Speaking of...


procrastination, I let my domain name expire and now I have to buy it back from one of those companies that pounce on expiring domains and sell it for twice the going price. So now I'm squatting on blogspot and I might not renew my domain. I'll see what happens.

This week-end, I went to Six Flags Great Adventure. The first rollercoaster I was ever on was the Nitro, which looks like this:





and has so many camelbacks it's not even funny. Afer that I refused to go on any real rides for three years. (Skull Mountain and Runaway Train don't count even though I gritted my teeth through them as well.)

This time I felt left out and bored, and I let them coax me onto Batman the Ride.



Waiting in line, I distracted myself by looking at kids younger than me by more than a decade looking nonchalant and not at all nervous. It's a little embarrassing to get out of line once you're already there. So I hung on for dear life and even managed a weak "Woohoo!" or two.

By the time we got on the Medusa,



I could say that I was as enthusiastic as the rest of 'em fanatics. I was actually smiling in the picture with two thumbs up!

And I found out that the true test of a fun, harmless rollercoaster is not if a lot of kids get on it; they're young and fearless after all. When you a see a lot of people who have mortgages getting in line, then it's probably worth a shot.



P.S. I am a loser for not bringing my camera. Pictures stolen from coasterimage.

Oh yes, I'm the great procrastinator

I have a seminar which will touch on procrastination and other faults tomorrow. So guess what I'm doing? I'm going to watch Happenstance and maybe just wake up an hour earlier tomorrow to write my three goals essay.

I guess this tops my exclaiming out loud, "I don't have any goals!" to my boss.

You Don't Send Me



1. You Don't Send Me (Belle and Sebastian) - "Listen honey, there is nothing you can do to offend me anymore. You don’t send me anymore."

2. Heard 'Em Say (Kanye West) - I hate people who just love to hear themselves talk, but Kanye is real genius. I listened to this song for about two weeks straight.

3. D'yer Mak'er (Sheryl Crow) - My Encomium (Led Zep tribute album) tape was my absolute favorite in high school. I listened to it all the time but stayed away from the album cover because it had these creepy eyes that followed you wherever you went.

4. Hooray (Minus the Bear) - "This is all we want. Time to be with us, a home to lift the cold." Lyrics like poetry and the beat is so jumpy-cheery.

5. A Time for Emily (The Elected) - Awww. "The death of this mess finally came around with no relief this year." And I just happen to like the name Emily.

6. Thread (Opsvik & Jennings) - Bass & beats. Electronica & pop. Oslo & Oklahoma.

7. Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime (Beck) - Oh Beck, I too need your lovin' like the sunshine.

8. Wise Up (Aimee Mann) - Wise advice.

9. Ache for You (Ben Lee) - "There's no rhyme and there's no reason. You're the secret in the back of my skull."

10. Dead from the Waist Down (Catatonia) - Old song from an old bootleg that I got one week-end from a guy selling CDs outside one of the UP dorms. My favorite part is when she sings, "We're d from the w down."

11. Winning the Battle, Losing the War (Kings of Convenience) - Besides being able to write heartbreaking lyrics and beautiful melodies, Erlend and Eirik are also achingly cute.

12. Row (Jon Brion) - My favorite song on the ESOTM soundtrack. To me, it means resignation, resolve and finality, like saying, "That's it. No more."

You don't send me anymore

I saw Thank You for Smoking at BAM, my favorite cinema, last Friday. Well, it's everything you could ask for in a movie. It's funny and smart but not totally unforgettable, kind of like the guy you had a big crush on in college.

Part of the fun of watching it was William Macy and his natural talent for comedy, even if cast in an antagonist role. It's funny, but I always end up, by chance, watching movies with a common actor in succession. A while ago I also saw Friends With Money and The Good Girl and Fargo (Jennifer Aniston and Frances McDormand). Frances McDormand has got to be the most charming pregnant sherriff in movie history. By the way, is it just me or has anyone noticed the staggering number of pregnant women nowadays? They're everywhere. On the subway, at Duane Reade, as you're turning the corner towards Starbucks. I've been to two showers already. I tell you, it's another baby boom.

Oh, you know the most (sort of) endearing dramatic change in an actor as seen in two movies? Bud Cort in Harold and Maude and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.