Mmmmm, the Wind

Today sucked. Besides the fact that I spent more than two hours trying to get from Glendora to Beverly Hills (what a shit hole). Besides the fact that I continue to find new ways to get scolded at work (man, I can't wait to quit). And besides the fact that I can never seem eat normally or healthily at work. I spent over 10 hours at work looking outside to see trees moved by the wind that I desperately wanted to be moved by. I love windy days. Here's a list of things better than windy days:
1. sex...probably
2. ...
That's it. Of course, when I got home after nine, the wind was gone and I would've been too tired to bask in it anyways. Sidenote, I'm convinced that journalism can swallow your personality if you're not careful. Cure, socialize, drink, remain slightly apathetic about work, and blog. Back to wind. I love wind. If it's caress did it for me, I'd be a happy man. The sound of it at two in the morning makes me want to sleep forever-and that's saying something since I usually stay awake until four. Though it's 1:47 right now and I'm feeling the bed pull...but not yet. Besides those random moments when you're driving and a gust yanks the into another lain, wind has few negative elements (get it). And for the love, I was stuck inside all day. I don't care about pretty sunny days, a good wave at the beach, or daisies floating in the air. Give me wind, some rain, and snow. It's all wonderful to me. Just don't make we stare at it through a window that can't be opened. That's cruel and major cause for window vandalism.
Sidenote two, my intro to journalism and freshmen writing classes are both full. I currently have 39 students between three classes. The fall's gonna be crazy. Syllabus stuff is still going strong and I'm receiving quite a few books to review.
Sidenote three, if you wanna see me singing a song, rapping, and all around acting very inappropriately, check out Steve's latest blog (he's linked on my panel). I apologize now for the vulgar things I say and excessive use of the word "fuck." I swear, I don't normally talk like that...before noon...when I'm asleep. I'm done.

Top 10 Fantasy Films

So I saw The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian last night, and I quite enjoyed it. Way better than The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Darker and even had a rather bleak ending. They added some stuff that wasn't in the book and it worked really well. Funny, dark, and epic battles. It's inspired me to create my new fantasy top 10 list.

10. Hook
9. Spirited Away
8. The Neverending Story
7. CON: Prince Caspian
6. Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix
5. LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring
4. Princess Mononoke
3. Pan's Labyrinth
2. LOTR: The Return of the King
1. LOTR: Two Tower

Teeth: When “It” Fights Back

A film was recently released on DVD called Teeth, and you’ll never guess where they’re located. I’ll give you a hint…vagina. I saw the premiere of this film at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. The film description said little more than a synopsis about a high schooler who runs a purity campaign begins going through some changes. No shit. It then concludes saying that if you don’t know what the vagina dentata myth is, then you will. It’s true. So the premise is pretty simple. A girl is born different. She gets a crush on a guy. They kiss. He wants to go farther and she doesn’t. Unfortunately, when he forces himself on her, those sneaky teeth kick in and kick out his little guy. Some idiots still believe that most women had it coming when they get raped. Welp, this guy definitely had it coming. Use your penis for evil and you lose it. The girl then learns to control her newfound power. When she’s happy, it doesn’t bite. But if you piss her off, get ready for something really, really fucked up.

I remember watching this film with a large group of people that cringed, shouted, and laughed in unison. The film was definitely a mix between comedy and horror. Also, it really wasn’t that good. Bad acting. Ridiculous music. Superficial plotline. It really only had shock value. But that’s more than most horror films have these days. I remain convinced that this film, while trying to become a girl-power film, actually doesn’t do anything new. It simply allows women to enter male-dominated film with the same aggression and bloodlust as men. This isn’t something new, but the old reversed. With that said, the vagina dentata myth still speaks loudly to Western culture—and world culture for that matter. Culture truly forms around the dominating ideology of penetration as the ultimate form of power. What is a knife if not an extension of the penis, spreading its power to whatever victim, male or female, it seeks out. There’s a reason most serial killers in movies use knives and go after women. Teeth serves as an alternative to penetration as power. The vagina becomes a weapon that can engulf the penis. The foreign object is at a disadvantage on the home turf.

There’s part of me that wants to buy this film even though I may never watch it again. Though I am curious to see the rated-R version as I saw an unrated one. Three castrations will stick with you. The subject matter is intense and easily ignorable to many, but when I left that many, there were a lot of 45-year-old female viewers talking about how the chick flick was just redefined. There’s something powerful in this crappy movie. Just imagine the possibilities of such a concept or similar ones, thematically, maybe not just conceptually, in the hands of a film master

Something Drastic

So I did something rather compulsive yesterday...That's right. My hair has reverted to a size unknown to me since seventh grade. The mop on my head was getting rather unmanageable and the person who normally cuts my hair doesn't live close by anymore, thus I'd been debating this for a few days. I was ready to do and Steve pointed out that doing it myself would make it much shorter than I originally planned. But alas, I was impatient and just did it. No scissors, just the buzzers on a 1-inch setting. I don't regret it, but I'm suddenly very aware of my receding hairline. It ain't that bad, but a bit of a reminder of where my head's going in the future. I also have a few gray hairs saying hi to me, but I kinda like 'em. I feel like they give me street cred, or at least add a few years of wisdom to my face. Either way, what's done is done. I'm not gonne keep it this length and it'll probably grow out nicely in a month.

Top 10 Comic Book Movies

So I've been inspired to create my top 10 superhero movies list, since I just looked at one that was ridiculously stupid. Sorry, this ain't an opinion, the guy was a dumbass for his list. Oh well, not everyone can be right. (keep in mind, there's a lot of superhero movies coming out, so this list could easily change)

10. Batman
9. Superman
8. The Incredibles
7. Blade II
6. Unbreakable
5. V for Vendetta
4. Batman Begins
3. Iron Man
2. X2
1. Spider-Man 2

Just Because

So I know I been about as inconsistent about updating my blog as U2 are about putting out good music, but alas here I am again. Since it's 3 in the morning, I find rather appropriate to do a blog on something important to me, my fears and dreams. One of my roommates bought Planet Earth and we were watching it tonight. Sorry nature people, I'm a city boy in every way, thus this was about as enjoyable as, well, the anime I make my roommates watch. I especially was freaked out by the great white sharks attacking seals. Holy shit, that was some of the scariest stuff I've seen since George Bush getting reelected. These demon fish (yes, I called them fish, get over it all you grammar-correcting snobs) could jump like 10 feet out of the water and eat their prey. There's a reason I'm up right now. I know I'm gonna dream about those over-sized plot devices for sea horror movies. I got such anxiety from watching them...even writing about it is freaky.

Second thing, I've been going through the TV shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel, and I stand by it. Could I please become a vampire. I know I'm not too big into blood but at least I wouldn't have to worry about organic, fair trade, or added chemicals anymore. Also, I'd be hella (that's right, hella) strong. Throwing people across rooms. Chillin' in a layer thinking up plans for world destruction. What's not to love. And, of course, the most important part. NIGHT TIME! I love night time more than I like sarcasm. When I worked for Starbucks, I went insane having to get up at 3:45am to be at work by 4:15am. I go to bed at 4, not get up then. Even having to wake up at 8 is annoying (before everyone begins judging me and calling me a lame/lazy ass, I do get up at that time normally, just not enjoyably). I thrive at night...case and point, this amazing blog entry. Here are the key reasons why night time kicks some major nocturnal ass. First, there's not sun at night time. Second, it's easier to put on layers without worrying about heat (also another reason why the sun sucks). Third, people do ridiculous things as the night progresses. Fourth, there's just something about being around someone and watching to time go by. Fifth, it helps the days feel like they're longer. Sixth, any city looks better at night. Seventh, hide and go seeks. Eighth, midnight showings of movies rule. Ninth, the silence is rad. Lastly, if night time is good enough for Dracula, then who am I to argue. So there you have it, I love the night. If I could, I'd love to go to that city in Alaska that becomes night for a month.

Well, there you have it. This is my late night rambling. I think I'll finally go to bed.

Pop Culture for the Soul

I officially have all the classes set up to teach at APU this fall. I will be teaching Freshmen Writing Seminar, Intro to Journalism, and Studies in Popular Culture. I'm so incredibly thrilled. For FWS, movies will be my theme. I'm planning to have the students write critically about such films as Princess Mononoke, Pan's Labyrinth, Moulin Rouge, and Enchanted. They'll do reviews, a film journal, and a major paper about a specific film. I think it'll be a great way to teach writing. Intro to Journalism should be a blast. It'll be part writing and part critical understanding of the journalistic media. I'm planning to have the students read a book called The Rise of the Image, the Fall of the Word, which addresses the changing cultural environment that cares more about visual rather than textual mediums. I'm also going to address current journalistic trends through such books as Nickel and Dimed, Why White Kids Love Hip-Hop, Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs, and When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost. The students will learn to write like a journalist and appreciate and critique the different styles of media coverage of contemporary society. I think Pop Culture might be my baby. I've already begun compiling a reader, which will have certain chapters from different books, along with three other books the students will read in their entirety. The class should be a lot of fun.
This and other things have really made me optimistic about my future. It's weird how paranoid I've been, and how things have really started coming together. It's all been rather surreal lately. I owe a lot to my old teacher Karen Sorensen. She plugged me for The Clause job and continued to plug me for other positions, which I now have. So, I've never written a syllabus or run a class in this kind of a setting. I have quest lectured before and spoken at conferences. This is going to be a very unique experience and should give me a good clue as to what I'll be doing in the future and how I should go about. I can't wait until fall...though summer should be interesting as well.