Striker, Striker, Striker, Striker... STRIKER!

Okay, so technically my back isn't out at this moment, but it WAS -- (AGAIN) -- all last week.  When my back went out 2 weeks after I finally was mobile from a previous back-out, I became so depressed that I could not even find the motivation to tend to this sad, neglected little space.

Now, still feeling tender in the lumbar/sacral spine, and nearing completion of day 2.5 of beelzebub-sent migraine, I will update you... my 2 followers, and whomever else.

There are three things that really sent me over the edge on having to update the blog.  Here they are:

Thing 1:
Inside Job
Okay I just finished watching this like 20 minutes ago.  There is so much to love about the way Charles Ferguson has presented this film*.  I love the simple, straightforward approach, the sometimes ruthless (many times humorous) interview-editing, plain graphics, and general lack of sentimentality.  Certainly I found that this presentation of the material was the most comprehensible I've heard yet - I don't have a brain for finance.  No one ever taught me this in school.

*NOTE:  I wouldn't recommend watching it during day 2.5 of a nauseatingly satanic migraine... when you're in that space you don't need to be any more pissed off than you already are.  See HIGH HORSE SECTION for explanation.

THE HIGH-HORSE SECTION (feel free to skip)
Actually most US schools don't teach about money.  And this is a big problem because (generally) poor stay poorer... and rich teach their children how to remain so (or teach the staff who will assist the children in doing so.)  See Cyberchase for one of the only organizations striving to educate kids about finances.
And guess what else they won't teach in school - Civics!  So not only do Americans not know what they can do with their money, or what others are doing with their money -- they don't know how the government works, so they don't know what they can do about it.  [go ahead, conspiracy theorists...]
END OF HIGH-HORSE SECTION.

The thing about the film that really got me was this:  I don't know why I continue to be so astonished at the human capacity for greed, cruelty, deception, hatred, and malice.... but it seems so astonishing time after time!  What the hell?  Do I need to "get real," or "give up," or what?  Am I a starry eyed dreamer?

See the film.  It's really important.  Great piece.. a director to watch.


Okay, enough Debbie Downer - let's move on to...

Thing 2: Airplane II: The Sequel !  HOORAY!!!!

Now THIS is a movie that you can watch on day 1.5 of a migraine that the devil overnight fedex'd to you sealed with a spanking for good measure.

First let me just mention that Airplane! is not available to stream on Netflix, but Airplane II is.  If they'd both been availalbe I probably would have started with Airplane and would never have been able to resist going straight through both.  After watching just last night, I feel like I could do that right now.

Wow.  WOW!  Not only does this film stand the test of time, but it is such a classic piece of genius comedy.  There is SO MUCH production in this movie... the sheer volume of scenes, characters, costumes, and locations that have absolutely no need to be there - but thank god they just went ahead and did it!  I'm not sure they make 'em like this anymore.  The pacing, the timing, the witticism, the old-time word-play humor right up against absurdism, next to boob jokes, beside social commentary that is still relevant 25 years later - and the CAST!  Watching again last night I realized what a profound effect this movie had on my tastes and developing artistic vision as a kid.  High-Brow & Low-Brow go hand in hand.  This idea is central to my current worldview.  (I'm very serious.)

This movie represents so much of what I love about comedy.  I'm putting Airplane at the top of my DVD queue and doing a double feature asap.  I think you should too!

And finally I'll add some thoughts about:

Thing 3:   Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, which I re-watched the first day of my most recent back-out-session.

I said it right after I saw the film in the theater and I'll say it again now - this is an amazing film for grownups in its own right, whether or not it is part of the Harry Potter series.  I dare you to watch the first 5 minutes of the film and not see the influence of classic, highly-stylized films by directors like Kubrick (Dr. Strangelove) & Gilliam (Brazil)  It is dark.  It is mature.  For me personally, highly-stylized or more "unrealistic" films often tell more about true human themes than so called "realism" does.  Of course J.K. Rowling provided a treasure trove of material, but it's thrilling to see that the dark, human themes come through powerfully in the film.  The film is dark and beautiful and real.  The acting is amazing - having some of the most accomplished actors of our time helps.  Also Emma Watson is like a gazelle.  So beautiful and graceful with or without pretty dress, hair, and makeup.

The icing on the cake is that all of this true humanity is accomplished with a layer of complete fantasy on top of it all.

There are so many, but I think one of the staggering accomplishments in the film is a scene that is wordless - there is no dialogue for minutes.  This simply is not done in popular feature films today.  One knows that the scene is successful because after watching it one feels that no dialogue could ever have expressed what this scene expresses.  I disavow spoilers of any kind, so I'll reference the scene more specifically at the bottom of this entry. (**)  Look away from it if you haven't read or seen the books -- even though I'm not really giving anything away.

This is craft and storytelling at it's finest.  See it.  It's beautiful.


TTFN, kiddies.
K
scroll down for so-called "spoiler"
















** It's the scene where Harry & Hermione dance in the tent together.

April 3, 2011 - Day 4: Tim Gunn: My New Gay Boyfriend

Today was rather exciting; I WALKED TO 7-11!!!  (about 2 blocks away.)  This does mean I am feeling a bit better, but more importantly, that I was able to score another pint of ice cream.  This time I went with an old favorite that I'd not revisited for a while - Ben & Jerry's Mint Chocolate Cookie.  The pint is now empty.  After eating it I was almost mad at myself for not having eaten it for so long.  I was happy we were reunited... and it felt so good.  

Did I mention the rule about food when your back is out?  The rule is that you can eat whatever you want the whole time.  Period.  End of story.

Exciting though 7-11 was, walking there made me realize how sore and stiff I still am.  Wobbly legs, walking slowly.  Wanting to do more - it's right around the corner!  But not quite ready yet.

So I embarked on a journey.  Thanks to Lifetime Movie Network, Season 7 of Project Runway is available in its entirety on Hulu.  I watched all 14 episodes today and  have decided that Tim Gunn is my new gay boyfriend.  He's AMAZING!  It made me think of an interview I saw with Tim (perhaps with Barbara Walters?) where he expressed that he wasn't interested in pursuing a long term romance in his life.  THIS IS INSANE!  On camera at least, this man appears so kind & caring... this guy should be lovin' and loved!  I'm sure there are DOZENS of adorable males running around that would KILL for this hunk!  What's happening there?

Today I also completed my manicure, which I started last night.  As tends to happen when I'm stuck inside and doing a manicure, I end up trying something a little more elaborate.  Today I ended up putting a butterfly & stud decal on each pinky:

It's a little flashy but I think it's hot.

Another exciting item of the day was that I managed to make a successful batch of popcorn on the stove.  (this was attempt #3 overall... getting used to a different popcorn pan.)  I love stove popcorn and experimented in Brooklyn using different seasonings.  I planned to eat this popcorn while watching Inception, which I've rented on itunes, but it's now 10:15pm and I'm completely pooped after Project Runway.  I'm just not sure I have it in me to focus on Leonardo DiCaprio at the moment.  I'm loathe to start it tonight and finish it tomorrow, as I usually don't care to watch films in this way.  I prefer straight through with no interruptions.  I'm also bummed that I missed this one in the theater, but the small screen will have to do. I'm excited!

I'll end by mentioning that Jack has been ridiculously cute every day.  He's totally turning from a baby-kitty into a kid-kitty.  I'm so thankful to have a buddy during times of being broken.

Thanks for reading.  Love to all.

April 2, 2011 - Day 3: TOP SIDE OF THE GLASS INTO YOUR UPPER LIP

Jack woke me up at 6am by licking my face - as usual - except that this seems to be happening 30 minutes earlier each day... and dangerous trend.  I got up to get some water and ended up with a mean case of the hiccups.  If you've ever seen me get the hiccups, you know that I get violent, body-shaking hiccups.  A cabby once asked me on the way back to Brooklyn if I was OK because I was hiccuping so much/intensely.  My usual hiccup cure is to drink water upside down.  You pour a small glass of water, bend over, and pour the liquid out of the TOP side of the glass into your UPPER lip.  


That's a terrible description, but anyway... this wasn't so easy for me to do given my back situation.  There I was in the kitchen in my jammies, still dark out, trying to brace myself against the counter with one hand while gently bending over drinking a glass of water upside down.  It took about 6 tries before it finally worked.  But thank god it finally worked.  Those hiccups really torment me!  Steve Hamm used to be able to scare the hiccups out of me.  I'd know he was going to do it and somehow he still would manage to scare me!  And rid me of hiccups!  (miss ya, Sharky)  


Let me know if you all have good hiccup cures!  Another great one that a bartender taught me once:  Coat a lemon wedge in Tabasco sauce.  Bite down on the flesh while inhaling deeply.  Your mouth will be on fire - but you won't be hiccuping!
I ended up watching 3 episodes of Dateline... 1 last night and 2 this morning.  Some of those stories are just so sad.  I wish the reporting could be more in depth sometimes.  This story was absolutely crazy:  The Girl Who Didn't Exist.


I'm getting to the phase where I don't want to watch anything any more, but I'm in too much pain to do anything else.  I tried to watch Australia: Land Beyond Time, which had some amazing fun facts, before I passed out for 3 hours.  David Albiero I'll try to go back & represent your homeland!  The one fun fact I'm remembering is this:

• Kangaroos & Koala Bears share a common ancestor

As I write this I've got 24 Hours on Craigslist playing in the background.  I started to lose interest 10 minutes in.  It's seeming really all over the place and undirected.  If anyone feels I should go back & give it more of a chance let me know.  I'm actually dying to see the Lifetime Movie The Craigslist Killer and can't seem to find a way to watch online.  Any suggestions?


I never got my ice cream.  I'm debating attempting a pilgrimage to 7-11, but still weighing the pros & cons.  Thanks for reading.  I'll keep y'all posted.

April 1, 2011 - Day 2 Part 2: WHAT JUST HAPPENED?

First off I need to say that if anyone out there saw last night's episode of Grey's Anatomy, (which I just watched), please contact me or post a comment here immediately.... WOW!  What just happened?


Earlier in the afternoon I watched Catfish.  I had no idea what to expect.  I thought it was fake because that's what I'd heard.  Only about 75% of the way through did I realize it was intended to be "real."  I'm not sure what to believe... there are elements of the film that seem like they could never be faked... but never say never!  Regardless the story is incredible.  If it's not authentic, it's certainly creative. Give it a watch and let me know what you think!


I'm really wishing I had some mint chocolate chip ice cream right now.  I'm trying to get over that and ate a blueberry yogurt in an attempt to satiate this craving.  The experiment failed miserably.


It's 7:30 and I'm thinking about going to bed.  The pain meds are helping, but making me really sleepy.  I made the mistake of tempting fate earlier by not taking the scheduled dose... 'maybe my back is actually just getting better!' I thought.  Alas, as the meds wore off, I realized this was not the case.


So I'll tuck myself in with the laptop (I moved to the couch this afternoon for a change of scenery - totes exciting!)  For my next viewing I think I'll go for something less cerebral - this is looking REALLY promising: Dateline NBC.  If only I had some popcorn and that mint chocolate chip... or Hagen Das Mango... or Hagen Das Chocolate Chocolate Chip...

April 1, 2011 - Day 2: WE ARE WIZARDS!

The percoset actually seems to be helping today, which is great.  The migraine is not helping.  I'm kicking myself for finishing the Cherry Garcia last night because I would like to have it for breakfast.  Sigh.  Oh well.  I guess I'll just go with cheerios.

This morning I watched this: We Are Wizards.  I was pleasantly surprised and found it rather interesting.  I'd worried that it would be some sort of cheesy sales thing, but wasn't at all.  It's hard to describe - an indy doc about many things including:  Wizard Rock, Dragon Rock, chronic pain, a 16 year old girl being sued by Warner Brothers, this crazy lady: (WARNING:  Racist & Offensive)  Caryl Matrisciana - who thinks Harry Potter will be the downfall of civilization

In the beginning of the film, the crazy lady says this:  "It's enticing children to dabble more in the occult... the point is, is the power of Harry Potter is something that is addictive.  It draws them into darker powers, and ultimately into something that will destroy society."  I was disappointed that in the film we never find out whether she's read the books.  Her point of view is mind-boggling to me.  Oh yeah, she also made her own film called Harry Potter: Witchcraft Repackaged

So then there's these brothers - Darius (8) and Holden (4) who have a band - (yes they play out and have a following) - called the Hungarian Horntails.  Here's a snip from a show... totally ridiculously amazing. I'm a Dragon & I Don't Care (live)

Maybe my favorite scene in the film would be when Darius asks Holden where he gets his inspiration.  The conversation goes like this:

-  Darius: Where do you get your ideas from, Holden?

- Holden: I got my ideas from birds and from groundhogs and from        rockets and  from robots.

-  Darius (whispering): What about scissors?

- Holden:  and from scissors.

There's also this band... these guys are totally awesome and started this band in high school:  Harry & The Potters

So I'd recommend it to Potter fans & non-fans alike.  

I never ate the cheerios.  So I think I'm going to do that now.  More to come.

April 1, 2011 - Day 1.5: BIRTH OF JESUS

Yesterday was the first day of this back-out episode.  I watched several films...  


I learned a lot of fun facts by watching National Geographic's 'Wild California: Big Sur'

• COUGARS ARE THE LARGEST CATS THAT PURR - THEY CAN LEAP OVER A BUS (THE LONG WAY)

• MOMMY OTTERS BLOW AIR INTO THE BABIES' FUR TO KEEP THEM AFLOAT

• CALIFORNIA CONDORS ARE SCAVENGERS BUT DECAYING MEAT WON'T STICK TO THEIR FEATHERS.  ULTRA-VIOLET LIGHT FROM THE SUN KILLS BACTERIA IN THEIR FEATHERS

• MAMA HUMPBACK WHALES KEEP THEIR BABIES TO THEIR SHORE-SIDE TO PROTECT THEM FROM SHARKS

• OTTERS ARE MEMBERS OF THE WEASEL FAMILY

• SEA OTTERS HAVE THE DENSEST FUR OF ANY ANIMAL

• BANANA SLUGS!!!

• TURKEY VULTURES CAN DETECT GAS RELEASED AT THE BEGINNING OF FLESH DECAY FROM MILES AWAY

• RATTLESNAKES HAVE PITS NEXT TO THEIR NOSTRILS THAT SENSE TEMPERATURE CHANGE WITHIN A FRACTION OF A DEGREE

• SOME PLANT SEEDS RELY ON FIRE TO REPRODUCE... THEIR SEED-COATS LIE DORMANT UNTIL EXTREME HEAT MELTS THEM

I also watched this yesterday: Mysteries of the Bible: Birth of Jesus.  The kind of thing you turn on when you know you're going to fall asleep to it.

Then I went over to Black Swan, which is newly available to rent.  Interesting.  Natalie Portman is always so good at crying.

I guess that's a good recap for March 31.  Additional highlights include ordering pizza and eating Cherry Garcia.

Stay tuned for more updates for today, April 1, 2011.

WELCOME!

Welcome to the "Back-Out-Blog."  The blog I write when  my back is out and I'm stuck at home.