Aaaahhh! I would have loved to go. I found out about it today at lunch. Alas, dinner, soccer practice and bathing duties have taken priority. Posting, as well, I guess...

Looks like the false alarm was, itself, a false alarm. Meshuggah won't save it, but it would make me feel a lot better.

---

It occurs to me that if I could have a conversation with Bruce Lee about movies, he and I wouldn't have a lot to talk about, considering that most of the movies I have any appreciable knowledge about were made after he died.

"Hey, you know Jackie Chan, right? Well, when he becomes a big star, he'll have a funny conversation with Steven Spielberg--oh, you don't know who that is--he'll have a funny conversation with a big director about CGI. Oh, wait. Shit."

Does the double negative mean.......splitzville?

Not too cynical, but it makes me feel bad for that guy because it sounds like he hates his life. I mean, we all need to get away and be alone sometimes, but if taking a shit is someone's way of doing that, well, it must suck to be him.

I know what the guy means and can appreciate his exaggeration even if I know what you, Pete, mean. I like the forum because it can sometimes function as a therapist.

Too cynical? Pffft. You boyscout! Now, if he murdered his family in a fit of rage and smeared the walls of their room with his relaxation feces to spell out the phrase "CARSON WAS A NAUGHTY BOY TODAY. I'M CARSON", then you might be onto something.

But a regular man being so self-centered that he considers his family as burdensome items that he must carry like a disease? Nah, not cynical. It's par for the course, actually. Just ask my Dad!

A less cynical description of family life would be - "too much of a good thing".

Talking about whatever:

I need to work on my self-control. I jerk off on the internet when I could be reading, for example. I also have fundamental problems with accepting things that are reasonably good as reasonably good. I chose my current job with the belief that all my problems would dissolve but, of course, they didn't and I still don't love what I do. I just don't. I never will, I don't think. And I'm too afraid to actually pursue some of the dreams because, like all pussies, I'm pretty sure I'd fail anyway. I'm neurotic despite having a pretty stable, predictable life. I'm not sure what's wrong with me other than I'm bored. Also: anhedonia. Could be I'm depressed. I might be. It'll pass, it always does. Maybe I'm an alcoholic! I don't really drink, though. Must be something else.

Sorry about the end of things with your girlfriend, Ken.

I recently found a box set of The Wire, Season 2 in a box. I'm 100% sure that I sent that back to Pete and now I'm 100% I hallucinated sending that back to Pete. I. Am. A. Fucker.

I jerk off on the internet while i'm reading stories, gotta know how to multi-task.

Great, point out that I'm not even efficient. I just realized I've hit my spiritual nadir.

This is an awesome post because it acknowledges the spiritual malaise I, and everyone I know my age, has found themselves in. My circumstances feel similar to the ones you describe. I heard the term "comfortable rut" the other day, which sums it up pretty well.

Such is my desperation for change I am training to be a lecturer from next month so I can sample the delights of teaching Land Economics to disinterested 18 year olds. F*ck it. Some change is better than no change.

As for the jerking off, last Thursday my Wife went to her Sister's for a couple of days and I spent the whole of that time on my own at home switching between Youtube and Redtube. At the end of 2 wasted days in which I could have done anything other than twat around on the internet, my lack of productivty was surpassed only by my sense of shame.

Whatever your dream is, just swing for the fences. You've f*ck all to lose.

Due to various issues, my moviewatching pace has been pathetic lately, but that should be remedied soon. The upcoming theatrical screening calendar:

Beetlejuice (8/31)
Casablanca (9/1)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (9/7)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (IMAX, 9/7, shows all week)
The Wizard of Oz (9/8)
The Princess Bride (9/14)
Dial "M" For Murder (9/15)
The Birds (9/19)
Fargo (9/21)
High Noon (9/22)
The Goonies (9/28)
Double Indemnity (9/29)
Labyrinth (10/5)
Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid (10/6)
Back to the Future (10/12)
Citizen Kane (10/13)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (10/19)
The Maltese Falcon (10/20)
Frankenstein and Bride of (10/24)
RiffTrax Live: Birdemic (10/25)
Dracula (10/27)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (not IMAX, 11/2)
Bonnie and Clyde (11/3)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (11/9)
The Yearling (11/10)
To Kill a Mockingbird (11/15)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (11/16)
Sunset Boulevard (11/17)
ET: the Extra Terrestrial (11/23)
Singing in the Rain (11/24)
Home Alone (11/30)
It's a Wonderful Life (12/1)
Elf (12/7)
Miracle on 34th Street (the original, 12/8)
Christmas Vacation (12/14)
White Christmas (12/15)
A Christmas Story (12/21)

I won't see all of them, either out of lack of interest or having already seen some of them theatrically. But I'll try to get out to most of them. They all have a couple showings after the posted date, so it shouldn't be too hard.

I have about a week, so I'm considering doing a mini-Schrader-athon in the meantime. I'm thinking Light Sleeper and The Walker (the two "man in a room" movies I've seen least-recently), with Affliction added in for good measure.

Good list, but I hate the way you Americans put the month before the day.

Haha, don't be so hard on yourself. I still have your Criterion of Short Cuts, after all. And it isn't like you didn't plain give me copies of F For Fake and Far From Heaven (the latter of which still hasn't been watched). There's nothing for you to worry about or any hard feelings on my end. I'd still high five you and give you a pat on the ass were we to ever cross paths.

My best friend just got married over the weekend. It was a pretty great time. However, being in a wedding gets pretty fucking expensive. You have to go to the bachelor party, go out after the rehearsal dinner, go out after the wedding, spend money on a hotel, and get them a nice wedding gift. All told, I dropped a little over a grand on the whole ordeal. I was honored to be a groomsman, had a great time doing all of those things, and it isn't like $1000 is life changing money, but after the fact my savings account is unhappy with me. And I'm unhappy with it.

I should probably stop buying random people at bars drinks. That would go a long way in saving me some money.

You guys are always laughing at us when we talk about our pants, so we'll call it even.

Hey it makes sense! The numbers ascend!

The units don't

Month/Day/Year makes no sense.

Only in America it does! Except for the American Military, they use day/month/year.

It makes sense to align yourself with the country you're trampling through at any given time.

Months are 1-12
Days are 1-30
Years are 1-2012+

They ascend!