Man on a Mission

It hit me tonight: I take the GMAT this Saturday. So my purpose is clear: STUDY, YOU LAZY SONOFABITCH. It is time for some single-minded focus. There's no turning back. No cancelling. No rescheduling. No backing out or succumbing to work pressures. It is GO TIME, motherfuckers.

Tonight I'll put together a good iPod mix of songs to get me pumped on Saturday morning, and right now it DEFINITELY includes the Crouch End broadway mix of Blur's "On Your Own." It's from THE BEACH soundtrack and it kicks ass really really fast.

Alright, so that's my gameplan all week. STUDY STUDY STUDY. So don't expect any updates til after Saturday (not that you would anyway).

Recap of the shit that's happened that's not important because the only thing that's important is STUDY STUDY STUDY (see?):

- Laguna night was on Thursday because Lori was working crazy hours on Monday and couldn't make it. It was a hell of a episode. Jason kissed Jessica and LC saw and she was all "don't touch me, i don't want to ever speak to you again" and Dieter was the best friend ever and called Jason out on it and comforted LC in a completely non-"I want to be your boyfriend now" way, telling her when she was about to cry to "hold it, hold it, hold it." After the glory of Laguna, I made Lori watch TOP SECRET-- which you all should have seen at some point in your life (and if you haven't, don't talk to me until you have). Forty-five minutes into the movie, just as Nick and Hillary are making out in front the giant pigeon statue, Lori falls asleep. She's made me watch LOVE STINKS, IF LUCY FELL, and, soon, 8 SECONDS (I shit you not). I think she owes me another stab at SECRET. It's only the funniest movie ever. There is sauerkraut in my lederhosen.

- Saturday morning my dad and I drove into Boston to apply for the extras casting call of STIFFS. It's supposedly a black comedy about a family who runs a funeral who decide the best way to keep business "in the black" is to start off-ing people. (Eh). The ad in the paper said they were looking for italians of all ages. Hey, that's us! Anyway, my dad I showed up right at 10am and there was already a fairly long line. We filled out our applications, which asked for our general info, plus our height, weight, and availability between Nov. 21 and Jan. 1 -- I said "anytime" (sure, why not?) -- and attached our pictures, which we took that morning. We spent the rest of our 30-minute wait talking about work-life and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (my dad really liked the lesbian episode) and then all the sudden we were up. The casting guy told us the basics: $75 for up to 12 hours/day and that the best way to increase your chances of getting called is to say you're flexible (which we did). Who knows what'll happen. They've got our numbers and maybe I'll nab a spot and get to hang out on a Boston film set for a day, in the cold cold winter, waiting around doing nothing.....hey waitaminute...

- After the casting call, dad and I went to GAP and dad bought a vest (mom called him 'puff daddy' later on), and i bought a couple thermals. Dad got a GAP card, which was stupid, but what does he know? Then we went home to watched the ND game.

- Cool game. Tenn's defense scared me for a bit, but ND's defense came through at key moments. The game was a lot closer than the final score suggests.

- Then we watched a few CURB's, which were all mildly amusing. The storylines aren't as believable, and neither are the people around Larry who give him so much shit all the time. Yeah, he's got a bad case of "foot-in-mouth" disease, but the handicapped bathroom user was a bit much...as was the whole Lesbians-love-Larry thing.

- Next was the new AMITYVILLE HORROR, which was kind of spooky and jolting in that "BOOM, loud music hurts my ears" kind of way. Mom shouldn't have watched it, she already has nightmares about drowning so who needs new nightmares about dead children and tortured indians? When the movie was over, we kind of just got up and went to the bathroom, got snacks, etc, which means none of us were moved one way or the other about it. Oh, did I mention I want Ryan Reynolds' body? I mean, I want to HAVE his body, not touch it. His beard too. Shut up. 3/5.

- Sunday was JARHEAD day, a movie I've been looking forward to ever since the "jesus walks"-tracked trailer came out this summer. It's FULL METAL JACKET with more comedy, a little more humanism, and none of the gut impact. But I enjoyed it. Well-acted, well-shot, and more than a little topical. "We're still the desert," the voiceover says at the end. 3.5/5.

- Sunday night was a crappy "Simpsons Treehouse of Horror," a decent South-Park- inspired "Family Guy" (with a new Stewie-centric opening. what a surprise!) .

- And now bed. And tomorrow: STUDY*

"45-minutes before GMAT" playlist:

1. Blur ~ "On Your Own" (Crouch End Broadway Mix)
2. Spacehog ~ "Captain Freeman"
3. Pinback ~ "Syracuse"
4. The Beatles ~ "Tomorrow Never Knows"
5. Walkmen ~ "The Rat"
6. The Black Keys ~ "Set You Free"
7. Pretty Girls Make Graves ~ "Teeth Collector"
8. Sleater-Kinney ~ "Get Up"
9. Sleater-Kinney ~ "Everything"
10. Green Day ~ "Panic Song"
11. Spoon ~ "Jonathan Fisk"
12. Morningwood ~ "Nth Degree"


*with a break for Laguna, of course.