3 is the magic number

Three Things Survey
Three things that scare me:
1: spiders
2: lonliness
3: desperation
Three people who make me laugh:
1: friends and family
2: Inglebert Humperdink
3: my cat
Three Things I love:
1: friends and family
2: my cat
3: roller coasters
Three Things I hate:
1: spiders
2: rudeness
3: eggs
Three things I don't understand:
1: voluntary ignorance
2: asian languages
3: why people like jell-o
Three things on my desk:
1: teddy ruxpin catepillar
2: wolverine
3: carved wooden cheetah
Three things I'm doing right now:
1: looking for a job
2: washing clothes
3: watching tv
Three things I want to do before I die:
1: live abroad for an extended period
2: write down family history
3: be satisfied with my success
Three things I can do:
1: cook italian
2: feed my cat
3: love little things
Three ways to describe my personality:
1: patient
2: loyal
3: cerebral
Three things I can't do:
1: have full mobility in my right knee
2: grow much taller
3: give up completely

Movies to Watch in Class for Black History Month

on the eve of Black History Month, the Daily Show had their "Senior Black History Month Correspondent" (worst stupidest title ever) Joe Black-guy, come on. The segment wasn't that funny, altho he did make a few great remarks: a month for 28 days of triva for white people; and how there should be a kick-off celebration, "Whitey Gras."

I'd like to do my part and promote movies that could be watch this month in various classrooms across the world.

#1: Some Non-conventional Sidney Poitier movie

We can't just watch A Raisin in the Sun over and over again, the commonfolk must be more exposed to the full catalouge of this man's range. Ok, in Raisin he's not so much an upstanding gentleman that, well, my generation I believe, knows him as - he was just a young dude trying to be the honorable man, but still with flaws a young man would have.

The other day I saw For Love of Ivy(1968) which, to my shock, Sidney had a sex scene in it! I was constantly diverting my eyes(shudder). Besides the sex scene being the most shocking thing, his charecter was an upstanding gentleman that also happened to run an illegal gambling business on the side, and also a self described ladies man.

Altho I haven't seen it, I hear Brother John(1970) is an excellent film too. He's an upstanding fight-for-ur-rights type guy, like a focused part from his charecter in In the Heat of the Night(1967). Let's not see Sidney be an enabler to the white man like he did in The Defiant Ones(1958) let people watch Sidney as you've probably never seen him, hell, even watch one of his Bill Cosby movies like A Piece of the Action(1977).

Heroes pt 1: Cyclops

One of my friends has recently given me a focus by way of her myspce page. She's working on a very heavy theme of villans to display and quote and such, so I'll unknowingly counter and do some of my favorite heroes.

Cyclops

now, with the trilogy of great X-Men films, Cyclops has wrongly become the whiney, least liked leader of the X-Men. He's like the symbol of pitiful mutant, which he should never ever ever be. Here's why Cyke does not suck, and actually, RULES:

• one of the most powerful mutants



Cyclops' power is to shoot a concussive force from his eyes. This power can't be controlled because he hit his head after falling outta a plane as a child (well, recently, its come about that he simply gave up his control whilst a teenager). Either way, because the power can't be controlled, that sorta means there's no limit to it, right? One of my favorite displays of his power came in an issue of Astonishing X-Men, where he blew a sentinel completely away from the woods of the X-mansion, he did say, "Get off my lawn." Cyke rules



• depth of his charecter



and this is why Stan is the man of all comics, he gave Scott Summers such a story, not just him, but a whole lotta other marvel peeps too. Scott Summers has issues! Most rudimentary: he can't look anyone in the eye. That simple flaw in his whole being just gives way to a big pandora's box of what is wrong with him. Stan Lee, has revealed to the masses the negative possibilities when u don't look anyone in ur life in the eye. Scott Summers isn't really a blind man, cos he's able to see, but the effects of him not plainly looking back at people: he's detached, has attachment issues, marital problems, over worked, obsessed with his career, blah blah, but all those things make his story so great.



• the cool glasses



throughout his costume history, Cyclops has had pretty weird outfits and matching goggles, but for the most part, they were cool in their own time. He always looks sharp in the shades at nite.

ode to kitty

this is a great frickin year... So far I lost a job that well suited for me(besides the morning commute) amid great horrible drama, and on 6 February 2007 I was forced to put my cat Bookey to sleep. So how am I getitng through this:

#1: blame the animal hospital for causing my present grief and stress.
I noticed he wasn't doing so hot a day or two before, I was even spooning water in his mouth cos Bookey wasn't drinking anything. So I took him to the first vet where she thought she felt a mass in his liver(=possibly/most likely cancer). He was also dehydrated and his body temp was below normal. I'm smart enough to hear that someone's felt a mass somewhere on my cat and know that that can't be good news at all, but, trying to stay behind the gun and not jump in front of it, I asked her what she reccomended.
Of course Bookey was obviously very sick, and she was straight with me, having him put down as a logical option, along with possible places he could be taken to diagnose whatever it is. I really didn't want to write his death sentence without knowing if it was possible he could get better, so I took him somewhere else where they could do a sonogram or x-ray or something.
The next place took him back, without me able t ogo with him, examined him, a doc came back out, and said they would like to check him in immediately cos he was so sick. Then they came out with a "care plan" for him - the bill of how much it would cost for them to figure out what was wrong with him.
Here, is where I start blame... animal care, expectedly, can get very expensive, and Bookey's care plan came to more than $2100, to which the DEPOSIT to start his treatment was $2100. There was no partial payment, lower deposit, nothing really, just give us $2100 now if u want your cat to live.
So, after basically either having the choice of bringing him home and watching him suffer and pass away maybe painfully, or letting him go right then, I got my sis to tell them that he'd be euthanized.

#2: blame the hospital
I was/am having equal trouble with losing one of my cats forever and making a choice to end his life that very day. At the first place I stalled and kept trying to ask in a lot of different ways, what do u reccomend? or what are my options again, cos I didnt want to come to that conclusion, even tho that was always the likely outcome.
And at the second place, I sat with my sister in the lobby trying not to break down in tears because everyone else's pet that was in there was gonna come out again. I was in there for like 30 minutes not saying anything cos I couldn't say in direct words to put him to sleep, or euthanize or anything like that, I mostly just said well I don't have another choice do I?
So, Bookey is gone...

#3: deal with Ashlee
Ashlee is his mother. The mom tragically outlived her son, sad. So far, I've set out the carrier with a blanket they had him on, and the pillow case and a towel around, and the same blankets are on my floor that they always lay on. Somehow it makes sense to leave his scent around as much as possible, I think it'll help, especially once she realizes that he's not coming back.
She came out when I came home that nite, and kinda searched around for him a bit, smelled the carrier a lot. Last nite I noticed she was sleeping in it, the day before she layed on the towel I put by the table. Last nite she also started meowing at nite, kinda the mother cry.
I'm hoping Ashlee can get through this, cos she's old and thin already, at least let the seasons change before I lose her too.

Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

this movie reminds me of my mom's black and white tv. It was probably the first or only one she bought when she was living on her own after separating from dad, cheap but functional. wow - just think you could still get a black and white tv in the early 80's. It was a little 12" (wow, computer screens are bigger now) with its own antenna on top - that of course eventually broke off and was replaced/reinforced with tin foil - and the channel turns were on dials - they made hard clicks, you could burn calories turning those channels; your whole hand and palm were involved, couldn't just use one finger like with our buttons today.

But anyhoo, in my random memory progression - I remember watching this movie when I was little on the set. I remember storing it in my memory banks as a child because after reading this trivia book on the presidents, I somehow decided that Teddy Roosevelt was my favorite. Then when I stayed up (relatively)late one night - not really flipping channels cos it wasn't possible - I came across this movie that had Teddy Roosevelt in it! Who knew presidents did movies?! That's all really funny or endearing now cos 1) notice the obvious lack of timeline in the young childs mind; and 2) for a really long while I didn't even know that that movie was an "old" movie - I thought if I was to see it on my dad's tv it'd turn color, lol.

Isn't it funny what makes you remember things? When I came into conscious thinking about the movie I was greatly thrilled with it. It's one of the funniest movies in the world and every time its on u cant turn away, because it'll make you laugh. Cary Grant is my fav old movie actor, and now IMDB tells me that he thought this was one of the worst performances in all his films b/c it was over the top. yeaaaah, BUT every new time I see it, I find I am laughing more at his subtle performances in the movie. There is a lot of him panicking and trippin over chairs, but there are also the much more funny parts where he really doesn't say anything and hopelessly whimpers cos he knows he is in a nuthouse; I enjoy those moments the most.

Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd (1974)

this song will forever bring a smile to my face. If it's raining outside, when I just found out I've got $6.43 to my name, if I have had the worst, most stressful day at work; if this song comes on the radio as I'm flippin through the stations, tish will be smiling in her car and listening contently.

I feel I ave had heard this song in on of the most unique ways in the world, and this was shared with about 3 or 4 other people currently in the US. It was in Tornareccio, Abruzzo, Italy, a tiny lil town in the mountains on the Adriatic side of Italia. One night in town, one of the local boys were having their sweet sixteen or whatever the Italian equivalent is, so he had a huge birthday party. The family hired a band to play, and we - collective Brits and Americans - being the usual excitement of the summer cos of our field school, were invited. During the course of the evening the band saw us grooving to the music, mostly some old standards, and they invited up anyone who could sing...My Irish buddy Chris, who has his own band (strongly influenced by John Fruciante and the like) went up and he sung this song. It was chosen out of the songbook the band had, and shouldn't every band everywhere know how to play it anyway? So yeah, I heard "Sweet Home Alabama" sung by an Irishman, being backed up by an amatuer small town Italian band, while in Italy. I find that interesting anyway. Hearing the song immediatly transports me back to my 2 magical wonderful summers in Italy.

But, about the song...it is sung by what I, in my earlier years, thought were southern redneck hilbillies. But since I started listening to them, adn the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, I gained a lot of respect for them, Lynyrd Skynyrd's awesome!! The greatest hits album is definately on my "to get" list.

The Children's Hour (1961)

so I think this won't be so random anymore, it's actually harder to be random than focused on something. I'm thinking the big m's: movies and music (and books). Now then, I saw The Children's Hour this morning on TMC - the star for today is Audrey Hepburn, I could've well spent the whole day in bed without turning the channel if I was so inclined (well, except for My Fair Lady, I just cant do it).

The Children's Hour is from 1961, starring Hepburn, and Shirley MacLaine (Warren Beatty's sis right?), a pretty cute young James Garner, and the other person of note Fay Bainter. I caught the very end of this one morning and was reminded 'thats that movie they had on vh1 talking about portrayals of lesbians.' It's the story of how this evil lil girl starts a rumor that her two teachers at boarding school are "unnatural" in their feelings for each other and ends up ruining, or ending, their lives.

It was a great movie, especially watching it in our time now, it becomes one of those films that is ironically not outdated. It's from a play in the 1930s? so you'd think people would've come along a bit further in the way we treat one another and such, but no, I think that could still happen in a lot of parts in the world today. And the lady that played the granny! Fay Bainter - I said to myself while I was watching it, jeez did she win for best supporting actress? Turns out she was nominated, but she was nominated during the year of West Side Story, HA! Needless to say, Rita Moreno won, and rightly so, you can't take away Anita's oscar. Man, that must've been a toss up tho. Anyhoo - granny's performance was great. She was so good at getting across the feelings of confusion of her grandchild describing the rampant lesbianism that was supposedly going on, and anger that two lesbians were loving with and having daily contact with hers and other little impressionable girls. She's actually the initiating factor in the movie that made me think about the audience, and other characters perception of the two women. Her face just illustrated all those conflicting emotions and denial and acceptance all in the space of time of about 2 minutes on screen when the evil girl was making up her story.

The other neat thing I noticed - how the director used the screen door of the school house. As the movie went on it became more and more of a barrier between the lives of Hepburn and McClaine and the outside world. First, James Garner only hesitates for a second before he swings it open like he would normally do and starts to munch on food around. Then the screen gains its weight right at the point when on of the parents is standing outside, talking to Hepburn, but we are inside looking out with MacLaine through the door, and just so you know how much sh*t has gone down and how bad things are gonna get - we and MacLaine can't even hear anything, even tho the other two are about 10 feet away, and its a simple see-through screen door! wowsers! Then, the door has its greatest weight when granny finally knows that her child lied and she comes to apologize. The camera just sits on her face through the door again before she asks can she come into the house. But, finally the weight is lifted from the door when the 'problem' is gone - the lesbian kills herself, and Hepburn can free swing the door open again, go fig.