Another Lens To Peer Through

It’s a sign.

After Tyler hung up last night*, I lay there staring at my ceiling, not feeling the slightest bit of fatigue. Irritated at the wasted time, I plugged my cellphone in and hopped out of bed to grab a copy of the New Yorker. Thanks, Ivy.
EDITION: September 22nd, 2008
I’d waded through a couple pieces on the Babar book series, a childhood favorite, and the parallel between an author’s life experiences and his work before landing on an article about Spike Lee. It was twelve pages long, eleven without the title photo.
I was originally planning to skip over it in favor of a lighter read, but I was intrigued by the shot of Spike on the second page. He had on a serious expression that most would find intimidating- I found it endearing. His shirt was black, with white letters proclaiming “OBAMA IS THE NEW BLACK”. His stance was simultaneously very forward and laid back, with one foot propped up displaying an Air Jordan sneaker (there was a reference to this later on in the article).

Some would find his expression intimidating- I found it endearing.

He looked like the type of person I would genuinely want to be friends with.

By the end of the article, I was caught by a sudden desire to direct. This was nothing new- I’d considered the role of director before, an interest rather than an already-developed talent to add to my “jack-of-all-trades”. However, I’d very quickly dismissed it because, well, there were so many other trades and interests in this collection that I’d already honed to better degrees.
Last night, this obstacle struck me as very stupid.

So?

Spike didn’t know he wanted to direct until later on in life, and was most likely talented at quite a few other things, sports included. Look what he became.

—-

The next morning, I dragged myself out of bed, very much looking forward to an uneventful day of rest- the first in perhaps a week. I wound up in my dad’s room, going through his closet and replacing some ties that had somehow slithered off their designated hanger and onto the floor to mingle with the hairballs.
As I was checking his suit jackets for stains, something prompted me to look upward. There were boxes, piled one on top of the other, a couple depicting unopened childhood toys, another… a camcorder? My interest piqued, I grabbed my dad’s chair and promptly hopped on top of it, intending to bring down whatever I found.

Among my discoveries were a doorag (W-T-F?! My uber-asian father…?), a leather baseball cap with which I was very pleased, scarves, a neon pink scarf which I intend to style as a skirt, and not one but TWO camcorders.
Perhaps I’m just overanalyzing as usual. But discovering two camcorders the morning after I read Spike’s article and resolved to look into film?

I slid my hand behind the strap, wrapping my fingers around the camcorder and flicking the switches with my index. It felt good.

*”Last night”; 2/2/09

This is what I love about the internet

Two random things I discovered today that warmed the heart.

a) In an article about celebrity roommates that I clicked on while procrastinating:

Christopher Reeve and Robin Williams

At Julliard, roomies Robin Williams and Christopher Reeve vowed to always be friends and help each other throughout life. Both held true to the promise, as they remained close. Williams even covered some of Reeve’s medical expenses after he was paralyzed. Of course, being Robin Williams, he couldn’t stop there; after Reeve found out he couldn’t walk again, Williams visited him dressed as a doctor and pretending to be his proctologist, reportedly causing Reeve to smile for the first time since the accident.

b) Link from Tyler

Turn D-Day back into V-Day

Ah, the dread that accompanies the “most romantic day of the year”.
Perhaps for a lucky few, this is indeed what Valentine’s means. However, for those of us who are not so fortunate (and the number of people falling into this category are usually greater than the former), Valentine’s Day is just another glaringly obvious reason to feel miserable about the lack of a one true love with which to share all those truffles.
For those of us who are, for various reasons, planning to spend V-Day miserably adding pounds to our thighs in front of the TV, I have a little proposition for you. Misery does love company, and what better way to bemoan your solo status than among your closest and equally self-pitying friends?

LAIR: My humble suburban home
MOMENT: Either on V-Day itself or the day after
DECADENCE: A mind-numbingly long movie night over boxes of chocolate that you WOULD have bought or would have liked to receive and, of course, the never-failing tubs of ice cream.
TICKETS: Yourself, your favorite romantic movies, and as many sweets as you can pack.

If you’re interested, leave me a comment with at least three of the following:
- Your name
- Whether/when you’re available
- Movie suggestions
- Whatever sugary delicacies you can bring
- Why you’re qualified for this fabulously sad little gathering

No, I have not discussed it with my dad. No, I don’t think he’ll have a problem with it. RSVP ASAP! Sadness and solitude are NOT a good combination.

Be The Next Obi-Wan Kenobi

In the coolest toy to hit the gamergeek market since, oh, SSBB, Uncle Milton Industries brings us the phrase that has almost completely replaced “break-a-leg”.
By that, I mean “may the force be with you.”
Well, if you’re willing to shell out around $100 bucks, it CAN be with you. The “Force Trainer” comes with a headset that uses brain waves to allow players to manipulate a sphere within a clear 10-inch-tall training tower. The wireless headset reads your brain activity and translates it to physical action.

It gets cooler.

Apparently, the intense amount of focus it takes to make the ball moves brings you into some sort of Zen-like “zone” which you can actually feel. And, just in case your brain has the sensitivity of a teaspoon, the chute’s base unit has an arsenal of sound effects and audio clips from Star Wars that announce your graduation from level to level. There are LEVELS! You could have the force of a padawan- or an *drumroll please* esteemed Jedi!

Dude. I want this. It might even top blogging in “coolest-way-to-procrastinate”.

FOR THE BASICS:

http://i.gizmodo.com/5125905/star-wars-force-trainer-uses-mind-bullets-to-move-ball-through-chute

IF YOU’RE A SW NERD AND WANT THE FULL STORY:

http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2009-01-06-force-trainer-toy_N.htm

Decode

Sorry for the hiatus! Life’s been throwing numerous curveballs (and way too many homework assignments/collaterals) in my direction, leaving very little time for my blogging hobby. I’ll make up for it, I promise!

But enough about my life- fickle teenage worries pale in comparison to THIS.
This music video.

I swear, elementary-school cross-my-heart-and-hope-to-die-style, that the second you watch this video ALL YOUR DOUBTS; I repeat, ALL YOUR DOUBTS (translates to: every doubt you ever had) about the Twilight movie will evaporate into the thin, cold, NYC air (or wherever you’re reading this from).

http://www.mtv.com/videos/paramore/294491/decode.jhtml#id=1518071

So WATCH, for Chrissake (Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger). If you have crappy internet, wait till it loads, THEN watch. And DON’T x it out because the first half is all stuff we’ve seen in the trailers. The real shit is in the second half.

If your eyes don’t have multiple orgasms you still lack faith in the film after this video, by all means, let me know. I need to expand my one-sided way of thinking.