Thursday, December 15, 2005
My war on sloth
This time I mean it. Seriously. I’m really, truly, honestly going to commit myself to posting with some regularity. Fo’ rill. I’m going to try out a fancy stream-of-consciousness approach.
I promise edginess.
Having said that, here’s one brief political issue I must mention:
"If you invest all of the assets of a brand into an idea, you can create a hero." - spoken by an Advertising expert on Frontline: The Persuaders, a PBS special on the prevelance of marketing in American culture.
"I'm not going to do that, even though I just did." - Bulls coach Scott Skiles
Miscellanea -
I found myself at Walgreen’s on Monday evening. While waiting at the register, a short woman behind me asked if the line was moving. I wanted to point out the fact that she was part of the line, and therefore should be aware of any movement. She accosted me with information about married men that stop fulfilling the promises they made before getting married. She also informed me that she is a widow, an avid churchgoer, and was going to eat a four pack of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups for dinner at 11:30 pm. I simply wanted to buy toothpaste. This is why I love and fear the city.
I fully recommend that everyone see Syriana. It’s a powerful film, chock full of political background and jargon, tailor made for politics junkies but done well enough to interest the casual observer of world events. References to oil supplies in Kazakhstan and the principles of neoliberal economics are casually made (even Milton Friedman gets a plug), and the viewer’s understanding of geopolitics and the role of energy as a catalyst for conflict is more or less assumed. The plot is tangled to the point that the viewer, like the characters, easily can become lost in the details. Far more important than the fractured narrative are the connections between government, corporations and the world’s most valuable and sought-after resource, which capture the current, sordid state of world affairs. The rampant corruption of global politics presented in Syriana makes you want to scream in frustration, and then turn to the Internet or library to find out more. It’s been reported that George Clooney is committed to resurrecting the gritty political film in Hollywood, which makes me feel slightly less bad about this mess were in.
Having watched the film Me and You and Everyone We Know, I have mixed feelings – some scenes were amazing, some were lame. Overall, it was a decent way to spend $4 and far better viewing choice than, say, Sahara. The highpoint is the film’s writer, director and co-star, Miranda July, who immediately qualifies for the all-time hot hipster list along with Tina Fey and the Blonde Girl from Champaign that Kristen Castagna and I used to stalk from afar.
Vinnie called to tell me about the ‘world’s greatest donut’, which is apparently an apple fritter made at a place on 112th and Michigan Ave. We soon shall make a pilgrimage to the South Side for this "fritter".
Finally, check out the sweet new video for Glósóli by Sigur Ros.
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