Seasons

We're just a few hours from a new month. And I suppose summer will be officially starting soon. It pretty much feels like summer now here in Greencastle. I see a lot of sun, and we get a lot of warm days. Everything is green. And I love this.

One thing makes me a bit sad: it won't last. Fall will come. And I don't mind fall. I like it more than I used to. But after fall comes winter. And I really hate winter. It's possible that I could learn to enjoy it. Someday I will have to make a decision. Do I hate cool climates more than I enjoy the season changes?

If one day I moved someplace warmer, I might be pretty happy. But I might really miss the seasons. I suspect that I would. Who knows, maybe all I need to get through winter is to feel some uv rays on my skin - I could just go fry in a tanning bed every week. Maybe once I had that, I would feel fine! I don't know. I know that winter is when I have the most depression and when I'm most likely to up and move somewhere. November is bad, as is February.

But if I did move south, things might feel kind of dull without seasons. If I was close to a beach, maybe I wouldn't care. But maybe this is one of those "fantasy is better than reality" kind of thoughts. I'll have to think more on this later.

Reality TV

Has anyone else ever watched reality TV in which the participants act as if there is no camera? That is SO ANNOYING! How are these people COMPLETELY IGNORING THE CAMERA! In many of the television shows, we suspend the reality of the camera-man, and that is okay - we expect to and accept it. That should not be the case on reality tv. The more hints I get that the whole thing is scripted, the less interesting I find it.

I've seen something funny on both Hulk Hogan's show (the Hulk Life or something) and the Bachelor. On both of those shows, I've seen characters do something and then say "We need to keep this a secret from mom and dad" or Hulk "I'd better keep this a secret from my wife." HELLO, YOU'RE ON TV!?! .... I mean... COME ON! How am I supposed to respond to that? "Scripted!" Boooooo. If you act as if the camera doesn't change anything, we know it is completely fake, because a camera would add a lot of tension in any emotional situation. I would like to see a show that actually embraces that tension a little bit.

Reality TV has been around for a long time. It's called "Game Shows." Survivor? It's a game show. The Bachelor? It's a game show. America's Top Model? Game show. Instead of "guess the word in time" it's about accomplishing a task, making fireworks with some random bachelor, doing an incredible photoshoot. It's a more interesting game show but it's still a game show.

A few shows try to pull of total reality tv, like the hulk hogan show. Those are still far from interesting because they aren't even slightly believable. I have no reason to believe what I'm seeing is really showing me anything true about these people. That's not compelling. Maybe people can't be candid outside of simple things like game shows and sixty second candid camera blips, but if you can't be a little more daring I'm not even going to bother watching.

Due

Tax return: $955
Amount Due this month (college loans, car insurance): $948
Phew!

Now I just need $80 for my phone bill. (Counts remaining 20s...)

Fortunately I will be in Greencastle in a week and hopefully will quickly land a job or two, maybe even something I like!

Juno is about....

(Before you start reading, you have to play the video at the bottom of this post so you are in the right mood. It's not a video, just the song, so scroll down and go "click!".) So I just saw a movie called "Juno" which everyone seems to love. For the uninitiated it's about a 16 year old high school girl who gets pregnant and the year which follows. The movie is mostly made of scenes with Juno talking to friends, talking to potential adopters, talking to parents, and sometimes Juno narrating her thoughts. So it makes for a very straightforward, intimate little movie. We get a decent feel for some of the strange moments a girl like Juno might actually go through.

The whole movie feels sorta indie or at least anti-blockbuster-ish. It's got tons of great little folky songs which are catchy and sunshiney and fun to play on my uke or guitar (bonus!). The whole thing feels like it could have played out in my hometown or somewhere like it. I like it, and need to think about it a tiny bit more, but for now I'm feelin like, "Hey, good stuff!" And hopefully you enjoyed this little ditty by Barry Louis Polisar: "All I Want Is you." I'm going to go play it on my uke, bye.

Fast Car - excellent, watch it

A catchy dave matthews ditty

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