Missy | November 30, 2001
Last night I had a dream that my two front teeth were rotting and broken. Awful. And when I woke up in the middle of the night, I recall running my tongue over my teeth to make sure they were still there. (I can’t believe I’m actually relieved to say that I have a dentist appointment coming up soon.) I went to a site about dream explanations, and here is what I found:
…broken or unusually worn-down teeth are a sign of the deterioration of an important relationship….
Well isn’t that telling. Jason and I broke up on Wednesday.
So I took an online psychological test (via Punk Princess) and learned that I tend to be a Schizoid Avoidant Narcissist. Nice. Wanna be my friend?
My Friday Five:
1. What did you have for dinner last night? My friend Jeff and I went to Annie’s after happy hour and I had chicken and linguine.
2. Do you ever get up for a midnight snack? No. I only wake up/get up if I have to pee. Or if I think my teeth are falling out.
3. What’s your favorite dessert? I’m not a big fan of sweets. But on occasion I like cheesecake.
4. Tell us something about you that would surprise us. I’m a closet 7th Heaven fan. I don’t necessarily watch it every week, but I follow it enough to know most of the storylines. This is surprising, because I tend to be hyper-critical of schmaltziness (which is this program’s forte) and I’m an atheist (the show’s about a minister and his family.) It pains me to watch it and yet, I still watch it.
5. How do you plan to spend your weekend? I really would like to see Macbeth tonight, as it’s closing this weekend, but this funky weather has got me and half the DC population sick. I may stay in and rent movies. Tomorrow my aforementioned friend Jeff and I may go to the zoo. There are some new babies there, you know.
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Missy | November 29, 2001
Sorry, sorry. Personal issues and well, work have had a negative impact on my bloggering. Just one item for today: Mighty Big TV’s amusing (and thorough!) recap of the raunchy Buffy episode. My favorite part is a discussion between the reviewer (Sep) and friend/fellow reviewer (Ace) regarding the now infamous ending:
Ace: “How did this happen?”
Sep: “Oh, you know how it is. You’re in the middle of a fistfight. Your pants fall down. Next thing you know, you’re screwing someone. It’s happened to all of us, I think.”
Ace: “Thank God I got distracted thinking about the layers of clothing that mysteriously disappeared.”
Sep: “Some people heard a zipper sound. You’ll have to do your own fact-checking on that, though.”
Ace: “Did I tell you that I read in The New Yorker that UPN is the only ‘major’ network without a Standards and Practices department?”
Sep: “What? UPN has no standards? Next you’ll be telling me that the earth is round! Doesn’t this show air at 7 PM where you are? Man, 7 PM isn’t what it used to be. The Muppet Show used to be on at that time. I miss the good old days, when I never had to worry that Ms. Piggy would suddenly start dry-humping Kermit.”
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Missy | November 26, 2001
My belated Friday Five:
1. What was the last book you read? Did you enjoy it? I recently finished White Teeth by Zadie Smith after having started it months ago. I enjoyed it very much: it’s a happy, dense read of families over several generations, and across cultural lines.
2. What’s your favorite book of all time? The Secret History by Donna Tartt. I do also love Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume, if only because I first read it in my early teen years and continue to re-read about once per year since.
3. What’s the worst book you’ve ever read? No book is coming to mind that I absolutely hated. However, in high school it was so painful reading Gulliver’s Travels that I broke down and read the Cliffs Notes instead.
4. What book that you’ve read would you most like to see adapted into a movie? Typically, books-as-movies suck. That said, given the right directors and the willingness to take creative liberties can make for a great film. I’m presently looking forward to The Hours.
5. How do you plan to spend your weekend? Eating, shopping, and watching as much of the OSU-Michigan game as possible at the airport.
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Missy | November 26, 2001
Looks like Listen Missy’s one year anniversary came and went. Oh well.
I saw Harry Potter. You know, I only made it maybe 2/3 of the way through the first book. It wasn’t so much that I disliked it….it was just that I wasn’t interested in it. Well, thankfully the movie (and when I say ‘thankfully’, I sarcastically mean ‘unfortunately’) played out every single freaking detail that I was forced to relive, and every single freaking detail that I hadn’t read, so that by the time the so-called climax occurred (and after I had had about 10 naps–who thought a 2 1/2 hour kids’ movie was a good idea?) it seemed merely an addition to the already overdone series of events. I enjoyed the acting, though. It would’ve been a much stronger movie had it been chopped down about 45 minutes.
I went shopping, as I always do, on that dreadful day-after-Thanksgiving. There’s no sign of the economy slowing by the looks of things at Columbus malls, that’s for sure. I did get some of my Christmas shopping done, though. And I got some new boots. I’m wearing them today, in fact. They are high and pointy, and I wish I could say they are comfortable, but they are so not. Not even close. What was I thinking?
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Missy | November 21, 2001
A Buffy blog. I knew there had to be one out there somewhere.
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Missy | November 21, 2001
Holy cats, Buffy!! Was that ending very dirty or what? I was surprised. At the same time, I found it very telling, what with the whole tearing down of walls and destruction….paralleling Buffy’s decent into emotional nothingness…that she, on principle, hates Spike yet he is the only one who ‘gets her’. Very powerful and definitely risky in terms of what they got away with. I checked in at The Bronze, which is the message board at the official site, but I’m having problems loading the pages. I don’t normally read it, so I wonder if it’s even worth my while.
I also wonder if the writers are heading into ‘Buffy enters into an abusive relationship’ territory. A lot of people seem to be up in arms with the way that final scene played out, what with the (I might add ever present) violence leading to sex. I do NOT see this as Buffy and Spike coupledom, like say, the Buffy/Angel situation. People who are cheering that the two have finally gotten together have got it all wrong. This is not a good thing.
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Missy | November 16, 2001
I suppose I’ll join in on the Friday Five.
1. Name five things in your refrigerator: I’m not sure you want to know. There’s some very leftover pizza. Some very very leftover (but covered!) Hamburger (actually turkey) Helper, a water pitcher, beer (Red Hook ESB), and I think some cheese.
2. Name five things in your freezer: I don’t think there are 5 things in there. Let’s see: ice cubes, bacon, and one of those blue gel-filled ice packs.
3. Name five things under your kitchen sink: Technically, in my apartment, “under the sink” is the dishwasher.
4. Name five things around your computer: A paper comparing an import price index series with a comparable series calculated by the Producer Price Index office; a cup of coffee; headphones; about a zillion post-it notes;a stapler
5. How do you plan to spend your weekend? This is the last weekend for my show. I also have a friend visiting from NYC, and I’m doing a Help The Homeless walk tomorrow.
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Missy | November 15, 2001
Dear god. What happened to Scott Hicks?
Surprise of all surprises (no, not really): Jonathan Franzen wins the National Book Award. I’m just starting The Corrections now. (Well, not right now. I mean, like, in the span of this week.)
Speaking of books, and tying it in with idiots…..For some reason, I read the online version of The Daily Collegian, the student newspaper for Penn State (where I went to grad school). I question my motives upon seeing book reviews like this one. I know I’m not exactly the most astute critical thinker, but I’m not printing my thoughts in a newspaper, am I? (Just on this silly website.)
Is nothing sacred? That poor woman will never be left alone, even in death.
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Missy | November 14, 2001
I went to the movies again yesterday. This time I saw Heist. I didn’t find this one to be one of Mamet’s best–the continual plot twists became predictable by movie’s end, maybe because he tried to throw in so many, maybe because, having seen both House of Games and The Spanish Prisoner, I’ve grown accustomed to the way Mamet lays out his plots. That said, it IS clever, and full of Mamet-isms ( “My motherfucker’s so cool, when he goes to sleep, sheep count him.” “I’ll be quieter than an ant pissing on cotton.”) The supporting cast (the sexy Rebecca Pidgeon, slick Sam Rockwell, and quirky Ricky Jay) are the real treasures of the film.
Last night’s Buffy: started off a little silly, but damn was that a sad ending. And the way they set up the shocker of an ending (i.e. Buffy & Spike) was so well done that I’ve gotten over my former feeling that if Spike & Buffy ever hook up the show would go to hell in a handbasket. Also, here is a link to the EW site which features some behind-the-scenes stuff from the musical episode. In fact, EW is a champion of this show, and usually posts reviews of episodes. Check here for updates.
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Missy | November 13, 2001
I saw The Man Who Wasn’t There yesterday on my day off. The cinematography is absolutely gorgeous–the play between light and shadow is both stark and enchanting. And of course, some of the most amusing and riveting characters come to life, thanks to the genius writing & casting of the Coens. Interestingly, Ed Crane, the character played by Billy Bob Thornton (a highly underrated actor, in my opinion, even if he is a bit of a whacko in real life), has very little dialogue (save for deadpan voiceover narration) and shows very little expression, but this makes him one of the more complicated characters of the Coens’ to date. Make no mistake– there is still some subdued silliness, but this film, being a noir drama and all, is differently nuanced than the Coens’ more recent comedic films.
I saw the trailer for A Beautiful Mind, the film about Nobel prize winning mathematician (though the prize was in economics for his work in game theory) John Nash. Being a bit of a math nerd, I’ve been looking forward to this, even though it’s directed by Ron Howard, whom I hold on the same plane as Steven Spielberg, in terms of their shared ability to realize a vision yet in a ham-fisted manner.
Up next: Mulholland Drive and Heist
I also hope to catch two Shakespeare plays: Macbeth (to my knowledge, set in the Louisiana Bayou, complete with accents) at the Folger and Hamlet at the Shakespeare.
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Missy | November 8, 2001
I’ve always enjoyed reading the reviews by Salon critic Stephanie Zacharek. Contrast, if you will, her reaction to the heavy-fisted imposition of dreariness and heartache cum ostentatiousness of Dancer in the Dark with another recent musical, this one from television. She tells it like it is, far better than I could.
My take on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: despite the fact that, really, no one in the cast except Giles could sing (and the fact that all of the singing sounded heavily produced just to make it palatable to the ears), I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many storylines so effectively furthered in the course of one hour (plus 8 minutes, as it were) ever. None of the songs were particularly interesting (nor, as noted, well-sung) yet what started off (for about the first 10 minutes) as funny & charming ended up sucking me completely into their world. Fantastic.
Also, if you missed 24 on Tuesday (at 9 pm, what I presume to be its scheduled spot) it is being reaired this Friday at 9 on Fox, Sunday at 11pm on FX, and Monday at 10pm on FX.
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Missy | November 7, 2001
I have long hair. I have been growing it out for what seems like an eternity (that photo at the left is my hair at its shortest, over 3 years ago), one reason for which is because I love long hair, and haven’t had it this long since the 5th grade. I’m in a quandary now because I’m starting to have short-hair envy. I watched the coolest new show on tv this season, 24 last night (I taped Buffy and haven’t yet watched it) and I’m in love with short hair again thanks to the character Nina. Go here to see her (and click on Nina Myers.)
So, yeah, 24. Anybody watch it? I think the real-time aspect adds to the urgency and suspense. And it’s well-shot. And from what I could tell, well-written and well-acted.
I watched The Simpsons as well last night. To those who say this show has gone downhill inrecent seasons, I say Pshaw. It’s simply gotten bizarre as hell. Its social commentary may not be as scathing, but it’s still, by far, one of the most creatively written shows on television.
So I’ve been hearing that the aurora borealis could be seen in places like Colorado and Columbus (OH). Boy do I suddenly wish I didn’t live in a light-polluted area.
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Missy | November 5, 2001
Performances went well this weekend. My voice is a bit raspy, and my left foot is feeling slightly stress fracture-esque, and I’m tired as all hell, but I’m happy to have my evenings (some of them) back. Tonight, for instance, I’ll be doing about a month’s worth of laundry. I’m lucky to be making my bed these days.
I squeezed in a matinee of the Washington Ballet on Saturday. Here is a round-up of reviews (because I lack the energy to provide my own).
I haven’t seen any new movies, and I haven’t seen any bands since the Cursive show a few weeks ago. I haven’t been to yoga in a couple of weeks. I’m out of sorts.
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Missy | November 1, 2001
An epic poem about Schroedinger’s cat. (Thanks to BrainLog.) There will be a quiz later.
The November 6 episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is not only a musical, but also 8 minutes longer than usual. Set your VCRs, as this is the only time this episode will air in its entirety. Also, I found this two-minute trailer via Kerplink.
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