Lots to cover today

As I was preparing to write this post, something occurred to me for the second time in as many days: I'm such a capitalist! Ayn Rand, I blame you. You and Miuciia Prada. And maybe a little bit L'America.

Anyway, whatever, morals aside, all this chatter about commodities makes me feel good in a nice escapist predictable kind of way, so it's what I'm going with. Maybe you'll get something out of it, and if I stumble on something ethical (read: green or fair-trade), maybe I'll remember to throw it in.

So, today, I bring you my opinions on:

J Beverly Hills hair care products - I'm a big lover of products, but I usually get impatient and stop using them because they're sticky, or too expensive, or they smell, or my favorite: give me incurable dandruff. So, I was a little hesitant when my new salon switched product lines to J Beverly Hills, but I gave it a go anyway, because the prices weren't terrible. In fact, the shampoo, the first product I bought, was only a few dollars more than the one I usually get at the grocery...and I love it! I'm using the "Add Body" shampoo, and now, conditioner too, and they're fantastic. Highly recommended for folks with hair like mine, that could use a little lift. One of my favorite things about the shampoo/conditioner is that my hair stays clean longer than with other shampoos. The stuff also works, and the smell isn't terrible. To add even a little more punch to my locks, I've also started using their volumizing spray foam, "Lift Up." It's a little sticky, so I only use it once or twice a week, but I love the way the spray distributes evenly over my head without leaving streaks of plastic-y yuck. And again, it actually works. Final plug for this company: I've also started using their product "Fresh.Hair" dry cleaning spray for those days between washes. It works really well to add a little lift and remove smells. So yeah. Oh, and they're working to make all their products sulfate-free. Some already are.

The Kite Runner - 2003, book by Kohled Hosseini- um, have you guys read this book? It is amazing and beautiful. I don't want to say much about it, but I read it in three days, and for my schedule the past couple of years, that's a record. It's fantastic.

After the Wedding - 2006, movie - another amazing story. I especially liked this because it was completely unexpected. I knew it was a mystery/thriller-ish movie, but I figured it would be all sex and violence, right? Not so. The plot had a bit of a stretch in it, but once I got finished rolling my eyes over that, I really enjoyed the movie. This was an especially nice surprise because I had psyched myself out to feel depressed after watching it, and that wasn't the case at all. Don't get me wrong - there's plenty of sadness in this tale - but the depth of emotion explored and the complexity of just our humanness makes this one a great film.

Here's a little personal life update for those of you who care about that sort of thing: the weather is lovely, sunny and cold, so I've gotten to be outside some. I'm meat-free for the season, and feeling cleaner. I've been going to the gym regularly, and what a difference exercise makes! And I'm heading to Arkansas later this week. I'm sure that will be absolutely thrilling.

I hope to see some of you within the month. Until then, I'll keep up with you virtually.

Crash, 2004 - movie

Okay, so I finally watched Crash. I'm a little behind on this one - all the rest of you watched in in 04 or maybe 05, so I thought I'd best catch up.

And sure, it was neat. Spoiler alert: I especially like the scene where the cop pulls the woman out of the car.

But it was so predictable and it relied on so many stereotypes to make its didactic point...I mean, can't we teach that racism is bad in some less mundane way?

Philosophy tirade...I guess maybe not, though. I work in software (e-learning) and we develop to the lowest (or one of the lowest) common denominator, because we have to. So while I may appreciate highbrow intelligentsia, most people...don't. And who am I kidding anyway? We all know I'm pretentious enough to pretend to like lots of things I don't understand. Like sushi, for example...there you go, J and H, I don't really care about sushi! I'm so embarrassed, but it's true. I just sort of like sushi. In fact, I'm seasoning my cast iron skillet right now - with Crisco! Hahaha! So maybe Crash was made to make a point for those who prefer being smacked on the nose with their realities.

Okay, back to the acting. Well-played, Matt Dillon and Thandie Newton. You were the only not-one-dimensional characters in the movie, and Thandie, you were actually convincing. Spoiler again! I'm recently discovering something about the sexual objectification/exploitation/abuse of women: men know how powerful it is too! I always thought only women knew how awful it is, but men do too...and that's a big part of why they do it, to hurt other men. That's a really stupid thing for someone who studied this stuff for ten years to admit, but there it is. Maybe I just needed some space to see it...so yeah, Thandie, right on - I was totally convinced when you were in that car, and I felt what you were feeling - FUCK YOU, Matt Dillon cop!

Sorry. Got a little carried away there. So, overall, maybe a C+/B-, but Thandie gets an A+ and Matt gets an A-.

Oh, one more thing, my high school senior English teacher went on this rant about Braveheart and Beaches and other tearjerker pulloutallthestops movies about this time in 1995. He was so right. Use your brains, directors, and I at least will appreciate you more.

It's worth adding to your Netflix if you haven't seen it, but not worth moving to Priority 1.

What Not To Wear - tv

So, historically, I've not been much of a television watcher...but it's just so affordable now, and I couldn't resist getting cable tv when I got my phone and internet, so for the first time in my adult life, I have cable.

And folks, I am addicted to TLC's "What Not To Wear." You might have known this would happen since I was ridiculous about watching it whenever I could in The Time Before Cable, but now if it's on, then it's on in my house.

Seriously, I love Stacy and Clinton. I secretly (until now) would love for them to come and rescue me. I want to look hot all the time! This might be more important to me now than say...investing for my future or taking vitamins every day. I know it is, actually.

The thing that is most wonderful for me about this show is how cute it makes me feel...I sit here all vindicated thinking "Uh, yeah! Don't cover your crotch with your shirt, duh!" and "Of COURSE a pointed toe with a heal makes your legs look longer, lamer!" Ahh, I love validation.

Pilates

I had my first Pilates private lesson today. I think I'm going to like it - it's much, much harder and more cerebral than I was expecting.

More on that when there's more to share.

PJ Harvey, White Chalk, 2007 - album

So, one of my Christmas gifts was PJ Harvey's White Chalk. I love love love PJ in general, but this is particularly awesome. The album is somehow richer than her previous stuff in its minimalism, maybe because it's so raw, so present, so intensely...empty.

I told my work friend PB - we like to talk music - that I think White Chalk is what Bjork was going for, but failed to achieve, with Vespertine. I like Vespertine well enough now, but it took years for me to warm up to it, and even now, I don't listen to it often. It's no glorious achievement like White Chalk, which somehow manages to stray from PJ's usual punkish power into this new melodic, beautiful, almost sweet, pages-from-her-diary work. Unlike Bjork, PJ relies on her instruments, especially her voice, not production, to say what she wants to say. And like crazy little Joanna Newsom, the spaces in her music sometimes say more than the layers.

Right now, I'm feeling melody more than rhythm anyway. Maybe I always do?

If you haven't heard White Chalk, get your hands on it. It is riveting, and it's distracting, so don't expect to just toss it on in the background at work. You'll find yourself stopping to actively listen - at least, I expect you will. And I'd like to hear what you think.

Great Expectations, 1998 - movie

I finally decided I'm going to start writing this blog I started like a year ago and never posted to. Here we go. I'm thirty now, so it's important to be - uhh - to, erff, umm - I dunno. My friends are all so interesting; I'm just trying to keep up.

So, it's a well-known fact that Dickens is long-winded and dull, but I'm trying to brush up on my classics because I think it's important to be well-read to be smart, and I like to try to be smart. To warm up the idea of reading Dickens (first "to read" on the Dickens List: Bleak House), I decided to Netflix the Ethan Hawke/Gwyneth Paltrow movie "Great Expectations" from 1998. I liked it then because Tori Amos was on the sountrack. I liked it now because it's good.

One thing I really love about myself, if I may, is that I'm hopelessly romantic, and this is just a painfully romantic movie. Gwyny is so beautiful and morose, and Ethan is so WT and youthish, and there's all the color and the music and the wet wet rain...I have a real thing for pretty, and this movie does it, while somehow inspiring hope and validating bitter hopeless ambition all at once. How perfect - thank you Alfonso Cuaron.

So I enjoyed the movie, and it was a good inspirer. Once I'm done with my Wilma Mankiller autobiography, I'll pick up Bleak House.

One note for those of you that know last year was The Year of Kerouc (those who don't, I'm sure there will be more about this): I picked this copy of Bleak House up at Haslam's, visiting Lo in St. Pete last Fall. Fascinating, yes?