AK


Books

Current

-The Song of Everlasting Sorrow-
Wang Anyi

Future

-The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao-
Junot Diaz

-Redwall-
Brian Jacques

-A History of God-
Karen Armstrong

NYT Best

Completed

-The God of Small Things-
Arundhati Roy

-Man's Search for Meaning-
Victor Frankl

-The Relaxation Response-
Herbert Benson Miriam Klipper

-The Road Less Traveled-
M. Scott Peck

-A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian-
Marina Lewycka

-On Beauty-
Zadie Smith

-Mutant Message Down Under-
Marlo Morgan

-Lullaby-
Chuck Palahniuk

-Eat Pray Love-
Elizabeth Gilbert

-Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters-
Mark Dunn

-White Teeth-
Zadie Smith

-Wild Seed-
Octavia Butler

-Children of the Mind-
Orson Scott Card

-Xenocide-
Orson Scott Card

-Speaker for the Dead-
Orson Scott Card

-Dune-
Frank Herbert

-Shadow Puppets-
Orson Scott Card

-Ender's Shadow-
Orson Scott Card

-The Da Vinci Code-
Dan Brown

-On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft-
Stephen King

-Furthering My Education: A Memoir-
William Corbett

-Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone-
J.K.Rowling

-The Name of the Rose-
Umberto Eco

-Petersburg-
Andrei Bely

-Rich Dad, Poor Dad-
Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter

-The Princessa : Machiavelli for Women-
Harriet Rubin

-Girl With a Pearl Earring-
Tracy Chevalier

-Motherless Brooklyn-
Jonathan Lethem

-Gun, With Occasional Music-
Jonathan Lethem

-As She Climbed Across the Table-
Jonathan Lethem

-Angels&Demons-
Dan Brown

-Ender's Game-
Orson Scott Card

Sights

Future

Philadelphia
Rhinebeck
New York City
New York City
Portland
Pittsburgh
Trinidad

Past

New York
Pilobolus
Ocean City
San Francisco
New York
Ocean City
Ocean City
Sacramento
Boston
St. Martin
Philadelphia
Kennett Square
San Francisco Ballet
New York
Bangarra Dance Theater
St. Louis
Sydney
Whitsunday Islands
Arlie Beach
Magnetic Island
Townsville
Cape Tribulation
Daintree Rainforest
Great Barrier Reef
Cairns
Melbourne
Lewes Beach
Lewes Beach
Ocean City
Boston
Cambridge
St. Louis
Cincinnati
New York
Cherry Blossoms
In the Heights
New York
Alvin Ailey
Geneva
New York
Avenue Q
Common and Q-Tip
San Francisco
Sacramento
Gibraltar
La Linea
Assilah
Granada
Cordoba
Barcelona
Paris
Ayuthaya
Kho Chang
Bangkok
Geneva
Love
In the Heights
New York
Boston
Clemson
Defenders' Day at Fort McHenry
Rakim
Common
Movin Out
Kanye
La Traviata
M.I.A.
Outer Banks
Artscape
Tegan and Sara
Live 8
Cirque du Soleil: Varekai

Film

Future

Sin Nombre
Lion's Den
Turtles Can Fly
Defiance
Where the Wild Things Are
The Wackness
City of God
La Vie en Rose
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
Paris, je t'aime
Away From Her
Charlie Wilson's War
Spring, Summer, Winter, Fall... and Spring
Lust, Caution
Trade
Hellboy
Hellboy II
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

Past

Toy Story 3
Inception
Predator
Edge of Darkness
Bolt
Bolt
Bolt
Bolt
Bolt
Bolt
Iron Giant
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Paranormal Activity
Eddie Izzard: Unrepeatable
Doubt
Outlander
Taking of Pelham 123
Sherlock Holmes
2012
Taken
Surrogates
Zombieland
The Reader
Drag Me to Hell
Primer
District 9
Night at the Museum 2
Night at the Museum
Avatar
Inglorious Basterds
The Hangover
Chocolat
The Proposal
Stardust
Up
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Monsters vs. Aliens
Everything is Illuminated
Sunshine
The Incredible Hulk
Eastern Promises
Ironman
Eastern Promises
Ponyo
District 9
Dark Knight
Into the Wild
Wanted
The Pursuit of Happyness
He's Just Not That Into You
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
Terminator Salvation
The Spirit
Black Snake Moan
Milk
Elegy
Rachel Getting Married
Twilight
Watchmen
Slumdog Millionaire
Good Will Hunting
Burn After Reading
Coraline
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
V for Vendetta
All About My Mother
Talk to Her
Heading South
Babel
Slumdog Millionaire
Changeling
Quantum of Solace
Dark Knight
Made of Honor
Kung Fu Panda
The Savages
Definitely Maybe
Knocked Up
Futurama: Bender's Big Score
The Dark Knight
Chicago
De-Lovely
30 Days of Night
The Black Dahlia
Wall-E
Persepolis
Jumper
The Incredible Hulk
Ghost in the Shell
There Will Be Blood
Dan in Real Life
Atonement
2 Days in Paris
Horton Hears a Who!
No Country for Old Men
Once
Waitress
We Are Marshall
Something to Talk About
Steel Magnolias
Juno
Ratatouille
I Am Legend
Sex is Comedy
Sweeney Todd
Puccini for Beginners
Blood Diamond
The Constant Gardener
Fantastic Four
Grindhouse
The Namesake
Swingers
Roll Bounce
TMNT
The Devil Wears Prada
Cold Mountain
The Departed
Gangs of New York
Freaky Friday
Pan's Labyrinth
Stomp the Yard
Children of Men
Raising Victor Vargas
Jackass 2
Volver
Little Miss Sunshine
Cider House Rules
Fearless
Dreamgirls
Rocky Balboa
Invincible
The Conversation
Casino Royale
Just Friends
Me and You and Everyone We Know
Brazil
North Country
The Squid and the Whale
Lord of War
Grave of the Fireflies
Congo
The Land Before Time
The Usual Suspects
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Waking Ned Devine
The Cat Returns
My Neighbor Totoro
Porco Rosso
Kiki's Delivery Service
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Syriana
Sin City
The Da Vinci Code
Derailed
A Few Good Men
Panic Room
Batman Begins
Memoirs of a Geisha
The Village
Top Gun
The Matrix
Corpse Bride
Mission: Impossible III
Flight Plan
Match Point
Inside Man
V for Vendetta
Thank You For Smoking
Gattaca
Prime
Dead Poets Society
Sex, Lies, and Videotape
Good Night, and Good Luck.
Broken Flowers
The Goonies
Brokeback Mountain
March of the Penguins
Elf
You Got Served
King Kong
King Kong
RENT
Anniversary Party
All the Real Girls
Jarhead
Capote
Army of Darkness
Ballet Russes
The Longest Yard
Nine Queens
Before Night Falls
The 40 Year Old Virgin
The Exorcism of Emily Rose
Taxi Driver
The Beat That My Heart Skipped
Raging Bull
Assault on Precinct 13
Maria Full of Grace
Red Eye
Four Brothers
Aristocrats
LucĂ­a y el sexo
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Old School
Wedding Crashers
Live Flesh
Coach Carter
The Sea Inside
War of the Worlds
Anchorman
RIZE
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Y Tu Mama Tambien
In a Lonely Place
Hotel Rwanda
French Kiss
The Life Aquatic
Crash
Spanglish
Donnie Darko
The Sting
Million Dollar Baby
Monster-in-Law
Sideways
Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith
Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle
Ghostbusters II
Kung Fu Hustle
Melinda and Melinda
Ray
Constantine
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Hitch
Bad Education
Closer
The Fifth Element
Troy
Secret Window
Sideways
Shaun of the Dead
Blue Planet
Duplex
House of Flying Daggers
Laws of Attraction
Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle
Rock-A-Doodle
Barbershop 2: Back in Business
Rushmore
The Aviator
Almost Famous
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
40 Days and 40 Nights
The Heart of a Dog
Sideways
The Incredibles
How to Murder Your Wife
I Heart Huckabees
The Manchurian Candidate
Vanity Fair
About Schmidt
Butterfly Effect
Castle in the Sky
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Spirited Away
Love Actually
House of Sand and Fog
Bad Boys II
Life of David Gale
Aladdin
I, Robot
My Cousin Vinny
The Company
Mystic River
Starsky&Hutch
21 Grams
Dog Day Afternoon
The Cooler
Spellbound
Glengarry Glen Ross
Le Divorce
Dick
Bourne Identity
Calendar Girls
Mulan
Anchorman
Beauty and the Beast
The Wedding Singer
Swimming Pool
Intolerable Cruelty
Sandlot
Fahrenheit 9/11
Spiderman 2
Spiderman
EuroTrip
Dr. Zhivago
Stepford Wives
Dodgeball
Chronicles of Riddick
Saved!
Kill Bill Vol.1
Shrek 2
Van Helsing
Pumping Iron
The Importance of Being Ernest
Russian Ark
Better Off Dead
Training Day
Triplets of Belleville

whispers of jazz...

July 11, 2005

Great weekend.

Friday night I had dinner with my parents and got started on The Sea Inside, a Spanish movie about a quadriplegic fighting for the right to "die with dignity." It all began innocently enough. I was walking through the Blockbuster aisles when I spotted The Sea Inside. I'd been wanting to see this movie ever since I saw a beautiful preview for it a couple months ago, but as soon as I read the short description ("quadriplegic fighting for right to die") I found myself wishing I hadn't picked it up. One of my greatest fears is being paralyzed. I've spent so much of my life dancing, being aware of my body, enjoying moving through space. I can't imagine an immobile life... That's the biggest reason I'll never go skydiving/bungee jumping. If only I had done these ridiculous things before I was so painfully aware of what could go wrong. I still drive, and I still fly on planes, and I still go out at night and enjoy the city life, but I feel I've subconsciously drawn a line in the sand...

A minute later I noticed The Motorcycle Diaries, another one I'm dying to finally see, but as much as I wanted another movie to take the burden of The Sea Inside off my hands, I couldn't do it. Somehow I just knew I had to watch it... and I'm so happy I did.

In contrast to the great actors who fall into the body comedy tradition of Chaplin & Keaton (I thought Tom Cruise in Collateral was fantastic in this regard), the lead man, Javier Bardem, acted lying down. This movie also had one of the most tender and sensual love scenes I have ever seen. For a scene that is less than two minutes long and includes no nudity... impressive. Tender, tender moment. The whole movie is touching. It's like this: walking by dozens of bright photographs at an exhibit when a black and white portrait catches your eye, so you stop and stare while the other visitors rush past you, and you forget that anyone else in the world exists.

Alejandro Amenabar, the director, also made The Others, a horror film with Nicole Kidman. How weird... In an interview he does say that his movies are about death, but other than that I don't see many similarities between the two. Maybe I need to revisit The Others. Bardem is also in The Dancer Upstairs, another movie I need to see. Turns out he's also in Collateral as a "fearsome drug dealer." Whoaaaa. Clearly need to watch that movie again. AND he had a small part in Almodovar's High Heels. This guy is a keeper.

I started getting sleepy around 1am and stopped the movie, not wanting to give it only half my attention. Saturday night, Erin, Jackie&Tom, Mr. Pav & his daughter, and Mrs. L came over for a "graduation" dinner. This title served as a good excuse to get a bunch of Pallotti people who I love together for dinner. Thanks for coming :)

After a fantastic dinner with so many people I love, a bunch of us from work headed out to Canton's Pearls. My first jazz night in Baltimore. In the end, it did not turn out to be a jazz night. The place was empty, and the music didn't seem awesome enough for us to stay, so we headed across the way to Canton Square, an area littered with bars. A white Russian and rum&coke later, we found ourselves at a bar called Speakeasy. We recalled from our US History studies (ok ok, and movies... :D) that the speakeasies of the Prohibition Era required a password, and thought about how absolutely cool it would be to give a password in order to enter a sexy exclusive bar nowadays...

Got home around 1:30am, finished The Sea Inside, to my great joy. Sunday was an in and out quick busy day: return clothes to the mall, gym, pool, an episode of Family Guy back home, and a reading of the Epilogue to Salmon of Doubt (mourning Douglas Adams' death), as recommended by Slav in response to my Softball Lament.

I'm enjoying drowning in jazz these days. I've gotten to know two Oscar Peterson cd's well, ripped through an Art Tatum (mostly because I didn't like it much). I'm also loving being immersed in hip-hop once more. Slav is committed to not only catching me up on the last 4 years of hip-hop but introducing me to awesome new stuff. And with Vanessa's visit last last weekend, I'm getting even more hip-hop support, NY style. Not to mention that she promised me a massive cd of dancehall wonderfulness. Marc, if you read this, you should know that my relationship with dancehall depends on Nadal... Found a place in Ellicott City that has hip-hop class on Thursdays,

Next Monday I might go hear Tegan and Sara perform at the 9:30 Club in DC with a couple coworkers. I JUST noticed that De La Soul and Rahzel will be at the same place the NEXT night. Might have to pull that trip to DC two nights in a row... As Will likes to say, CRAZINESS!!!!!!!

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