Blog : January 2008

2007 Movie Analysis

At the beginning of 2001 I had an idea. I decided to keep a running list of every movie I watched from that point forward. This month marks the sixth anniversary of my movie list. Being the analytical nerd person that I am, I generate an annual report based on the information in my list.

I stopped writing reviews in 2005, but if you do want to read some very well-written and highly-entertaining movie reviews, check out Eric Snider's web site.

Following is my analysis of my 2007 movie watching habits.

VOLUME
2007 claimed the spot of the third highest volume of movie watching since I started keeping track in 2001. At 73 movies (just one more than 2006), 2007 represents 16% of all movies watched since 2001 and 81% of my highest movie watching year, 2004, which remains a record year for my movie watching habits with a total of 90 movies watched (or 20% of all movies watched).

I watched 1% more movies in 2007 than in 2006 (all of one movie more). 2007 is not much different in volume from 2005 and 2006.

My average weekly movie watching rate in 2007 was 1.40. This equates to a little over 6 movies per month.

Here is the annual summary of count of movies watched:

The following graph shows the year-over-year trend of movie volume since 2001:

RATINGS
2004 was the first year in which I rated the movies I watched. Of the 73 movies watched in 2007, I really liked more than half of them (58% of movies received a 4 or 5 star rating), I didn't care for only a small portion (14% received 1 or 2 stars) - up 4% from 2006, and the rest were okay (27% received 3 stars).

For reference, my ratings system is as follows:

- This movie should not have been made.
- I didn't like it, but you might.
- It was entertaining, though nothing spectacular.
- I liked this movie quite a bit.
- An excellent pick, one that I would buy on DVD and watch again.

EVENTUALLY

I maintain a running list of movies that I either want to see or that someone has recommended I see. I welcome your input.

What should I watch in 2008?

10 Reasons You Should Never Get A Job

"We don't care about your time - we only care enough to pay for the value we receive."

Snow Day

Looks like we're supposed to get between 5 and 7 inches of snow in the next 24 hours. Time to clear space in the garage and put the car away!

Going...down?

"An elevator pitch is a brief statement about who you are, what your business is, and why it is special. The idea is this: If you were in an elevator with a potential business investor and you had only 30 seconds or an elevator ride to make a memorable impression, what is it that you could say to make an impact?"

Words to Live By

"If you can't spell, you're not smart enough to do anything."
-- Brooke

Memory Loss

I ordered 4gb of RAM to ram into my laptop, only to learn that the 32-bit version of Winders(TM) (which I now know I have...the 32-bit version part, not the OS part, I already knew that) will only read 3gb of the 4gb that has been installed.

WTF?

I should have just ordered 2gb and kept the 1gb that I already had installed. Now to read the return policy on the 4gb.

No Thanks, I've Got It

Just as soon as I uttered the words "No thanks, I've got it" to the nice fellow offering his help as he watched me shoulder all of my camera gear after a gig today, the strap on my metal light case snapped, whipping the metal clasp into my face and belting me in the cheek a mere inch from my left eye. Now I have a handsome lump and slight traces of blood to show for it.

How embarassing. And painful. Stupid light case strap.

Conversion

A 1 gallon paint bucket full of coins is equal to $393.46.

Acid Head

Johnny was a chemist's son but Johnny is no more,
What Johnny thought was H2O was H2SO4...
-- Tourniquet, Acid Head

Recycling in Chicago

It doesn't exist, really. There is no curbside recycling program where I live. Apparently the budget for recycling in the city was cut so I've been left to discard all of my recyclables in the regular trash. Doesn't make me feel like I'm doing my part to ruin the earth as slowly as possible.

A friend of mine directed me to a list of recyclying drop-off locations in the city. So, I made a map of all the locations.

A Bit Chilly

Nothing like waking up at 5:45am when it is a few degrees below zero outside and just under 60 degrees inside while the thermostat was set to 73 all along.

Dial phone.

Leave voicemail with landlord.

Who shortly responds (half asleep) that the furnace technician has been called.

Painful Reaction

Pain is a reaction, isn't it? If you hurt, it is because of something, right?

If someone says to you, "Don't hurt me," is this really a feasible request, one that can truly be honored? Meaning, how can one know how someone else will respond to something? Of course, there are the obvious causes of pain. But what about the unknowns? What about the actions one could take, or the things one could say that are not intended to cause a painful reaction, but that inadvertently create such a reaction?

You might think I'm trying to argue that we cannot be held responsible for the pain we cause, but then you would be mistaken. I'm saying that it is a shared responsibility.

It is not out of the question to ask someone not to hurt me, or for someone to ask the same of me. Perhaps it is not simply a question, but also an offer - an offer to communicate openly about the things that may or may not cause pain. An offer to guide and educate and assist, proactively avoiding the things that might cause pain. And also an offer to have patience and recognize that, though something may have caused pain, it was not intended to do so and is therefore cause for further communication and understanding.

Listen to This

You know what I just don't do enough of? Listen to music. I mean, really listen to music. This is what my entire undergraduate degree was based on - listening, deconstructing, analyzing and learning music so that I too could compose on the levels of what I heard.

I'm no Beethoven but I'm pretty good at bcj.

The Next Day and The Next Year

So here we are, 2008. Let's not talk too much more about 2007, ok? Or maybe we will. I have many lessons to learn yet from 2007, some I don't look forward to learning and some good ones that I've been putting off for too long.

I don't know why I bother with this blog anymore. I sit down to write something and it just starts to sound like mindless blabber.

I'm tired, very tired. Have been for a while. I'm not just talking about tonight, the fact that it's The Next Day and I'm still awake, but I'm talking about days, weeks, months and potentially even years. Each time I get to the point that I think I'm too tired to continue, I somehow do. And each time I think about not continuing I realize that I must - if for nothing else but for those around me.

You know what I'm lacking? Motivation. Not the desire to succeed, necessarily, but the reason for it. Inspiration, perhaps?

My stomach hurts. Part of the reason I'm still awake. Can't turn my mind off, either. I know my body wants sleep, but all the components aren't synching up to give me what I need most right now...sleep. Rest. Unconsciousness.

I got to see one of my closest and oldest friends today for the first time in a while. No, he's not old. He's my age, but he's one of the few people that I've known for a very long time. Have known him since college. Guess how many people I met in college that I still talk to? One. That's it.

He's one of the coolest people I know. And we get each other. I took some portraits of him, and then us together. You know? I'm a kick ass photographer.