It's a Very, Very Mad World

She actually sleeps through the entirety of this section of the film but whatever. This is one of my favorite images of all time. Donnie Darko, girlfriend (whose name doesn't really matter but it's Gretchen) and Frank. Ah Frank. <3

I bring up this movie Donnie Darko because of the ending. Gary Jule's "Mad World" plays as they show the aftermath and the ripple effect of Donnie's potential life. It hits me so hard everytime I hear it. Especially the lines "Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow, no tomorrow, no tomorrow. And I find it kinda funny, I find it kinda sad. The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had." I know I'm very late to the party with this movie and the song but it resonated with me. I fall asleep at night humming Mad World and hoping that tomorrow a jet engine will fall on me.

5 Things I Like

This picture ------------------------------------->
is entirely unrelated to the post, but it's pretty and I think I should start each post from now on with a pretty picture.


Five Things I Like:



1) Listening to "inappropriate music" at very loud volumes while driving in my car with the windows down. I like to do this when driving down small town main streets, stopped at red lights and behind people in the drive-thru. I sing along loudly too.

2) Ordering kids' meals at fast-food restaurants just so I can get the toy. Just the other day I went to McDonald's and ordered a Happy Meal for the Grimace toy. It was well worth it!

3) Talking to people about what books they should read. I recommend the Hollow Kingdom trilogy by Claire B. Dunkle. (Mostly just the first book though). Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is also an excellent read for those who would like to read Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice but feel it lacks zombies.

4) Ranting about things I don't like. Twilight is the worst thing to happen to vampires! Stephanie Meyer's has no idea how to write a vampire book. Her main characters lack depth and motivation as well as personalities. All the stupid tweenie girls reading these books need to see some real literature about vampires. Vivan Vande Velde's Compainions of the Night. That is a good vampire book for teens. And the Twilight movie is ridiculous and filled to the brim with bad acting!

5) Finding little treasures at garage sales for less than $3. I have this gorgeous little statuette of a 20's woman, all pure white but for her lips and eyes. She's divine and I bought her for 50 cents.
I've found piles of fabulous costume jewelery for 10 cents a piece and colorful scarves for only a $1.

There is something beautiful to me about "inappropriate" songs being sung in full chorus. For instance the song I Touch Myself. It's a wonderful song in most forms but something about it being song by 60 Belgian women makes it all the better. Harmonies, piano accompaniment. It's glorious. The group of which I speak is Scala & Kolacny Brothers. They also sing the song Creep by Radiohead. You can find more of their music on Amazon.com.

I love when things that are not considered beautiful or are dirty or "wrong" are turned into something beautiful. I'm a sucker for the juxtaposition posed by modern music sung in a choral format. It's something completely opposite brought together. The same idea is in the song Let's Get Fucked Up, the artist of which eludes me. It places the subject of drinking in the forground with an orchestra in the background. Metallica has done this as well combining their song Enter Sandman with full orchestral accompanyment. The same band has also covered the Imperial March (from Star Wars, for those who don't know) in a reverse process; taking music performed by classical instruments and playing it with the intruments of a rock band. I believe there is also a band Apocolyptica who covers rock/metal music with cellos. This cross-genre music is one of my favorite things ever!

Well, I've covered music for the moment. Now I'd like to talk about a movie. The Darjeeling Limited. It's a film directed by Wes Anderson. It's filled with comedy but what hit the most was that it told a story with a lot of meaning behind it. Or at least I found meaning behind it. I don't want to give too much away but the way the brothers in the film interact is very real to me and I find I understand their struggles to reconnect and to find something real in their lives. I highly recommend this movie. I can't say as I'd watch it at like a party or anything but for one's own amusement.

Go forth into the world and do whatever it is you do. Bonne chance!!