I Love Netflix!

My nephew, Steve, got Marilyn and I a subscription to Netflix for Christmas. Our first three movies arrived 2 days ago (about two days after the order was placed), and I just sent two of them back to Netflix today. This service is GREAT! It is wonderful to not have to stand in line to pay for the video and pay the inevitable late fees (inevitable if you are me, that is). The first film we watched was Garden State and it was very good. It is one of those films that is hard to classify. It's funny, sad, poignant, quirky... not really a comedy, not really a drama, not really a dramedy. It is one of those films that you find yourself thinking about for days after you watch it, and it has a really original storyline, which is refreshing given the typical recycled movie fodder released year in and year out.

Monsieur Ibrahim , our second Netflix pick, was a wonderful film. Omar Sharif befriends a boy who has been emotionally abandoned by his family. Omar Sharif is amazing, and even in his 70's, I still love his sparkling eyes. The boy in this film had the most expressive and beautiful face, and for not having much acting experience, he did a great job.

I just finished watching Monster, our third pick. Monster is on my list of "must see one time only" films - films that are great, but too emotionally draining (for me) to see a second time. All the buzz was right, Charlize Theron is amazing. Christina Ricci's performance as Selby, Wuornos' lover, is not mentioned enough in reviews of this film. Her character is as complex as Theron's, and she still looks like she could play a 13 year old, so it gives her portrayal an extra layer of creepiness. I never did figure out how her character was supposed to be. In the job search scenes, Charlize Theron reminded me of all the addicts I've worked with who come in for help after 20 -30 years on the streets doing drugs, stripping or prostituting themselves. They finally decide at age 45 the party isn't fun anymore and it's time they get sober and get a career. By then, their lifestyle choices have caused had some permanent effects on their brains and their characters that prevent them from seeing their options realistically. Theron did a wonderful job of portraying the frustration and rage of finding out that the bridges burned during addiction, really do cut people off from the opportunities and choices that the sober world enjoys. I think Monster is a pretty even handed portrayal of Aileen Wuornos' life. Some of the reviews I read talked about how the movie would make people feel sorry for her at the expense of the memory of the victims, but I didn't feel particularly sorry for her at the end of the movie, I just felt sad for the futility of her life. She (like many) grew up amidst terrible abuse and neglect, but she made choices throughout her life that led to her tragic end.

The last movie we watched, Saved, wasn't a Netflix movie. I bought it at Blockbuster (along with Clerks and Harry Potter Prisoner of Azkaban) and had to mention it in this blog, because it is GREAT!!! Saved is irreverent without being obnoxious. The script for Saved is intelligent and funny, and the cast is brilliant. I laughed all the way through this film, but the scene that tickled me the most is a "blink and you'll miss it" bit in the film. Macaulay Culkin's character, Roland, is in a wheelchair. In this scene he is with his friends at the mall, and he's holding this sign that reads "Will Dance for Food." The next shot is a close up of the two girls in profile talking, with Roland a little out of focus in background, between the two characters - and he is clacking and bouncing in his chair, doing a little dance - too funny. I wish I watched this one right after Monster - it would have helped me get to sleep that night.

Is Army Intelligence Really an Oxymoron?

U.S. Bunkers

Today my friend, Mike, sent me the following e-mail:

From: Neff, Mike
Sent: Wednesday, December 29, 2004 2:13 PM
To: West, Karen
Subject: They've got to be kidding

http://www.usbunkers.com

I click on the link and find a truly odd offering - little spaceship styled bunkers for your personal home usage (in addition to their obvious military usage and the not so obvious undersea usage). The site is dedicated to the sale of these cute little backyard bunkers. What is a bunker, you ask? Well in the FAQ's for the site, it states:

What is a Bunker?

A Bunker has traditionally been a fixed armored concrete structure primarily used in war for the sole purpose of security and protecting the lives of those inside, until now. U.S. Bunkers is dedicated to providing the most ultimate, portable and multipurpose habitat for protection and security from threatening and non-threatening situations. These patented, armored, aerodynamic, monolithic concrete Bunkers have unlimited potential for adapting to an endless variety of conditions and uses. They are excellent in extreme temperatures and inclement weather conditions and they can be made to blend or camouflage themselves to the surrounding environment.

My first question to Mike was, "But can it float in a tsunami?" His response was, "You have to get the Posei-dome version." Cute, huh?

After reading the FAQ's I have several questions. First, is it possible for something made of concrete to be "aerodynamic," and if so, why would someone make a concrete object aerodynamic? How is the aerodynamics of a stationary object a selling point? Also, is it really necessary to have protection and security from "non-threatening situations?" I understand protection and security from threatening situations, but non-threatening situations? Come on now! I also have to wonder if the word "bunker" has become a proper noun, since they capitalized it throughout that paragraph. The U.S. Bunkers website also shows several government officials, many in their military uniforms sitting in or standing next to these bunkers in an apparent endorsement of the product, which seems like a bit of a conflict of interest to me, but what do I know? They invoke Secretary General of the United Nations in their scare tactic attempt to persuade people to purchase a bunker. Still, the little girl inside of me thinks that their geometric shape is really groovy and can't help but imagine how cool a house built out of these pods would be.

Snowy Palms

Snowy Palms


Christmas Morning 2004 Crystal Beach (Bolivar, Texas)

Mom and Dad rented a beach house for the family on Crystal Beach in Bolivar, Texas. It was a wonderful and relaxing weekend, in spite of the noticeable absence of our nephew, Steve and his lovely girlfriend, Gina. They got stuck in Memphis when their flight was cancelled due to weather. Connor and I picked Marilyn up from work Christmas Eve at 6:00 PM, and downtown Houston was practically a ghost town with just a few workers and last minute shoppers scurrying around in the cold.

We drove straight to Galveston with snow flurries and BB sized ice balls swirling around us, and caught the Bolivar Ferry to Crystal Beach. The water was really choppy, so it was too cold and wet to get out of car. Waves crashed over the bow and sprayed the cars with salty mist. It was dark, so the only thing we could see while we were on the ferry was Sea Wolf Island, but the visibility was really poor, so it looked more like a yacht than an island. We arrived at the beach house, ate and played gin rummy. Marilyn and Dad set up the tacky little artificial Christmas tree I got from CVS - a four foot wire and paper pine with the lights already on it.

It was quite a surprise Christmas morning, when we awoke to snow covered palm trees. Who'd a thunk we'd get a white Christmas on the Gulf of Mexico? Connor got to see real snow for the first time in his life and he loved it. To top off his Christmas adventure, he had a real snowball fight with his mother and grandfather.

After we took pictures of the snow, we went back inside and opened presents. As always we were blessed. We kept things low key and didn't cook anything except the greenbean casserole and the potatoes. Marilyn and Igot to play Shanghai Rummy with Mom, but I think I was too PMS'y to fully appreciate the game. It was nice to get the time to play cards and just talk with the parents, though. Seems like the older we get, the less spend that kind of time together, but the more we appreciate it when we do.

We took pictures the whole weekend and even stopped on the way home to get some pictures of the cemetery on Broadway on the way out of Galveston. Final analysis:
*beach house rental $ 500.00
*tacky artificial Christmas tree $ 7.50
*white Christmas on the Gulf of Mexico - you guessed it, priceless!



Galveston Cemetery December 26, 2004

Cloning Chingy?

Chingy

Houston

After visiting Ramblin' Educator's blog entitled I Do Refer to Eminem as Mr. Mathers, I began to ponder whether or not Chingy is really that cute. Not having ever seen Chingy, I have absolutely no point of reference, so I put the quandary out of my mind. Now as luck would have it, I was strolling through my local Target store yesterday and happened upon the CD section, in which I found - Chingy. My pondering began anew as my eyes drifted over the rack of Rap and Hip Hop CD's, and I thought, "Could it be?!? Does Chingy have yet another new CD entitled - Houston?" I pulled my sister aside and asked her, "Could it be? Does Chingy have another new CD release entitled - Houston?" We held the CD's up and looked from one to the other, finally making the determination that there is a new artist on the musical horizon who looks EXACTLY like Chingy! Houston in tha hizzouse! My pondering turned from whether Chingy really is that cute to, are they cloning Rap artists? Hmmmmm...

Cool New Tunes

Scissor Sisters

The Killers

This weekend I heard two new bands that I really liked. Scissor Sisters were on SNL tonight and they had it all, incredible sound and style. They're like a 1970's glam rock dream. The drummer is a machine,and drives the rest of the band with his tireless wailing. I expected to see the drums explode at any minute. The bass player is a Maurice Gibb look alike, who wears his hat rakishly tipped over one eye - he's just the epitome of cool. The guitar player has an Amish beard, but wears high waisted palazzo pants like Gretta Garbo (or Prince in his Kiss video) and makes his guitar sing. There is female singer who is tall and statuesque with dual tone hair and has a retro hip style that gives her the air of a B-52 singer combined with a diva drag queen. She holds her own with the lead singer. Now the lead singer screams sex with every move he makes. His stage presence is a combo of Prince, Mick Jagger and Jim Morrison all rolled into one. He's energetic, androgynous, and he can pull off a wardrobe that includes halter tops, gold lamé pants and high heeled boots. I give it up to anyone who can sing AND dance in high heeled boots! Their first song, Take Your Mama, reminded me of Elton John when he was cool (early '70's for those too young to remember) and for their second song they did this amazingly weird version of Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb in a Mick Jagger falsetto (a la Knight in Shining Armor). I was awestruck. GREAT band!

Last night I saw The Killers on MTV. I hardly ever watch MTV anymore. I grew up with MTV and it lost it's appeal for me sometime after Nirvana reigned supreme. I liked the first couple of seasons of Real World, but they lost me with Remote Control and the Beach Party stuff. BIech! Last night I just had to stop channel surfing when I heard The Killers. They sounded so 80's. At first I thought it was an 80's band retrospective, then I realized it was a new band that just sounded old. They carried me right back to high school - absolutely fabulous sound and so much energy on stage. LOVE this band.

It's a rare month in which I hear two bands that do it for me the way The Killers and Scissor Sisters do, so hearing both in one weekend is quite a coup.

They say we start to look like our pets...

Scary Shing Shing

My good friend is losing her mind. While she slowly drifts further into madness, I struggle with my guilt and impotence because I can’t help her and I can’t stand to see her the way she is. I don’t know how to deal with the deterioration of the mind of my mentor. She has always been strong-minded and reliable, but now she doesn’t always make sense and she often gives advice that seems bizarre. In spite of my education, my work, and all of my years of friendship with her, I don't know how to deal with her in her present condition. My guilt stems from my avoidance of her. I want to call her, but I can’t make myself, because contact with her drains me emotionally. I want to visit her, but I am afraid to find that she is worse now than she was the last time I saw her. I can't excuse my cowardice and treachery, but I can't be around her either.

My friend tries to hide her paranoia and fear, but anyone who knows her can see that there is a very different look in her eyes, a kind of wildness and uncertainty has replaced her sage, calm visage. She is irrational and new acquaintances would be kind to say that she seems eccentric. The truth is harsh - she seems crazy.

Some weeks ago, her brother came home late one night to find her wandering down the street, clutching one of her cats to her breast. When he asked her what she was doing, she told him she was going to the apartment manager's office to find out what time the Halloween party was being held. He had to explain to her that it was after 11:00 PM and the management office was closed, and then he had to direct her back to her home. She has two cats (thankfully only two) and her world is revolves around them. She saves her meals at restaurants to take home to feed them and she tells her friends she does not want to leave them alone in the apartment because “it upsets them.”

Her symptoms are varied and worsening with each passing week. Exhibiting extreme paranoia, she has accused several friends of tapping her phones, spying on her through her TV set, hacking into her computer and tampering with her bank accounts. From week to week, her paranoid delusions shift from one friend to another. I was one of the accused, and she called me crying and begging me to “make it stop.” She now tells me she no longer believes that I am responsible for her misery.

Recently, she became extremely manic and started staying up all night and obsessing over a woman she says she is in love with. Her lesbianism is a surprise to all of us (especially her family). The obsession with her friend, turned into stalking and harassing her. Understandably, they are no longer friends. Now she mourns the loss of this person in her life, and still professes her love. Her uncontrolled mania also lead to her leaving her home in the middle of a driving rain storm at 4 AM to go to a cat show that did not start until 9:00 AM. Although the cat show was only about 8 miles from her home, she became disoriented in the storm and ended up lost miles from the cat show venue. In her diminished state, she picked up a hitch hiker named "MJ," gave him the keys to her car, and asked him to drive her to the cat show. MJ then spent the day with her at the cat show, received food, cigarettes and money from her. I don't have the stomach to ask if she requested that he drive her home, too. She told me that while at the cat show, she caused an incident that resulted in security and judges being called to the booth where her friends (who are cat breeders) were stationed with their cats. Her friends screamed at her and security guards asked her to leave. Ultimately, her friends intervened and she was allowed to stay till the end of the show.

Thanksgiving week her daughter came into town and after Thanksgiving, the daughter and my friend’s brother had her committed. A few days later they helped her discharge from the psych ward against medical advise, because they felt that the psychiatrist was a quack. Her car keys are being held by her brother, but she is living alone and can otherwise come and go as she pleases.

This saga has been unfolding for months and I know her condition will not improve anytime soon - she's in a downward spiral. I thought somehow writing it all out would make me feel better, but my quilt is not assuaged. I feel useless,helpless and treacherous and I can’t make peace with the inevitable.