Postsecret review #2

As promised, here it is, although it's nearly the end of the week. 

"I got back with my ex because I needed editing software." A truly utilitarian relationship. Although certainly there have to be other ways? Let's hope that this person's ex isn't a terribly loathsome person and therefore that it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to get back with him or her for the use of their editing software.

"I turn 18 tomorrow and I could not be more excited for the rest of MY LIFE!" Ah, the optimism... I'd say that I can be fairly cynical at times. Maybe this person has ended up/will end up becoming a drug addict (one of my favorite topics to consider...) Or maybe they met an unfortunate end somehow, by murder or a car accident or a house fire or something. Who knows! I certainly didn't have that kind of optimism on my 18th birthday. Instead, in recent years I have felt old, even though relatively speaking, I'm young compared to many people. Alas. Hopefully this person had something worthwhile to look forwards to, I guess, because I can't think of any other reason someone would write a secret like this. I can only imagine being that optimistic... (says the possible future starving linguist) 

"I look at chandeliers above me and wonder if I'd move fast enough from it smashing me." I like this one because it's sort of eccentric and also somewhat morbid. The perfect combination. I think it embodies me perfectly, among other things.

"I once stole herbal supplements because I couldn't afford my prescriptions" Good for you! And I say this without sarcasm. I hope this person doesn't feel guilty about obtaining those herbal supplements by any means necessary. 

"I smoke and take drugs so that I have more interesting stories to tell" Well, that's one way of doing it, I guess. Maybe it's cheaper than traveling the world, or even just the country. Imagine telling the story of how you overdosed and nearly died! Or maybe you won't survive the overdose and therefore won't be able to tell the story... "Bad choices make good stories" and "Live fast, die young, leave a beautiful corpse" are some quotes that this secret makes me think of. 

Those were the only secrets that spoke to me enough that I felt compelled to comment on them. Unsurprisingly, there were a number of sex related secrets in this week's batch. Come on, Postsecret guy. I'm telling you, there are things that are more interesting and less vulgar (or at least, vulgar in other ways) than the sex related secrets that seem to pop up rather frequently. Why can't someone write a secret about, say, really, anything else? There are tons of other things in the world to write secrets about. 

And with that, I conclude this week's edition of my Postsecret review. More to come sometime after next Sunday, at least that's my plan. 

(satisfied, pleasured sound)

Let it be known that I have a new favorite actor. New as in an addition to my current favorite actors, not as in a replacement of them. For posterity, I want to put down the story of how he became one of my new favorite actors which took place not long ago. (an aside: does my writing resemble that of David Sedaris??? Semi rhetorical question.)

I decided to take a chance and I watched a movie unknown to me on Netflix a couple of weeks ago. I might look up the specific date if I can find it and add it later to this part of the post. I didn't recognize the actors that were listed as being in it. The movie was called Experimenter and it is about a semi (in that, in the grand scheme of things, I don't think it was at the extreme end of the scale. I'm a big fan of looking at various things this way) unethical psychological/sociological experiment. That kind of thing fascinates me, among other things such as murders both fictional and real. So naturally I thought the movie would hopefully be interesting. And thankfully, it did not disappoint.

In the movie, the actor Peter Sarsgaard played the main character. I think he did a nice job and what really struck me was that he had a lovely speaking voice. It reminded me of Vincent, who also has a nice voice. So from there I wanted to watch other things that he had acted in. Unfortunately there aren't many things that he's been in on Netflix at the moment. Still, the point about wanting to watch more of him still stands.

I think I might just rewatch the one movie since it's on Netflix and I did enjoy it the first time around. In other matters, I still want to watch Requiem for a Dream again.

I am aware that I'm due for this week's installation of my postsecret review, so that should be coming soon withinthe next couple of days, ideally.

Edit: I was... treating my eyes to looking at someone good looking (the actor who this post is about) and I had a realization that he reminds me a bit of Ben Whishaw. They have a similar something to the way they look. Maybe delicate but scruffy would be a good way to put it. Also, I came across this, which contains the picture that I was looking at in the moment that I had this realization.

TV review: The Killing seasons 1 and 2

In the course of being relaxingly lazy, I have watched a number of movies and assorted tv episodes. One movie that I watched starred an actor who I thought had a particularly nice voice. It reminded me of Vincent. It was soft and light. Unsurprisingly, I wanted to watch other things that he has acted in. He meaning the new to me actor, not Vincent. This new actor guy's name is Peter Sarsgaard and there aren't that many things he's acted in on Netflix, unfortunately. However, one of the things that he is in and is also on Netflix is a show called The Killing. Which is kind of an odd title as killing is not usually used as a noun. Maybe it's supposed to be interpreted as a synonym for murder, as in "the murder" that the detectives are trying to solve. Or perhaps it's supposed to mean killing in a broader sense, in a more general way... "the killing" that goes on and that the police have to deal with. I'm not sure. I'm just speculating. It was based of off a Danish show, which I'm not sure of what the title translates to. I think I might have tried to watch that show but I didn't watch it completely. I have watched another Scandinavian crime show in the past which I enjoyed.

In any case, Peter Sarsgaard is in this show but in the third season. Since I thought that there would probably be context that I would need to understand the show, I decided to start from the beginning instead of going right to the third season. 

Seasons 1 and 2 deal with a single murder case, which was different than the ~24 murder cases you get in a season of Law and Order that I'm used to. The first 6 episodes of season 1 were a bit of a drag, but the second half definitely picked up and was fairly riveting. The murder gets solved at the end of season 2. It was an interesting case, but after awhile there were too many details to really keep track of and I felt like I should have taken notes. I wasn't completely lost, but some of the various details from episodes prior were cloudy to me as to how they fit in to the current situation. At first, I didn't particularly like the characters, although later I began to like them somewhat more. The detectives' relationship is unlike the dynamic that the detectives from Law and Order have. In addition, they have a particularly lousy lieutenant, which I think is below captain, which is what 2 out of 3 Law and Orders have. I just did some googling and lieutenant is indeed below captain. Not that it really matters. Anyways, the captains on Law and Order, for the most part, had good relationships with the detectives under their command and cared about them. The lieutenant in The Killing openly has dislike and disdain for the main characters. So that was different.

The male detective reminds me of Mr. Brooks because of his voice. He has kind of a southern accent or something, which is kind of weird and not explained in the show, which takes place in Seattle, which is why the accent is kind of weird. Mr. Brooks is from South Carolina. I wonder if he thinks that he sounds like the guy on this show. 

I have currently begun season 3, which features Peter Sarsgaard and he plays a murderer. I'm glad that he didn't decide to do a menacing accent or something for this character, because that way I can enjoy listening to the things that he says. After the first episode, he kind of reminds me of the Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs mostly due to his haircut in this show. I wish he had more hair because he looks weird nearly bald. The Hannibal from NBC Hannibal is a totally different thing in my mind. As I continue watching the show I'll probably do another blog post about it. For season 3 I am taking notes. I wonder if it'll help keep all the things straight.

Postsecret review 1

There have been a few things that I've been meaning to blog about lately. I have been being really lazy and also not really doing that much of anything interesting, so... alas for my Warhol style journaling. Too bad.

I have decided to start a new series of blog posts, in which I will review/critique the secrets published each week at Postsecret.com, which is a blog that I like/dislike. Only the secrets that I have particularly notable thoughts on will be reviewed.

So, let's get to it.

One secret is about a person who does house sitting and confesses that the rich people never notice when their houses are robbed. I think the more accurate term would be burglarized or stolen from, as a robbery involves violence. Perhaps if I become a house sitter this is something that I could get into.

"The fact that most people in my grade are considered adults is both terrifying and hilarious." Get over yourself.

Then, the next secret is a... somewhat trashy one concerning sex. I don't understand why there have to be so many secrets regarding sex in some way or another. Honestly, there are way more interesting things in life. Like drug addicts, for example. Or shopping.

"I'm trying so desperately to be original" Written in blue ink, in all caps, on a blank white postcard. I think that speaks for itself. 

Then there is a secret about someone who wants to climb trees but doesn't because it's not something that adults do. Come on. Go in the woods and find a tree where no one can see you and climb it. Some people are ridiculous... this is literally a problem with SUCH A SIMPLE SOLUTION. Which I have conveniently provided above. 

"I always wanted my life to look like a picture frame insert." Now this is a fairly interesting secret that doesn't have to do with sex. Imagine that! How novel. 

Anyways, that is is for the secrets that I felt compelled to comment on this week. I plan for this series to be published on a weekly basis, but not necessarily on a specific day, just whenever I get around to it. It's very relaxing to be lazy, even though you don't get much done aside from eating, sleeping in, and watching tv or movies. 

9 May to

I think, depending on the length, I will put multiple entries in a single post because I don't like super short posts. 

9 May 2017, Tuesday
I think I saw the same turquoise car again today. I'm not completely sure but it was the same color. Some guy at the bus stop was smoking and contributing to the rest of us getting lung cancer. I watched an HBO documentary about drug addiction and that was interesting. There was a scene with a police officer and I liked the way that he talked. It was efficient and confident sounding. Maybe I should try to talk like that since I don't think that I do. I wonder if that's something that all police officers talk like. That would be an interesting thing to pay attention to. 

Details

I think that attention to detail is important. I would say that this blog gives a decent insight into my thought processes. Other people may not think that all the intricate details of someone's thought processes are important/interesting, but I do, so I like to put down all the little things that led to me having an idea, that kind of thing. 

On two different occasions I have been curious about, to say broadly, what went into the making of something. One is some lego masks that were featured in a men's fashion show. (ADD PICTURe) Another is regarding the chrome theme I use. Both of the people who designed these two things have social media accounts, so I contacted them that way with my questions. Neither of them responded and that is something I resent. Ugh. Maybe I'll try to email them. If I become some kind of designer/otherwise end up producing something that people may have questions about, I would make an attempt to explain my thoughts behind something if someone happened to inquire about it. Apparently other people do not feel obligated to do that. Boo. 

Over the coming weeks/months there are some things that I would like to do/accomplish. One of the things is to indulge in creative pursuits, like crochet, screen printing, embroidery, and other things. Something semi-related to those things is that I would like to see some art in art museums. Another thing is that I would like to practice journalism for my own self-enrichment. Hopefully I can find some people who are willing to be interviewed. I may make a separate blog for the practice journalism, or I may publish it here. I haven't really decided yet. The next thing is that I would like to learn about and become familiar with Andy Warhol in minute detail. There are some books I think that would help me with this. I would like to know as much about Andy Warhol as I know about Law and Order. 

Since starting this blog post the other day, I have now acquired a copy of "Andy Warhol Diaries," so that should be an interesting read. It's very long; a review of it on Amazon said that it was the size of a phone book which is a pretty accurate description. It has caused me to consider the idea of keeping a meticulous record of the things that I see/do/etc like Andy Warhol did. So I think I'll give it a shot. 

Today, 8th of May. 
I was on the bus this morning at 11, just past then and I was maybe 5 minutes away from the bus stop. There was a little old lady driving a turquoise car and I thought that I would want to have a car in that color. I like bright colors. 
Then later in the day I was on the bus again and some dude sat next to me and he was large and squished me which I also resented and I got fairly enraged in my head. I wanted to punch him but that would've been a good way to get arrested or something. 
I don't have any candy left so tomorrow I think I would like to get some candy. Sour worms and caramels. 
In the future I would like to go to an art museum and see the art as well as the other people in the museum.
I listened to that David Bowie song that I sort of like, even though I don't like any of the other songs I've heard of his. This one was used over the credits of a movie I watched which is how I came to know it. 

Since I had a conversation that was not via text message and therefore cannot be backed up and archived, I would like to put down some of the ideas that I said in that conversation so they are not lost.

"Do you think some subjects are more conducive to critical thinking than others? This is another semi-rhetorical question.

I'm trying to think of a subject that isn't very conducive to critical thinking. Maybe algebra/other math. Who knows. Maybe I'm just saying that because I don't like math."

For me I would say that sociology causes me to think. I don't know if the thoughts that I think about sociology are considered critical thinking, but I think sociology is more interesting to ponder than math.

Apparently this is the definition of critical thinking: the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgment

So I think my conclusion about sociology vs math is correct. My judgement that I've made about math is that I don't like it and don't want to think about it. I don't plan to become a mathematician so I think I'm all set already with all the math I need to know for my life.

I wonder what it would take to become the next/a modern day Andy Warhol. And by that I mean (whoa am I getting distracted!!) someone who has a similar cultural impact as he has had, not necessarily someone who does paintings of soup cans and silkscreen artwork.

Maybe if I start a meticulous diary it will put me one step closer on the path to becoming a modern day Andy Warhol.

Have protester ever killed anyone?? 

TV review: Black Mirror

I just watched an episode of a new (to me) show. I thought it was mediocre, for a few reasons. The show was a Netflix show (which aren't necessarily my first choice of viewing material - I'm just not really that interested in the stuff they put out) in the genre of sci fi, which I don't have strong positive or negative opinions about. The episodes are self contained so I picked one that seemed interesting (which... it wasn't, really) and watched it. 

I don't think it's necessarily the sci fi aspect of the show that I didn't like. There are some older episodes of Doctor Who that are plenty sci-fi-y that I have enjoyed (10th Doctor era). One of the things I wasn't a fan of was the dialogue. There was something about it that I didn't like the way it was written. Something. I can't really say exactly what.

I also think it's possible that I wasn't hugely thrilled because of the characters and that I wasn't familiar with them. A show that you know the characters of (in my case, Law and Order) I would say is inherently more compelling because you care more about/want to see what happens regarding the main characters. 

The third thing is that the episode seemed like an amalgamation of a variety of concepts with some sci fi thrown in, which the end result was actually fairly cheesy. I think the idea of the show was for it to be profound/avant-garde or something like that, but I didn't find it to be that way. A few of the concepts that made up this episode: Nazis/genocide, mind control, war - dehumanizing the enemy/the horror, the horror. I think the sci fi aspect mixed with those concepts had the end result of a cheesy episode. I'm not sure if any of the other episodes will be better. I may give it another chance of one episode, but if I don't like the next one I watch, I'm not going to waste more of my time. 

In other matters, I rewatched Shutter Island today and that was fun. Mark Ruffalo had really short hair in that movie compared to other times and it was different. However, he has a hairier chest than Leonardo DiCaprio. I have actually watched a decent number of movies he's been in - Shutter Island, Reservation Road, Zodiac, Spotlight. Shutter Island is the only one of his movies that I found to be particularly good. The others were somewhere in the range of mediocre. I wonder if there are any other good movies he's been in. I wish Vincent had been in more movies that I think I would want to watch, but alas, I guess he was busy being in Law and Order for around 10 years which didn't leave him time to be in a lot of movies.