2012 is so last year

Can you believe its over? It’s been over for 2 weeks now! Time is just flying by. Oh! There goes another moment.

So with 2012 ending but not the world, 2013 is a blank canvas for us to paint with experiences and wonderment. The problem is I have no idea what kinds of colour I will use. Will it be travel, movies, adventure, romance, comedy, or a whole lot of the bad stuff that I don’t like to acknowledge is a possibility in the future. Futures are supposed to be bright not tinged with possible (probable) sadness.

I have no real plans for the future and for those who know me that isn’t too much of a surprise. I don’t like being held to constraints, I like being able to do what I want, making every day a surprise.

I did however make a few kinda resolutions this year. Really basic things with no real goal except to feel better about myself. Things like eat healthier, get out more, and do/be more creative. Originally there was more of a specificity to that last one – do something creative every day – but as 11:59 pm on Jan 1 ticked by I had already failed at that resolution, so I loosened the constraints a bit. Unfortunately to this point the only creative thing I have done is taken 1 picture:

It was taken in haste on the way to work Jan 3. I just liked the way the snow sat along the branches but had no time to take a really good shot.

I have been doing some writing but its pseudo work related so I cannot share. But I’m not sure if it counts as part of my resolution as I’m doing it for work not just for myself. But I do have some other story ideas for tales I never finished and for new ones. I also have a few thoughts for new jewelry pieces and paintings (I haven’t painted in so long!). I am going to make these things happen I just don’t know when yet.

Anyways, so far in this new year I haven’t been up to too much. I started the year with a short bout of insomnia which – after a night of partying – lead to a 15 hour snooze-fest which was truly enjoyed. And I have been catching up on my TV and movie watching.

I watched the whole first season of “Girls” and that is a great show. I must admit I didn’t like the first episode; I almost stopped watching. But that second episode really pulled me in and I could not stop watching. That Adam guy! Ohmygod! At first I really didn’t like him. He was misogynistic, heartless, and reckless, but by the end of the season my perception of him was really turned around and that last scene in the ambulance! Ugh! Hannah! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU! I liked you at the beginning, I connected with you on a number of levels but then your irrational behavior was just…just..UGH! Lets just say I am really looking forward to season 2. Yes it is a chick show but not like “Sex and the City” more like what girls do when guys aren’t around kind of thing (and no I don’t mean pillow fights in our skivvies). But I do know a few guys that like the show, they just gave it a try.

I’ve also been watching “In Treatment” with Gabriel Byrne; its really addictive. The show is a week of sessions in a therapists office. Each episode is one session Monday to Thursday and then the 5th one is the therapist going to his own therapy.  It is all dialogue but engrossing, complex, character revealing dialogue. Its very intense drawing you in. There is like 50 episodes in season 1 alone (3 seasons) but I’m pacing myself with it only watching 1 week’s worth of episodes at a time.

I also watched the first 2 episodes of “Portlandia”. I liked them. They were amusing with some very funny parts but it wasn’t enough to draw me in so I haven’t gone back to it. My friends says I should give it another try as they really do hit their stride around episode 5 or so. I’ll see. I want to like this show, there is some good stuff in there, but…meh. I will let you know.

Onto the movies! I had a bit of a movie marathon the other weekend watching 3 of them back to back. The first was Cloud Atlas.

This sprawling epic covers hundred of years in human history and future utilizing the same actors in multiple roles and storylines. No one person is the star but they all star in their own story. This movie is good; beautifully shot, the actors give wonderful performances, and much of the dialogue is well thought out and poignant. But it is confusing. Not that I couldn’t follow the story but what was the point? There are stories about love, bravery, acceptance, cowardice, rebellion…there is so much that there isn’t much of anything. And the “gimmick” of reusing the actors in different roles made it hard for me to separate the face from the story being told and sadly some of the makeup did not work which was very distracting. One thing I did admire about this film is with everything that was going on it didn’t seem like just a mishmash; a bunch of stuff just thrown together. They took their time, there was great pacing, and it paid off for the most part. It is a long movie, just under 3 hours, but it is definitely worth a watch.

To get over the intensity of watching Cloud Atlas I mistakenly decided to watch This Is 40.

This movie is much more of a drama than a comedy. Judd Apatow is moving into the next stage of hie writing/directing career. He is going from flat out humour to more serious films with humourous elements. We have already seen that side of him with Funny People and with this he is taking the next step. This movie is serious things happening to funny people so you do laugh but there is always a sadness/unease hovering in the background. Its a really good movie though. The story is solid, the acting is great, and there is nothing truly special about the directing but it does the job well. It is definitely worth a watch but not if you’re looking for hearty laugh though.

In search for a real “HA HA” comedy I watched Hit and Run and sadly that was a failure too.

I wasn’t really expecting that much from this movie, it was supposed to be fluff to make me giggle as I go along for the ride. But everything about it fell flat. The story, the acting, the “jokes”. It was very try-hard, so much so it failed. Even the music didn’t fit. Every time there was a chase an oddly selected bluesy, funky song would play. It just didn’t work taking you out of what was happening on screen. I could see how on paper this looked like a fun film but it just didn’t work over all.

This weekend after getting my fill of therapy I decided to watch Ted. Many people have told me that this movie is hilarious; that there are at least a few really good laughs in there and I will enjoy myself.

I have to say they were kinda wrong about that. I was looking forward to busting a gut. It did make me smile a few times – that whole “Flash Gordon” party scene – and at the very begining when he first talks, and Giovanni Ribisi dancing. But over all it was pretty flat. It wasn’t a bad story I just didn’t really find it funny. Or maybe they over played the funny parts in the ads so when it came up the in movie it wasn’t really funny anymore. But I have to admit…

***SPOILER ALERT***

Here it comes I warned you!

At the end when he was being ripped apart even I gasped. I didn’t realize how invested in the characters I had become.

But I still saved you from accidentally seeing it. You’re welcome.

***ALERT OVER***

So they did do something right, they made you feel for the characters in the film. Overall though this is kind of a pass or a watch on TV while you are doing something else kind of thing.

I haven’t seen Django Unchained or The Hobbit yet but I hope to soon. The problem is I have been getting conflicting reviews about them. I do still want to see them both though. I also have a surprisingly long list of films I didn’t get around to seeing this year including Seven Psychopaths, Beyond the Black Rainbow, Killing Them Softly, A Fantastic Fear of Everything, and Beasts of the Southern Wild. There are almost 30 movies on that list. This was a bad movie watching year.

Anyways, in the next little while I have a few things coming up. I have people hanging out at my place on Friday, Brunch with a friends I haven’t seen in a while, the Come Up To My Room art show at the Gladstone and hopefully more in between. I will also be starting a new very girly, on trend, segment on the site so look for that if you care to.

That is it for now and I hope the new year is treating you well and continues to.

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