Friday, June 07, 2002

The Hives, "I Hate to Say I Told You So"

So, thanks to Miah, I'm actually writing something. I've been a bit embarrassed of the lack of content on my blog lately, and he just pointed out the obvious. Thanks for that, babe. (Also, on a tangent, I'd like to say that Miah's my ideal man. He's a drummer, cultured, intelligent, suave, and just way too good-looking for his own good. Unfortunately, I'm not his type, but shame on the boys that aren't trying to date him!) As my faithful readers will notice, I'm trying to wean myself off of the quizzes. I didn't take any today! Go me!

I think my real problem with updating the blogger... well, I'm bored out of my mind. Summer is always a bad time for me. Few of my friends stick around Houston, and the ones that do are always working. Now, I'd love to always be working... but Express won't give me any hours. So, I sit at home. And do nothing.

Anticipating this problem, I set three goals at the beginning of the summer. Let me list:

1) Try to read at least two books a week. I'm an English major who hasn't read very much! That's definitely something that needs to be fixed. My mom's given me a nice stack of books to go through first... I'm currently reading Play it as it Lays by Joan Didion. Next is the House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III, The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien, Davita's Harp by Chaim Potok, and The Book of Daniel by E.L. Doctorow. Hopefully I'll turn into a well-read person sometime. Eventually.

2) Watch worthwhile films. I'm not talking about the Hollywood blockbusters that invade the movie theaters each summer. I'm talking about independent films, foreign movies, and classic pictures. Roger Ebert has a very complete list of "Great Movies" that he recommends. I'd like to see at least 75 percent of those. Right now, I've viewed quite a number of excellent films, but I just can't remember details very well. The other day, though, I found a good solution to my memory problem. I was reading an article about Peter Bogdanovich in the New Yorker Magazine that gave me a really good idea. Evidently, from the time he was a little boy, he kept an extensive notecard system about every movie that he'd ever seen. He jotted down a few notes about each film, and then filed it away. Then, when he wanted to remember something about a particular picture, he'd just look back through his files. While I'm not that obsessive (or that organized!), I'm watching movies with a bit more eye for detail. Now I notice a lot more about the editing, the cinematography, and the actor's performance. I just need to watch more! (Right now, I have a stack of Jean Cocteau films to see... then I'm moving onto Jean Renoir.)

3) Learn how to use Final Cut Pro and DVD Studio Pro. This has been the trickiest one so far. I know I've already mentioned it before. (See the entry for June 4th) But it's just so frustrating. I get bogged down in the details, I have problems understanding the language of the manual, and the interface is far from intuitive. I want to be competent by the end of the summer... I don't know if that's going to happen, but at least I'm making a stab at it. And while I'm at it, I could re-edit a lot of my earlier film projects, like The Galveston Alien Project and the Australia trip.

These goals have been all well and good, but I've suddenly realized that I have a few more things I *should* accomplish with my time...

4) Lose the Freshman 15 that I gained during the school year. I've started counting calories, but I'm having problems with the exercising bit. My options are a bit limited... I can't really afford a gym membership or dance classes, my ideal physical activity. I could go running, but I abhore that with all my heart and all my soul. So, I'm trying out the run/walk deal, with some swimming thrown in for good measure. I suppose I could use the pool that's been utterly abandoned in my back yard... too bad I'm not fond of water.

5) Learn to cook. I'm going to be living in an apartment next year... and I won't be able to afford to go out to eat all of the time. While I'm pretty decent at the rudimentary items (spaghetti, cookies, omelettes, etc), I'd like to be able to throw semi-nice dinner parties for people. Or be able to whip up a few good casseroles. Or concoct a yummy tuna au poivre. Or something. I've started collecting recipes... if anyone has any "sure-bet" items, feel free to contribute!

6) Go to a couple of good concerts. Let me tell you about my tale of woe concerning the Warped Tour. I was supposed to go after my freshman year of high school... but I got dumped on that day by the person who would've taken me, so obviously that was not going to happen. The next year, I was in Europe at the time of the Warped Tour. The next? I went backpacking with my church youth group. This year? I'm going to a friend's wedding right in the middle of the concerts. So, it's a lost cause, and I've recognized this. But at least I want to go to a few shows at Fitzgerald's... especially Secret Agent 8, a local Houston band. I want to get in touch with my ska roots... as well as listen to a bit more punk than I have been lately. I just haven't been paying a lot of attention to music. This amendment will hopefully continue when I return to L.A.... I'll have a car, so I can actually go to shows without having to beg for a ride!

I'm always adding to this list. Normally I count travel as my big self-improvement project of the summer... but I'm stuck in Houston this year! This is why I'm being so ambitious about these other projects...

We'll see.