Movies of 2002: My Fave Five

5.  A Walk to Remember

A cheesy choice, right?  I’m aware.  But this movie is so adorable and I just love Mandy Moore.

4.  About a Boy

Every time I hear the song “Killing Me Softly” I think of this movie and that odd little boy singing it.  Always.

3.  Orange County

This movie is so funny!  I just love the guy’s dysfunctional family, including the drug-addicted Jack Black.  Oh my goodness, do you remember when he burns down the college and then runs away in his underwear?  Ha ha ha ha ha.

2.  Catch Me If You Can

The thrill of the chase is so exciting in this film, from beginning to end.  And I just love the idea of stepping into another life, pretending to be a pilot or a doctor or whatever you want to be that day.  Instead I’m just sitting here.  Blogging.

1.  Chicago

A brilliant movie musical.  The concept, the staging, the music, everything.  And what about that superstar cast!?  Phenomenal!  I can watch it again and again.

 
Honorable Mentions:  Lilo & Stitch, Bang Bang You’re Dead, Minority Report

Movies of 2001: My Fave Five

5.  Legally Blonde

You gotta’ love a movie that teaches you something as important as “Bend and Snap.”  What a lifesaver.

4.  Spirited Away

This is my favorite Miyazaki film.  Beautiful animation and the craziest story ever!   I mean, her parents turn into pigs…how weird is that?

3.  Donnie Darko

I didn’t know what the heck was going on half of the time, but it’s darkly mesmerizing and downright unforgettable.  And now I'm terrified of bunny rabbits.  Even bunny slippers.

2.  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

The first Harry Potter movie is such a classic.  And as a true fanboy, I think I’ve seen it about 78 times.  Ah… how I wish I could receive a letter from Hogwarts…

1.  Moulin Rouge

Baz Luhrmann is a genius.  This movie is a funny, heartbreaking, spectacular spectacular!  My whole family loved it so much, that my sister and I used to sing the “Elephant Love Medley” together at the top of our lungs.  That’s kind of weird now that I think about it.  Siblings shouldn’t sing love songs.

Honorable Mentions:  A Knight's Tale, Shrek, Monster's Inc.

Movies of 2000: My Fave Five

5.  Bring It On

Even to this day, if I’m ever cold and say “brr” I’ll probably follow it up with the cheer, “It’s cold in here, there must be some Toros in the Atmosphere!  I said o-e-o-e-o, ice, ice, ice!”

4.  Pay It Forward

Haley Joel Osment gets shot in the end!  Shot!  I cry every time, especially when everyone gathers ‘round with the candles and “Calling All Angels” plays.  It’s so sad…

3.  Remember the Titans

Even though I’m not a sports fan by any means, I love this movie.  I think it has a lot to do with the message of equality and brotherhood and love… or the awesome 60’s soundtrack.

2.  Billy Elliot

It’s about a little boy who wants to be a ballerina.  Enough said.

1.  O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Who else but the Coen Brothers would think up a bluegrass retelling of The Odyssey?  George Clooney is so funny, but the music really makes the movie happen for me.  “I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow” by the Soggy Bottom Boys is freakin’ awesome.

Honorable Mentions:  Miss Congeniality, Gladiator, Chicken Run

"Happily Ever After" by He Is We

 

Inhale, breathe steady, exhale, like you're ready, if you're ready or not.
Just a boy and a girl trying to take on the world, and we want to get caught.
In the middle of a very happy ending, let's see what we've got, let's give it a shot.
Let's give it a shot.

See my music video for the song "Happily Ever After" performed by He Is We.

Golden Globes

My dear sweet auntie doesn't have cable, so we were unable to watch the Golden Globes last night.  Brian's mom back in Utah was kind enough to invite us over to her house to watch it, but we didn't really feel up to the drive.  I'm sure the ceremony wasn't worth it.

I just wanted to make a few comments about the results.  First off, being a HUGE GLEEK I was very happy with the show's win!  Congratulations, Glee!  I'm also very happy for Chris Colfer and Jane Lynch who both won for their supporting roles on the series.  They play my two favorite characters, Kurt and Sue, and I'm just absolutely thrilled that they were recognized for their work! 

Secondly, although I love, love, love, love, love The Social Network, I don't think it should have won over Black Swan.  Or that Fincher should have won over Aronofsky.  At least they gave Natalie Portman the award.  She truly was spectacular.  But seriously, Aronofsky's Black Swan is a far superior film.

Colin Firth's win makes me happy and so does Toy Story 3's win (although it's hardly a surprise).  And most of the other awards I don't really care about so that's that.

One last thing.  What on earth were some of the celebrities wearing?  Yuck.

Palmdale? We're Thinking No...

At one point I had posted on here that we were considering living in Palmdale.  Palmdale of all places.  But in my defense, who wouldn’t be enticed by a new one-bedroom apartment with granite countertops, washer and dryer, and painted accent walls for only $650/month?  To someone like me, that’s about as irresistible as a hot man.  Or a jar of peanut butter, you know what I mean?  Seeing all those amenities in an apartment I could easily afford was making me drool.  It was making me hungry.  If that apartment were being offered at Coldstone Creamery I’d be dishing it up in the “Gotta’ Have It!” cup that’s how much I wanted it.

But eventually I had to remind myself why we moved here.  We moved here to be in Los Angeles.  We moved here so Brian could get into Hollywood.  We moved here so I could go to an animation school.  So we could be where the action was.  So we could pursue our dreams.  We did not move here to settle.

Our life in Salt Lake City was safe and dependable.  Money was tight most of the time, but we both had jobs.  We had an apartment that we loved and we were surrounded by great friends.  Everything was fine.  Too fine.  We were growing complacent.  We were okay working in careers we didn’t want to be in because they paid the bills.  I seemed content throwing our little dinner parties, and decorating our apartment, and essentially forgetting that there were other things I needed to be doing with my life.

I realized that Palmdale would be the new Salt Lake City for us.  I knew that if I had an apartment that cute for that cheap, that I would never want to leave it.  I knew that I would feel comfortable with whatever job I got there, and before long, 6 months would turn into a year, which would turn into two, and I would find myself with what?  Another cozy apartment and an unfulfilling life.

So Palmdale?  We’re thinking no.  Besides, we toured an apartment on Hollywood Boulevard that makes the apartment in Palmdale look like the ugly Baldwin brother (you know which one I mean).  Of course it’s much more expensive than we can really afford, but this year isn’t the year for settling.  It’s the year for getting what we want.

Slow Season

Since I was working in a chain clothing store in Utah, it seemed like the logical thing to pursue employment at the same store at a location here in California.  You know, a transfer.  That’s what I did when I moved from Provo, Utah to Salt Lake City, Utah and it worked out just fine.  But try as I might, none of the locations here seem to be interested in adding me on.  Maybe I smell bad.

“Hi, my name is Jack Garcia.  Are you a manager here?”

“Maybe.”

“Um… okay.  Well, I used to work at one of your stores in Salt Lake City, but I’ve recently moved to this area and was wondering if you were maybe taking on transfers.”

“Oh, well, it’s the slow season you know.”

“I understand that.  If you can’t, it’s not a problem.  I just wanted to give it a shot.”

“I see.  But it’s the slow season in retail.  As you can see we’re not very busy right now.”

“I understand.”

“You live here now?”

“Well, I’m currently staying with an aunt up in Littlerock…”

“Where’s that?”

“It’s a tiny town up near Palmdale.”

“Is that in California?”

“Yes.  Yes, it is.  But it doesn’t matter.  If I were to get a job here in Los Angeles I would move down here.  I’m only staying in Littlerock temporarily.”

“How long is the commute?”

“About an hour and a half, but like I said, it would only be temporary.  For a few more weeks or so.”

“There are closer stores I think.  Is there one in Palmdale?”

“I understand that there are closer stores, but I would really rather work at this one, sir.  I don’t plan on staying up there forever.”

“Well, like I said, it’s the slow season.  I don’t think I can take you on.”

“Thank you for your time.  I’ll just be go—“

“I’ll call you.  Give me your number and your old store number.  But even if I did hire you on, you’d only work maybe a shift a week.  How much did you make there?”

“I made eight dollars, sir.”

“Yeah.  You wouldn’t make much more here.  And only a shift a week probably.”

“Well, thank you for your time, sir.”

“I’ll call you.  But it’s the slow season like I said.  And Littlerock seems far.  I think it’s in Arkansas.”

“Thank you, sir.  I’ll be going now.”

So I gave up on the whole transferring idea.  Instead I hit Craigslist and applied to as many jobs as I could.  The only one to reply is a fundraising company called DialogueDirect.   Basically, the company works with a charity organization called Children International, and my job would be to canvass the streets in order to sway people into sponsoring a child in a third-world country.  Sounds like a tough gig, I know, but I’d make ten dollars an hour plus commission.

I interviewed with them on Friday, and I’ll know yay or nay on Monday.  I feel like the interview went well, so let’s hope for the best.  I need a job!