Thursday, September 21, 2006

"do you really want to be with me?"

the illusionist. this viewing was one of my now rare trips to the movies alone to simply enjoy being in a darkened theatre. sigh. i hate to admit it but i picked this primarily because it was playing at a convenient time. i had heard of it but very little. all in all, i was pleased. edward norton plays an illusionist in 19th century austria. rufus sewell is disturbing (isn't he always?) as the crown prince and paul giamatti (sp?) is the head of police torn between (aren't they always?) right and wrong. there is an elaborate, entertaining, though not completely surprising, situation between the illusionist, his long lost love (the 'duchess' played by a busty, blushing jessica biel) who also happens to be the fiance of the crown prince. i'm pretty sure i saw this story before in a different movie but the name escapes me. pun intended. there are the requisite garbled accents but there's decent acting and the illusionist's, well, illusions, are sometimes wondrous. it won't make your attention disappear completely but apparently my wit has. b.

Friday, September 8, 2006

smiling all the while

i am so tired lately. it seems everytime i turn on the news, or rather, every time i log on to read the news. i'm hearing more and more about racist incidents. these seem to include comments made by high ranking politicians.

of course, i feel these people are 'stupid' and don't really deserve comment but it seems lately there are more and more. someone singles out a brown skinned man in an audience and refers to him as 'makaka' and welcomes him to america. the man is born and raised here. and now governor 'ahnold' apologizing for making the remark that cubans and puerto ricans are 'tempermental' because they are mixed with black and latin blood. oh, i got your tempermental!

insert weary sigh here.

i just don't get it. it's the end of 2006. sure, a lot of people, even blacks and latinos, would even support his statement. and yes, political correctness keeps people from really exploring the issues, but i think enough is enough. these statements-- and actions like the bus driver who told the black children to go to the back for some white children--are further dividing this country.

it seems all around me there is a shift back to the old way of things. i find it disturbing because the 'old ways' were clearly not working thus the institution of new ways. i refuse to believe we're all so stunted and numbed out that newer ways can't be created. that new dialouges cannot be had. i used to be the world's biggest cynic and felt all has been done and said and nothing new can come about. that may be but it doesn't mean we just stop talking or stop doing. does it?

Sunday, September 3, 2006

happy birthday to me!

Today I turned 30 years old. Big whoop, right? Well, sort of. If I am to be completely honest, I never even imagined this day would occur. I had something of a death wish when I was younger. When I grew out of that phase, I just had more of a passive way of trying to kill myself. ~Shudder~. Anyway, I’ve come to embrace life, somewhat and honestly…life is good. Life is very good. No doubt I need more money, more time, less flab, less hair in inappropriate places but I’m breathing. Never thought I’d consider that a good thing. Anyway, I’m not making the point I wanted to make: This day did not exactly turn out as expected.

Most first days of the month I check out http://www.astrologyzone.com for my monthly astrological forecast from Susan Miller. I also love the first of September because it signifies the coming of cooler weather and, of course, my birthday. This month’s forecast wiped the smile from my joyful face. It seems the month will be challenging with my relationship, work, everything practically. This part, in particular, just sucked:

You will begin to feel tensions mount the moment September begins. In the United States, the Labor Day weekend will begin on the afternoon / evening of September 1 and continue for a few days. It will not likely be a smooth weekend.
First, on September 3, Mercury, your ruler, will oppose Uranus, bringing some sort of argument or adverse news from your partner. Mercury is a highly sensitive planet, so your nerves will be strained. Travel will be difficult, and anything pertaining to your career is likely to show a sudden setback. There won't be much you can do about what comes up, so take the attitude of listener, and see if you can respond later


Why on my birthday must Mercury oppose Uranus?? Well, in review, I can say that it was a highly sensitive day. I spent most of it with Mr. J. He had proposed taking me to the state fair. How cute! I had mentioned wanting to go because, despite living in the capital of NC for about 5 years, I’ve never been to one. What happened though was nothing as he planned. I had bought a kitchen table from craigslist and picked up the chairs and was hoping that he would help me get the table since he has a pick-up. Well, the rest of the story is convoluted but what happened was this: he helped me get the table, we wound up in Oaks Park (small amusement park here in Portland), went shopping at Best Buy, had dinner at Chang’s and pie at Shari’s. We were both so exhausted that we called it a night at 9pm. I am getting older.

There was little strain between the boy and I but there was little else there as well. That’s a loaded statement, I suppose, that I don’t know how to explain. Susan Miller said:

"Relationships of all kinds have a certain inner life or timetable of their own. Sometimes no matter what we do, we cannot lengthen the life of a relationship. It takes two to tango, so it is not completely up to you. You knew that intellectually, of course, but you may not have believed that emotionally. Intellect and emotion will now be joined, and it is anyone's guess how things will eventually play out. There is no "destiny" here. As a couple or as business partners, you may sail through this month, or the eclipse may blow the roof off your relationship. Admittedly, everyone, even those with strong relationships, will feel some strain, particularly if born near September 7.
We always assume that our career, money, friends, family, romantic partner, health, and so forth are separate. We carefully partition them into separate little boxes. Yet it sometimes takes an eclipse to show us that all these elements are interconnected into a larger whole. You will soon see that if you change one of those elements, you will have dynamically changed all the rest.
There is no doubt that your partner is about to take a shocking, unpredictable action (or reveal something that will bring out this type of reaction in you), but his or her timing might be a bit off. Ancient astrologers warned never to make demands when the other person - in this case, you - currently has Mars in his or her sign. That's precisely where Mars is now - in Virgo - and this will give you confidence and powerful drive. Suddenly you won't be content to sit back and internalize hurts, but rather you'll speak up and boldly defend yourself. With Venus, the Sun, Mercury, and Mars in your sign, you are likely to win. Birthday time is a good time for you, because the Sun is always back to where it was when you were born. You will feel its soothing warmth from others.
A breakup is not inevitable if your relationship is basically sound - you are about to find out. The period of September 3 - 7 will be the most difficult of the year. Think back to discussions that you had at the last eclipse, near March 14. Something that came up then may now be discussed in a different way, advancing talks to a new level."


I know that’s long but it really made me stop and think. Now, I find astrology very entertaining and even somewhat helpful at times but I do not put my faith into. I do, however, listen to all kinds of advice and I have made it a habit to overanalyze – it used to be a favorite hobby. Not so much anymore but sometimes I slip.

I’m just hoping the ‘wiser’ part of being older holds true.

Friday, September 1, 2006

why?

Lawn sprinklers. I know why people use them but I don’t know why, if that makes any sense.

I thought of this only because I was driving to work and noticed that for the umpteenth time I found the sight of the waterlogged sidewalk perturbed me in front of my local library. Sure, the grass was a brilliant green but does that justify using all of that water?

I grew up in the southeastern quadrant of this country and lawn sprinklers are not a new sight for me. However, I have never understood why they are used. I feel as if there are so many people, literally, dying for clean water that using it to make a yard ‘look better’ is mind-boggling.

Who says brown grass isn’t good looking anyway? And while I’m on this useless rant – why is that most things that are brown are considered bad anyway?? Huh? Answer me!

I’ve got nothing else.

Monday, August 28, 2006

grin

josh is my friend.
i love him.

that i may LIVE again

dear god,

thank you so much. i was moved for some reason to do a lot of things lately that don't really make sense in thinking about them but i see where they are taking me.

you know i have always been a person of faith. a deep faith and feeling that someone or something is always watching over me and protecting me from myself. this feeling has been so strong lately. i have fucked up all over again. with the same things too: money, friends, food, sex. you have made that clear to me know and now i ask, no i beg, for your help once again. god, i pray to you to keep me from eating too many hamburgers. i pray to you to keep me from incurring too much debt, from caring about what others may thingk of my life, from myself.

thank you for josh. i see so clearly now that he is indeed, INDEED my perfect match. you have sent me someone who has walked the same path who IS WALKING the same path. who has come to a similar conclusion and we both love so deeply you. we both know that without you there would be no us. we both know that without you there will be no us.

i am humbled. i am truly humbled. we all know i want my lfe to be like a glamarous and happy ending movie and god- today you have given me some insight into how that is possible. i thank you god for you never ending mercy and love. you have always loved me. fat, poor, lying, drunk, sad, ungrateful me and i want o sit here today and type this letter to you asking you to please, PLEASE keep loving me. PLEASE keep me ever aware that my life- this life that i ridiculously bemoan at times - is the greatest gift. it is THE. there's no words really to express what i feel. maybe that's why i don't talk too well - my feelings seem restricted by the words i/we have.

thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you god for loving me. i love you. i love you god. it has been so hard fro me to ever think that you, god, needs my love. well, i know you don't but that i can say it. that i can feel it. THAT I CAN KNOW IT. thank you.

love,
always,
eris

Saturday, August 26, 2006

"three movies about people walking!"

clerks II. i am sorry to say that the above quote is the ONLY thing that even made me smile about this movie, and that makes me very sad. like any other angst filled younger person in the 1990s - i found great joy in watching kevin smith movies. when i heard he made a sequel to 'clerks', the funny albeit raunchy, movie about a few 20something slackers who work in crappy minimum wage jobs, i was ecstatic. then i saw it. rather, i saw 40 minutes of it because that was all i could take. i have only ever walked out of one movie in my life prior to today: jerry maguire (that's another story). clerks II was following the same guys - now 30something slackers working in minimum wage jobs- and the raunch factor was times ten now. i have no issue with raunch but it seemed completely pointless and the biggest problem was - IT WASN'T FUNNY AT ALL! i think there was a 'pussy' joke every 5 minutes- none were funny. i don't really even know what else to say...i guess that was kevin smith's problem too. hey --- he had a good run. f.

Friday, August 25, 2006

survey: rated mature

email surveys. you either love them or you don't. i guess that's not true because to me it depends on my mood. so, i'll start again. email surveys: you either love them or you hate them or you're a moody person. that's better.
"
my friend ben(ge) sent me one that, in his paraphrased words, asked questions a little more insightful than, "when's the last time you were drunk?". i agree that those are old and now that i'm older (and still getting closer to be older, 8 days and counting...) they strike me as very immature and inane. so here's ben(ge)'s. reposted as a lj entry because i couldn't think of anything better to type.

> Moments When You Felt the Happiest:
all christmas times
swimming
family road trips to new york/florida
watching movies
any times i've been laughing with my friends
weekends in high school
my Rent days
grad. school in new york
hanging out with joshuah

> Ten Favorite Songs

This is really difficult to answer but I think this is
a good sampling:
'nice work if you can get it' -ella fitzgerald
'here comes the sun' (nina simone version)
'good morning heartache' (billie's version of course)
'under pressure' -queen & bowie
'i wish i knew how it would feel to be free' -dionne
farris
'o holy night' (i hate to say it but i really like
celine dion's version)
'ave maria'
'the district sleeps tonight' -postal service
the way we would sing the benediction at Soldiers
Memorial
'ghost' -indigo girls


> Most Romantic Song
'the way you look tonight'

> Albums You've Listened to the Most

the white album -beatles
rites of passage -indigo girls
little earthquakes and under the pink -tori amos
little plastic castle -ani difranco
college drop-out -kanye west
street faerie -cree summer

i have never liked many whole albums..


> What You're Doing to Undermine Capitalism

does moving from new york to portland oregon count?

> Your Explanation for Why Bad Things Happen to Good
People

we use terms like 'bad things' and 'good people'

> Famous People You've Talked To

taye diggs, jesse l. martin, idina menzel, anthony
rapp (hey! they're famous to me!) and i've exchanged
hellos with donald faison, sarah jessica parker, matt
dillon, either mary kate or ashley (i couldn't tell),
darrell hammond.

> Who Would You Most Like To Be Stuck In An Elevator
With

no one. rather, no one would want to be in that
situation with me - i'd be out of control.

>
> What Would Be Your First Thoughts If You Woke Up And
Realized That
> You Were The Only Person On Earth

wow. what next? then i think i'd just go satisfy every
curiousity about different (immediate, i guess since i
can't fly a plane) areas.

> The Best Thing That You've Ever Won

i haven't won anything; i did catch the bouquet at
heidi's wedding ;-)

> Dumbest Thing You've Ever Done

oh there are so many! right now i'm thinking -bought a
car.

> Strangest Thing You've Ever Seen

i've seen a lot but i think the strangest to me was
someone walking their cat on a leash in the park.

> How You Ended Up Living Where You Are

i was living in brooklyn, working in brooklyn and
getting ill in brooklyn. i wanted a return to the
green calm i knew most of my life but not in the
south. i met many many people who recommended i try
out portland. i visited, i loved it, i moved.

> Time You Felt Most Alive

it's always after a near-accident and sadly that's
happened too many times.

> Scariest Experience

learning my newly rented apartment had just burned
down

> If You Could Be Extraordinary At One Thing What
Would It Be

i'd want to be the most clear, concise, communicator
ever

>> Favorite Rap Lyrics:

"you can laugh and criticize Michael Jackson if you
wanna
Woody Allen, molested and married his step-daughter
same press kicking dirt on Michael's name
show Woody and Soon-Ye at the playoff game, holding
hands
sit back and just bug, think about that
would he get that type of dap if his name was Woody
Black?"

cracks me up and makes me sad all at once

>> Favorite Parts of New York City:

ah, man, i got so many:
-the chrysler building as you approach it from the
east
-i forgot the name but that area in the village that's
a little west of 3rd ave- stuyvesant square? where
around the clock diner is
-the walk between my grandma's apartment and the 66th
st. stop on the 1- walking through the hallway in
lincoln center
-waverly place
-park slope & prospect park
-the view of brooklyn from the manhattan bridge
-the kew gardens stop on the e train just because it
was the first place i ever lived in new york

> Your Fantasy Life

josh and i living in a different city, all over the
world, every year for the next ten years while not
having to work because we're wealthy -- with plenty of
visits to family and friends to boot! oh and with a
puppy.


> Concert You Wished You'd Seen

i'm not really a fan of concerts

> Best Drug Experience

can't say i've had a good drug experience

> Current Friend Who You've Known The Longest

that'd be my girl heidi! i was just amazed to be in
her wedding and i'm beyond glad that we've reconnected
in a more meaningful way.

> Worst Job You've Ever Had

working as a hotel housekeeper - i only lasted one
week. they wouldn't even let me use gloves to clean
the bathroom!

> Favorite White Shadow Character

sorry, b, i don't know 'white shadow' at all

> Last Time You Laughed Uncontrollably

that was either any time i was with josh or the last
time i went home for christmas and nathan said
something ridiculous

> Favorite Thing You Ever Bought

the ring i wear on my right hand

> Things You Once Had That You Wish You Still Did

humphrey, my teddy bear
a sense of fearlessness