thing to do, even if your blog is as pointless as mine.
Last week I carried out one of the more...unique assignments in my educational career. They called it the Donkey Project. A girl in my Acting class, Jen, used to work at a sanctuary for abused/abandoned/otherwise unfortunate animals. What animals? Mainly donkeys, some sheep and goats, and some mules. Trevor, (our instructor) arranged for our class to drive out to said sanctuary last Tuesday morning. We were introduced to the animals and such, and then Trevor told us to pick one and observe it very closely. I picked out the biggest donkey in the pen; the one who seemed the most authoritative. (I think his name was Amigo.) I watched the way he swung his big head around as if he didn't care if it ever got to where it was going. The way he moved very purposely toward your outstretched hand holding a piece of apple. Very purposely, but slow and delicately too. They're neat animals.
When we got back to class, Trevor told us to recreate the sanctuary. To imitate, as best we could, the animal we'd been watching. He'd invited several of his collegues from the department to come visit us, and feed us. Some of my peers were less than enthusiastic. I said to a couple people that they should just think of it as bringing new meaning to the term, "making an ass of yourself." And you know what? It actually worked out quite well. I don't think anyone felt like an idiot, and even better, I think we did a good job. The people who came to check it out and handfed us crackers seemed very impressed - and I don't think they just felt sorry for us.
Outside of Acting, my life is the same as usual. I've made the decision to drop my Logic course. When people told me it was hard, I always couldn't help thinking, "Hard for
you, maybe. You don't know me." Well, turns out, it
was hard. If I were taking no other classes, it would be challenging enough all on its own - and then I could do it, if I didn't have other commitments. Unfortunately, I know right now that I'm not going to have the time or willpower I'd need to do well enough, so I let it go.
Right now in my free time I'm still watching movies and also starting to look at
JobLoft frequently for listings in Hamilton. I also started writing an email to The Old Mill, (which, by the way, has a surprisingly nice little
flash site) but I think I'd be better off going there in person the next time I'm in Hamilton, seeing as my dad knows the owner and all. I also plan to drop off a resume at the Westdale movie theatre. I don't want to work in retail that badly but it seems like there's almost no other choice. Plus, I suppose it's good resume material.
The only noteworthy film I've seen lately is Idlewild, featuring an entirely black cast and music by OutKast. It wasn't well received. Critics complained about the cliched plot, which I'll admit was very predictable. Still, I think the editing, the lighting, and the whole composition of the thing more than makes up for a weak plot and some stock characters. The music is also very toe-tappable. It's no masterpiece I guess, but it's worth checking out if you feel like being entertained.
At the top of my music playlist right now is:
Melt with You by Modern English
Burning by The Whitest Boy Alive
Wildcat by Ratatat
Assassin by Muse
Knights of Cydonia by Muse
Superheroes by Edguy
Lips of an Angel by Hinder
All terrific tracks. Check them out!
