I was driving back from getting some Big Town Hero (which tasted like ass) and I saw this billboard. I would never, ever trust this woman with my insurance. Her hair alone would consume my money.



Aren't you glad my camera works again?

Man's Ambition Exceeds His Reach

Fell asleep right before the shit went down towards the end of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Even though I'm told I missed nothing of any great consequence, I was mostly digging the movie and wanted to see how it all paid off. So I'll be hitting a cheap show...I dunno, next weekend or something and just coming in for the last hour. Good times.

Had a good run though...between two and four hours every night this week, five nights straight. Guess it had to end sometime.

A Few Quick Things

Almost exactly a year after it broke (seriously, I think I'm like two weeks off), my camera is returned to me in complete repair! Photo journalism will strike back.

When I was buying my ticket for Pirates 3, a scruffy, raspy-voiced man ahead of me was asking the underage girl at the booth, Ally (their names are on the tickets) when her school is in session this weekend, and when they have the day off. Ally didn't seem nearly as creeped out by this as I was.

This album is so effing good. You have no idea. Here's a taste...you absolutely must listen to "Falling Slowly."

Waitress is playing at the Fox Tower right now and it's the most pleasant surprise I've had in a movie theater...maybe since Lost in Translation three and a half years ago. It's uplifting, charming, fun, heartbreaking and a thousand other nice things.

A&E - Season Finale Wrap-Up

I shouldn't really be posting this until Studio 60 ends in a couple of weeks (for good...it's definitely canceled, as opposed to before where it was just maybe canceled), but what the hell...everything else ended when it should. We'll just go in the weekly order.

24 - Didn't watch it, which is probably the worst thing you can say about a show like this, that's supposed to grab you by the throat and demand your attention week after week. I just got bored. So I missed last week's episode and didn't record the finale and I just don't care enough to watch either. It just ended up being kind of a boring show (and yeah, I've been told I caught it at a bad season, so save that comment).

Veronica Mars - About as great a season finale as you could ask for, especially considering this season, unlike seasons prior, had no central, season-long mystery that came to a major conclusion for the finale. Unfortunately, it ended up being the series finale, which is a damn shame because, much as you probably still don't believe me, this really was one of the best damn shows on this season. It never stopped being classier than its premise or network (it aired on the CW, home of crap) would suggest.

LOST - Holy shit. THAT'S a season finale. In the past four weeks or so, this went from a fun, genuinely entertaining show to one of the best shows I've ever seen. I have no idea why this show is so popular (it's the weirdest thing on network TV, that's for damn sure), but it shows audiences are a LOT smarter, and a lot more patient, than we give them credit for. If you've never believed the hype, you have seven months to catch up on three seasons of greatness before season 4 starts.

Scrubs - DAMN IT! Just when I thought J.D. was really progressing forward in a way that would set up a GREAT last season of the show, they had to end it with their most overused plot device. My guess? They were all set to end the series with all the characters all settled, then they suddenly got renewed and felt they had to come up with a cliffhanger. They could've done a lot better though. This season in general hasn't been up to par with the past (in which every season just got, for my money, better and better), but they were really onto something towards the end.

The Office - Not unlike LOST, this show seems to be unafraid to (apparently) wrap up what we assumed was the one consistency that would stick with the show throughout its run. This episode was just adorable in every way, and I'm giddy as hell over the direction they took Pam in in the weeks leading up to this. I love this show so very much.

30 Rock - Not the most memorable of endings, but they had to make something that could've simultaneously worked as a series finale (it will be coming back next fall though...and you should all watch it, because unlike everything else on TV you really don't need a history book to understand and enjoy any given episode), and as far as that goes, it really nicely bundled up the first season (and keeping seasons self-contained is something I've long-championed, so there's little to complain about there). This show was a huge surprise for me, because I a) hate Tina Fey, and b) scoffed that anyone should try to do the same concept as an Aaron Sorkin show, and think they could do it better. Well, a) Tina Fey is forgiven (maybe I'll finally watch Mean Girls), and b) I really can't compare the two...I love both of them, but for very, very different reasons.

Next fall has a host of new shows that look like balls. And with Veronica Mars and getting flushed, not to mention Studio 60 getting flushed, not to mention LOST staying gone 'til January, it looks like the tube will only be on for Thursday night Comedy Night Done Right (unless one of those new fall shows proves to be less balls than they look...I especially hope The Sarah Connor Chronicles works).

You're Welcome, Environment

So I had this great idea a few weeks back to ride my bike more. I'd always kinda wanted to and now I gotta pay for (some of) my gas, so I was like "well, there are definitely places I can ride the bike to." One of those places is the video store, located at 4320 SE Belmont.

Here's a map of my house in relation to the store. You'll need it for reference. [EDIT: Okay, apparently that link worked...not at all...but the shortest way there is like 3 miles...I did not take the shortest distance there].

Problem is, 39th has NO bike lane at all, and fairly narrow lanes for cars, so I wasn't too cozy on taking the easy way. Plus there's a massive hill right before Division. So I decide to swoop down to 28th, down Holgate, down 26th, which leads right through Powell to Division, where I could cut up to 39th or just weave through the neighborhoods until I hit Belmont. Pretty solid plan, only a slight incline, and let's face it, I could use the exercise.

So after work today I was feeling pretty alive and awake, running on 4 hours sleep (which gets you through a work day at Nordstrom better than you'd think), and the day had just flown by. So I said to myself, "today's the day!", threw on one of my new, comfy, very breathable shirts, pulled the bike out of the garage (which took some doing), filled up the tires, and was on my way.

I hit 26th and Powell and for some reason there were a ton of cops. I gave the officer across the street a questioning look, and he just pointed up Powell, then down Powell, apparently mouthing "you can go up there, or down there." I wondered what could possibly be keeping me from my route. It turned out to be this. Now, I don't know all my limits, but I know some of them. One of them is that the road from 26th to 39th on Powell is too steep for me. So I went down to 21st and cut across.

Look, I may not be in the best of health, but I was fairly certain I could handle the ride from there. I was so very, very wrong. The ride back was considerably easier as it's largely downhill, but man...I was thoroughly unprepared for that. Then I got back and my shirt is drenching with sweat, so I'm like "I'll throw it in the wash!" Look at the label - "100% Silk." Flip it over - "Hand wash cold separately. Only non-chlorine bleach when needed. Line dry. Cool iron or dry clean." First, cheapest damn silk shirt I've ever seen...I think it was like $30. Second...damn.

In the future everything should be machine washable. Shoes included. Now I need a shower and to watch The Fugitive (one of the movies I rented...no, I've never seen it, but I totally expect it to be worth the effort it took to get it here).

Is my mom cooking dinner tonight? Voice mail...she's at the club (the work out center, not like...my mom didn't go clubbing after work)...she's not cooking. Damn. Anyone wanna go get dinner? Nah. It's definitely a take-out night. I hope to Christ Pastini does take-out...their website is pastini.biz...is .biz new?...oh thank Christ they do take-out...I'm totally getting extra bread too...they have the best bread I've ever had in my life there...maybe not, but I could eat it forever...order's placed, 10 or 15 minutes...no time for shower...also I'll be driving there, and...well, I guess I'm saving a little gas having rode to the video store, but really not enough to justify all that.

God damn it.

EDIT: Maggie, I still say I could take you in a race.

It's OFF!

So...remember that awesome apartment that would've made me wake up each and every day excited for life? Gone. In more ways than one. But basically, I will now be living somewhere else entirely. It's actually in a better part of town (read: closer to cool movie theaters and stores, but probably more dangerous). It's cheaper though. Money's good. I'm really really tired right now (first day of work and I'm still only operating on two hours of sleep).

I have many, many days when I think I'm wasting four years with this Media Studies business. The extent to which it barely qualifies as a real major cannot be understated, and really I'll get out of school and sort of stay in it (the career will consist of a LOT of a research and writing...not so unlike school). But I watched a movie last night that reminded me why it'll be so easy, so interesting, and so invigorating to spend the rest of my life with movies (and TV and music and radio and such). So that was nice.

Work blew big time today. Spent all day in shoes and cosmetics. So much more tedious than the clothing departments.

For the first time in my life, I find The Doors interesting. Oh well.

The movie was Wild Strawberries if you're curious. It's a Swedish film. Yeah, it's pretentious as hell, but it's frickin' amazing.

Okay, I gotta go put some pants on and run to the grocery store.

But Then She Looks Me In The Eye And Says, "We're Gonna Last Forever"

It's been awhile, I think in part because the events of the past week have been...I dunno, I just wasn't up to my usual bout of carrying on about television and movies and the small quirks of society. But, y'know, gotta blog sometime I guess.

On some level I'm bored, if only because I've eagerly done pretty much every chore around the house and am trying to find new ways to fill time. I've been watching a lotta movies though, a lotta TV. I have a HUGE list to move through this summer (the TV stuff just won't happen...I HAVE to watch as much of the sixth season of The Sopranos as I can, but at least until the end of the regular TV season there's just no time...I spent four hours today just catching up so I could watch Lost tonight, which could not be a more amazing show, and Scrubs and The Office tomorrow...plus two hours of Sopranos and an hour of The West Wing...shit, I didn't do anything today), somewhere around 55 movies (so far I've watched...six, three I absolutely fell in love with...it sounds like 55 should move quickly at that rate, but I do have a job eventually).

And that job begins next Wednesday, the 16th! From that point on, I am only kind of a free man, but if it's anything like last summer, most of you probably won't even notice it (besides all those times when I'll remind you that you have no right to complain about being tired...ha ha!). But yeah, met up with the Boss Man and it's all set. I'm actually kinda pumped to get started. Kinda feel useless just sitting around the house debating what movie to watch. Also I'm broke.

I went to the dentist today. I really don't...and I know there are small children in Darfur who feel deeply for me, but I really don't think there's a more excruciating experience that I'll go through all year. It really is terrifying. I have pretty poor dental hygiene (although I did discover that not everybody at college brushes twice a day, so I do have some people beat!), and I'm convinced that one day I'll stroll on in for my twice-yearly visit (increasingly becoming merely yearly..."merely yearly" is a fun phrase) and they'll strap me to the chair and keep me forever until they correct every little problem. My dentist and his lovely assistants are in no way evil (perhaps a little too clean and polished), but especially when they get to that part where they basically run a very firm needle along your gum line and just scratch like it's the lottery...I could just about strangle that lady.

The weather sucks at night, but it's so nice during the day. It's nice to have my summer music back, too...all that music that I never ever listen to in the winter because it just doesn't feel right. "Never ever" is extreme, but you get the idea. My Summer Rock playlist. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Greatest Hits. The more upbeat Counting Crows songs. The Mamas and the Papas. Springsteen. Aerosmith. Don't even start me on the Beach Boys (start me...I dare you).

That was a long post. I dunno, I always feel like I should mention it, just so you're just just sitting there saying "Damn, Scott, wanna write some more?" This is me saying "I know, man, but hell, I mean...you read it anyway." And then you're like "Yeah, well...okay...wanna get some pizza?" And I'd be like "Hells yeah!"

Words Blogger's spellcheck took issue with in this post - "y'know," "lotta," "playlist," "Heartbreakers," "Aerosmith," and, oddly enough..."okay." Oh, and "spellcheck."

You Drive Us Wild, We'll Drive You Crazy

So begins possibly the greatest two-day adventure of my short life...

It's 1:55 PM and I just woke up. On the itinerary today is to hang out one last time with my nearest and dearest of the East Coast, which includes standing in line for four hours for Spider-Man 3, then SEEING Spider-Man 3, which'll get out at around 2:45 late tonight. Then proceed to the South Street Diner for breakfast before getting a cab at 4:30 AM to make it to the airport by 5 to get on a 6:30 AM, first-class flight to San Francisco and up to Portland, where I'll finally get a bit of rest (I would sleep on the plane, but I'd hate to waste all that first-class goodness) before heading to Points of Departure, Beth Fagan's one-woman show that I'm almost anticipating more than webhead himself.

Whoo!