Some Quick Reviews Before I Go To Bed (aka Recap of The Last Two Weeks):
NIN (Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Irvine):
Trent Reznor is a god amongst men. Trent Reznor is the sexiest fucking thing on this planet. Trent Reznor makes me wanna be a better man. I would pay big money to watch Trent Reznor drench his body in water and rip his emotional guts out in a dark steel-caged dungeon every day of the week. I heart Trent Reznor. If you've never seen him live...there are really no words to describe the passion and intensity that man brings. He makes cacaphony a living, breathing universe of discordance synchronized by the rhythms of a pulsing heartbeat. You don't even have to love his music before you become mesmerized by him live. You'll see...Trent Reznor is a sensory experience.
Superman:
...wears too much make-up. And apparently isn't a very good actor because he didn't have as many lines as you would expect from a lead actor, and they cut away a lot during his lines. But he does look a lot like Christopher Reeves, albeit Christopher Reeves wearing red squishy old-lady orthopedic boots. Kevin Spacey plays an excellent villain, but aren't all gay great villains wonderfully catty? Bryan Singer has a quick sense of humor, injecting the scenes with funny little moments, and the kid who plays Jimmy Olsen is the same one from Not Another Teen Movie who sincerely and wholeheartedly promised to take a dump on a girl's chest. I recommend seeing this film at the IMAX theater because there are approximately 20 minutes of footage in 3D.
X-Men:
Now this was a fun movie. I can't remember much about it so it was pretty mindless, but it's always fun to see the different characters match up with their different superpowers.
Unscripted (HBO):
Great acting, many episodes directed by George Clooney who now seems to rule Hollywood by the grace of his charm and magnetism. I think some of the comic moments are well set up but cut out too early, but the acting teacher is one of the best characters on TV. Actors should watch this show just for some great insight on the theory of acting. Good DVD choice for the cardio machines at the gym.
Getting Promoted:
More commitment to the office job, more time and effort spent at the office job, more money to spend outside of the office job (supposedly). And having to go out of town on more business trips. Will I come to resent Vegas and my constant presence there for trade shows? Not if it means being able to buy a condo for my brother in LA.
The Score:
Jonathan Kranz, composer extraordinaire, is in the final stages of completing our score for the short and now we're just waiting for the sound designer to come back into town next week and finish the sound, and then we've just got the output to go. The music is pretty damn good...like the first season of Lost as requested but with his own signature. You can check out his music at: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=20354239. He's a really nice guy, a consummate professional, and incredibly talented and easy to work with. Talk to him if you need a good composer. I believe he did the music on the Da Vinci Code trailer. Oh holy shit, he's got our music up on his myspace! Okay, cool...check out our score. ;) Pieces, that's us. His score makes me jump every time.
Naet Treatment:
Michael was visiting me the week before last because he's developed a constant throat-clearing habit that all the specialists up north can't figure out. My neighbor recommended Naet treatment as a way to help distinguish and clear up mysterious allergies that was successful on her three young children. Incidentally, it has a good record with autism. They do a muscle strength test to test reactions to various substances and if the symptoms are very strong like in Michael's case, they use a surrogate. So I got the treatment while holding Michael's arm. It seemed strange, almost like going to a psychic's office, albeit a psychic that knew her stuff about endocrinology and performed lab tests and acupuncture, but I suspect it was because I had no idea what she was doing. But at this point, we're willing to try anything. Incidentally, I've never had allergies before but after the treatment, I suddenly had strong allergic reactions to being outdoors and developed an incessant cough. Probably a coincidence. Hopefully a coincidence. The program is long and Michael will continue it up north. It calls for testing and treatment for several individual substances (ie egg products, dairy, pollen, metals, etc.) and takes a while--they test and treat you for a particular substance, then you have to avoid it for 25 hours and they recheck you to see if you come back more tolerant. She did find a weakness to two of Michael's medications though, so I would be interested to see if those meds or their current dosage levels are actually detrimental to him.
Calistoga Mud Baths:
Went to Napa for 4th of July weekend with the family, and my mom and I decided to try one of their famous mud baths. I think she and I were on the same wavelength in that we thought the mud would be the same stuff as the "mud" masks that you put on your face, this smooth clay (mine is infused with green tea!), but when we showed up, the tubs were filled with literally, what looked like something they had shoveled in from the side of the road then turned into a soupy substance with water. And it STINKS. My mom changed her mind and opted for the mineral bath while I decided to give it a try. You were supposed to get in, then sit down, then wiggle your butt until you sunk in. I wiggled until I could no longer bear the thought of mud in my nether regions, and lay there, noting how the mud kind of formed this quicksand like suction so you felt encased. I lasted about 5 minutes before the knowledge got to me that it was mud-mud, not clean, mud-mask clay mud, so I got out, showered everything off and got in the mineral bath, which is basically a jacuzzi bubble bath with mineral salts and your own individual rubber ducky.
Patrick O'Bryant:
WHY? Why would they do this to us??? Fuck the Warriors. Seriously, I hate you guys.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Anyone who says videogames aren't an intense and debilitating psychological addiction is dead wrong. I have wasted entire days of my life. Today I was waiting at a light and I saw a low rider and who I thought was a guy wearing a green do-rag at the wheel, and my immediate thought was that I needed to go drag him out of his car. Video games rot the mind.
Ten Hours of Sleep:
The stuff of fantasies for me.