Into Thin Air

19 Years Later, not everything has changed for the better

19 Years ago a school shooting shocked the US, our families, our friends, strangers, the world. It was everywhere, 13 people were murdered in a public school. People around the world watched the news, spoke about the tragedy, felt guilt, confusion, compassion, pain, everything. We felt everything

 In these 19 years, things have changed by getting worse. I have become numb, for all of us it has become par-for-the-course. These students were taught how it’s part of their lives and to be prepared as 75 years ago they were prepared to hide under desks from nuclear bombs. These children here, they weren’t even born 19 years ago.That’s why they want change; this should have never been their issue to deal with but the generation of gun violence they are rightfully pissed off and are going to make it so those after them don’t have to. 

Parking Wars

Today is the 10th Anniversary of Parking Wars. A dramatic reality-TV show the focused on the daily interactions those with parking enforcement that dealt with ticketing, booting, towing and releasing you car from impoundment. While in some aspects it filled my screen with shenanigans to laugh at similar to others who watched The Jersey Shore: the woman who repeatedly hid her sticker but then got angry and called the officers incompetent when she got ticketed, the stalker who said “so” about parking in front of a fire hydrant, and the many didn’t see an issue with parking in the fire lane of a mall parking lot ( a factor in how a cashier got hit by a car near me because neither could see the other); it was also somewhat educational and gave the opportunity for viewers to understand why things were, when not in the heat of the moment: why you get towed for no insurance, that you can’t leave and come back to a timed spot and why and others. I enjoyed this show, and continue to this day as it reminds me and hopefully others that there are consequences to their actions and that people in various service industries really are trying to serve the public as a whole, so maybe not just you. 

Charlie Weasley

Whatever it is, do it. If you love it, if you want it, just DO IT

Combat, Cure & Craft

Some of the most prosperous and advanced countries have the comfort and ability to create and provide access to libraries. But with education and knowledge having the ability to create and improve communities, even in times of despair there are still those who promote the beauty of books

The National Library of South Africa (Cape Town, South Africa)

Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Alexandria, Egypt)

Syria’s Secret Library (Damascus, Syria)

Why We March

Today around the world we march again. We march for the women who give themselves, to allow us to come into the world. We walk for cisgender women, transwomen, black women, poor women, brilliant women, all women. 

We march because women who in 1920 were allowed to raise their voice and speak their mind in public to vote, but not at home. Until the 1990s, and even in many states today a women’s vocal pronouncement of “NO” when her husband wanted to have sex, was not an option. Even today, there are many states where it is only marital rape if there is proof of extreme threat of violence or violence. 

We march because women, who on average go for higher degrees and do better in the classroom, on average only make $0.79 for every dollar a man makes. An average, Black woman and Hispanic woman make less. 

We march because men have to do so little to be considered great leaders and parents, but one misstep and women are seen as being harmful and neglectful to their children. Those first nine months where women not only couldn’t eat, drink, smoke, exercise as well as were the incubators for their chidren, means nothing. Perfection is the bare minimum asked by society. 

We march because harassment, sexual violence and intimidation are not a rarity that women experience, but something that their whole lives are focused on, there is no day off. They know how many paces back the cute neighbor with the dog is, how long that car has been at the end of the block, where the bulbs are to replace the bulb in the entry way. Women know these things not because they’re mothers, or it’s part of their DNA, because they have to, TO SURVIVE. 

These are the shameful reasons why we march. We march because society has allowed these and other aspects of women lived to continue as second rate, as not good enough, when they are the ones dragging us ahead. This why we all march.

Snarkiest Lines

1. Season Two, Episode Ten: Christmas Party (Ryan)

“What line of work are you in, Bob?”

2. Season Three, Episode Eleven: Back from Vacation (Angela)

“Did you try the petting zoo?”

3. Season Three, Episode Twenty-Three: The Job (Stanley)

“The same as the ratio of unicorns to leprechauns.”

4. Season Two, Episode Six: The Fight (Pam)

“Could you practice on the forms?”

5. Season Six, Episode Three: The Promotion (Oscar)

“Where would Catholicism be without the Popes?”

6. Season Six, Episode Five: Mafia (Dwight)

"That’s why they call it Murder, not Muckduck”

7. Season Four, Episode One: Fun Run (Jim)

“One day Michael came in complaining about a speed bump on the highway. I wonder who he ran over then”.

8. Season Three, Episode One: Gay Witch Hunt (Stanley)

“I got them a toaster. They called off the wedding and gave the toaster back to me. I tried to return the toaster to the store, and they said they no longer sold that kind of toaster. So now my house has got two toasters”.

9. Season Five, Episode Four: Baby Shower (Dwight)

"Jan had the baby, and Michael wasn’t there to mark it. So the baby could be anybody’s. Except Michael’s”.

10. Season Two, Episode One: The Dundies (Pam)

“You know what they say about a car wreck, where it’s so awful you can’t look away? The Dundies are like a car wreck that, you wanna look away, but you have to stare at it because your boss is making you”

That’s What She Said

There are many “That’s what she said”s throughout The Office (US)--but in my opinion, these are the best.

1.      Season Four, Episode Seven: Survivor Man

Michael comes back to the office and Jim tells him the day was rough as he tried to put all the birthday’s together. Michael tells him it’s fine, rookie mistake and that he’ll figure it out. When Jim notes he doesn’t plan on being there in ten years and Michael adds “That’s what she said” after first saying “That’s what I said”

When Jim follows up with “that’s what who said” Michael tells Jim “I never know” and he just says stuff like that sometimes to lighten the tension (as he just did with Jim).

 2.      Season Three, Episode Seventeen: Cocktails

When Jan internally realizes she’s becoming more like Michael as when speaking with the documentary crew about her insecurities with dating Michael and responds to the question “why is this so hard” with “that’s what she said”

 3.      Season Three, Episode One: Gay Witch Hunt

After outing and kissing Oscar, Michael remarks that even if he didn’t create social change ‘at least they put this matter to bed’ and then responds with his typical hokes of “That’s what she said…or he said”

Eh....Anonymous

All right, I’m not clean, proud nor happy about this but facts are true when we like them and when we don’t. These three films are brilliant (in my opinion), and I love them and while I will not purchase anything related to the man behind the shadows of these films, to not have them included in my favorites would be a lie—so I crammed them all together as films I wish were associated with someone else –and that’s all I can say on the matter as my alliance for these films still struggles.

The Curse of the Jade Scorpion 

Way back when, my family (mostly my Dad and I) would watch two films on New Year’s Eve instead of just one, along with getting Chinese food for dinner. The Curse of the Jade Scorpion was one of the first ones, one we watched at least a second New Year’s Eve and is one of my favorite comedies. I have re-watched it many times and I always love it. Like its main character, it’s ridiculous and cartoon-like, perfectly matching the music that goes with it--like a live-action Bugs Bunny cartoon. Watching an investigator thump around and somehow, luckily solve the mystery—is preposterous, even more so than the romantic ending. But if you find to have similar taste as I do, which most don’t, this one will have you laugh out loud so much that your father starts to watch from another room.

Crimes and Misdemeanors

Please, please, hold the accurate screams for the stars of this film that escape from your body as if you are a stereotyped middle school girl from ten years ago that just saw Justin Bieber. Sam Waterson, Jerry Orbach (RIP) and Alan Alda—heaven and probably my main reasons for loving this film (in order) not just because it was them but because I saw a different character of them that I was more used to (thou not Alan Alda in this case, I agree he was schmucky). I would agree with other reviewers that it’s not exactly the suspense of what’s going to happen that fuels the story but what these ‘average’ people will do, how they will react and how the rest of their lives will be impacted. Except for Judah’s connection to hitman, and part of the story having a connection to the acting/film industry—the stories are all pretty common. People who are in unhappy marriages, people who have affairs; these stories are common. A lot of “coming of age” stories are about teenagers and young adults, but after 50 or so years sometimes we come to a new level of understanding of ourselves or a different realization than before and make different choices and we adapt again rising to a new challenge or falling below expectations—but which one was which

“And after the awful deed is done, he finds that he's plagued by deep-rooted guilt. Little sparks of his religious background which he'd rejected are suddenly stirred up. He hears his father's voice. He imagines that God is watching his every move. Suddenly, it's not an empty universe at all, but a just and moral one, and he's violated it.”

Match Point

Match Point really is just an extension of Crimes and Misdemeanors, the only larger change is that the ending result comes from a combination of the actions of the main character along with ‘fate’ as opposed to just dumb luck. Both main characters in Crimes and Misdemeanors and Match Point show that with real consequences, the choices you make are different than what you think they would be; but also how your worst choices show your true character because even thou both Judah and Tom both felt extreme guilt….they got over it pretty quickly

 Shout out: Melinda and Melinda a complete extreme of how perspective can shape so much

I have nothing more to add about the context of this film as this post accurately connected all the beautifully complexities of this film and what creates a new version of PTSD ( Complex PTSD) what I will add, is how I hate that I’ve been unable to secure this film and rewatch it

Bang Bang You’re Dead

I loved this film! It was very different to the other films, especially the ending which I thought was very satisfying. A very troubled and outcast teenager struggling to cope with high school after he is suspended for planting a fake bomb in the school. The best part of this film, by far, was an uncomfortable scene in which teachers, the principle and the teen’s parents were forced to watch a home video of all the bullying that goes on in the school. If I was at that school, I probably would have wanted to shoot them all too.

The film is based on the play of the same name , which I assume is just as good.

Twins

Twins are incredibly interesting, as even those with very similar DNA and upbringing, can turn into very different people. We see this with all siblings: Lily v. Petunia, Percy v. the rest of the Weasleys and so not every set of twins ends up like Gred and Forge, a great example being Parvati and Padma Patil. Parvati and Padma were so different, they were sorted into different houses with Parvati being placed into Gryffindor and Padma being placed into Ravenclaw. Later on Padma would also be named Ravenclaw Prefect and was noted to be more serious than Parvati and was never noted to have such a close friendship with her sister or with anyone else to the extreme that Parvati had with Lavender.

But while their personalities were quite different, they did have both positive and negative traits in common. Both sisters bravely fought in the Battle of Hogwarts, joined Dumbledore’s Army early on and fought against Umbridge’s rein at Hogwarts. They also both showed to be somewhat superficial, agreeing with Harry when he was the chosen one or Triwizard Champion. More information about Padma would have provided more insight to how similar or different they really were, but it’s interesting with twins and siblings how some things just are how they are: people are born a certain way or a different certain way and very little can be done to change that