Forever in blue jeans

He took my hand and began to run. At first I was annoyed but when he looked back at me with that smile, I had to laugh. Then he laughed. And that's when I realized that everything that had come before this moment meant nothing. I had finally found the one thing that had always been missing. What was it? Not the cool sand on my sunburned feet or the feeling of evening breezes against my face and in my hair. Was it him? His smile and the way he let me collapse into him at a moment's notice? No. It was me. I had finally found the version of myself I'd been trying to find for years. And not even the rough tug of his hand around my wrist, forcing my exhausted body to run and leap about like a child felt like a burden. Life would always be hard, but now I lived for it.

For J.

April hodgepodgery

So I feel like I didn't get as much done as I usually do but that's probably because I got a fucking job! I'm hoping that as I get more used to the new lifestyle I'll be able to create a good balance between work, play, and what I'd like to call 'productive use of my free time.' That's the goal anyway! That, and getting myself a man ;-) But getting back to the blog post at hand, here's a list of what I DID accomplish in April.

1. Finish notes on all Hitchcock films (3-4 per month)

I finished notes on three Hitch films this month.

Foreign Correspondent



The Man Who Knew Too Much



Topaz



2. Take another acting class

Well I successfully completed Acting II at The Rep. Despite meeting a guy who gave me some trouble near the end, I had a blast in this class. I feel like I really rocked this one. People gave me a lot of compliments and I think I really mastered the whole Improv thing. When II ended I thought I should take a break and not go right into III for both personal and financial reasons. I do hope to take III the next time it's offered cuz I absolutely lurve acting and all the peeps in my classes.

8. Read 12 books (for the year)



I was only able to read one book this month (yeah I suck) but it was one of the best books I've ever read...The Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis. It also happens to be one of my favorite movies that, as luck would have it, I am watching as I type this! Thanks Home Box Office :) Lauren Hynde and Paul Denton are two of my favorite literary and cinematic characters in the world. No doubt about it.

13. Eat at one new restaurant every month

I ate at some awesome new places this month. For Davey's birthday we went to Trinity Three Irish Pubs and I got a killer grilled cheese sammy with white cheddar cheese, caramelized onion and spinach. I also went to Brocach, another Irish pub, with the fam. I had this sweet potato and butternut squash concoction that was pretty much an orgasm in a bowl. Finally, when I went to Madtown for my best buddy Jen's 25th b-day we went to Takara, the best restaurant in the city and probably the best sushi restaurant I've ever been to. We had such a blast there. It's now what I imagine heaven to be like.









15. Donate $5 to 1-3 charities of your choosing every month

I donated $25 to the Tourette Syndrome Association.

19. Go to the opera or symphony

I went to see a Mozart Mass concert at St. John's and it was phenomenal. I've been to a lot of symphony concerts but experiencing one inside a cathedral was truly remarkable. There also happened to be a thunderstorm going on that night so you could occasionally hear the thunder and see the lightning through the stained glass. Very, very awesome.

21. Watch at least one documentary every month

This month I watched Steep which was not only one of the coolest docs I've ever seen but one of the coolest films in general I've ever seen. It was totally awe-inspiring and even though I'm the biggest chicken shit in the world, I can still appreciate the awesomeness of big mountain skiing. These people are incredible.



*****

So maybe it wasn't the most productive month, but it was certainly one of the greatest and most fun I've had in awhile. I can't wait to see what the summer will bring.

Goodbye my little dreadlocked lovely...

So it had to happen eventually. Jason Castro just wasn't cut out for American Idol and was sadly sent packing last night. But maybe it's not so sad after all. He expressed how daunting the task had become in recent weeks to learn more than one song in a matter of days and he had also become a bit bewildered by all the crazy attention from his fans. And as I drove to work this morning listening to his hauntingly beautiful version of "Over the Rainbow" I reflected on that humble, everyman quality that I loved most about Jason. He was a really wonderful person and I hope, despite his aversion to the rock 'n roll lifestyle, that he stays in the music industry for a long time.

And with that, I conclude this entry with some fine words from the peeps at E-dubs who read my mind and put it in print...

By the end of Ruben Studdard's "Celebrate Me Home", Jason admitted to being a little relieved, especially since he would have had to learn three more songs before next Tuesday's top-three performance show. "I don't know what I would've done," he said with a chuckle, alluding to his prior comment that his inexperience had started to catch up with him, causing him to forget the lyrics of Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man."

And though I was disappointed, perhaps even a little angry, after Jason seemingly threw in the towel on Tuesday, I have to admit I howled when he cheerfully recounted to Ryan that "somebody told me I shot the tambourine man." After all, it was Jason's refreshing lack of camera readiness, his random, bewildered sound bites, that made me a fan in the first place. And let's not forget that for a guy who didn't get a second of significant airtime until week 1 of the semifinals, Jason exceeded expectations, leaving behind a pretty long list of memorable performances, including "Daydream," "I Just Want to Be Your Everything," "Hallelujah," "If I Fell," "Travelin' Thru," "Over the Rainbow," "I Don't Wanna Cry," "Memory" (which I still contend was touching, and misunderstood by Simon and Randy), and "Forever in Blue Jeans."

Some April faves

-martinis at Buckley’s
-watching the BSG finale/premiere with the ‘rents
-the first semi-warm weekend
-watching Cubbies games
-The Rules of Attraction
-Jesse Blaze Snider
-Davey’s birthday lunch at Trinity, hanging out at the Ale House
-John’s party at the Genie (crazy shenanigans with Jim, hearing “Wax Ecstatic”)
-going to the ‘burbs…going to the mall with Momzy and K, pretzel and long ass wait at Wagner’s, “little people, big erection”
-Brocach for Davey’s b-day, seeing Andy Genaw, going back to our place for presents and Cubs/Canadiens games
-Across the Universe
-Jim Sturgess
-getting breakfast at MM, K going through old books, going through Toronto journal
-GETTING A MOTHEREFFING JOB!!!! (i.e. getting a call from Kim whilst at the Ale House, meeting her at Starbucks and being very well prepped for the interview, an awesome interview, and getting a call 24 hours later informing me of the good news!)
-Katie buying Dezzie aka Bloodball
-chilling at the Hall Imports dealership
-going to the ‘rents to show off Dezzie and celebrate my new job
-my kickass Madtown Mix CD
-going to C-K to get stuff for my new job, having coffee with K and Shannon in the kitchen, and telling various peeps about the job
-running errands around town with K before leaving for Madtown
-having dinner at P.F. Changs with Kat and Jen
-hanging out at Jen’s with Kat drinking some vino watching Scrubs and Lost in Translation
-chillin’ at Jen’s in the morning, dicking around online, with golf in the b/g
-lunch with Ron
-working on Hitch at Espresso
-hanging with Jen's work peeps at Nitty and Bros.
-getting sushi at Takara, meeting some cool peeps, and my love for Asians
-hanging out at Paul's Club with Gavi, meeting Matt
-Cafe Continental with Jen and Matt
-starting my new job!
-the Mozart concert at St. John's
-a fun convo about movies with K at Blu
-Dale from Top Chef :)