Chicago

Chicago - I love you. I've left you to see other parts of the world, but I always return. It is you I love first. I am considering making you my home. I make no promises. I can't. I'm not in a place to make promises. But never doubt my love.

It's Lake Shore Drive. It's lightening above a sky-scrapper. It's the radio stations. It's Lake Michigan. It's Buckingham Fountain. It's the two story Dominicks on the corner. It's the news reporter and the camera guy crossing the street. It's the rain.

All you have to do is drive down Lake Shore Drive late at night, turn up the radio, and take in the mememory you are creating. It's catalogued into the millions of other times you've done this. Never-the-less, this time, as with every other, it feels special. It's beauty.

fanatic (fan-addict)

There are so many movies to be excited about for the fall -
"Ira & Abby" - because Kissing Jessica Stein was awesome
"Dan In the Real World" - because who doesn't love Steve Carrell, and even better, when he plays someone with real soul. (kinda like Adam Sandler; sure he's great just being funny, but he's even better when he's funny and real, a la "Spanglish" or "Reign Over Me"
"My Kid Could Paint That" - because you know you've wondered the same thing about abstract art and the movie just looks like it could spark such a great discussion after you've watched it.
"Lars and the Real Girl" - because Ryan Gosling is a actor/genius, thee actor of his generation, and the whole ensemble cast looks equally compelling, maybe even including and because of the blow-up doll
Even a little excited about "Resurrecting the Champ" - despite it's based-on-a-true-story - and - you -can -predict-how -it's- gonna -end - from -the -trailer feel, sometimes, those movies are just plain enjoyable.

Granted, I may be going to some of these movies alone this fall. But I'm living so far North that I'm not even sure if some of these will get to a theatre near me, and who knows what the future will bring. Plus, if they are as good as they look, going it alone doesn't matter.

StartDust

It may be a sign that I am extremely shallow, and naïve, but movies have an incredible impact on me. I just came back from seeing the movie StarDust. Now, I should preface that is a fantasy movie. This film has no basis in reality. That being said; there is a soliloquy that Claire Danes gives on falling in love that moved me.  Granted, she’s giving it to her true love who has just been turned into a rodent, and she doesn’t think he can understand her (the kind of vulnerability I can relate to: only given when you think no one is looking). But beyond that, I was sitting there in my movie theatre seat, as broken hearted and cynical as I am, my heart and mind - which are never of the same beat - both recalling “Yes, that is what it was like.”
And like that, there was hope. Ok, not just like that. I may be shallow, but a scene from a movie isn’t going to totally change my heart. I just recall that hope was there all along. Broken, bruised, blacked as it may feel. It will be whole and shine again, someday.
So here, publicly to Katie – because let's be honest, your probably the only one besides my mom that reads this – I take it back. The broken-hearted soliloquy I gave of my own; renouncing romantic love and disavowing that it was worth anything; I take it back. I am back to being a naïve romantic, vowing to never again lose my glorious self in another, only to let my love be mirrored by someone who loves it. I have faith – at least until the StarDust fades.

radio in my head

One of the first things I do in the morning is identify the song playing through my head as I patter, bleary-eyed, from my bed to the rest of my apartment. Lately, as soon as I’ve identified it (this can be the hardest part) I go to my laptop and play it. It started out a couple weeks ago with Justin Timberlake. That could be because of the wedding, which played Justin per our request, but the song that was in my head in the morning was Summer Love, not played at the wedding. Still, good morning song.
It ranges though, from the likes of Justin Timberlake to Lilly Allen to Keane to, this morning, Wilco. I’ve been avoiding the band Wilco a little bit, for personal reasons. But this morning, Company In My Back, was loud and clear in my brain. And I have to say, since I usually continue listening to the artist once I’m done with that first song, that Wilco is such a great
band.
Again, like with Justin, I have theories as to why Wilco will no longer be ignored and made its why into my waking self. But in the end, they’re just theories and over-analizations, because who knows why certain songs play from one’s sleeping self to the waking one?
Who knows, but I do enjoy the radio in my head.

light

There are lots of things I want to blog about, to tell you all about. Between the last time I blogged and now a lot of things have changed, and still, a lot of things the same.
But that’s all heavy stuff. And my last post was titled that, so how about some lighter fare?!
*I’ve watched this new tv show on Bravo (usually I hate reality shows, but on Bravo, I get totally hooked) called “Flipping Out”. The main guy the show is about has some serious OCD – not the touch-the –door-five-times kind, but the obsessively-neat kind. There’s a part of the pilot where he talks about his love of/need to make lists. It was at this point in the show that I realized, a little more than I’d like to admit, that I am similiat to this guy.
*I’ve been downloading all my music onto my new computer and have, among other things, re-discovered these things:
- The band Sublime is fucking awesome
- While sitting down doing other things the song Origami by Ani DiFranco hit me. The way some songs just have that impact, out the blue, when your not paying attention.
- Imogen Heap is so amazing, her music is so moving. I can't explain if its just nostalgia or not, but either way, it's good.
*After working continually since Thursday night and having company this weekend, by 5 tonight I was fried, so I sat on my couch and just read my two favorite magazines: Entertainment Weekly & Real Simple.
*I love Real Simple magazine. Look at these cool things I found in this months issue:
- Bottle Top Tripod, so you can be in the picture too!
- I don't even really like brownies all that much, but this is just such a cool idea! Not to mention, great recipes and good articles in Real Simple. I bought a subscription for my ex-boyfriend's Mom last year, but maybe this year I'll ask for it myself. Same goes for Entertainment Weekly really.