I just finished reading The Kite Runner, by Khaled Housseini.
I think by now, if you're familiar with my blog at all, you know that, while I love to read, I usually choose a lighter fare. (Not that you can call Patricia Cornwell "light," but her work is hardly profound.)
I bought it yesterday afternoon on a whim -- it was on sale at Borders and I'd heard wonderful things about Housseini's second book, A Thousand Splendid Suns -- and started reading it at about 10 p.m. last night.
I finished it five minutes ago.
While I have always been a very fast reader, I can't say that I normally read this voraciously, with the exception of the Harry Potter books. But I absolutely could not put this book down.
Words fail me as I attempt to describe exactly what it was that struck me so. It is beautifully written. It is searing and haunting and sobering and uplifting and redemptive and inspiring all at once, if that is even possible.
I hope to see the movie this week.
And I think I'll pick up A Thousand Splendid Suns this week as well.
Juno is the Movie to Beat in the upcoming Academy Awards. It is the critics' darling, garnering nominations for Best Original Screenplay, Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress for 20-year-old Ellen Page.
Well, duh.
I knew from the second I saw it that it was something special. The fact that I've already seen it three times and am seriously considering seeing it again this weekend (even though Cloverfield and Untraceable are beckoning) is indication enough.
Everyone loves this movie. Seriously. I've gotten emails from pro-family, pro-life groups championing it. It's very Bella-like (another great movie) in that it's pro-life without being preachy. It is so realistic. So incredibly realistic. Ellen Page is tremendous and so deserves at least the nomination, if not the win.
Page, Jennifer Garner, and first-time screenplay writer Diablo Cody were on Oprah last week and Oprah was practically foaming at the mouth talking about how awesome it was, and how awesome Page was, and how awesome Garner was, and how everyone in the known universe should drop what they were doing right then and there and go see it.
Several years ago when I decided I was an authentic movie connoisseur, I made a point to see all the "artsy" movie, and all the movies nominated for Best Picture, until I realized that I hated 98% of what I was seeing. I'm sorry, but give me Bring It On and Mean Girls over Boys Don't Cry, American Psycho, American History X, Closer, Children of Men, and Brokeback Mountain any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
Scoff at my lack of, er, "culture," but frankly, I don't like walking out of the theater feeling skeptical at best about humanity.
Juno is heartwarming, funny, charming, and has an absolutely wonderful message.
If the Academy knew what was good for it, that's what'll take top honors this year.
Audio: Share a song with powerful lyrics.
"Work" (Jars of Clay)
Just in case, I will leave my things packed
So I can run away, I cannot trust these voices
I don't have a line of prospects that can give some kind of peace
There is nothing left to cling to that can bring me sweet release
I have no fear of drowning
It's the breathing that's taking all this work
Do you know what I mean
When I say, "I don't want to be alone"?
What I mean when I say, "I don't want to be alone."
Empty spaces with shadows hit by streetlights
Warning signs and weight of tired conversations
In the absence of a shoulder, in the abscess of a thief
On the brink of this destruction, on the eve of bittersweet
Now all the demons look like prophets
And I'm living out every word they speak
I have no fear of drowning,
It's the breathing that's taking all this work...
ETA: In case anyone wanted to know, the title of tonight's episode, "Gnothi Seauton," means "Know thyself" in Greek. It was kind of the underlying theme of the episode, and what Sarah was talking about in her voiceovers.
I think I've posted three times in the last 24 hours. That may be a record, even for me.
Anywho, what can I say? New TV -- and awesome new TV at that -- makes me prolific.
The overnight ratings are in for the Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles pilot and they are early-LOST caliber. Eighteen million people tuned in to watch Lena Headey and Summer Glau thrown down in spectacularly bad-ass fashion. Granted, there has been so little new television due to this god-awful and pathetic strike, so it's probably not much of a no-brainer that even the dubious would tune in, but still -- it's definitely a promising start for FOX's latest series.
I think I have an advantage over a cadre of viewers. You know to whom I'm referring: the Terminator faithful. As Jared and Jim said in their comments on my last SCC post last night, they were bothered by continuity problems between the movies and the TV show. I, however, am blissfully unburdened by similar concerns because I have only seen T2, and I barely remember it. I do remember thinking Linda Hamilton was horribly unfeminine and Arnold Schwarzenegger was way too robotic. (I know, I know, that was the entire point, but still.)
The series creators have already said that this re-imagining of the original concept takes place after the conclusion of T2, but T3 never happens, and they plan on taking the TV show in its own direction.
I like the series much better than I remember the movie. Lena Headey manages to be tough and determined to overthrow Skynet while still retaining an alluring femininity. Summer Glau is already being hailed as SCC's break-out star, and I like that Cameron, while a "tin man," is far from the unemotional mass of robotics that Schwarzenegger's character was. Is it realistic? Er...is a computer network overthrowing humanity realistic? Was anything that happened in Alias realistic? It's television, people. Fiction. Fantasy. Entertainment.
I love this show. Immensely. Can't wait to see how the remainder of the woefully short season unfolds.
I wish everyone would stop comparing Moonlight to the incomparable Angel. Just because both have lead characters who are vampires searching for redemption and, oh yeah, happen to be private investigators doesn't mean that CBS' new drama is the second coming of the critically acclaimed -- and cult favorite -- Joss Whedon series.
For one (obvious) thing, Moonlight lacks, well, Whedon. Its vampire mythology is dotted with Swiss cheese-like discrepancies, and some of its characters -- usually the tertiary ones -- lack dimension and are fairly predictable. The writing is nowhere near the caliber of Angel, sometimes the dialogue can be rather painful, and with the exception of Alex O'Loughlin, there's no stand-out among the cast. And believe me, as a devout Veronica Mars fan, I found that surprising because you'd think Jason Dohring would stand out. To me, he doesn't. Because I am not joking when I say that it's like Logan Echolls was turned into a vampire. The speech pattern, the quirky hand gestures, the facial expressions -- it's all identical to his performance on VM.
I am rather surprised that Moonlight was chosen as the Best New Drama at the People's Choice Awards when it was among such gems as Chuck and Pushing Daisies. PD is the best new drama hands-down. But like other extremely well-written, quirky, charming shows (Wonderfalls, anyone?) I suppose the majority of the population doesn't "get it."
That being said...I enjoy it. I prefer Women's Murder Club, which is on at the same time on ABC, but hey, a combination of the convoluted writer's strike and a TiVo that allows me to record one show while I watch another allows me to partake of both.
Moonlight is definitely not Angel -- but it's entertaining. And it has gotten better since its pilot. Alex O'Loughlin is hot, and a pretty charismatic leading man -- I just wish they'd let him use his real accent. A vampire with an Australian accent? Hot. And the story between Mick and Beth appeals to me as well.
So yeah. I plan to keep watching. On a scale from 1-10, with 10 being shows like Pushing Daisies and LOST, I'd give it a solid 6.
Thanks for all the well wishes...I'm feeling much better today. According to the doctor (who I called to whine about changing my dosage), I was dehydrated. Because apparently when you don't eat anything and barely drink anything for four days, it's bad for you.
Tagged by Kelly.
1. Grab your nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 3 sentences on your blog along with these instructions.
5. Tag 5 different people.
Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes:
After I had half-heartedly thrown some water at myself, I dragged myself down the stairs. I was all set to find this Don and explain firmly to him that it was my sad duty to have to tender my resignation...
The moment I got into the perishingly cold kitchen, a plump, middle-aged, little man rushed up to me.
I tag: Steve Betz, Kivus, Eli's Dad, Janette, and Erin.
There was a new episode of Criminal Minds on last night, and it was more disturbing than most. It wasn't as graphic as some of the other cases featured in various episodes, but for me, the psychological aspect -- and the extent to which human beings are capable of harming one another -- is far scarier than blood and gore.
Two best friends were abducted by a guy in his 20s and his two teenage friends. One girl was killed, her face and hands mutilated beyond recognition. The parents of both girls had to listen to a voice mail recording of the girl being killed to identify the body.
The other girl was held captive by a rapidly devolving killer.
One of the perpetrators tried to back out and so was killed. The father of the dead girl recognized the boy and tipped off the other father, who used to be a hit man and had turned state's evidence, as to who he was and who he hung out with. He proceeded to track down the second kid and shot him in the kneecap to find out the location of the third kid and his daughter.
He beat the FBI there and shot the third kid point-blank with a shotgun.
Murder is murder, but honestly? I would've done the same thing. And if I were on a jury in a situation like that? I would've voted him not guilty. If I could, I'd flip the switch myself.
Perhaps the scariest part of the whole situation was the kids had no reason to kidnap and kill. Not that excuses like revenge are anything other than excuses, but at least that provides some sort of reasoning. This was a thrill kill and nothing more.
Bleeding heart liberals are always preaching about rehabilitation. But how do you rehabilitate someone who's never been habilitated in the first place?
There's really not a dime's worth of difference among Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and John Edwards. They all advocate a cradle-to-grave society in which the government plays a large part. They want to raise taxes. They advocate a retreat-defeat approach to Iraq and Middle East. They regularly genuflect at the altar of the United Nations. They favor open borders and amnesty. They want to nationalize health care and drag us kicking and screaming one step closer to socialism.
I am not exaggerating one iota when I say that you cannot pay me to vote for any of the three -- or any member of the Democratic party, for that matter.
That being said, I'm not quite sure how anyone who calls himself a conservative could even think about voting for Mike Huckabee.
Consider this: while governor of Arkansas, he raised net taxes $500 million. He advocates free in-state tuition for illegal aliens. He offered the Mexican government a consulate in Arkansas for $1 a year. He commuted the sentences of over 1,000 convicted criminals. He opposes school choice. He accused President Bush of having a bunker mentality and believes the way to deal with threats like bin Laden and al-Zawahiri is by implementing the Golden Rule. I can barely type that without laughing hysterically. Right. Let's use the Golden Rule on Islamo-fascists who believe they will be rewarded for killing us, and rewarded even more richly if they die in the process of trying to kill us. Right.
And he has the audacity to call himself a conservative?
I'd say you couldn't pay me to vote for him, either, but if he gets the nomination, well, I'd rather vote for him than any of the populists/socialists/Communists the other side has to offer.
Also, I wish people would stop assuming that just because a person happens to be an evangelical Christian (which I am), we all support Huckabee. I'm a Christian. I'm also a fiercely patriotic, staunch Reagan conservative, and while I absolutely abhor abortion and other of the social stances that Huckabee supports, I in no way, shape, form, or manner believe that they are more important than issues such as national security, the War on Terror, immigration, and fiscal responsibility.
I haven't decided who to support in the upcoming Texas primary, but I've signed up with Giuliani, Thompson, and Romney. I see eye-to-eye with Thompson on everything, and he is the only (viable) Republican candidate who is actually conservative, but I like Mayor Giuliani as well, and I like Governor Romney a lot better than McCain or Huckabee.
P.S. Ron Paul is a lunatic.
So.
I saw Juno again today.
I am so in love with this movie, it's not even funny. Unlike Garden State, which I really do love very much, except for the first 20 minutes (or until Natalie Portman and her Ginormous Headphones appear on the scene), I love every minute of this movie, from the Sunny D guzzling in the beginning to the cheesy guitar strumming at the end.
Seriously. Best movie ever. Ellen Page is so freaking awesome, and she played Juno perfectly. I can't name my favorite moment, as there were oh so many, but some of my favorites -- and these speak to the brilliant nuances Page brings to the role -- are Juno's reaction to Vanessa talking to the baby in the mall; the expression she gets on her face when her dad tells her calmly and without judgment that he didn't think she was "that kind of girl;" and the last scene in the hospital.
Obviously there are many more, and I've got a plethora of quotes from the beyond stellar dialogue, but those are some of the more profound and emotionally affecting.
I also loved Jennifer Garner in this movie, although that kind of goes without saying; and Michael Cera reinforced my belief that slightly nerdy, slightly socially awkward guys are so much better than the Brad Pitts of the world.
I adore this clip of Michael and Ellen completely improvising a song about director Jason Reitman:
I happened to be browsing FOXNews.com, which is the only source I trust when it comes to what's actually going on in the world (notice how the drive-by media's gotten conspicuously quiet about Iraq now that it's a proven fact the surge is going over like gangbusters), and came across this gem of an article:
Forget Tupperware: Taser parties are the new craze GILBERT, Ariz. — Before she lets them
shoot her little pink stun gun, Dana Shafman ushers her new friends to
the living room sofa for a serious chat about the fears she believes
they all share. "The worst
nightmare for me is, while I'm sleeping, someone coming in my home,"
Shafman says, drawing a few solemn nods from the gathered women. Shafman, 34, of Phoenix, says she knows how they feel. She says she used to stash knives under her pillow for protection. Welcome, she says, to the Taser party.
I've been wanting one of these for a while now. Maybe from the first time Veronica calmly leaned out the window of her Le Baron and tasered an encroaching Felix. But honestly, they're more intimidating and a whole lot cooler than pepper spray.
My uncle's going to teach me to shoot this year, too. I'm quite ecstatic about that. We are very pro-home defense in our family. I have multiple family members past and present who are either currently in the military, have served in the military, are members of the police department, or, in the case of my uncle, both.
I've been bugging my cousin to email me this awesome picture of my uncle taken recently in Baghdad -- he's patrolling the streets in a Hum-Vee in full camo (complete with helmet) and carrying a sweet M-16. Anyway, he just returned home from his fourth trip to the Middle East and third to Iraq. He's retired Army and so goes on a (voluntary) contract basis and helps train the local police forces. He was also a member of the SAPD for 30 years where he ran a gang task force and taught all the cadets how to shoot, among other things. I greatly respect and admire him.
We were discussing guns on Christmas Eve because I was asking what the best kind would be for home defense and as a handgun choice. He stated the best gun for home defense is a 12-gauge filled with buckshot. He said nothing deters a would-be intruder quite like the distinctive sound that is made when chambering a bullet. Plus, if it's the middle of the night and dark and you're half-asleep, you don't have to worry about lining up the sights. You basically point in the general direction and pull the trigger.
I don't really have much use for gun control activists. Would we be better off without guns? In a perfect world, absolutely. But guess what happens when there is gun control? The law-abiding citizens are without guns. The criminals are not. And now the law-abiding citizenry has no means by which to protect itself. Waiting for the police to respond? Are you freaking kidding me? Even if there happened to be a patrol car three blocks over, a household could be butchered by the time the cop has time to respond.
But what about children? What about them? You do what my uncle did with my cousins, and what my cousin (who's a CID detective) has done with his children. You educate them. He takes his sons (7 and 4) hunting. They know how to handle a gun. They know that they're not toys. And they have absolutely no interest in them.
As my uncle says, guns don't kill people -- people kill people.
It's cool that there are people who don't like guns. That's their right. It's also my right to defend myself and my property.
