And the dust coalesces into...

I haven't been posting.  The reason:  nothing has been happening to me.  I had hoped that if I didn't post for a while, enough crap would gather so that I could actually talk about something.  But as my life is boring, that's not really happenin'.   So here's what I got.
 
I won a radio contest two weeks ago on WBRU.  I got to see Anchorman a day before the rest of the world did.  It's pretty funny, actually.  The plot is lame, but there are a lot of funny bits.   Most of them involving Steve Carrell who, I think, is funnier than Wil Ferrell in this movie.  Christina Applegate looks suspiciously like Madonna. 
 
My roommate just told me he got a job in New York.  He's actually going to be doing something he enjoys -- working in radio.   Upon reading Mr. Shieh's away message, I see he also got a job recently (directing a high school/middle school orchestra, it seems).  It must be nice to get a job doing something you enjoy.  I'm glad my Ivy League education turned out to be so useful.  If I was my mother, I'd demand a refund.  From me.  Maybe I should make video games for a living.  Hmm.  How would one go about getting the training necessary to make that happen...
 
So, yeah, I got nothing.  But a growing sense of guilt has been building in me due to my not posting, so I felt compelled.  And that's dumb for a lot reasons, mainly because only about 3 people actually read this.  But hey, I'm Jewish.  Guilt is to me as salt is to my spice rack:  it's the only thing I got, and it kinda goes with everything.

One of the most bizarre and interesting things I ever wrote was in my Freshman year of college (a.k.a. "The Year from Hell").  For one of my playwriting classes, I wrote this one-act parody of Waiting for Godot.  The interesting part was this story that one of the two characters (I think his name was "Man B") told the other one.  I think it went like this:
 
"I read in a magazine the other day that the world is shrinking.  You see, every time someone takes a step, the earth underneath their foot sinks a little.  Well, there are millions of these depressions each day, so the Earth is slowly being re-shaped into a smaller and smaller sphere.  Scientists estimate the circumference of the globe decreases by 2 centimeters a year.  Now, that's not much, but in 50 years, the Earth will have decreased in size by 1 meter.  In 5000 years, that's a whole kilometer gone.  Eventually, things will shrink so much that there will only be room for two people.  Then, when one of them takes a step..."
 
Hm.  Maybe it was more interesting in my mind.  Notice the word "depressions".  Y'see, everything I wrote my Freshman year was me yelling at people, "Hey, look at me!  I'm unhappy!"  I'm not sure why I brought this up.  It seemed relevant, somehow.    

The Geekification is complete

I have now finished reading the first five Harry Potter books. My overall impression: They rock. Very fun, highly addictive, crazy deep plot. Seriously. I don't know how the hell kids can fully appreciate all that's going on. My fave is definitely book 5, 'cuz Harry's all angsty and pissy in that one. Not your typical "Hero Kid".

My one big complaint (and this applies mainly to books #4 & #5): Rowling likes to insert detailed descriptions about stuff at odd moments. Really screws up the pacing. Like in #5, at the beginning of the climax when all the characters are running through this place they haven't been before looking for someone (details left intentionally vague so as not to spoil anything), she stops to describe the place they're in. It was really exasperating. Just run, bitches!

Also, why do I have to wait another year (at least) for book #6? That's just stupid. Come on, Rowling, get a move on!

By the way, the movie version of book #4 is going to be amazing. The ending will blow your friggin' mind. And I can't wait to see how they do Dumbledore in movie #5 -- he's badass in the book. Although I wonder if they'll have to get a little "Saved by The Bell" in order to pass off Daniel Radcliffe et al as being 14 and 15.

In short: Harry Potter is awesome. I wish I was at Hogwarts.