RandomCha

Here’s a copy of the fax I just sent to our rental agency:

Fridge is still not working. A little thing like that can sure screw up your mood.

Fucking hell. Nothing this administration can do would surprise me anymore. In fact I’m half expecting to hear the news that the White House is rehiring him.

On top of that: our refrigerator is broken (just after getting a delivery of groceries), the DVD we rented is skipping and so we can’t watch it, and my computer is acting weird. What a crappy day.

Utterly quiet day here at work (75% of the office is on vacation until Thursday) so it’s especially frustrating that I’m not feeling creatively inspired in the the least.

For a few days I’ve been apartmennt-sitting for

sumsinnow

, just checking in to make sure the cat doesn’t get too lonely or the mailbox get too full. I spent the night there last night and it almost felt like being at a hotel. Since I rarely get to stay at a hotel, it’s an exotic experience. I had stopped off at Jewel earlier in the week for a few things, so the pantry was adequately stocked. First I fixed myself a martini and persued the new Rolling Stone that came in the mail. I watered the plants. Later I snacked and sipped while channel surfing. I watched about half an hour of The French Connection. Car chase. The rest of the evening I just browsed through some coffee table books that looked interesting and played with the cat. I was in bed by 11.

Such a calm, mellow evening does not leave behind much of a residue (other than feeling well-rested for a time) but it was definitely pleasant.

Saw SiCKO last night. Wow. Wow. Wow. See this movie, and be prepared to get angry and take some action.

I think I might be able to get away with leaving work early today. If so, I’ll go home and take a nap. I actually slept quite well last night. But because of construction here at the office, I’ve been listening to a rusty drill bit boring its way through the floor (and, thus, my skull) for most of the day. Yup, it’s been one of those days. 

Tonight I’m going to see SiCKO with Andy and Dennis. Dinner beforehand somewhere. 

There’s a lot of work I ought to take care of this weekend (including a new freelancing opportunity) but at this exact moment I feel like doing exactly nothing.

Check out the new TCMDB … it has the potential to be a whole lot better than imdb.com

My problem is, it’s hard to stop daydreaming about places I’d like to visit. For a few days now I’ve been thinking about Carlsbad Caverns. We visited there once when I was a kid, and I loved it. The only thing I clearly remember is at dusk, the thousands of bats coming out of the cave. I’d really like to go there again someday.

Damn, work is annoying me today. I feel like screaming, “Just because YOU are having an emergency doesn’t mean that I AM having an emergency!” I really want to get the heck out of here. But there’s nothing to go to. Not yet. Some time at the gym should do me some good, help me blow off some steam.

On Friday I submitted my passport renewal application. I don’t have any specific travel plans per se. I want to have it ready just in case. $127. 

Jeremy and I watched the Pride parade yesterday. He had rum & coke and I had rum & diet root beer, a combo which is completely disgusting and yet seemed trashily appropriate. There seemed to be fewer politicians in the parade this time around (because it’s not an election year?) and also less nudity. A ton of floats for banks. Capitalism was well-represented.

I don’t like parades. I don’t care what the theme is. As every year, the parade itself was only mildly amusing. Mosty the fun came from drinking on the sidewalk and providing a running commentary on everything, and from being utterly lazy. I came home after a few hours and had a long nap. 

Anyone who’s serious about making a good martini needs to read this article right now. 

So yeah, The AFI aired their “10th Anniversary” special earlier this week , and of course there are many good choices. And many lame ones. For the sake of brevity I’m only going to list three:

1 Why is freakin’ Schindler’s List rated HIGHER than The Wizard of Oz?! That’s just plain wrong.
2 Out of all of Scorsese’s work, why Raging Bull? Why? Why?
3 Spielberg was interviewed way, way too many times. His false modesty (“When I was making E.T. I was only making it for myself; we had no idea it would resonate …”) made me sick to my stomach.

Blah, blah, blah. Time to be self-indulgent: here are my Top Ten Favorite Movies in alphabetical order:

Belle de Jour
Dawn of the Dead
Dumbo
It’s a Wonderful Life
Lawrence of Arabia
Lost Highway
Rear Window
3 Women
True Stories
Vertigo