Recently watched: Citizen Kane
The first time I saw this movie was in a film appreciation class, and I am not embarrassed to admit that I was not impressed. (Nor was I impressed with Casablanca when I saw it for the first (and so far only) time.) I think it's because I already knew so much about the movie--and already knew what Rosebud was--that there weren't any surprises; it didn't feel innovative. But, not surprisingly, it turns out I just don't know innovation when I see it. When we re-watched it with the Roger Ebert commentary, I realized a lot of things I had missed.

Today is the 70th anniversary of Orson Welles' War of the Worlds radio broadcast. How awesome would that have been to have heard it live?

Next stop knowledge:

The myriad web sites I stumble across, link to link to link to no end in sight. Some recent discoveries or re-discoveries that have grabbed my attention:

Keep Calm and Carry On.
In 1939 the British government put up posters with this simple message... and it is eerily relevant today. Reproductions of this poster are all the rage it now, and are available on Etsy.

1001 Rules for My Unborn Son - son or not, father or not, male or not, these tidbits of advice are "spot on" (that one's for you jlev!) If I were a more productive person I would return to my own "Rules of Society"

ReForm School - www.reformschoolrules.com - lovely online shop

Uppercase Gallery - another lovely online shop - they published this book: Old School: Art Inspired by 20th Century Education

Hooked on Design:
Binth
Petit Collage
PikaLand
Design*Sponge

What about....
Patterns based on my mom's old scarfs
Patterns based on old Kids records and books
Simon Says
Light Brite

Catching up

I have a lot of never-posted posts in this thing, including this one I started in early 2007:

“He was tired of knocking about, of pulling the devil by the tail, of shifts and intrigues. He would be thirty-one in November. Would he never get a good job? Would he never have a home of his own? . . . He might yet be able to settle down in some snug corner and live happily if he could only come across some good simple-minded girl with a little of the ready.”

Ah, if only – the “things would be better if/will be better when” attitude. That is the death of me.

I had this unusually introspective moment when I discovered the above passage in The Dubliners during that James Joyce class I took at the JC, and at the time I was going to be thirty-one in November. And now I am going to be thirty-two in November and it is still a little creepy to read Joyce's description of my life written over 70 years before I was born. How did he know?

probably shouldn't bother with a title

How sad is it that the only update I have is what I've watched recently? The Office is back - yay! That, Mad Men, and Gavin & Stacey are pretty much the only shows I watch regularly, so there is plenty of time during the week for Netflix. (No commentary needed about how that time could be better spent in a way that doesn't include the couch, the TV, and a bowl of cereal.)

Recently watched:
Forgetting Sarah Marshall - Jason Segel: still cute! My Freaks and Geeks marathon continues (disc 5 is due tomorrow), but now my "thing" for him is official. His being a writer and not afraid to go the full monty makes me like him even more.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains - Ray Winstone: cute! I heard about this movie from Pop Candy. I can see why it is a cult favorite, and it's hilarious watching 15-year-old Diane Lane and 13-year-old Laura Dern in all their angsty, punk drama.

This Sporting Life - Richard Harris: cute, in a "I can't stop thinking of you as Dumbledore" way. Interesting movie, and of course the slice of life of working class England is always appealing to me, but otherwise a bit of a downer.

Everything Is Illuminated - started out funny and quirky and turned into sad and a little confusing.

Smart People - if you're smart, you'd skip it.

Allow myself to remind myself.
I was just looking over some of my recent postings (there haven't been too many in the last year), and was reminded of our last, somewhat disappointing, trip to Disneyland. There have been better trips (and, really, any trip is a good trip), so for the sake of reminiscing:
Disneyland November 2006
(Hmmm...apparently I didn't write a post for Disneyland November 2005)
Disneyland October 2004
Disneyland February 2004