I don't know why, but for the last several months I've had this odd hankering to watch the old 1992 Disney animated classic, Aladdin. Sometimes while driving home from work in my car I'll burst out into a song from the flick. I even braved the children's section of the library once in an attempt to snag a copy. (This is a thing I will never do again unless I am accompanied by a child; it felt awkward). So, knowing that my folks had a copy and that I'd be joining them for Easter, I put out the proposal that we watch after our ham riddled feasting. This would be my first time watching through the eyes of and adult and the first time I'd seen it in at least fifteen years.

The plot isn't really something I should have to synopsize, but I'll do so anyway. Set ten thousand years in the future in the fictional Arabian city of Agrabah, there is a magical lamp in which resides a genie who can grant (almost) any three wishes to the person who rubs said lamp. Antagonist Jafar is seeking it, seeking it, all his thought is bent on it for he wants to rule the world. Aladdin is a poor, thieving, and horny teenager who, as it turns out, is the only guy who can retrieve the lamp from its resting place in the Cave of Wonders. Along the way, he runs into a runaway Princess Jasmine who is also horny and tired of her life. Long story short, Aladdin gets the lamp and hijinks ensue.

Thematically, the movie seems to be about being unsatisfied with life. All of our characters yearn for something more from life but are "trapped" in their situations. Aladdin's poor and I guess doesn't want to get a job. Jasmine is sick of having her father and the law dictate her life. Similarly, Jafar is also bound by the Sultan's rule and just wants to watch the world burn. And, finally, the Genie would rather not be at the beck and call of whomever rubs his tiny dwelling.

Let the musing begin.

Continue Reading

I just entered the word "weekly" in the tags field for this post. Not only is this a lie, but it's also a farce. Granted, it could have been closer to truth if I had clicked the submit button on of the previous two times I sat down to pen this block of text. But, I don't like to dwell on the past. It's set in stone and cannot be changed. All I can do is look forward and make that as awesome as I can.

If somehow the only way you get your "me" information is via this blog, then you've missed out on the big announcement of my hiring at LinkedIn and upcoming move to Mountain View California. This puts my life in an odd state of flux right now as I prepare to move myself and my things seventeen hundred miles west. Needless to say, the items on my list are going to suffer.

Health - Not only have I had McDonald's once since the previous post, but Taco Bell twice. The first cannot be explained away, the second can. Cool Ranch Doritos tacos. Also, I've been trying to spend as much time with the folks around me as I can. Generally, going out to eat is a good way to do that. Of course, when my lunch hour is eaten up (pun intended) by eating out, my usual noon wanderings don't happen. Doesn't mean I can't do it later, I guess... But, I'm honestly not worrying about exercise right now as I'll be getting plenty of that biking to and from work in CA.

Finances - Ha! Yeah, nothing about moving to California is going to be cheap. Moving my shit is going to be $1000+, the apartment is going to be $2300/mo, and this doesn't take into account any ancillery costs that will come with. Luckily, LinkedIn will be paying to relocate me, but I will have to shoulder all of costs initially. To say I'm a bit nervous about whether I will be able to afford everything up front and continue to live between my last Griffin check and my first LI one is a bit of an understatement. I'm sure it'll all work out in the end, but that worry is there.

Japanese - Ha.... yeah...

I'll post some more about the whole LinkedIn thing at some point, but there may be a quiet spell until things get settled.

So, I'm late again. That's cool, I had my reasons.

Health - A little bit of good, a little bit of bad. The weather has been on and off favorable for walking and, when it was, I've made the best of it. Today and Saturday both I did 7+ miles worth of walking and I've finally brought my weight below the impentitrible 219 barrier (216 at the lowest). That's a trend I certainly want to continue. I must confess, though, that I did have McDonald's once a week-ish ago. I should also state that I plan on having Taco Bell this weekend when my brother comes for a brief visit from college. Gotta try that new Dorito taco, after all. But, other than that, I have no plans to get on the recurring fast food wagon.

Finances - More money than should have been was spent, though none on Japanese things (amazing considering that Nisemono has been calling my name). I purchased a new 2TB hard drive for my computer as I was certain my existing one was dying (considering the speed and stability increase I've had since the swap, am still certain of). I'll call that necessary. Add to that the fee for my passport, a higher than usual restaurant visitation rate, this bitchin' T-shirt, and certain other expenses, I spent more than I would have liked. Though, I did dabble in some freelance work which offsets at least some of all that. Actually, a goodly amount.

Japanese - Nothing. I've done nothing. And I am ashamed. How will I ask all the Japanese girls for their phone numbers? Oh, wait. That's the one thing I do know how to say.　でんわばんごうですか？Honestly, though. I've been keeping tabs on my brother's advancement in his real college course and I've absorbed more than I'd thought. I just really need to bolster my vocabulary.

Before Star Wars and after THX 1138, George Lucas made a little film called American Graffiti. Despite studios acting like assholes, as the often do, the film was a financial success, making fifteen times more than its budget on first theatrical run, and was welcomed to critical acclaim.

Graffiti is a coming of age type story set in the early 60s, following four groups of mostly high school seniors, as they burn through one last night of teenagery before going their separate ways to begin the next chapters of their lives. Steve (Ron Howard) is planning to go off to college and tries to get his girlfriend to go along with the idea of an open relationship. Curt (Richard Dreyfuss) is having second thoughts about college, and has various hi-jinks and adventures as he tracks down a woman in a white Thunderbird who randomly mouthed "I love you" to him at a stop light. Street racer Milner (Paul Le Mat) is just out cruising in his "piss yellow" hot rod when he finds himself in the company of young a teen aged Carol (Mackenzie Phillips). Finally, "The Toad", who is borrowing Steve's car, picks up a random girl and spends the evening cruising with her and getting into various troubles. Somewhere in there, Harrison Ford shows up and acts like a dick.

I'll be blunt: I didn't enjoy this movie. For the longest time as I was watching, I kept asking myself "where does the plot come in?" Almost immediately, we're introduced to a shit ton of characters who then go their separate ways. Every few minutes, the plot narrative will bounce between one of the four groups making it hard to gain a mental foothold of what's going on for the first half hour or so. I probably wouldn't have had this issue had I realized going in that there is no central plot and this is, more or less, a slice of life piece. The stories of each group interweave every once and again and all come together at the end, but there's no singular plot thread holding the pieces together.

Our characters are the usual fare I would expect for a baby boomers era group of teenagers; namely, they're all a bunch of ass wagons with nice looking cars. Steve treats his girlfriend like shit, making demands of her after breaking the news that, while he's away, they should see other people to "strengthen their relationship". Curt gets a raging boner from a passing stranger in a vehicle and this is the catalyst for his entire arc. Perhaps I'm an oddball, but when random people yell things of this ilk at me from cars (or otherwise make similar statements to me), I generally raise an eyebrow, shrug, and continue on with life (this has happened before and on multiple occasions). "Toad" plays the stereotypical "geek + car + girl" role, nigh identical to "Farmer Ted" in Sixteen Candles. Interestingly, the most likable character in the movie is the motor head, Milner. Yes, he doesn't treat Carol the greatest, but he makes the decision not to be an ephebophile and sticks with that the entire movie.

The one facet of this movie I did find interesting was the soundtrack. From beginning to end, it plays as if we're listening to a radio station complete with DJ cut ins and advertisements. Both the content and the station itself play some affect the story and sometimes ties scenes from different groups together chronologically. I thought it was a pretty nifty touch and definitely helped set the tone and feel of the film. Not that it had any problem with that before.

So, I'm not a fan of American Graffiti, though I can see why others might like it. I actually felt while watching that it felt a lot like Animal House, which, incidentally, I didn't really enjoy either. Luckily, George Lucas made a couple of other films that are entertaining to watch.

Rating: 2/5

Best way to prepare bratwurst: boil in a one part beer, two parts water mixture for about ten minutes. Once that's done, toss them in a pan or on the grill to brown them (with onions is a nice touch). It's that easy and they're fuckin' delicious!

Health - I was sick two days this week and felt like not great most of the others. My eating habits were way off, though I was certainly eating less. I did have drive-thru once (at Braum's) on one of my sicker days because I was super starving and it sounded amazing. Needless to say, not much exercise was had either.

Finances - The only superfluous spending I did this week was to pitch in for the Cyanide & Happiness Kickstarter. I'm considering this the other part of my $50 monthly entertainment budget.

Japanese - Sickness definitely ate into this, making it not happen. I will take last week's proclamation of 30+ per weekday and apply it this week (wherein I am within means to do so... more on that later).