Thanksgiving was all well and good, as far as that goes. We got to watch the special edition Lord of the Rings dvd and we ate Mom's enchiladas and listened to "Alice's Restaurant". And then we watched Koyaanisqatsi. Dang. That movie is so amazing. I'd practically grown up listening to the music, which was eerie and haunting and fascinating enough, but the movie was all that and hypnotic. There was beauty in the images, and there were shots that had some obscure meaning open to your own interpretation, and the blend of film and music was extremely well done. There was no separation of soundtrack and film, there was only the whole. In case you can't tell, it made a lasting impression.

KOYAANISQATSI
ko. yaa. nis. katsi.
n. 1. crazy life. 2. life in turmoil.
3. life disintegrating. 4. life out of balance.
5. a state of life that calls for another way of living.

Mom and Dad have been traipsing about Toronto at the AAR/SBL conference for the last few days, meaning that yours truly has been in charge of the house. Trips like this make me admire and respect my parents much more than usual. Generally things have gone well: I just stock up on movies and Pippa bascially takes care of herself for the most part. It also helps that I've been trying out a new method for keeping myself on the right track: I do not allow myself to feel sad/angry/mopey/depressed. In unavoidable situations I listen to soothing music and go back to square one. It's worked for three days, and I have high hopes for future success.

Tunes: "Three MCs and One DJ", Beastie Boys; "Slippery People", Talking Heads.

The other night I went with a group of friends and my little sister to see the new Harry Potter movie. I hadn't been expecting too much. Sequels in general tend to be the weakest part of a series, and this rule of thumb is certainly true of the book. However, Harry Potter 2 was, if not a better movie, certainly more entertaining than the first. The screenplay was relatively well adapted, but as a result of having to compact a somewhat hefty book into approximately 160 pages, the movie is nonstop action-- not a minute is wasted plotwise, excepting Quidditch. The camerawork is fairly par with last time: wide, sweeping shots of beautiful landscapes and architecture whenever possible. The acting is generally well done, especially Kenneth Branagh, but because we only see Harry at times when he is under the heavy burden of saving the world, there isn't as much variety in his character as one might like. There is also a beautifully done bit at the end (SPOILERS BEWARE) when Ron and Harry reunite with Hermione, and Hermione flings herself into Harry's arms, and turns to Ron. The moment of awkward and conflicting emotions between and inside them is absolutely perfect as they stand for a moment, and then shake hands, extending their arms as far as possible.

Tunes: "Woke Up This Morning", A3; "No Thugs In Our House", XTC.

Diagnostics check: Eyes still dilated. Pulse fast but strong. Can't sit still but managing all right. Ah, the wonders that adrenaline, testosterone, hormones, and chocolate can do. Anyweay, sorry abou the slow week. I've been behind, plus my wonderful mother discovered the text I've been screenwriting from, so I've been bingeing on that project the last few nights. But we had the first real snowfall today!!!!! I celebrated the event with some of my very close friends in a bonding ritual involving makeshift hot chocolate and candles. But wow am I wired. This is not the condition I need to be in, considering I have to get up early for church tomorrow morning, but I'll manage somehow.

Tunes: "Hiphopper", Thomas Rusiak; "Jackass", Bloodhound Gang.

This morning I roused myself at a horrifyingly early hour and still managed to have a very good day. I'll file that under "Freak Happenings to Investigate". So I took the L to church, arriving at 7:45, tied up some loose ends, and bummed around for an hour or so, during which Mom and I got the news about our new car. So that was a boost, and I then spent an hour hanging out with my friend and ex-co-head boy Mark, which is always fun. Choir went all right, and I went to lunch at Clarke's with Stu and Connor and Mr. Bee, after which I went home, kept loading up the iPod, went back to church for youth group, which was exceptionally good today as we got a larger crowd than our usual three or four. I came back home, put even more songs on the iPod (971 songs and counting), and played lots of cribbage with my online cronies, one of the simple pleasures in life.

Tunes: "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)", Nine Days; "Mambo De La Luna", Kirsty MacColl; "Lose Yourself", Eminem.

Today was a happy day. I had geometry class in the morning, which was ok. But when I got home... IT was there waiting for me. With trembling hands, I tore open the package and beheld the sheer magnificence of: My very own iPod. OK, thats where most of the drama goes out the window. It took me three hours to get it to work properly, and that was a erious bummer, but oh my was it worth it. Bearing the vast majority (914 songs) of my music library, with a gig left to spare, and only the size of a deck of cards. And i don't care about those whiners complaining about the size of the earphones. The quality more thatn makes up for any size problems (which I incedentally haven't noticed). Also, in recent events, I got a nice easy scene in drama class this go-round. We're doing the Glass Menagerie and I am one of many Toms.

Tunes: "What's Golden?", Jurassic 5; "Across the Universe", Fiona Apple

Hey there. Halloween weekend was... really fun. The actual day went fine; all the seminary kids came in a clump, and that was about it for trick-or-treaters at our house. I didn't go out, seeing as mom bought candy for many many more kids than came. Friday night I sang the Fauré reqiuem at the all soul's mass at St. Luke's, which was the most beautiful musical performance I've been a part of since last Christmas. And then Saturday. Football practice, a few hour's work at the office, and just enough time to grab a bite for dinner and throw on a quick'n'easy costume (Steve Jobs. Hey, jeans and a black turtleneck and you're set) before going out to a party hosted by some of the local homeschoolers. It was really intensely great. I'm sure that most of you reading this are familiar with party setups from your teenage or college years. I don't get to do that very often so this was a real treat. However, the morning after wasn't exactly fabulous. First off, after a really intense long party, I tend to go through a stage I call Post-Party Limbo, limbo being used in a more purgatory-esque case rather than the stick. I sit around, only listen to quiet, gentle music, and am generally listless. Now this usually works fine, I just space out for a day. However, waking up bright and early for three and a half hours of church doesn't exactly help the case. So now I'm finally back on a (relatively) normal track, and ready to face another long and daunting week.

Tunes: "Freedom", Housemartins; "Smash the Marketplace", Screaming Blue Messiahs.