Futbol

I'm going to have to tape the game. Unless someone knows of a futbol hotspot in the town of Huntsville, TX. Yeah, me neither.

Linklater

God love him. I think Huntsville should build a statue of Rick Linklater. They should make it taller than Sam Houston's and place it across from him on I-45.

I get the Paramount's weekly email with usually the same events heralded over and over again. But something compelled me to scroll down the entire email last week, where I happened upon the Austin premier of A Scanner Darkly. I bought tickets on the spot, but apparently I'd seen the notice too late to get good seats. We were parked in the (way the hell up there) upper balcony. We saw the film just fine, but when Linklator, his producer Tommy Pallotta, and Rory Cochrane were on stage for the Q&A, the view was rather disappointing.

On a side note: People, do some research. Rory Cochrane is your beloved Slater from Dazed and Confused, the one everyone quotes at least once in their life after seeing the movie. He was even in the mainstream CSI: Miami for the rest of the world. But when his name was announced as being present, maybe five (5!) of us audience members acted like we cared. Really? In my mind, he was one of the few actors who made Dazed all that it could be. He was Slater. Dammit people. Do your homework.

The movie, of course, was brilliant. The animation was amazing. I really should read the book. I thought Keanu was actually good, but I may have just been swept away by the premier atmosphere. I almost cried at the end. You should see this movie.

Also, the rice at Chipotle is delicious.

Summer reading

I've finished American Psycho. Which is good, because I think I was genuinely scared of that book. If you've seen the movie and are interested in the book, be ready for some gore. If you've read the book, I'd like to talk to you about how awful it felt to read some parts and not be able to help those people.

I began writing a book report in this post, but decided to leave the analysis for another time. It's enough to say that this book will stick with me for a while, and I'm not sure if I'm thrilled about that. It served it's purpose, and I'll still watch the movie when I can. But damn, I had nightmares.

I've now moved on to a book I found in a pawn shop on South Congress. Classics of Modern Fiction; 10 Short Novels. Look at some of these names: Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Kafka, O'Connor. It's safe to say that I'll be tackling this book. With protective gear.

I hope I get a moment when I can answer the question, "What are you reading right now?" with, "Oh, a little Dostoevsky, then some Tolstoy, then god knows where I'll go!" or something equally pretentious and adorable. Yeah, that's going to be a good day.

I'm listening to Surjan Stevens. It's after 4. I'm going to the premier of A Scanner Darkly tonight. It's a good time to be alive.

Corporate

There's a place here called Moe's. It's a part Baja Fresh, part Chipotle, part awesome names for orders kind of place. For example, one burrito is called the "Art Vandalay," one order of nachos is called "Ruprict," etc. I usually get the "John Coctostan," a quesadilla that's simply scrumptious. To my delight, this particular Moe's location on Guadalupe had a Longhorn Special. This included either the John Coctostan or a burrito (the name escapes me) and a drink for $5. Even. As in, you hand over a five dollar bill. Beautiful.

We go in today, braving the crowds of parents desperately trying to learn how to live with thier kids at college (it's orientation time), and are disappointed to discover that the Longhorn Special is no more. When I pay the typically friendly cashier, she informs me that this was the only location with this special, and that "corporate" (her word) had decided that they were losing too much money. Wha? I doubt the ingredients that go into this particular dish exceed $5 total.

Somehow this reminds me instantly of Congress deciding that while they certainly have slaved hard enough for a pay raise, minimum wage workers have not. They voted to raise their salaries while keeping minimum wage at $5.15 an hour. Wasn't this what I was paid in junior college? Wasn't that 5 years ago? Hasn't the price of living increased in that time? I live a relatively single life, with rent, car payments, general bills, and groceries to pay for. I don't even pay my car insurance or cell phone bills yet (they're coming, don't worry), and I feel like I'm scraping by on a SALARY. I can't fathom trying to live, let alone raise a family, on $5.15 an hour.

I just think "corporate" and Congress are lame.

Growing up

Don't you think it's a sad day when:

You're eating an actual homemade meal (chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, squash, peas) but you're not extremely hungry...so you make a point to eat all of your peas and leave the fried food (steak, squash) and potatoes behind?

Geez, is this what growing up feels like?