Someone pointed out that most of my entries are written on the topic of My Being Outraged About Something. That’s horrible! I don’t mean to be doing that. Most of the time I’m a very positive person. Right now, for example. I’m at my secret internet full-time job (not to be confused with the secret internet part-time job I held briefly last spring) and I like it! I really like it! The people are — well, they’re around me right now so I won’t say much about them, but they’re all my age, which makes “work” feel more like “summer camp.”
We get our first paycheck today, in fact, I believe. That’s pretty good for a week in which we’ve spent one day being oriented by playing name games; one day touring NYC campuses undercover (that really took me back); and three days now at a computer lab doing things that actually require thinking and creativity.
Also, I just saw Juno, this year’s Little Miss Sunshine the same way No Country for Old Men is this year’s the Departed. It was the best thing I’d seen in a long time, possibly since Pan’s Labyrinth. It was as funny as Knocked Up but didn’t make me feel dirty afterwards because it didn’t seem to be saying that men and women are fundamentally different and can never get along, never never never, but they have to get & stay married anyway, just because.
Atonement–you know, the literary movie about War and Love and Betrayal and Big Ideas–was respectably good, especially in its first act, but it didn’t move me nearly as much as the story of the adorable, snarky, midwestern 16 year old and her adorable, sweet sorta boyfriend. Mostly, and this is key: I believed it.
Oh, and Malcolm Gladwell! He wrote what I hope will be the definitive word on race and IQ. (God knows at least I’m not interested in reading more on the subject.) Basically, he reminds us that an IQ test is not like a blood test: you don’t get objective results because one must TAKE an IQ test. Since it’s active, the individual can’t be separated from the results. Which is to say, someone who wasn’t groomed to be sit down quietly and concentrate on a paper-and-pencil test is virtually bound to do less well than someone who was. Also, Gladwell has a way of making statistics legible without condescending to his readers. I appreciate that.
See? I like stuff! In fact, I like everything, except Ditchens and Howd.
i think using the blog as a venue for venting spleen is totally warranted, but it’s nice to have a check on it like this, occasionally. i’m glad things are going so well (and i know you’re really a positive person.)
so:
a) if i loved the departed but was turned off by no country, and liked little miss sunshine (aka last year’s you and me and everyone we know) but not as much as the original…will i like juno?
b) since i’ve seen the trailer four times already is that as good as seeing the movie, or are there other good lines?
c) did you see rocket science? i thought that was this year’s little miss.
awwwww thanks, rossling.
a) that’s a toughie. you really preferred The Departed? hmm. i also loved MY&EWK — i don’t think it and LMS are mutually exclusive. short answer: sure! why not.
b) yes! at least, i’ve seen the trailer a bunch of times but i still laughed from start to finish.
c) no, i missed that — is it on netflix yet or can it still be found somewhere?
Ok, I’m the “someone” who said your posts are often focus on things you are angry about. But that’s not bad! Look who you are talking to! I’m angry at everything. I live my life in a constant state of indignation. Your Mr. Ben had to tell me to stop yelling in a restaurant the other day. I wasn’t yelling at anyone, I was yelling about something I was angry at (probably mean teachers). So I’m angry, but I’m still happy and fun, right?
This was a great post though. I really appreciated the IQ article too. So good.
go see juno!
i loved it even though the film kept getting stuck in the projector. and then i got a free movie pass. win win.