Unexpected Changes!

Hey, y'all (Y'all? Does anyone even say this anymore???), happy Monday to you all! Hope you guys are all nice and cool against the summer heat - in my area, it got to over 100 degrees (Fahrenheit) over the weekend, so there were several (about 3?) brushfires in my area. I swear you could smell the burning woods/grass.

Anyhow, as I have mentioned, I have made some unexpected changes in my life, namely moving to a new location! I now live with my (slightly younger, by a year) brother in his apartment. He needed a roommate to help him cut costs and rent in order to save up for his wedding (lucky bastard...). SO! I ended up spending all of last week and some of the weekend getting all of my things together and tying up loose ends in my previous place in order for this to happen. All in all, this all happened spontaneously and it's more exciting than frightening to live life without much of a fallback. 

Basically, I missed out on blogging last week. So, yeah, I'm sorry for that. I'm more settled now, so I'm back to my Mon-Wed-Fri schedule of writing.

So far, it's smooth sailing here - the only big challenge I have to tackle is learning to cook. Oh, and job hunting. Yeah, it's still a thing, sadly, and not much progress has been made with this unexpected move. And I'll be sure to write about it soon enough.

So, cooking. No experience. Well, that's an exaggeration - I can prepare cereals, pastas/spaghettis, eggs, salads, quesadillas, and even meat (but that's mostly luck though). So I have some foundation of cooking, right?! But today, on my first day. I wimped out. I bought breakfast and lunch at diners today. I know, I know. Today was a fluke! I'll start to get it right starting tomorrow! Anyhow, that's really the big news I've got for you, and possibly the lame excuse I've got. I'll be living life and moving forward and growing up now! It's an amazing time to be alive! :D

"American Psycho" @ Eat.See.Hear. (Late Post #3)

Minutes away from the main show!

On July 19th, I had the awesome pleasure of watching American Psycho on a big screen at the Autry in Los Angeles (I'm close to LA. Obvious, isn't it?). The show is part of Eat.See.Hear's summer-long film festival showcasing some of the cinema's brilliant contributions...or not. It depends on the individual, really. Anyhow, it was great to watch a film outside in a park. It's something that I've been wanting to do since I've seen others do it as well as a setting like this seems to be quite popular in movies. 

American Psycho seems to be one of those films that are inherently difficult to comprehend, even with extensive conversations with friends in trying to interpret the meaning of the movie. While it's satire and providing commentary on the Wall Street culture of the 80's, Psycho follows Patrick Bateman's adventures (so to speak) as a serial killer. Yeah. That's all I've got. I've seen this film twice, and I still struggle to understand the message and meaning of the movie. I'm told that reading the book is more impactful than the movie.

Trip to the Ghetty (Late Post #2)

The front entrance of the Getty.

On a beautiful Friday afternoon in July, one of my friends had to go to the Getty Center in Los Angeles. I say "had to" since he was required to make a trip to examine art from the Renaissance Era and write a concise, yet detailed, report on his observations of said art. He didn't want to go alone, so I asked if I could tag along. It's been years since my last visit and I also vowed to revisit this museum some time this year, and the timing was impeccable. 

Even though it's been years since my trip to the Getty, nothing much has changed. It all felt nostalgic and natural, which my friend felt relief for (since he never visited the Getty until that trip we made) so we had no trouble having to be where we needed to be, which was the west wing, where all European art could be found.

After a good hour and half (maybe two) of examining art, having an on-going conversation with my friend about the art and applying his knowledge to the works that were present, we spend our remaining time exploring the rest of the museum. We found some great architecture (like the photo to the right). While, in honesty, it was something that I couldn't comprehend entirely, it was something that I appreciated simply because it exists. Maybe that's the powerful effect of art: sometimes we don't understand what we see, hear, or feel, but all that matters most is that someone was creative or insightful, or even just lucky enough to create something into existence that didn't exist before.

Breaking Bad

Again, due to having a crapload of free time this summer, I am feverishly attached to the Netflix and the television, since I'm feverishly watching Breaking Bad. The series finished just not too long ago, and I've somehow managed avoid as much as spoilers along the way. So, I'm now on a Breaking Bad marathon, and I'm now on the final stretch of the final 8 episodes of the series (though I may be done by the time this is posted). 

In all honesty, I'm a bit surprised that it's taken Walter White/Heisenberg some time to be on his own, and begin to establish his empire. In the seasons I've watched thus far, he was always under someone's thumb, whether it was Krazy-8, Tuco, or Gus himself. All the promos and such have always portrayed White as this ruthless man without scruples, but it's taken time Walter to become the ruthless Heisenberg. Also, Pinkman doesn't say "bitch" as much as I thought he would. He tends to say "Yo" more than "B", which is kind of disappointing to say the least, but I have no qualms about that.

I honestly I don't have much to add here. I simply loved watching (and still watching) this critically-acclaimed show. In some ways, I wish I had the privilege of viewing this show along with millions of people, so that I, too, may be part of the conversation, but alas, I was half a year too late, and I'm ok with that. I can't wait to have those lengthy conversations with friends (over beer, of course) about the show.