2011: A Random (Thoughts) Odyssey

You might've noticed I didn't blog for over two months. There was no real reason. Well, nothing concrete, anyways. I just didn't have anything to say and would've felt like an egomaniac blogging for the sake of blogging. Granted, you've got to have a bit of egomania in you to blog in the first place, but I'm talking about Lex Luthor-type egomania. Anyways, here's what's on my mind:

—As of this morning (1/26), I'm three months and a day into my diet/health kick. I'm down to 181 lbs., for a total of 35.5 lbs. lost. The last time I weighed 181 lbs.? Sometime in 2004 or 2005. That was my senior year of high school. I'm in better shape now and healthier, too—45 minutes of cardio a day and eating with my head instead of my stomach. I feel good and I plan to drop an additional 11 lbs., if only to see 170 again. Those V-lines (or hump-lines or sex-lines or whatever you kids call them), too.

—The 83rd Academy Awards nominations were just announced. At this point, I don't care. I'll watch them, sure. But do I have a vested interest? Nah. They gave Alice in Wonderland a visual effects nomination, a movie with atrocious effects, but couldn't find room to nominate Scott Pilgrim VS the World for visual, sound, or editing. Shenanigans!

—Speaking of movies, lists, awards, etc., some friends and I have spent the last monthish talking about the best movies of the year. Here's my revised list, with brief snippets of reason:

1) The Social Network: Could it be anything else? Aaron Sorkin's writing is bloody captivating and makes me greener than the Hulk. I never thought watching someone type away on a computer would be fascinating, but I was proven wrong. Jesse Eisenberg was amazing, with more than just his delivery. His body language was phenomenal and by Zeus, did you see his eyes? They could've murdered the sun. Andrew Garfield made the movie though, by being the one completely likable fellow. He was the beating heart. David Fincher made it work, and Trent Reznor's score was great in its subtlety.

2) Scott Pilgrim VS the World: Easily my favorite movie of the year. I prefer this version of Scott Pilgrim's tale to Bryan Lee O'Malley's graphic novels, which is usually blasphemy in the nerd world. I know the movie has some issues (just read my review!), but it did so much so well. The editing was, as my pal Chase said, revolutionary. Edgar Wright assembled a stunning ensemble that worked together like old friends. The visuals, the sounds, it all clicks. And the bonuses make me wish I had been a part of the production.

3) Toy Story 3: If you've seen this movie, you cried. At least twice. I think I did three times. Looking back, I don't believe I was manipulated through the score, or by blatant attempts at sentimentalism. The trash disposal scene rests soundly as one of my favorite movie moments ever. We witnessed characters facing the worst possible situation, and instead of wasting that moment with panic or desperation, they reached out to one another. It was tragically heroic and I applaud Pixar for giving us something as real as that scene.

4) The Town: Ben Affleck, though the (former) butt of a lot of jokes, has a serious future in directing. He can handle action, knows how to build tension, and can get the best out of his actors (as evident by Jeremy Renner's Oscar nod). The crime movie has been done to death, but this felt fresh and invigorated. I appreciated the homages to Heat, too. At this point, it's hard not to take cues from Michael Mann's opus; even The Dark Knight's prologue was a love letter of sorts to Heat. I'd say Affleck and co. did a hell of a job keeping the standard high.

5) Black Swan: This spot was a tough race with True Grit and Inception right there. In fact, for a while Inception was in, but after a second viewing of Black Swan it won out. Haunted and disturbing, this movie stays right in your face and really doesn't let go. I love following an unreliable narrator around, especially when it's Natalie Portman at her best. She played this part so well, which is thanks to her skill and director Darren Aronofsky. The man cannot make a bad movie and each one will stick with you long after you've watched. Nina's trip throughout the film is horrifying and we feel as frightened as she does.

—I'd like to thank FOX broadcasting for canceling the excellent Firefly after all of 14 episodes. Now what the hell am I supposed to elliptical to? Arrested Development? Oh. Right.

—Just in case you haven't been visited by the Obvious Fairy, fallen out of the Obvious Tree and hit every branch on the way down, or been beaten with the Obvious Stick, read this.

—Before training ended at my job, we were told that in the last seven or so years, we'd only ever closed for snow three or four times. So far this year? Twice. We've gotten out early twice, too. Best part? I don't have to make it up during spring break or summer vacation. Of course, I don't have a spring break or summer vacation, but that's the price of adult(ish)hood.

—Over the summer, during the height of the Park 51 Muslim Community Center mania, no one seemed to notice that Republicans shot down a health care bill for 9/11 first responders. It came to a vote again in December, and the Republicans voted against genuine heroes one more time. But this time, a few people had enough. Shepherd Smith, over on FOX News, went off on a rant about it. Jon Stewart and all of The Daily Show took it up as a personal cause. They dedicated an entire show to it and invited a panel of 9/11 first responders onto the show to tell the truth about their situations. It was heartbreaking and disgusting how these men were treated. After that episode, the corporate media finally picked it up. Then the bill went to vote again and passed. So when people say that Jon Stewart isn't in the news business, you can agree. He's in the getting-shit-done business.

—The Superbowl is set! The Pittsburgh Steelers vs the Green Bay Packers. I'm rooting for Steelers even though they beat my (newly) beloved Jets. You can't argue against their defense and even if Big Ben is a sketchy/creepy/downright horrible person off the field, on it, he gets work done. But really, I love Troy Polamalu. It's hard not to. Even if he's not integral to the stop, he's there at the end of every play. There's that hair, too.

—Far too often, hosts at awards shows take the event deadly serious. Not Ricky Gervais. He recognizes the absurdity of a bunch of overpaid entertainers patting themselves on the back. I loved every joke, every line, every awkward moment. Everyone ever should take a cue from Gervais and not take themselves too seriously.

—Losing My Religion will be 20 years old on February 19. This song cannot get old. It's as powerful a listening experience now as it was when it was first released. I got to see Peter Buck (R.E.M.'s guitarist and writer of the classic riff) play the song live with Hootie and the Blowfish in 2006. Pretty awesome moment.

—I got my first gray hair. Two days after my 24th birthday, one of my fellow trainees, Maureen, looked over in my direction and gave me the wonderful news. Two others confirmed it. I'll take gray over bald any day. Gray has a certain prestige to it.

That's it for now, amigos! I'm (still) working on a blog about the greatest comedy currently on TV, Community, so that may or may not be next. So until next time, remember that only you can prevent forest fires.