sawdust
Am in the midst of a home improvement project right now, building a platform for my bed and some built-in shelves for a niche in my living room. My apartment has turned into a temporary woodshop, complete with drill, hammer, sander, dowels, screws, glue, clamps, wood putty, paint, brushes, ¾” birch veneer plywood cut to size, and sawdust everywhere. Ask me if I think this was a good idea… go ahead, just ask. (Pause). No, I knew it wasn’t a good idea before I even started.
This weekend I saw Michael Clayton, ate at Taralucci e Vino, saw Slumming It at the New Museum’s new building, saw Beckett’s Happy Days at BAM, and then saw Juno with my most recent long-term ex-boyfriend. By the way, it is a pathologically bad idea to see a movie about pregnancy with an ex; we got into a fight immediately afterwards, which concluded with him promising to financially support my future children, even if they weren’t his. He’s normally a clear-headed lawyer-type, so I’m not sure how he succumbed to my contortions of logic.
Some favorite quotes etc. from the weekend:
“I am not the guy that you kill, I am the guy that you buy” (Michael Clayton).
“It’s the replication of experience in a safe, domestic environment” (Slumming It).
“You shoulda gone to
Back to the construction project. When finished, I intend to reward myself by seeing Plaid at the Knitting Factory or Tim Berne at Joe’s Pub.
Here’s a Kieran Hebden/Steve Reid video for those of you who like amazing percussionists mixing it up with electronic music geeks on samplers.
****How could I forget?! The quote that caused the biggest guffaw by both my ex and I was when the Mark Loring character (adoptive-father-to-be) seductively stated to the sixteen year old "I'm moving out. I'm getting a loft. Downtown." It just hit too close to home- we have a friend or two exactly like that. Also great was the sequence showing the ideal McMansions for baby-raising in the rich suburb.
19 Comments:
I also saw Juno too this weekend, making this the first year ever that I have seen all the Best Picture nominees. I really liked the smart, fast dialog. It reminded me of the pace of the dialog in the West Wing--and it even had Allison Janney to make the comparison that much more apt.
I didn't like the Jason Bateman character, though--not because he was so creepy--and he was--but because they used the creepiness to imply that it wasn't okay for him to still enjoy music, horror movies, and t-shirts. If you haven't given up enjoying music by the time you reach your mid-thirties, it says, then you are obviously immature and probably a pedophile. I disagree.
I'm more or less in agreement with you, Justin, about the symbolism surrounding the JB character. From my point of view, it's ok to live in a loft, play guitar and have babies. (It's just that I have a few friends who live in "downtown" lofts and, coincidentally, are actively trying to be man-whores). And those McMansions which isolate women in suburban enclaves making them totally dependent on cars and malls for any kind of a social life are definitely not for me.
Excuse me? I am a sacred vessel, alright? All you've got in your stomach is Taco Bell.
What you are describing, Justin, are the Grups, the subject of which started me on my fair journey here at the NAP oh so long ago. There was a big article in the Times, or something awhile back. They may be passe now, but the happening of the idea is not.
I don't know what I'd be, or where I'd be, if I had all the resources available to me to choose, but what I have is mostly what Bluebird does not like.
But I still like music.
You mean I was just a couple of miles away from all this good stuff but I had to stare at a dead guy for two days instead?
Hey was that the clear headed lawyer manwhore who wanted to walk you home from that tapas place we ate at in Brooklyn this Summer? You played him then too.
Btw, I was hanging with a lot of old farts this weekend who haven't given up music, bad movies and t-shirts. Some of them have full grown kids with college edjumakayshuns. They might be pedophiles though. I don't know directly.
Wednesday, you're confusing one with the other. The clear-headed one is my ex. Together, we laugh at the man-whores. I hope I'm not playing him. I know you only get my side of the story from these posts, but I'm pretty sure he's happy we've broken up. It's just that dating can be such a miserable endeavor that we just like to spend time with each other as friends. It helps that the break-up was mutual and easy to talk about.
Well I'm glad I misunderstood, otherwise my manwhore radar needs tuning. I didn't sense it in person. Although I did sense that he was maybe a bit manwhore-ish for you ;-)
found in the news today:
Being a married, middle-aged guy with a kid, I need some sort of weekly night out/escape from my domestic life. I like going to shows, you all like going to shows, so let's try to go to a show once a week.
JASON ANDELMAN, 36, ON THE FORMATION OF DC ROCK CLUB, FOUR 30SOMETHING GUYS WHO DEDICATE ONE NIGHT A WEEK TO SEEING LIVE MUSIC, WASHINGTON POST | 1.13.08
Here's a link to that Post piece. I don't think that sort of thing could happen in this town, because to make it once a week would require that it contain a lot of suck. I don't like suck.
harsh statement on the A-town, justin. however, you *are* justifying my not going out (on average) so, it leaves me pleased.
what about the 30somethings of the female sex? or, are we supposed to be satisfied with, like, uh, shopping with our female friends? - i liked the "no girlfriends or wives allowed" part of it. gawd they are just plain unfair- what about the women that want a chance to be juvenile?! this is reminding me of the husband whose wife thought she was cheating but was really only part of a fantasy football league in that other pregnancy movie Knocked Up. and, remember, her and her sister Alison's clubbing days were over once Alison got pregnant.
Debbie: I'm not gonna go to the end of the fucking line, who the fuck are you? I have just as much of a right to be here as any of these little skanky girls. What, am I not skanky enough for you, you want me to hike up my fucking skirt? What the fuck is your problem? I'm not going anywhere, you're just some roided out freak with a fucking clipboard. And your stupid little fucking rope! You know what, you may have power now but you are not god. You're a doorman, okay. You're a doorman, doorman, doorman, doorman, doorman, so... Fuck You! You fucking fag with your fucking little faggy gloves.
Doorman: I know... you're right. I'm so sorry, I fuckin' hate this job. I don't want to be the one to pass judgement, decide who gets in. Shit makes me sick to my stomach, I get the runs from the stress. It's not cause you're not hot, I would love to tap that ass. I would tear that ass up. I can't let you in cause you're old as fuck. For this club, you know, not for the earth.
Debbie: What?
Doorman: You old, she pregnant. Can't have a bunch of old pregnant bitches running around. That's crazy, I'm only allowed to let in five percent black people. He said that, that means if there's 25 people here I get to let in one and a quarter black people. So I gotta hope there's a midget in the crowd.
I'm not a fan of the bars around town that won't let babies in. I mean, what gives? We're sitting outdoors!
The only good place to go in this town for people with kids is Waterloo off 360. They have a completely enclosed playground and they serve beer and nachos.
Ok, so there's the Nutty Brown in South Austin, but that's almost out of town and way too far for me, sadly. Especially as that's the only place I'd catch live music as they have a stage.
Ok, and there's Franks on Burnet, but it's not an enclosed playground and that makes a lot of difference.
Personally, I'll stick with watching His Girl Friday (for the fastest, smartest dialog around) while having a cocktail (or 3) in a martini glass with my gal friends - at home. Or, better yet, watching The Women. Not one man in the movie. Amazing.
Wish I could invite you to see Persepolis with me and my friends, Ramona.
His Girl Friday is in the Netflix queue. ;-)
Brooklyn has a loads of live music venues, cafes, places where you can get a glass of wine, restaurants and bars that will let you in with kids. Park Slope, Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens are completely overrun with strollers. My neighborhood (Fort Greene) is a bit more difficult.
That WaPo story reads like the rough draft of an Onion story. I mean, seriously, how much more or less newsworthy is it than "seven acquaintances from Houston start music blog, grow closer, travel to Barcelona to see music, etc."?
I didn't get too worked up about the portrayal of the Jason Bateman character in JUNO, despite being my closest counterpart in the film; it was nice to see the "hip guy/brittle shallow wife" dynamic so often portrayed turned on its ear.
Okay wait just a second. The A-town? Do not tell me that Justin has moved yet again.
Doug, take care of that booze-dehabilitating illness. Maybe find a new vice in the meantime. Please not pedophilia though.
Do not tell me that Justin has moved yet again.
Don't act like you know where I live.
Watch it sucker, I can hit a moving target.
In my mind, you carry your home on a twig in a handkerchief.
did you know that you can sand latex paint?! 220 grit wet/dry sandpaper is working its magic.
Wednesday - Hell, EM's looking him up via satellite! And can give the lat and long. What, are you busy or something?
BB - Thanks! That Persepolis movie looks really good. The last movie I saw with a gf at a theater was Schizopolis - note the date that came out.
Also, ironically, I just read a story yesterday about bars in Brooklyn limiting people with strollers to two drinks. I guess I can understand. sigh.
DD - that story is very close to that latest movie about three brothers traveling to India. So, you see, not an Onion article, but legitimate content that people will pay - PAY! - to see.
Ramona, i hope that's not true as I hope my daycare/bar idea (Suds & Tots) will one day be franchised there. Maybe next to my lawyer friend's idea of Divorce Attorney/Bar combo(Dumps & Suds).
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home