two.points.collapsing

i think i may go see vanilla sky this afternoon. i have nothing else to do and tom cruise is just so dreamy.

i should have put up a link to justin a while ago. he said something about not starting until the new year, but he lied. justin is into metal, he was my neighbor freshman year, and he’s from wisconsin. justin kicks ass.

mjarc reminded me of something else i can remark on. i too do not say “bless you” when people sneeze, and when people around me sneeze, i am always left feeling that they’re thinking to themselves “what a jerk, he’s right there, he heard me sneeze and didn’t say anything”. something else i dislike though is people saying it to me when i sneeze, because the custom is then to say thank you, i think. but i don’t want to be blessed in the first place, and i would really prefer, if it were socially acceptable, to turn to the person and say, “you know, you really don’t have to do that, i don’t go for that kind of stuff”. i think i remember my junior high french teacher telling us that french people say something after you sneeze that means “make a wish”. i wish i rememberd what that was, because at least that superstitious custom, although equally pointless and weird, has a fun spin to it instead of an “i’m saving your soul” one. i don’t want my soul to be saved, personally. i’d like to continue thinking that i have nothing that needs saving, and that i don’t need someone threatening retribution after i die to be a good person in life. and if i don’t say god bless you when you sneeze, that i’m not trying to be a bastard.

i had to go get my license renewed today. had to trade in the old trusty illinois drivers license from 1998 in exchange for a texas state drivers license (which apparently won’t be sent to this house for 4 to 6 weeks). now, lucky me, i’ll get to carry a little piece of texas around with me wherever i go…ugh. and i had to pay 24 damned dollars for this privilege, too. what did that 24 dollars pay for? i don’t understand. it’s a little piece of plastic with a picture and some type on it. i didn’t know i would end up relieved of so much money this afternoon. so it goes.

okay, i also encountered something i just now realized is a pet peeve of mine. since drivers licenses are no longer just hard-laminated pieces of paper like they used to be, that means you can’t actually sign them anymore. i’m sure you know already. so to sign your license, you get to sign on the little computerized screen thingy with a pen-that’s-not-a-pen, more like just a pen-shaped hard plastic thing. i hate signing on little screens. it never ever comes out looking anything like my signature. i’m pretty sure i forgot a letter in my own last name just through frustration of trying to “write” plastic on plastic instead of ballpoint on paper. of course, the total result is so illegible that it won’t matter because you can’t tell what it’s supposed to say anyway. and this will be the signature people compare to whenever i’m asked to sign something in stores and whatnot, so now i’m forever being judged by this terrible signature. awful system, awful. at least when you have to sign one of those things for ups or something, you never have to deal with it again.

right now i’m reading a collection of plays by oscar wilde. i just love his ability to write a conversation between a bunch of high-society hypocrites that’s terribly witty and fun to listen to but still means absolutely nothing. i think i will go enjoy that talent of his right now.

if you only see one movie this month, wait for royal tenenbaums. but ocean’s 11 is a very good movie too. i just got back from the theatre a few hours ago and that was one hip flick, let me tell ya. it was just so fun to watch, and so… cool. i also like how it didn’t lean too heavily on the star power of the many big names of any of the characters. all the characters, minor ones included, were a ton of fun to watch up on screen. i really liked that movie.

best line, i thought (not best in that i’m spoiling a great joke, best in that i just loved the way it sounded), delivered by the black british explosives expert as he’s “recruited” for the job by brad pitt: “it’ll be nice working with proper villains again”. you have to say it in the accent for it to be cool though.

oh, and driving was fine. i didn’t even almost get in any accidents or kill anyone. plus i finished my shopping and saw a slick movie. i wish i had a car all the time.

sooooo slooooooow….

but i persist. cannot let collapsing collapse just because i’m not on the university’s T1 line. oh no, i am dedicated.

what do you buy for your parents for christmas when they don’t really have anything you could clearly define as “interests”. i mean with me, ask me for a long list of music or film selections that i would love to have, and you’ve got a cake way to get me some gifts i would really love. but my parents, they aren’t into movies, or music, or really anything like that. so i get to just go out shopping i guess until something strikes my fancy. and you can imagine how fun that will be. i hope to eliminate some of the hassle by going out now in the middle of the afternoon on monday though, when hopefully the crazy shopping people will be at a reduced level. i am planning on packing some heat though in case things get sticky out there.

off i go then. hopefully i won’t get in a wreck, i don’t think i’ve driven at a car since last christmas since that was the last time i was here at home and i don’t have a car at school. but it should be just like riding a bike, only with more wheels, and far greater destructive potential. right? i’ll try not to kill anyone who doesn’t deserve it, don’t worry.

i don’t know why i’m so morbid today, i’ve been playing tony hawk instead of grand theft auto even. maybe it’s just being in texas that makes me want to kill, but since i don’t hunt or fish or commit hate crimes then i just imagine myself committing cartoonish acts of random violence. stop your worrying though, it’s all imaginary.

come on patrick, you’re the boy next door…

(guess the quote and you are a badass)

boy, blogger’s not so quick from the homestyle internet connection. school has ruined me i’m sure of it–i doubt any time i live on my own i’ll be able to go without high speed access. i’d probably pick paying for dsl over basic cable. or maybe a real telephone. tough call, i don’t really like talking on the phone very much…

but let’s not be too much a loser yet, there will be plenty of time in that in a week or so of being home and doing nothing but playing video games and sleeping.

i went to bed last night after an awful day following a sleep so short it didn’t really form a decent separation from the great day i had before it. that was at only 9:30 last night (and that’s central, which means i went to bed at 7:30 in the time zone i started the day in). but to balance out the night before’s 55 minutes of sleep, i slept for almost 14 hours just now. whew. that’ll give you a bit of a recharge. now i’m all revved up to go, but i have nothing to do. anyone want to play hide and seek with me?

my comfort this week is that at least there are a few movies that i can go see while i’m here to pass the time and get out of the house. still haven’t caught ocean’s 11 (but i will), vanilla sky (which you bet i will), lord of the rings (which i’ve been wanting to see since what, 1999 when they started talking about it?), and maybe harry potter, just to see what the fuss is about (and because i’m bored). oh, and if the royal tenenbaums starts showing close to here before i take off, i certainly wouldn’t mind seeing that again either. for sure.

time for breakfast. but add two hours to the time below here cause i’m in crazy central, so maybe it’s lunch. whatever man, i’m hungry.

umm…wow. last night was interesting. we had a party and i had a very good time. it was less exciting though that my shuttle to the airport was coming at 6:15, and my plan to stay up all night didn’t work. i only slept for about 50 minutes though, then i had to wake up and finish packing right quick…unh, what a terrible morning. so aside from dozing a little on the planes (which i don’t think really counts as sleep since i was sitting up and starting awake every 10 minutes or less when the plane jostled–i just can’t sleep on planes) i’ve slept less than an hour in the bast 36 hours, and i’ve been wearing the clothes i’m wearing right now the whole time too. i’m very achy and damn tired and just unhappy. i really feel like crap. plus, i had to say goobye to buddies who i won’t be hanging out with for a whole semseter. god, that sucks.

at least my friend shannon got me the rocketeer on dvd for christmas, which makes her the coolest and my dvd collection one step closer to perfect. what a swell movie. so she’s great for giving such a cool present, and i’m great for giving her a present she loved too–a leatherbound blank journal which she flipped over. those are the times when you just feel warm inside; those times when two people know eachother so well and know just what little things will make them happy, and then take pleasure in giving them to eachother. it’s nice. merry christmas.

i was talking to my dear friend shannon last night, while we were spending one of the last evenings we could together before she goes away for a semester in italy, about how after the next year and a half, this might be over. this referring to the time when we’ll all be here in the same place. i’m pretty sure i want to go back and live in or near chicago after graduation, other people don’t know and could end up anywhere, really. so the times here in LA are possibly more limited than we like to think about, unless we all decide to stay around here i guess. it’s sad not because i like it here so much as i love the people i’ve met here (three of whom will be gone next semester–like a trial run of living without them. how cheerful).

i do, however, recognize there are a few things about los angeles that i admittedly will admit. here are the top two that i can think of right now:

first–in-n-out burger. damn, that’s some tasty burgers. if you’ve ever had one, i assume that you know exactly what i mean, and if you haven’t, then you have no idea what your missing. damn. how am i supposed to go back to the land of no in-n-out? well, at least in the midwest they have white castle, which they do not have here.

second, and more importantly–the phrase “out now in selected cities” that you hear before some movies more often than not means only los angeles and new york get it, then everyone else gets it. so there are the early releases for great movies, and that’s on top of the free screenings you can go to sometimes and see the film before it opens anywhere at all. how can you not want to see movies before anyone else and for free? or even just get to see a great movie in a theater, but a couple weeks before anyone else in the country gets to? for example, the royal tenenbaums, which i had the distinct pleasure of seeing this afternoon (tell me that wasn’t a smooth as hell way to enter into my movie review). i don’t even want to say much about it though because i’m sure anyone who reads this is probably the type of person who already knows they want to see this movie very badly, making recommendations a moot point. i will say a few things though–this movie is wonderful. and i mean that in the way you tell someone who makes you smile whenever they’re in the room and want to hug whenever you see that they’re wonderful. it’s that kind of wonderful movie. i laughed a lot and felt good in between. it was heartbreakingly human, and just–great.

that’s enough praise though, you’ll see for yourself i’m sure.

hey by the way i’m all done with school and i have to leave here for the airport at 6:15 tomorrow morning. yikes. but anyway if i don’t have more to say later, hopefully i’ll arrive safe at home and be back here saturday evening for the fans.

time to party.

sure, it’s still smack in the middle of christmas shopping season. but my birthday is in late january, so it’s not too early to start dropping hints. hints like:

“hey, look what comes out on dvd january 15th! i loved that movie!”

well actually i might just buy it for myself before then anyway. funny funny stuff. and outtakes of anything starring former members of the state can only be solid gold comedy.

look out, i have a lot to say. at least i feel like i do. maybe it won’t be so much once its typed.

first off, show review. no need to go into specifics really. we missed thursday because we showed up a little late, but since i’ve never heard them i didn’t know what i missed and couldn’t be too upset. hey mercedes was completely great and rocked my world, like they always do. they just look like they’re having so much fun playing the music, and have so much energy to go with their talent and good music…i wish i could afford to go see them again tonight at the palace, but alas (speaking of affording stuff… but i’ll get to that in a minute). saves the day–well, i’ll try to be nice. they have a lot of fans. a ton of people there knew all the words to everything they played. the room was pretty excited to see them, apparently. personally, i’ve always felt that they have a couple really good catchy songs per album, but the rest are just watered down versions of the good ones. so i enjoyed the first three or four tunes, but then i was ready to go home. so it goes.

i was more ashamed of the crowd’s reaction to hey mercedes. from where i was standing (near the front and center, sort of) it seemed like no one knew any of the songs, no one was grooving at all to the rocking going on right in front of them, and no one was even having any fun. it felt very lame to me. i don’t want to wallow in my liking the lesser known band, i just have to state my preference and wish that the crowd was as much fun during the band i went to see as they were during the band i could have done without seeing which everyone was jumping and screaming for. again, so it goes. it just makes me want to write a letter to all they guys in the band that goes something like:

dear H.M.:

please don’t stop coming out here or think no one cares because the crowd seemed lukewarm during your set at the show last night. there are people in los angeles who love your music and think you’re one of the best live bands on tour these days. you played superbly and i already can’t wait to see you again.

your fan,

brian

of course i won’t actually write that letter because i don’t want to be a sappy fanboy. there was this one kid there last night that knew every word though and looked like he had been saving up energy all week to sing along with bob. good for that guy. sure he was kinda goofy, but at least he was goofy for a better band than saves the day.

(i told you this would be a long one…hang in there)

okay, back to not being able to afford things. the show last night was at the house of blues. pretty good venue. good sound, decent size (not too small, not so big it feels impersonal), and really all the things you want in a club venue. you have to buy tickets through ticketmaster for their shows, which kind of sucks…but how much can you complain about that, it seems to be a sad fact of life along the lines of death and taxes. this got me angrier than anything money-related has in a long time though: valet parking at the house of blues last night cost us FIFTEEN FUCKING DOLLARS. it was ten bucks when we went to see the vagrant tour and that was only in august. and it’s not like they have a parking lot right next door where you can park yourself for less money–you’re pretty much stuck using them. i could not BELIEVE they made us pay that much. it was utterly ridiculous and gratuitous and wrong. damn house of blues. good thing the show was good or i might have killed someone.

i think that’s enough for now. more soon.

oh my, i almost forgot to share: as if today weren’t a great enough day just because of the ending of finance and the coming rock concert, i have another reason today is great.

i got a phone number today.

breaks down like this–the girl that always smiles at me in my religion class, whom i talked to at the airport for a few hours on the way out for thanksgiving and whom i talk to in discussion sometimes, happened to be the person i sat down next to for the test this morning. i thought i should be social for once. we take the test and finish at about the same time (actually, i wait idle for about 10 minutes or more for her to finish so i don’t have to clamber over her to leave, and so i can walk out with her. yes, i’m diabolical), and we’re strolling along the sidewalk, me toward my next final, her toward her dorm. the scene is as follows:

brian (inner monologue): okay, this is easy. just say something nice and casual like, “hey, i might not see you anymore since the class is over–we should get together for lunch or something sometime…can i have your phone number?” it’d be totally appropriate and not slimy or too much like i’m hitting on her, and she’s really nice so it’d be a shame not to say anything and never see her again even if i don’t know if she’s worth “dating”, whatever that means… come on, just do it brian…

girl: well, i’m going this way to my dorm… (we both stop walking and face eachother for a second)

brian (still inner monologue): come on brian, if you don’t do it now you’ll probably never see her again, just ask her for her…

girl: (reaching into backpack, pulling out notebook) so i’ll probably see you around, but in case i don’t you should call me sometime… (rips off corner of page with number already written on it, gives it to me)

brian: uh, yeah, i was just thinking i hope this isn’t the last time i ever see you since the class is over now…

and from there the conversation was short and of the “see you later, have a nice break” variety which is not worth typing out. but did you read that correctly? she gave me her phone number with no prompting from me, and not only that but she had written it out at what must have been at least sometime before the test started, meaning this was a premeditated act. this must mean she’s really friendly and doesn’t want to lose touch with the “nice” boy from her class (which would be fine by me), OR it means that she wants to ride the brian train.

hey, stop laughing at me.

two hours to rock fury!