Oh, joy! I have finally seen Jane wedded to Mr. Bingley and Elizabeth safely in the arms of Mr. Darcy! Ain’t love grand in a Jane Austen novel?! I just couldn’t put it down and have just now turned the final page. I simply can’t wait to start the next on the journey, Sense and Sensibility…
Category: Media
So I have begun my journey to revisit the works of Ms. Jane Austen. Recently, I gathered my chil’ens and off we went to the bookstore where I purchased new copies of Sense and Sensibility
Although she is my favorite author, the last time I stepped into the literary world of Ms. Austen was probably 30 years ago. Sure, I’ve seen the various theatrical productions as she has gone in and out of favor with Hollywood but there is nothing quite like giving yourself over to her words. She had a biting wit, a way with sarcasm, great comic timing, and a sense of the absurdities and inequities of the world. What a joy! I encourage anyone looking for an amazing read to pick up one of her novels.
Soon after my purchases, I stumbled upon (pun intended) the most fantastical video, Jane Austen’s Fight Club (oops, I just broke the first rule of Fight Club). I kinda think that Ms. Austen would get a charge out of this video. I was laughing so hard I almost rolled right off my chair. And how ironic that I would see this video just when I was pondering how relevant Jane Austen might be to the current state of things?! Life can just be so damn fanfuckingtastic!
My first read on this journey is Pride and Prejudice and I am currently in the midst of the lives of Mr. Darcy, the Bennetts, and the Bingleys. I have to say that I’m certain that Elizabeth Bennett would have loved to send a nice roundhouse to Caroline Bingley’s beautifully rouged cheek! As I have been reading, I can’t help but flash to the video, and sometimes I just have to stop and laugh.
Anyway, there will be much to come re: our fair Ms. Austen but for now I just wanted to share. I hope the novels as well as the video will tickle your funniest funny bone…
Some People’s Kids: Amusing. Relevant. Irreverent.
So my girls are back and we are making up for lost time and missing each other! We had a little breakfast, a little shopping, and watched a little “So You Think You Can Dance.” Another week another injury. Three great dancers down. This spate of injuries is a first for the show and there is confusion as to why. Really? Well, let’s look at what’s changed. The format, that’s what! There is no luxury of a top twenty within which to build skills and stamina. A group of 10 young dancers go from 0 to 100 working full out on skills outside of their skill set with professionals working mostly within theirs. I just think that’s a recipe for injury. After all, about 65% of dance injuries are from overuse and an overwhelming 90% of injuries occur when a dancer is fatigued.
The elder daughter was a dancer for nigh on upon a gazillion years (ok, 13 years). I watched her body change to enable her to do more and more. However this growth was over years not days or weeks. The younger was a gymnast and again tricks and complexity were added as her body and mind were ready to tackle them.
And I guess I wonder why the format change anyway? Ratings? Seems to be since I can’t see how it really benefits the dancers. Sure, it’s great to dance with the all-stars and clearly they push the younger dancers, however they wind up with less time to learn as well as to strengthen their minds and bodies.
It’s important for any athlete (yes, dancers are athletes) to constantly assess where they are and how their body is handling what’s being asked of it. For instance how many hours are being danced each week? How many new styles of dance are being introduced to each dancer for which they don’t really have the technical expertise? Are they being provided sufficient warm up before rehearsals and/or performances? Do the dancers know how to warm up properly for the workload they are experiencing? Is there appropriate conditioning activities provided other than dance such as swimming, yoga, Pilates, gym aerobics? I know that there are limited hours in a week but if there isn’t enough time to make sure the dancers are safe then maybe ratings should take a bit of a back seat.
Given the injury waterfall, I think the SYTYCD producers owe it to the dancers as well as the public to evaluate the entire process. After all I’m not thinking that the public would have sent Alex or Ashley home.
Anyway, it’s just kind of troubling to me. Most of the time mucking with a TV show just impacts the quality of the show and though it may lead to a cancellation the actors are still able to go on to other projects. But if you muck with the format of a dance show, you just might be mucking with safety. Just a thought…
Some People’s Kids: Hard working. Talented. Young. Competitive.
So it’s four in the morning, my partner is snoring (that word doesn’t really describe the intensity of the experience), the dog is taking up most of my pillow, and sleep is not going to be forthcoming in the near future. As I lay in bed I found myself thinking about life and the “never ceases to amaze me” way that people live that life. Somehow those thoughts led to Jane Austen (my very favorite author) and how succinctly she chronicled life as she experienced it. I began to wonder what would happen if I read her works again but with a different eye. There was just this nagging feeling that I might find that the basic “human experience” hasn’t really changed. That her insights are just as relevant to life in 2010. After all, there is a reason she remains so popular today.
I was bothered by my post yesterday. It seemed so lifeless and flat! Sure, I do sometimes (ok, so most times) find myself boggled and disappointed by the ignorance and absurdities that I see around me. However I think it is important not to take myself too seriously and I failed miserably on that point. Let’s see if I can make sure that I don’t do that again.
Sometimes a change of perspective can open the world in a way that we can see things that weren’t clear before. Hell, isn’t that the whole concept behind prescription eye wear? Seriously, solutions are often simple and can apply to basic as well as complex life philosophies.
Anyhoo, I’ve decided to see what Jane can do for me at this point in my life. Time to re-read and get my scrawny little hands on everything that I haven’t read. We live in such crazy times let’s see what Jane can do for my perspective.
Next time you can’t sleep, get up and put words to screen. It worked for me…I’m off to the land of nod…
Some People’s Kids: Tired. Tired. Too tired to think…
Oh! My! God, Becky!!!…what a wild ride!
Christopher Nolan wrote and directed this masterpiece with the skill of a surgeon and the soul of an artist all rolled into one. Most of the effects are real life and not green screen and CGI and let me tell you, it makes a difference. I think with all of the computer generated effects we’ve come to expect, we’ve forgotten how brick and mortar stunts can pull the audience into the scene with the actors.
Nolan’s pacing is stellar, making every moment count. It’s slow and fast, it builds, ebbs, and then takes the action to crescendo upon crescendo, all in a way that makes sense. He has a penchant for surrounding himself with wicked talent as well. The cinematography is breathtaking, costumes on point, and the score with hues of hope, despair, guilt, anger, fear, pretty much every emotion imaginable, envelopes the audience. As I said – a masterpiece!
Ok, so here’s the quick and dirty. Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is an extractor who makes his living by inserting himself into shared dreams in order to steal ideas. He is hired however by Saito (Ken Watanabe, AMAZING) who wants him to insert an idea into the mind of Robert Fischer, Jr., a multimillion dollar oil company heir (Cillian Murphy), this process is inception. Cobb puts together a team to help him with the task: Arthur – the Researcher who gathers all possible info on the target (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and man has he grown up!), Ariadne – the Architect who builds the shared dream (Ellen Page), Eames – the Forger who can imitate anyone (Tom Hardy ) and Yusuf – the Chemist who concocts the sedative that keeps everyone asleep (Dileep Rao). They proceed to take the subject into a dream within a dream within a dream…at least that’s how it seems. The question is, “What is really real?”
Don’t worry there won’t be any spoilers here because I simply don’t know. Actually, I’m not completely sure what I experienced. First, I think, ” Ok…it’s that!” Then I blink and I’m like, “Oh, no, wait it’s this!!!” What I do know is this movie is SICK! That’s what. Mind blowing bending altering SICK!!!!! Yeah, I know, way too many exclamation points! And enough with the capitalization already! But I just can’t help myself. Frankly, I don’t know how to get across how fucktasmagorically amazing this movie is. I believe it is not out of the realm of possibility that it is absolutely the best movie I have seen in a very long time.
Every second of the 148 minutes is a roller coaster ride of thought provoking twists, turns, action, and fun, and I don’t even like roller coasters! I actually found myself holding my breath.
Leo DiCaprio. Can I just say it? One of the most underrated actors of our time! Yeah…I’m gushing but I just can’t help myself. He grounds the movie while pushing the limits of reality. Ellen Page. Engaging, mature, thoughtful…WOW (pay attention Lindsay Lohan, this is how to be a young star in Hollywood). And Tom Berenger. Finally, reaches that tricky summit of “aging gracefully.” Gordon-Levitt. Well, he just pulses with quiet strength. Great cast…
And the concept. Who hasn’t had a wild and wooley dream? Think about it, what if someone was sharing your dreams with you? Crazy! And what if that someone could steal your ideas by manipulating your dreams? Take it a step further and what if the real goal was to insert an idea in your head by manipulating those dreams? Terrifying? And what if the really real goal was to…what?!…I don’t know…what could possibly come next? All I can say is “HOLY SHIT!” That would be one paranoia-inducing world and with the “straight out of the nuthouse” dreams I’ve been having lately…I’m starting to wonder…
Can’t wait to see it again and again and again and…
Some People’s Kids: Deceitful. Manipulative. Dangerous. Not as they seem…