The Holidays and Film

If anyone has any extra time over the Holidays, there are a slew of potentially solid movies that will be finding wide (a couple of these have already been released in LA/NY) release in the next couple of weeks. Here is a short list of what I will be seeking out in the theater before January 12. (The day second semester begins.)

1. Gran Torino Some are trying to intellectualize this film-- themes of aging and racism, Clint Eastwood's final acting role, a tribute to what he's done before as The Man with No Name and Dirty Harry--but I'm going to call a spade a spade. Clint Eastwood will be old, he will be beating an awful lot of ass, and I'm going to enjoy it. A lot.

2. Slumdog Millionaire Danny Boyle directing, it's already won numerous prizes-- and I usually end up being a fan of any movie that "celebrates life." Blame it on my sentimental side. And, I'm always a fan of unusual plotlines-- a poor young Indian man, on the Indian version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" is intriguing. I've heard the movie grows pretty dark at times (I think I read something about torture...), but I lalso like dark.

3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Brad Pitt. Thank you for Legends of the Fall. Keep your new mustache.

4. Marley and Me A role that will be great for Owen Wilson, and is not written by Wes Anderson. Those, I think, are few between. Angela and I both read the book, and we both really enjoyed it. Heart-warming, and based on a true story.

5. The Wrestler I, personally, am very excited about this. I think Mickey Rourke's sort of hit-or-miss, but the combination of him with Marisa Tomei (I think she's great) and director Darren Aronofsky will be exciting (as will Aronofsky's departure from movies with awsome yet strangely unsettling soundtracks). Also, this movie has that "celebration of life" potential. And the underdog-redemption-factor. Maybe I'm being misguided by reviews and trailers, but this could be one of the most solid films being released.

6. Frost/Nixon I don't think this will change anybody's life, but the dialogue should be snappy, and by all acounts, the acting is top-notch (Both Sheen and Langela were recruited from the Broadway play). Is Kevin Bacon playing a sleaze-ball in this? I can't tell.

7. Doubt Angela saw the trailer for this and said, "Ew, we're not seeing that," but I disagree. Again, the snappy dialogue, and as for the acting, well...the older generation may be quick to name Meryl Streep, but she's had her low moments. Now Philip Seymour Hoffman...I can't think of a single role-gone-wrong. Seriously. (And I've heard Viola Davis as the boy-in-question's mother is unbelievable.)

Up in the air...

6. Seven Pounds Really, this could go either way. I unashamedly enjoy Will Smith, although I don't think he's the most subtle of actors. But what, exactly, is the movie about? He changes seven stranger's lives? Boooorrrriiinnnnng. Hopefully there's more to it than that.

7. Revolutionary Road Leonardo DiCaprio is great, but how much can you do with "A young couple raising a family in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950s look to break free from their frustratingly mediocre lives." This has been done--many times-- before. Also, this isn't going to resound with people as much as it might have when the film was in production. Maybe if the family was from the 30's, and going through the great depression...

Thoughts? I'd be curious if anyone has already seen any of these. Cheers.

When a man loves a woman. . .

Happy Anniversary


30 years and counting!

Publication and Brief Update

I recently had a poem accepted in the literary magazine Cold Mountain Review. It's forthcoming in their Fall issue, which will be released in January.

I'd post it, but I'm not sure if that's considered "publishing" it or not, so you'll have to wait until after January if you're interested. I'm excited.

In other news, Angela and I are driving to Indianapolis for a Halloween party tomorrow, and then on to IWU for a Sunday visit. We are not sure what we're going to dress up as-- she wasn't too keen on my idea for her to dress up as Dwight from The Office, and me to dress up as Angela.

Cheers.

. . . the greatest of these is love

Congratulations Larisa and Cameron. . .



YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED!!

we love you.

Life in Oxford, Pt. 2

This is where Angela and I were last night. For those of you not in the area, there was an uncommonly strong windstorm Sunday, and the whole area lost power from Sunday until around 6 o'clock Tuesday morning (no street lights, no restaraunts...you know there's trouble when Wal-Mart has to close). It was unique looking at the moon in-town, without street lights to dim its brightness, yet disheartening that all our food was going to inevitably spoil. Ah well.

School was cancelled on Monday, but that night back-up generators were running at the University. Angela and I were studying/snacking at Shriver Center when those went out, and word spread that there was going to be a "protest" at the President's house. Angela and I went over to see what, exactly, there was to protest. There were about 1,000 (literally) other students who beat us there, as well as a large amount of police. It turns out the student body had one demand. They didn't want to go to class- again.

Some of them got their wish, not because class was cancelled, but because they were arrested. I understand they were just having fun, but I give my class three unexcused absences...and they're paying a lot of money to protest what they're paying for....I don't know, maybe I'm getting old. I do think it's too bad that many of them couldn't mobilize and get rowdy about, oh man, I don't know-- war, abortion, injustice in general.

Here's a short clip someone took. It's difficult to hear some of the more inspired chants, from "CAN-CEL CLASS," to "HOW CAN WE STU-DY, IF WE CAN'T SEE?," but you get the point.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nszdvWjereo

Summer Music

Every Thursday evening throughout the summer, Oxford hosts live music in the park uptown. It’s pretty sweet. It goes from seven-thirty until ten, but Angela and I wanted good seats, so we set up our folding chairs around seven. Arriving early is important. The townies enjoy live, rowdy music, and fill up the square. I will post pictures below as proof.
The band was a bluegrass group called New Found Road, but when the young woman announced them, she said New Found Glory, which is the name of a pop-punk group. New Found Road was an enjoyable experience, and Angela and I had our chairs on the edge of the clearing, so we were able to watch the crowd between songs.
Angela saw lots of the little kids she’s been watching at her preschool, and I don’t envy her spending five days a week with them. They were rowdy mini-townies. Twice during the show, they pulled down the chain barrier around the stage.
We’re continuing to walk and bike most places. Angela’s ridden her bike to work evey day, and I plan on doing the same when my classes start on Monday. We put a check on the calendar at the end of every day we don’t use the car. We’re grateful to be in a situation where we can avoid using the gas.

Angela and her neighbor, staking their seperate plots.

Milling townies. Note neighbor in the right background.

New Found Road, playing late.

my new favorite

The Suburban . . .
A true beauty! Mine is actually a girls one but it is the same difference.
Here is a little sample of the places the Suburban has been. . .

The Library




The Movie Theater



Coffee










The Grocery Store





Downtown


Brett and I are rarely driving the car in town. It pretty much sits unless we are taking a trip to see family for things such as The Strickland Family Reunion - yes it does exist! Good times had by all:) AND to see baby Roslynn for the first time!!

I thought I would end with Elmo since he is Brielle's favorite and she had her birthday this month. Happy Birthday Brielle!!

Tegan and Sara

This past Friday, Angela and traveled forty minutes south to see the identical twin-sister duo, Tegan and Sara. They play a sort of synthetic pop, are from Canada, and are lesbians. Being a lesbian is fairly unremarkable, however what is worth noting is that the composition of the crowd was such that we non-lesbians were a distinct minority. It was a cultural event, and the show was pretty good, T & S's voices live sounded much the same as they do recorded, which is not the case with many bands.

One aspect of concerts I’m always intrigued by is the “between-song-chatter.” It’s an aspect of the artist that one is not able to experience simply by listening to their CD. Usually there’s some crowd-banter involved, a funny story or two, or an explanation of a song. I’m a fan of all of these, although the first can quickly become boring.

Crowd-banter starts to sound like this:

Female Artist: What? I can’t hear what you’re saying, everyone, shut the hell up, I can’t hear what this dude’s saying. (Crowd quiets)

Fan: (Indistinct yelling from the front of the crowd, some laugh.)

Female Artist: Oh, you love me! Hey, I love you too!

Fan: (Faint voice, impossible to make out)

Female Artist: This guy wants to marry me! Oh, I would, but my boyfriend might have a problem with that, haha.

No one ever knows what the fan is yelling. Tegan and Sara’s banter was semi-interesting, but I have important news for anyone who is a fan of this duo (Let me quickly specify that while I enjoy them, I would not consider myself a "fan.")—Tegan is the uncool one. You might want to disagree with me, and that’s fine if you do, but by that you are also saying that long, drawn out stories about a cat sneezing while someone is trying to break up with their girlfriend are cool as well. You would also be saying unsightly neo-mullets are cool.

We had fun. Afterwards, we made the long drive up to Michigan for Mother’s Day Weekend, then down to Toledo Saturday night, and finally, home to Oxford.

Life in Oxford, Pt. 1

Angela and I now live in Oxford, OH, which is approximately 35 miles north of Cincinnati. It reminds me somewhat of Lexington, primarily because they're both cities that host major colleges. The difference between Lexington and Oxford, however, is that Lexington seemed to host UK, while Miami seems to host Oxford. Everywhere Angela and I go, whether it's a Kroger run at night or a bike ride to the Library, the city is crawling with college students.
We live in a two-bedroom townhouse, which is nice because of the space it affords us. Our second day here, I walked some move-in trash out to the dumpster, and on my way back, a blonde fellow in a sleeveless shirt pulled up on his bike in front of my door.
"So, you're the new neighbor," he said. We talked for a minute, he told me his name was Neil and that he was working on his master's in geology, and then with a wave of his hand toward the row of townhouses behind us, he imparted some information I found interesting.
"Actually, that whole row of townhouses are people getting their master's in geology," he explained. "And about half the next one, too."
I found this somewhat bizarre. Everyone? All geologists? Is there a dramatic need for geologists on the job market today? Should I put an extra lock on my bike tonight? Will I have to phone the police often because of all the loud, geologist parties?
Fortunately though, the only concerns I've had so far in the week and a half I've spent here, is that one of my neighbors in the row behind me, whom I can only assume is getting his masters in geology, is continually practicing with juggling sticks on the lawn, which I honestly don't believe I've seen since approximately 1999. I'm not talking about real juggling either, I'm referring to the activity where the participant holds a baton in each hand, and then tries to keep another baton in the air with it.
The other concern I've been forced to consider today (and this isn't really a concern, as much as a possible future trust issue), is that Neil was selling me baloney that wasn't manufactured on the farm. This morning I saw a short plump boy with a rat tail, who looked nine or ten, emerge from the back of one of said townhouses with an unopened packet of saltine crackers. He kept looking over his shoulder. Unless one of the geologists was using him for some sort of experiment, I don't think that boy has anything to do with Miami's Geology department.
I'll wait before I confront Neil. I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation. Meanwhile, Angela and I will continue enjoying the benefits of Oxford's Public Library, and the warm Spring weather.

This is our kitchen.




This picture has no relation to anything I blogged about. But there was a cat that was living illegally in the attic of the Strickland house in Perry MI, and we had no choice to set a trap for it. Here is Angela and my dad posing with the cat, before he was deported to my garage for the night.

Stuff Christians Like

Obviously it's a play off "Stuff White People Like," and while the writing isn't quite as funny, some of the items in the list should hit home for anyone who's been in the Christian community for a significant length of time. Worth checking out if you have a few minutes, I added it to our link list.

# 20 Psalty gave me a good laugh, as did # 45 Getting the money's worth out of Youth Group Liability Forms