I Might as Well Lie on a Couch While I Write This

I have probably mentioned before that, in some ways, getting a PhD in Literature has ruined my ability to enjoy literature by making it impossible for me to just sit back and read.  I have an automatic need to analyze, criticize, summarize any book that I pick up.  I can’t help it.  I am basically programmed that way.

Unfortunately, the illness has spread…to movies.

This semester I’m teaching a course on Contemporary Dystopian Literature. [I know, you're so jealous that you can't be in this edge-of-your-seat class that you don't think you can go on reading.  But please, take a big deep breath, and stick with me people].  So tomorrow, in our second class of the semester, I’m going to show some clips from potentially-dystopian films to discuss what makes a dystopia and what a dystopia does. [TMI?  You've stopped caring?  Sorry. I digress (see previous post)].

In preparation for this film viewing, I’ve spent the day browsing movies and narrowing down the clips.  I also took this chance to watch Wall-E, because I’ve wanted to see it since it came out and I use any opportunity to mix work with pleasure.

The movie was great (Seriously. Watch it.), but I could not simply enjoy it.  In fact, I had a hard time seeing how young children would enjoy this movie because it’s obviously a sniping social commentary, right?  What, you mean there’s also a sweet story about friendship between two robots?  Yeah, right – that was totally criticism about the way society is losing the ability to maintain lasting relationships because of our addiction to technology.

See, it’s an illness. But for now it seems to be manageable. While I may not be able to turn the analysis off, it doesn’t completely lose its entertainment value.  Heck, I teared up twice (twice!) in this animated comedy.[When Eve's trying to save Wall-E.  Tell me you didn't get a little weepy.]

I don’t know if this auto-analyze feature will diminish after I’m through with school.  It may require intensive entertainment-therapy.

Darn.

P.S.-Wall-E just this very second won the Golden Globe for Best Animated Motion Picture.  How timely is that?

My Movie Masochism

Why is it that I, like so many other women I know, am such a masochist when it comes to movies that make me cry?  After 8 years together, Dave and I know each other pretty well, but the number one thing he still doesn’t understand about me it my penchant for movies that consistently make me weep like a little girl.

I can’t help it; I’m a sucker for them.  I don’t often seek them out.  I don’t remember ever thinking to myself, “Gee, I would really like to spend two hours crying, wrecking my emotional attitude for the rest of the day.”  But when I’m presented with a movie that I know will, without fail, initiate the waterworks, I can’t resist.

And for the most part, I know what those movies are.  Though some movies will make me cry if the mood strikes me while at other times they won’t, there is a list of movies that I literally cannot watch without crying. Tonight FX was airing The Family Stone, an excellent movie which makes me cry for most of its last half hour (little tidbit: the first time I saw this movie was in a movie theatre with Dave’s immediate and parts of his extended family the Christmas following our wedding; yep, it was embarrassing crying that much in front of them…in a public place). Other movies that push that button for me include Terms of Endearment, For the Boys, My Girl, Beaches, Steel Magnolias, Father of the Bride, and My Life. Some of these make me cry because, well, they’re chick flicks and they’re supposed to make me cry; others I associate with my dad and cry all the harder because of that. Regardless the cause, I can’t help it; I just sob and sob.

The weird thing is, the knowledge that these movies will undoubtedly make me bawl only make me love them even more.  I was already falling asleep on the couch tonight when I noticed that The Family Stone was on, but, despite it having already been on for 30 minutes, I couldn’t help but stay up and watch it, crying through the end as always. And, like always, I feel better for getting in a good cry.

Maybe this is what separates men from women: our ability to appreciate a good cry.  It’s definitely one of the things that separates me from Dave.

Games and Geats

I blogged a little while ago about sometimes feeling like a kid and sometimes feeling like an adult; well this week has largely veered to the kid side of things. On Sunday Dave and I added to our collection of Wii games.  I had asked Dave to get me Super Mario Galaxy for Christmas, but as hype mounted regarding the game, we realized it might be hard to get post-Black Friday. So we decided to go ahead and buy it for each other.  And it rocks!  I’m a die hard Mario fan (it along with Zelda is why I’m partial to Nintendo gaming systems), and nothing has quite stood up to the standard since Super Mario 64. But (dare I say it?), Galaxy might just hold a candle to the glory days of 64.  I haven’t played it obsessively because, let’s face it, with two weeks of class left, I have a lot to do.  But what I have played has been thoroughly enjoyable.

To make myself sound even more like a child-like nerd, let me tell you that tonight I, along with five other members of my Old English class, went to see Beowulf  in 3D (Dave went, too, but not for the same dorky reasons we the class had). It was interesting approaching the movie in the midst of an Old English/Anglo-Saxon class; I certainly looked at the movie differently than I would have otherwise.  My classmates and I sealed our fate as nerds interested in the Anglo-Saxon era by shouting (at a polite level) Hwæt! as the title appeared on the screen (it’s the first word of the poem and, though there’s not really an English equivalent, it’s basically a call to attention, which we felt was appropriate). It’s a good movie, whether you’re interested in the history or not.  Even more dorky is that I can’t wait to talk about it in class on Monday!

And even though these interests make me mildly nerdy (I’m kind of shocked at my self as I read back over what I’ve written), I’m okay with it.  Grad school is long and tiring and frustrating and we exhausted students need an outlet.  I could waste money (and my liver) at bars every night like so many grads I know; I could eat a lot (more than I already do); I could waste away in front of the TV (which I already do my fair share of, let me tell you).  I’m glad that I have an outlet or two that allows me to be goofy and childlike; those outlets might be the only things to keep me sane through the rest of my time at FSU.

Movie Under the Stars

Last night we went to a church/small group function (our first “social” outing with the new church). We (the young married couples with or without kids) had a chili cook-off and then watched an outdoor movie. The chili and the fellowship were wonderful as expected, but watching the movie was very cool. The couple’s house we were at is not far out of town at all, but their backyard seems like a little country oasis in the city. They have four of five acres and it would be such a cool place to raise kids. Swings galore and dogs running around. They have also built a movie screen (a big piece of plywood painted white) on which they watch movies in their backyard. Not only was last night the perfect fall evening for the occasion, but they definitely picked the perfect movie. With the screen backing up to a thick treeline and a fire burning off to the side, we watched The Village. Dave and I had already seen the movie, but in this setting, it was even creepier. The movie is set in a village bordered by a menacing treeline with “beasts” in the woods. So watching this movie, staring at a treeline, and hearing a dog park from time to time really set the mood. It was a good time.

It was also fun to just hang out outside for a few hours. It was chilly but not cold and there were tons and tons of stars out. It was peaceful (despite the creepy movie). Fun times indeed.

Girl Time

I have definitely taken advantage of my last two free weekdays. Last night my friend Amanda and I went to a wine tasting at a very cool little wine store here called the Wine Warehouse. It was a night featuring Rose wines, and they were very good…all 12 of them! I certainly got to taste an array. And one of my profs was there, so it was nice to be able to hob nob with him. It was good times (and good wines!).

Unfortunately, this morning I had a wake-up call in the form of the insanely boring beginning of the year TA meeting. Afterwards, though, my friend Emily (who just got back from Dallas, her hometown) and I hit the town. We started with lunch at Gordo’s, a Cuban place, and then went shopping at our favorite little boutiques, including a stop at a handmade Brittle store as well as a drop in to Lofty Pursuits, where I finally picked up Seafarers of Catan for Dave and I. Woohoo! We should be playing that tonight; I’ll let you know how it goes! Then, unwilling to cease the fun, Emily and I went to the movies to see Becoming Jane. It was good, though not great. My movie experience was marred by pessimism at the likely truth of the story. I think it’s a stretch. But it’s a nice story; probably one Jane would be proud of!

Now I’m home and planning on being lazy tonight. The rest of my weekend should be a mix of rest and productivity, gearing up for the first week of school. I really need to rest up for this!

Quiet Week

Sorry for being a little silent this week, but to be honest there’s just been nothing interesting happening. It’s hot, just like it is almost everywhere else (heat index around 116), but it’s actually been a little better this week (or so I think). Last week it just felt like I was walking through steam all the time, but this week it’s just hot. Poor Potter, though, he doesn’t last very long out there, so his outdoor playtime has been more limited than usual. But he’s a trooper. As long as we play fetch about three times a day and he’s happy:) He’s going to be pretty pitiful when I have to go back to school, though. I think he’s thoroughly enjoying someone being home most of the day, supplying him with plenty of attention. He’s not spoiled at all;)

Most of this quiet week has been me planning for the class that I’m teaching this fall. I thought that it was going to be a long, tedious process, but it actually went pretty well. It seemed like everything just kind of fell into a timeline. I still have some handouts to make and a reading list to get started but that shouldn’t take too long. This upcoming week I’m going to finish that and do some work on some papers I plan to send out for publication and take naps while I can!

I did watch a good movie yesterday: Miss Potter. It’s about Beatrix Potter (author of The Peter Rabbit Tales) and was very good. I probably wouldn’t have watched it because it stars Renee Zellwegger, who I’m not a big fan of. But it was a sweet movie that really made me respect Beatrix Potter. You should watch it.

This weekend I’m going to watch some movies on TV, do a little shopping, lounge around a bit, and maybe take the dog to the park:) Hope your weekend is as carefree as mine should be.