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10/31/2004 Halloween
10/22/2004 Long time, no write
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Laura's Online Journal October 2004

wired

The most recent entries are first. If you haven't been here for a while scroll down or click on a date. And remember most pictures are links to a larger version.

Comments? Your movie reviews? I would love to hear from you! lauralu@mac.com

Enough about you, let's talk about me....

October 31, 2004

Halloween
I really have nothing to say about Halloween. Some people at work dress up every year and my company always has a party but I am not really into it. I did dress up a couple of years ago for a party at Austin's but only because my Italian friend Lorella insisted. Here we are:
Two ladies in hats

I have a memory of halloween that is still quite vivid. It was probably the late 1980s. I was rushing into the old 9:30 club here in DC and it was practically empty - not sure if it was early or late. I think I was drunk and looking for someone (Lyla and her friends, maybe) so it was probably late. As I ran through the main room to look in the back rooms I caught an image of myself in a mirror. The walls, ceiling and floors were all black. There were bright, harsh lights shining down on me in the center of the room. I was wearing a bright pink kimono and Kabuki style eye makeup. My image was shocking to me and I stopped and stared for a second or two. For some reason I have kept the image with me over the years

The fall colors are nice this year. Our ride in the park this morning was beautiful but scary. I knew that the colorful blanket of wet leaves covering the trail could be deadly if I went too fast or had to make a sudden maneuver.

Here's what we see from our balcony. (Quicktime movie 1.7MB )

October 22, 2004

Long time, no write
It's been 20 days since my last entry. Sorry to anyone who actually reads this on any sort of regular basis that does not involve me calling you up and saying "I put a really cute picture on my blog" which actuully means "please please please read my blog". My excuse for not updating is my Latvian language class which requires HOMEWORK! and the time it's been taking to redesign Dana's website before all the publicity goes out for his performance on Nov 5.

The site is at www.dtsbco.com if you are interested.

We've seen lots of movies too. I don't think I'll ever catch up. Even though the reviews are short and most probably inarticulate I do put a lot of thought into them.

And here's a really cute picture of my father and nephew. My father is sporting a blackeye from a middle-of-the-night fall in a totally marble bathroom in an Italian hotel room.

Black eye

Some more movie/DVD reviews
Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde
Run away as fast as you can! The first movie was cute and fun. This one is so contrived and lame I found it insulting.

City of Ghosts
This thriller was directed by and stars Matt Dillon. It take place in present day Cambodia and involves insurance scams, kidnappings, James Caan wearing a sarong, corrupt politicians, double crossings, land mines, ancient temples and a monkey. I thought it was pretty good. I could not help but compare it to The Quiet American, which also takes place in that part of the world although before the war. The Quiet American is a much better, more sophisticated movie. City of Ghosts is more like its scruffy younger brother.

Whale Rider
When I first saw the trailer to this movie I started crying so I knew it was going to be a tear jerker from the start. But it deserved my tears. And Keisha Castle Smith deserved to meet Johnny Depp at the academy awards. She did a great job. It is a sweet and beautiful movie that conveys the culture and conflicts of the Maori and tells a nice story.

October 2, 2004

Geek Talk
So when we get back from our bike rides my face is usually an unusual shade of bright red. As we enter our building and head for the freight elevator with our bikes we pass other residents in the hall and after they say good morning they do this double take. Their second look shows great concern. Well, I've gotten used to this and i've come to expect the "helmet hair" but recently Joe noted that I have unusual markings on my forehead. He told me that, in fact, they look similar to a particular alien species on Star Trek called the Cardassians. So here is a picture of me and Seska, a Cardassian who is apparently hot. So everything's cool.

Markings on forhead

Some more movie/DVD reviews
Henry Fool
If you've never seen a Hal Hartley film this may not be the one to start with but it is probably his best. The stylized dialogue is not for everybody but I find it to be like poetry, full of rhythm and images. And it is sometimes quite funny. The visuals are excellent too. Like Lost in Translation I can see how the director takes such care to frame shots and I like that. The story is about an aesthete with a murky past who blows into town and attaches himself to a truly dysfunctional family. He encourages family member Simon to write and Simon becomes a controversially famous writer. The movie is full of commentary on pop culture and politics but it is all entertaining, not heavy handed. It is a bit dark so I enjoyed it much more the second time around, when I could relax and catch all the little details


Archived entries

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