A very sorry video

http://youtube.com/watch?v=IZSqXUSwHRI

This poorly made video makes me thankful for not being on the wrong side of this argument. Fortunately I'm living in a blu...oh wait, I forgot I'm not living in Chicago anymore but Arizona.

Descent

Just got back from seeing the movie Descent. Good flick overall, wish the monsters were scarier though. I only felt like screaming once, seriously only once. It was when the lady behind me screamed like a little girl, I think I got scared because I wasn't expecting her to yell at that moment, totally caught me off guard.

Seeing this movie has me thinking about how I want to see more scary movies. The Shining is the one that scares me the most, but I definitely need to see more scary movies.

There's this movie coming out by the guy who does the Ali G show. Looks hilarious, my buddy was telling me it's already being banned in Kazakstan. I'd like to explain what I saw in the previews, but I don't think I could properly convey the hilarity(or my perception of it) properly.

Switching gears, great story, guard dog goes berserk!!!

The British. You gotta love them. Only they could give us such a wonderful story as this.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2265816

Which reminds me of the time my dog ripped apart most of our nice furniture and carpets. I didn't think it was a such a big deal, but I knew my mom would. This is the devil in me: The best part was knowing how angry my mom was going to be. I think that's the time where it's hardest to suppress your laughter, when you know somebody's insane rage is going to explode when they find out about whatever ridiculous event has taken place(as long as you are not the guilty party) and you are pretty certain that the miscreant won't suffer serious consequences for the offense. So, this whole episode was funny enough because we still got to keep the dog.

Always remember that there's nothing funnier than authority figures taking themselves so seriously and unleashing ridiculous tirades.

An extreme close-up of my buddy and me.

On sickness, I just gotta write this

Usually I'm cool with being sick, so long as I'm not in pain. But usually it's other peoples' reactions that flip me out. I was talking to a friend the other day, and she started telling me how hard it must be, you know, being ill for so long. She told me that being sick for close to a year, well, that's a good chunk of your life. Oh, that really got my heart racing, like, the stress and worry of being ill for so long and the worry of not getting better hit me like a lightning bolt. I know in my soul I'm going to be better, but it's difficult because I have no control over this ridiculous illness. The endlessness of it...

Anyways... I didn't mean to get all negative. This illness has moments where it just freaks me out. When I feel like that there is only one thing that makes everything better. Watching this clip... This clip can probably cure cancer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAPoTaaxHxw

Miami Vice

It was great leaving the house. Getting to see Miami Vice was cool, unfortunately it wasn't quite as amazing as I had hoped. I liked the atmosphere in this film, and the tension was good. But the movie and shots were too disjointed and shaky for my tastes, too many close-ups, but most importantly, there weren't enough gunfights. The one at the end was pretty good though. Generally what I'm asking for in a movie like this is 2 superb, over the top gunfights, plus one or two more middling episodes of destruction. Anyways, it was still a good way to spend an afternoon. No regrets.

Couple of cartoons

This first one is based on Edgar Allan Poe's short story, Tell Tale Heart. Narrated by James Mason, very cool, 1st person.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJb150JRqpQ&search=upa%20tell%20tale%20heart


Rooty Toot Toot. Fun stylization.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8vBVBfEQ2Y

Great news!

Hurray! So, as long as I feel ok later, I will be going with a friend to see Miami Vice. I woke up today and feel pretty decent. My headaches have died down lately, which really helps me sleep so much better. Not only can I read my book in peace, but I don't feel so chained down to the house, knowing I'll probably feel ok to head out later.

Cool music videos...French Pop

Just discovered this beautiful French singer, France Gall.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8buv3JEjKQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsUlz-fiWxM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntpp6Sr_QrA

Couple of Serge Gainsbourg links too. Gotta love his music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgBVIVBnkso
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGt0VFvxPJM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeYJvZkJt3Ev=TeYJvZkJt3E

George Brassens-
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-529331768010283228&q=george+brassens
Trying to find his song Le Gorilles.

Francoise Hardy-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojw4UzSwWEQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqtOS4HXu1Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=makWcuHaAYg

This movie is going to be good

I can't seem to convince anyone to go see Miami Vice. Have my powers of persuasion so diminished that I can't convince/trick people into going to see a movie that could be either: A) seriously awesome or B) seriously ridiculous. Maybe I don't have the right group of friends. I like the director's track record, so come on people, senseless undercover cop movie with tons of violence, come on, you know you want to see this.
Don't make me resort to this-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk8zxUj_q9Y

More art...

http://www.ethnographica.com/pages/Dogon5.php?project_id=5#
http://www.hamillgallery.com/DOGON/DogonArt.html
http://www.zyama.com/dogon/pics..htm
I love this artwork from the Dogons. The animal masks are my favorite. They are mysterious and beautifully designed. There's some magical, ethereal quality about them, especially when they are used in Dogon ceremonies. I'd like to find more videos of their dancing and performances, I've only tracked down these two so far. I saw some great ones back in college that I wish I could find.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCUD4XZvJW4&search=dogon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utxYS2xvdGs&search=dogon

Who I'm Angry at Today

I'll tell you who. Rabbits, at least those in my yard. Seemingly amazing due to their fluffilicious cuddly bodies and long carved out torpedo ears, I have come to the conclusion that they are wily and mean-spirited.

My dog is a grizzled old German Shepherd, he is aging, and due to hip problems can no longer give the proper chase after smarmy little rabbits. My dog must suffer the indignation and humiliation of eating his dinner outside, whilst those cute little bunny rabbits not 10 yards away peacefully chew on his grass. As those rabbits eye him, I can see the big fat grins written all over their faces, basking in the knowledge that my dog can't get them, and they just rub it in, not even attempting to move a kindly distance away. My poor dog sadly eyes their tasty little bodies. He shifts his gaze up at me, his eyes imploring me to do something.

Resolving the situation: I've read up on my international diplomacy. Here's how you recover something you claim is your's but someone else usurps. It's a 2 pronged plan of attack. First you garner support for sanctions, in this case, we enlist our neighbors and all those in the community to shore up their fences. Second part is a bit more surreptitious, it involves the enlistment of a 3rd party guerrilla group(my neighbor's golden retrievers) to either A) take those bunnies out of commission or B) scare the daylights out of those fluffy creatures so that they never come back again.

Voila, and I didn't even take about weapons of mass destruction.

Do you like owls that sing?

Just discovered this cartoon on Youtube. Owls that sing, it doesn't get any better than this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOt8prlMmDg&search=i%20love%20to%20singa

Well, maybe it does. Something called Commando Duck. It's a cartoon of Donald Duck fighting for the US against the Japanese in WWII, I'd like to meet the people that came up with such a ridiculous concept.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFUQ7AgvgJU&search=commando%20duck

Things I need to remember to be afraid of...

Why is it way more fun to be afraid of totally random, one in a million kind of things. Shark week on the Discovery Channel reminded me that I need to feed that crazy irrational fear of sharks I have. I hope it won't scare me as much as seeing Jaws for the first time. As a little kid, it struck fear into my heart, I avoided baths and showers like the plague, for some reason I couldn't stop visualizing jaws materializing out of the shower head and the faucet.

This morning's paper reminded me that I also need to fear this local serial killer who's on the loose. It's like winning the lottery, except in reverse, if you're in the right place at the right time, then fate will have you struck with a bullet in your head.

If it weren't for the media, life would be boring. Fortunately fearing terrorists, huge sharks, serial killers, North Korea, and plane accidents makes life enjoyable again.

Otto Dix, another one of my favorite artists

He lived through the first World War, so you'll have to forgive the stench of death in his work. These pieces I think are all part of his series, Der Krieg(The War).

Thought I should post a couple of my favorite paintings by Albright...

I took quite a few classes at the Art Institute, had an internship in their Prints and Drawing department, and I worked at Northwestern's Block Museum. Why are these experiences important, because they allowed me to discover the great Ivan Albright. I even got to flip through some of his sketchbooks!

Sadness...

I try not to be sad. The whole blogging thing is fascinating to me, and as much as I love discovering all these new artists and everything, it leaves me feeling a bit bitter. I know I said I wouldn't complain earlier in my blog, I just miss working on my art more than anything else.

When I get tired, I occupy my time with the sports world...

The afternoon is usually when I'm the most tired. I generally lay back on the couch and watch a slew of sports shows. When I was younger I was into the NBA, baseball, even football. Well, I guess this illness has given me a chance to get back into that, and you know what, even though the athletes tend to be doped up babies, it's still interesting enough to keep my attention. Lebron James in the playoffs vs. the Wizards, great series, the World Cup, amazing, unfortunately my country didn't win(France), and now baseball season with football season coming up fast. PTI is a great sports show, and Around the Horn isn't half bad. And what is up with New York Yankees fans, they need to give A-Rod a break. And probably the most disappointing story of the year for me was the doping scandals that took over the Tour de France. I hate to say it, but it seems Floyd Landis was too great of a story to be true.

But if it came down to it, I'd have to take Spongebob over sports.

Time for an IV

I've decided to try the alternative medicine route, since my doctors don't have any other solution than just wait the illness out. Today I'm getting an IV, hopefully it works to a certain degree. There's something a bit frightening about having to turn to practices I'm not too sure about, but I feel the risks are negligible compared to the potential good it might do.

OK, I love Lucian Freud, but there's one more reason...

He seems to paint dogs quite a bit, either thrown in the corner or the main subject of the piece. Bonnard also painted his dogs a lot. Hmmmm, the canine, a symbol of domesticity and tranquility, how bourgeois... Well actually, I for one think domesticity and tranquility and bourgeois values are pretty sweet. I guess I'm not as revolutionary as those cute little impressionistic painters who blew up the scene back in the latter half of the 19th century. If those painters could see how their work is seen today, well, they'd probably be busting out the machine guns and blowing this world to hell. Anyways, I enjoy paintings with dogs in them because I have a dog. He is a German Shepherd.

Things are good when...

You can find images of awesome paintings on the internet by artists like Lucian Freud. Who knew painting large, fat people could be so lucrative?

Why is Freud such an important painter? Because he's a crazy talent, he stripped figure painting to its bare bones, and most importantly in my eyes the psychological aspect of his artwork. There's nothing I enjoy more than that feeling of something being off-kilter within a painting, something dark and frightening hidden just beneath the surface. In a sense Freud is everybody's favorite painter, he's raw, he's impressionistic, but as much as he sometimes seems to be the flavor of the month, there is a substance to the work that makes it worth while to study. He was also commissioned by Queen Elizabeth to do her portrait, she was pissed with the result, how stupid could you be, Freud isn't going to make you look beautiful, especially when he doesn't have much to work with. Just look at his portrait of notorious cokester Kate Moss.