Apartment?

We might have an apartment? I might be celebrating?

It's a nice 2 BR place down in Wicker Park, just south of Division. Hooray!

Now, to submit the application, and somehow convince the people to give it to us...despite the fact that I've got no credit history, current employment (other than self-employed for $0 a month) and no "Current Landlord Reference".

Lets see how this goes. Pictures soon?

Public Transportation

I think one of the things that excites me most about Chicago is the El. I've always loved Public Transporation----but up until now, I've only used busses. Now, while a good Bus system is still wonderful, I've finally figured out why everyone loves trains/subways/Elevated Rails. You just get on...and they take you where you want to be. Its very easy to find---you can zone out in the middle, because the stops are not only clearly labled on the walls, but there is also a map in the car saying exactly what you will pass at what point. Busses, to a fundamental degree, will always need a little bit of attention---because you have to know in advance when your stop is coming up. With a train, you just get off. That sounded wrong.

That being said, I'm looking forward to a possibly long commute in the morning and evenings---it will be a chunk of time I can take, guilt free, to have to myself---to read, to write, to work on whatever new project I'm working on, or to just zone out of the window or chat with other passangers.

Plus, it just might help do a bit to save our poor, dear enviroment.

Lets hear it for Public Transportation.

Lasting Fame in Theatre

A realization:

People's fame in theatre may be able to be predicted to some degree based on their job. Here's my theory.

Actor's tend to be famous in the short term--their names will be better know than their contemporaries in other fields for their lifetimes, and maybe...between a half century and a century afterwards?

Directors and Designers occupy a kind of middle territory: they are remembered for a few hundred years maybe---basically, they remain influential (if they've done something really revolutionary) as long as people can respond to them, go against what they say. Then, someone will unearth them, copy what they did or have the same idea, and people will start responding to that artist, and the cycle starts over.

Playwrights are famous in the long term---Sophocles, Shakespeare, Synge, yadda yadda. Now, I know the first two also theoreticaly also directed their own work---but we don't remember them for their influence on directors, we remember them for their plays. Case in point---Sophocles introduced some very important inovations in scenery, etc, etc---and was very important to Euripides for that innovation...but did Stanislavski base his directing off of Sophocles' work? I'm pretty sure he didn't.


Ok folks! Disagree with me! Help me refine this idea.

Review and Update

Let's start this off right: our first new movie review.

What better to start it off with than...The Punisher.

First off. Not Marvel's worst movie. Better than Fantastic Four. Fine. I said it.

Remarks: the hero gets shot. Often. It keeps happening! Walks down the street. Gets shot. Gets in a fight. Gets shot. Orders a drink in a bar. Gets shot. I feel like there must have been a point in the movie when someone missed him, so he shot himself, just to keep up apperances. it was refreshing to see a hero who didn't have a magical shield or something, or a group of bad guys who actually knew which end of the gun they were using...but at a certain point, I thought...man, I'd just want to hang out for a bit after that fight. Take a break. Also, features one of the most entertaining fight scenes I've seen in a long time, between Frank Castle and a character known only as..."The Russian." Deep character. I'm not sure, but I have the sinking suspicion that he was played by a pro wrestler. Just sayin'. Also, the fight happens to "Elephant's Yeah!"

There's character progression---at one point, he grows a beard! I think he also might switch whiskeys at one point...but I could be remembering wrong.

Indicative line for the movie?

WISE MAN: Vamnos Dios, Castle. Go with God.
CASTLE: God's gonna sit this one out.

END SCENE

Here's my question---he makes a tricked out car. He has a big apartment, with lots of...if not fancy, at least servicable bits of equipment. Where is the money coming from? All his assets would be closed when he died. Does he work? All of his neighbors work. Where does he get the money?

Also---best torture scene ever. With a blowtorch, a popsicle, and a piece of steak. Also including perhaps the funniest lines of the movie:

(CASTLE has a man hanging from the celing, about to tourture him)

SCARED MAN: I've got friends, you know!
CASTLE: Let's talk about your friends.
SCARED MAN: Hey! Make your own friends!
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Ok, maybe its not as funny in print. I thought it was clever.

Travolta is mildly amusing---slightly long hair. Is there a correlation between the number of people Travolta kills in a movie and the length of his hair? I've been trying to track it. Help me out anyone? Does he have long hair in Face/Off? I guess "Hairspray" kinda kills that theory...oh well.
How great is it, though, that clearly his character's last thoughts are...."oh man, had I known that man was a homosexual, I NEVER would have killed him! Shit." How's that for reversals of expectations?

Wouldn't you think that Glass (the closeted consigliere/CPA/head enforecer for Travolta) would have nothing to hide? I mean, if I were a crime boss whose biggest obsession was keeping strange men away from my wife, my first move would be to hire a man who wasn't interested. It just makes good sense.

I think the movie hits a high point, however, when a hitman described only as being "from Memphis" walks into a diner where the hero is eating breakfast, opens a very suspicious guitar case...then plays him a country song. He then packs up the guitar, tells him that he wrote the song for him, that he'll sing it at his funeral...and then leaves. It was key. Because we know, everyone from Memphis plays guitar, Especialy the hitmen. Here's a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfxXcBJ0LP0

All in all, an amusing movie. Again, dumb, but without the pain of certain other movies with involved a certain number of heroes who may or may not have been...well...you know the rest.
===============

What about normal life?

I've got...what, a week left in Pittsburgh? If all goes well, I'll be in Chicago come September. I love Pittsburgh dearly, and will be coming back sometime soon, even to live, I'm sure. However---I'm ready. I'm idling here. It's hard---lack of structure in life right now, etc. Looking forward to various works (both theatrical and rent-paying) for the structure and the occupation, looking forward to having a place of my own, to meeting new people and seeing friends.

So I'm excited. Looking up U-haul rental rates (which are HIGH) and finishing up with packing. More to follow soon.

Returning to blogging

I've missed having a Blog, and now that I'm moving again---well, figure its maybe time I started it up again! I've found it hard to maintain a blog on this site---so we'll see how it does. Here's hoping.

Stay tuned for ramblings, rants, movie reviews (Jeff-style), and more. So basicaly, the basic useless blog. Maybe I'll find a better use for it soon.