A week ago, our ward hosted a BACK TO THE FUTURE night. Ward members were invited to wear costumes from the years depicted in the trilogy, namely 1885, 1955 and the ever-so-nearer 2015.
Naturally, being that Emily and I are total rebels, we decided to honor one important year that did not receive an official costume endorsement: 1985 (aka, the year in which Marty McFly lives).
Emily decided to show her "true colors" and her stylish leggings (previously used for a Rainbow Brite costume for Halloween 2006). Cake on some makeup and a cloud of hairspray, and she was ready for a night of dancing on the ceiling, er, church cultural hall.
These leggings remind me of dragon tears, which, as we all know, turn into jellybeans... all the colors of the rainbow!
Josh decided that since he learned to play guitar far too late to coincide with the mid-80s music pout-a-thon, he would use this opportunity to apply some guyliner and live "In Between Days" (though, since this event took place on the eve of the weekend, perhaps "Friday I'm in Love" may have been a better theme).
Josh really isn't a very sad guy; rather, he tends to be quite optimistic about most things. Perhaps this contemplative moment was when he realized that removing eye makeup is no walk in the park, or somewhere equally pleasant, like "A Forest."
The night was fun and the decorations were rather impressive for a church activity. The cultural hall was divided into three separate areas, each representing the aforementioned years of Marty's 1.21 gigowatt-powered travels through time. 1955 offered delicious root beer floats, while 1885 rustled up chow of chili and sloppy joes (albeit one scoop only... which was exactly the amount of filling one would want to make their joe sufficiently sloppy!). Meanwhile, 2015 provided a scrumptious salad bar with translucent bowls illuminated with neon lights. It was pretty heavy!
One more thing: Everyone was invited to submit a high school photo to be displayed on the back wall. To conclude this space-time continuum disrupting post, here are the oh-so-amazing senior pictures Emily and I submitted, courtesy of the years 1999 and 1998, respectively.
Emily = Totally awesome in every way... even at age 17!
In a world with no cool, good looking guys for high school girls to fancy, the man with the trombone is king!
(Sadly, this world does not -- nor will it ever -- exist!)
Josh and I have been spending the past couple weeks catching up on Oscar movies. In fact, as I'm typing this, we are scrutinizing Angelina Jolie's performance in "Changling." I'm so excited for the Oscars! Here are my choices for winners (at least, the ones I care about)
Emily's Oscar Picks
Best Picture: "Slumdog Millionaire" Actor in a Leading Role: Frank Langella-- "Frost/Nixon" Actor in a Supporting Role: Heath Ledger-- "The Dark Knight" Actress in a Leading Role: Kate Winslet-- "The Reader" Actress in a Supporting Role: Viola Davis-- "Doubt" Art Direction: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Cinematography: "The Dark Knight" Writing (Adapted Screenplay): "Frost/Nixon" Writing (Original Screenplay): "Milk"
As of this writing, Emily and I have seen all of the films nominated for Best Picture and most of the films for which actors received nominations. I'm fortunate to have a wife who shares my intense love for film, even if she's not quite willing to watch absolutely everything like me. The nominated films I saw without Emily include "Man on Wire," "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," and "Kung Fu Panda."
Here are my picks as of 2 a.m., PST (I may change my mind as the day goes on... and before completing that ever-so-important Oscar ballot!!). I'm torn between Sean Penn's brilliant portayal of San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milk in, well, "Milk," Frank Langella's amazing turn as embattled former U.S. President Richard Nixon in "Frost/Nixon," and Mickey Rourke's much-acclaimed title role in "The Wrestler" (Emily assures me that the universe will not allow Mickey Rourke to actually win an Oscar, lest the very fabric of the space-time continuum unravel, completely destroying all that we know as real and true!!).
Josh's Academy Awards Predictions
Best Picture: "Slumdog Millionaire"
Best Director: Danny Boyle - "Slumdog Millionaire" Actor in a Leading Role: Mickey Rourke-- "The Wrestler"
Actor in a Supporting Role: Heath Ledger-- "The Dark Knight"
Actress in a Leading Role: Kate Winslet-- "The Reader"
Actress in a Supporting Role: Viola Davis-- "Doubt"
Best Animated Feature: WALL*E
Best Documentary Feature: "Man on Wire"
Best Foreign Language Film: "Waltz with Bashir"
Achievement in Writing (Adapted Screenplay): "Frost/Nixon"
Achievement in Writing (Original Screenplay): "Milk" Best Song: "Down to Earth" -- WALL*E
Best Score: "Slumdog Millionaire"
Achievement in Makeup: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Achievement in Art Direction: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Achievement in Cinematography: "The Dark Knight"
Achievement in Film Editing: "The Dark Knight"
Costume Design: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Achievement in Editing: "Slumdog Millionaire"
Achievement in Sound Editing: "The Dark Knight"
Achievement in Sound Mixing: "The Dark Knight"
Achievement in Visual Effects: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Nothing like snowbiking in the beautiful Cascade Mountains of Oregon's Santiam Pass!
Last weekend, I took the scouts from the Aloha 1st Ward to Hoodoo Ski Area for a weekend of camping, skiing and snowboarding. We had a great time and all the scouts got some valuable experience both on the slopes and camping in the snow (unfortunately, some of them still need to learn how to throw away their trash and take down their tents, but we'll work on that...).
Meanwhile, it gave me a chance to once again practice my new hobby, SNOWBIKING!!
If you've never seen a snowbike before, it is essentially a bike frame with two small skis in place of tires. There are several varieties available, and Hoodoo is quickly becoming known as the snowbiking capital of the Northwest (In fact, Hoodoo will be featured as a snowbiking mecca in the March issue of Portland Monthly).
I only started snowbiking last weekend at Hoodoo's annual Winter Carnival. It didn't take me too long to get comfortable riding down the Easy Rider hill and move on to the Manzanita lift. I stuck to the green lifts that first day, but by the time I left the mountain around 8 p.m., I was hooked!
Later that day, I took some video with my brother-in-law's video camera, and he edited it together for this "Queen-tastic" tribute to snowbiking!
This weekend, I brought my 15-year-old cousin, AJ, with me on the scouting trip. He'd been to Hoodoo before, but only to go tubing at the Autobahn. After just one trip on the Easy Rider hill, he was ready to tackle the rest of the mountain.
AJ wasted no time getting comfortable on the snowbike. He eventually convinced me to take him to the top of the mountain for some thrilling downhill rides.
Everybody loves Hoodoo... including me!
I'll admit, I was a little nervous about going all the way to the top of the mountain, but AJ's youthful persistence finally got the best of me, and we went. I'm glad we did because it was a lot of fun (save the times when I was crashing into 3-and-a-half foot piles of freshly fallen snow!!).
AJ's a pretty cool kid and despite our nearly 14-year age difference, we always have a fun time together. Plus, despite his youth, the kid is taller and beefier than me!!
Things have been off for me lately. I'm not sure exactly what it is. Maybe I've been taking myself too seriously. Here are some things that have happened recently that have been on my mind:
1. My practicum supervisor, Dr. Poke-at-you, asked me during our meeting Friday how things were going. Thinking this was a benign question, I admitted that I felt disconnected from things/people/life at my practicum site. She informed me that I felt this way because everyone hates me. Good to know. I admit that she worded this conclusion in a slightly different way, but she went on to tell me that I was wasted everyone's time because I wasn't emotionally connecting and I should consider transferring to a different practicum. Hmph.
2. Armed with the "poor me" feelings stirred up by Dr. Poke-at-you, I asked my site supervisor whether I was doing something wrong. It turns out, he actually thinks I'm doing a good job. I feel vindicated. However, I know better than to tell Dr. Poke-at-you that this conversation took place, as she would have one of two reactions: A) she would brush me off and act as though she never really meant what she said in the first place, or B) she would state that the fact I even had to talk with my supervisor meant something. I'm not sure what exactly she would say it means, but I can guarantee it would involve me talking so much I bore myself and my other group members, which happens about every-other meeting. Congratulations graduate school on making me perpetually sick of the sound of my own voice.
3. My health has been wonky, and not really in a "I know what's wrong with me so I can take medication and get over it" way, but in a "going to the doctor every week and getting numerous blood tests run" way where I then have sat in anticipation hoping that things don't turn out to be serious. Things aren't serious. I'm not actually sick (not terminally or chronically sick), but things are wrong with my body and there is a frightening element of the unknown in my life that I've never dealt with before.
4. For some reason my ability to concentrate has greatly diminished in the past few months. This means that my ability to sit down and write my thesis is practically nonexistent. I don't know what to do; it's gotten unbearable in the last few months and it might actually cause me to flunk classes and not finish my thesis.
5. I would honestly rather be living a different life right now. I find myself daydreaming about a time where I won't be so stressed I can't see straight or so paralyzed by anxiety I can't even get simple tasks done. Josh keeps reminding me that things end eventually-- in a few months I'll be done with statistics forever, and in a few months after that I'll be done with my practicum. But it kind of makes it worse knowing that time goes by so quickly.
6. The only thing that I am absolutely excellent at lately is reading random blogs for hours and hours. I get engrossed in blog-chains and end up reading about the life of a woman who was kind of friends with my sister in high school or about the pregnancy of my friend's 40-year-old step-sister and it has been fascinating to me. It's all I ever want to do! When I was developing my thesis topic, one of my friends suggested that I work blog-reading into my research somehow, but I couldn't think of an appropriate reason.
7. Now for some vanity: I need a haircut. I haven't had a haircut in over a year and it's pretty obvious (see: split ends, flat, limp strands, lifeless color). I know what kind of haircut I want, but it's also only a slight variation of the haircut that I always get, and I'm feeling uncreative. The problem is, with a round face like mine (which is significantly rounder now that I've gained so much Stress Weight), all haircuts but the one I usually get make my face look even fuller. Blargh. Frustration.
It's no secret that Emily's cat, Mercury, absolutely hates me. I'm not exactly sure why... sure, I make her dance and I probably always smell like my cat, Falkor.
When Emily and I first got together, Mercury would just hide from me whenever I visited the apartment. Then I adopted Falkor and his sister, Ambrosius, and Mercury was really upset. She would hiss and growl at them... and when they got close to her, she would try to bop them!!
Ever since, Mercury always hisses at me. Emily and I have been together for nearly 3 years now (11 months of dating + 7 months of engagement + married since July 28, 2007), and that darn cat still thinks I'm the most terrible person around. She can even manages to be in (somewhat) close proximity to Falkor, her other sworn enemy.
Knowing this, I basically just find creative ways to chide Mercury. As mentioned in a previous blog posting, I'm a pretty avid fan of action figures, and I've found that these -- coupled with an agitated cat -- make the most interesting photos. When we moved into our home here in Beaverton, Mercury immediately found a favorite hiding spot underneath the long L-shaped cabinet in our bonus room. She rarely goes there now, as I'm sure the tight, cramped quarters are rather uncomfortable (especially considering her short, squatty body).
Shutting the door to ensure that she wouldn't run downstairs, I quickly compelled Mercury to squish herself underneath the cabinet. After that, a quick positioning of my trusty HELLBOY figurine, and I was ready to go.
For your consideration and amusement, here is the best of the resulting photos. Mission accomplished (the irony, of course, is that, in the HELLBOY films, the titular character is rather fond of cats).
I had to write a post about this website called Cake Wrecks because it has given me an enormous amount of amusement for the past couple days. In fact, it is so absolutely funny, I had to stop reading it during my statistics class because I was silently laughing so much my face was twisted in a grimace and my eyes were tearing up. I think it unnerved my professor, who may have assumed that ANCOVAs make me cry (which they will, I'm sure, when I try to complete my homework).
2. "He's sex obsessed! The older generation's leading our nation in a state of galloping ruin!"
Answer: A HARD DAY'S NIGHT (1964)
As an absolutely maniacal fan of The Beatles, I had to include a quote from the Fab Four's first film. Throughout the movie, Paul's grandfather is the subject of constant ridicule for his randy behavior and unusual demands. Still, they all agree that he's "very clean," and though John, in this quote, torments him, it's all out of love. You're not really a fan of The Beatles if you haven't seen this a few times.
3. [Character 1]: "Am I hallucinating here? Just what in the hell do you think you're doing?"
[Character 2]: "Learning about Cuba, and having some food."
Answer: FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH (1982)
Jeff Spicoli's (Sean Penn) response to Mr. Hand's (Ray Walston) exasperated inquiry is one of my favorite responses when people ask me questions to incredibly obvious questions (i.e. when someone asks, "What are you doing?" when it's completely apparent that you are watching TV, reading the newspaper, playing video games, etc.). "Fast Times" is a movie that never, ever gets old.
4. "It's safer to teach you English!"
Answer: THE GODFATHER (1972)
This quotes comes from the scene where Michael is trying to teach his wife, Apollonia, to drive a car. Unfortunately, she's terrible at it... but that doesn't stop her from trying...
5. "But I'm in a mist! Everythings burned! Oh, I've got a funny feeling in my toe! "
Answer: WATERSHIP DOWN (1978)
One of my favorite childhood films, "Watership Down" is the animated adaptation of Richard Adams' classic tale of a group of rabbits forced to leave their warren. This quote is from Bigwig, the burly ex-officer rabbit, who mocks the prophetic warnings of Fiver, a small rabbit who foresees death and destruction. If you haven't seen this gorgeous film, seek it out!! (Be forewarned, that, although I started watching this around the age of 5, it'll will probably frighten very young children.)
6. "Sorry, I didn't mean to step on your, uh, whatever that is."
Answer: THE LAST STARFIGHTER (1984)
This quote comes just after Alex steps on an alien's tail-like appendage. I loved this movie as a kid (I think it has something to do with being from a small town and wondering if I'd ever leave...), even though it always freaked me out when Centauri (Robert Preston) removed his face while taken Alex into space!! Freaky!
7. [Character 1]: "We've wounded this mountain. It's our duty to close her wounds. It's the least we can do to show our gratitude for all the wealth she's given us. If you guys don't want to help me, I'll do it alone."
[Character 2]: "You talk about that mountain like it was a real woman."
[Character 1]: "She's been a lot better to me than any woman I ever knew."
Answer: TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948)
Along with "The Maltese Falcon" (aka the first film Emily and I ever saw together...), this is my favorite Humphrey Bogart film. It's a great story, features the outstanding direction of John Huston (who also directed "The Maltese Falcon") and is the source of the oft-repeated phrase, "Badges? We don't need no stinkin' badges!" (although, the word "badges" is often substituted with... anything). Em says she's not much of a Bogie fan... but that doesn't stop her from telling me not to "Bogart" certain things (the comforter, her water, the TV remote, etc.). I think she just doesn't like his slight lisp or the fact that he seems to be really filthy in 2/3 of his films. Still, he was a pretty cool cat in my book, and this movie is one of his and Hollywood's finest.
8. "Buck up - never say die. We'll get along."
Answer: MODERN TIMES (1936)
This one is tricky because it comes from a (technically) silent film. But, the scene is so iconic that all Chaplin-philes know it well. This was Chaplin's final silent film, and, like most of his films, he served as director/producer/writer/star... and composer. His original song, "Smile," is an enduring classic that absolutely makes this scene... one of the most perfect endings in cinematic history.
9. "Pain can be controlled - you just disconnect it."
Answer: THE TERMINATOR (1984)
Man, oh man. I love the Terminator films. This quote is from the first film, as Kyle Reese tells Sarah Connor that pretty much anything can be overcome. I can't wait for the new McG'd film, "Terminator: Salvation," starring Christian Bale as John Connor.
Christian Bale = Awesome.
10. "I have to write all these books, whatever they are. Hopefully fiction." (1979)
Answer: TIME AFTER TIME (1979)
Aside from being helmed by the same director as the hands-down epic "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," "Time After Time" is probably the coolest romantic dramedy involving time travel (sorry, "Somewhere in Time"). This quote is from famed scientist and science-fiction writer H.G. Wells (Malcolm McDowell) who, looking at a 1970s museum exhibit of his accomplishments, realizes that he must return to 1893 and start creating his sizable legacy. I absolutely love this film... there's just nothing else like it.
11. "Bird. Raven. Nevermore."
Answer: SHORT CIRCUIT (1986)
If you haven't seen "Short Circuit," then you are either under the age of 20... or spent the late '80s living in a cave. This quote, once put into context, becomes fairly obvious. As Johnny 5's knowledge of human culture growths, he begins putting things together very quickly. After all, he is alive. :)
12. "He touched my breast!"
Answer: THE WIZARD (1989). Correctly identified by Maret.
For kids like me who were between the age of 7-15 in 1989, this film was the culmination of our greatest dreams: An film completely about the love of video games (specifically, Nintendo). The fact that it starred one of the TV's then-most famous child stars, Fred Savage, was icing on the cake. But, there's only one reason why this film has endured for two decades: It was, of course the film that introduced the world to Super Mario Bros. 3, which quickly became one of the biggest selling video games of all time. Everybody who owned a NES had to have it (I still have my copy... in fact, I think I actually ended up with two or three... hmm...).
This quote comes from the leading lady of the film, Jenny Lewis (who is, awesomely, now the lead singer of one of my favorite bands, Rilo Kiley). Though not the most-quoted line from the film (that honor belongs to THIS gem, still uttered by video game geeks today), it's still one of the most memorable moments of this, admittedly, campy film. But, I love it so much that I even purchased a bootleg copy -- which I still have -- from a woman in Norway years before the film was released on DVD here in the states. So worth it.
13. [Character 1]: "I understand you're a neurosurgeon."
[Character 2]: "No, I'm a barber, but a lot of people make that mistake."
Answer: RUSHMORE(1998). Correctly identified by Jennie.
I love Wes Anderson's films (and yes, that includes The Aquatic Life with Steve Zissou... down to the haters!). Rushmore represents the first time that I ever sought out to watch a film by myself. This became something of a hobby in college, as most of my friends simply did not share my love and passion for cinema. Emily watches most movies with me now, but sometimes, my tastes are even a bit too broad (or ridiculous) for her, so I still watch quite a few films by myself (though, rarely at the theater, unless it's something like "Rambo").
This quote is from Max Fischer's father. Throughout the entire film, Max lies to people about his dad's profession, even though he is, by far, Max's biggest supporter. Lesson learned? Never be ashamed of those whose seemingly simple lives nonetheless inspire you to do great things.
14. "Don't you know eating that stuff can give you very large breasts? Oh no... I'm too late!"
Answer: REAL GENIUS (1986)
This is one of those films that, if you've seen it, you might not remember much about it, save the ending, wherein Val Kilmer and Co. blow up a house with popcorn to the tune of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears For Fears. Awesome!
15. [Character 1]: "What was it we had for dinner tonight?"
[Character 2]: "Well, we had a choice of steak or fish."
[Character 1]: "Yes, yes, I remember... I had lasagna."
Answer: AIRPLANE! (1980)
My parents probably shouldn't have let me watch this film until I was older, but I'm sure the more mature bits went over my head as it was. Still, this was one of my favorites growing up, and as far as I'm concerned, Leslie Neilesen is a master at deadpan comedy.
16. "They are treading water in a sea of retarded sexuality and bad poetry."
Answer: THIS IS SPINAL TAP (1984)
This quote is from an album review that director Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner) reads to Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) in this mockumentary classic. Nigel's response? "That's just nitpicking, isn't it?" Hiliarious.
17. "Well hello Mister Fancypants. Well, I've got news for you pal, you ain't leadin' but two things, right now: Jack and sh**... and Jack left town."
Answer: ARMY OF DARKNESS (1993). Correctly identified by Jeremy.
I'm a bit obsessed with the work of Bruce Campbell, the greatest B-movie of all time. "Army of Darkness" might be his most famous work, save the USA Network series, "Burn Notice." I'm quite partial to his days in the short-lived sci-fi Western series, "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.," but I'll take Bruce Campbell any way I can. Hail to the King, baby... Hail to the King.
18. "So, you want to play Boggle or Super Mario Bros.?"
Answer: GHOSTBUSTERS II (1989)
This is somewhat of a throwaway line, but whenever I think of "Ghostbusters II," I always think about it. This is from Louis Tully (Rick Moranis) as he tries to fend off Janine Melnitz' (Annie Potts) sexual advances. It's the perfect line for breaking the ice of an uncomfortable moment.
19. "These floors are dirty as hell, and I'm not gonna take it any more."
Answer: UHF (1989). Correctly identified by Jeremy..
Long before Michael Richards was goofing it up as Cosmo Kramer in "Seinfeld", or making racist remarks in night clubs, he was Stanley Spadowski in Weird Al Yankovic's cult classic, "UHF." Borrowing a line from the film "Network," he calls viewers to action against the effects of dirt and grime. This isn't as obvious a quote as the "Spatula City" commercial, but I thought that'd be too easy.
20. "The attempt on [his] life left me shaken and disturbed, and all the questions kept coming up over and over again, like bubbles in a case of club soda. Who was this character in the hospital? And why was he trying to kill [him]? And for whom? Did he lie to me? I didn't have any proof, but somehow, I didn't entirely trust him either. Why was the 'I Luv You' not listed in his records? And if it was, did he know about it? And if he didn't, who did?
And... where the hell was I?"
Answer: THE NAKED GUN: FROM THE FILES OF POLICE SQUAD! (1988)
This quote comes from Lt. Frank Drebin's (Leslie Nielsen) rambling monologue as he tries to figure out the details of a crime. The last part... "And where the hell was I?" is the perfect thing to say when you get lost... anywhere.
