5 Overlooked Things

5 things I think haven't got the public recognition they deserve in the past year:

The Ghost Writer 

I think this might have been limited release or just did not really get advertised despite a star-studded cast (Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Kim Catrall anyone?). I don't know what it was - maybe the British actors and Americans using their best British accents scared people off, but this was one of my favorite movies of the past year.  Dirty politicians rarely make for a bad movie, and this one featured took you along for a ride with twists and turns at every corner (and one big twist at the end).  The dark ending especially tickled my fancy.

The Road 

You should a) read this book and b) see this movie - but if you're time pressed I recommend the latter.  The book won a Pulitzer, yet I found the story translated better to the screen.  I love that this story leaves out details that distract from what is at the heart of it - a father-son relationship.  It is about these two surviving in a post-apocalyptic United States but does not reveal how it came to be this way - avoiding the politics that come with that territory and leaving it up to the reader/viewer to concoct their own worst case scenario.  It also makes you reflect and wonder if you'd be the "good guys" that the son and his dad are, or the bad guys who lock people up and eat them.  Oh, and did I mention it has Charlize Theron? (only one of two women I would cheat on my future spouse with)

Better Off Ted

Technically, this came out last year, but just got cancelled this year.  I fail to understand America's taste in comedy (Mike & Molly premieres to 12 million people - really?) but maybe there just weren't enough fat people in this gem. This show made me laugh more than that other workplace comedy that got really unfunny last year.  Phil is arguably one of the better comedy characters in a while brought to life by Jonathan Slavin.  It's on Netflix Instant so watch it. Speaking of another show with a low number of viewers...

Terriers

The best new show in this weak fall TV season (I don't get HBO though, so maybe Boardwalk Empire is).  I have an unhealthy man-crush on Donal Logue, the main character in this buddy-private detective show, that dates back to his star turn in the short-lived but very beloved (by me and not too many other people since it was cancelled) The Knights of Prosperity.  (It was about a group of low-lifes trying to rob Mick Jagger and also featured the beautiful Sofia Vergara now of Modern Family fame - sadly, it's not available on DVD or on Netflix...but I digress).  But Terriers is a really fun show that makes you root for the two P.I.'s, faults/dark pasts and all.

Jake Byrd

Jake Byrd does guest spots on Jimmy Kimmel Live. And he loves famous people.  Basically, he goes to celebrities' court sessions/jail sentences and shouts out his "support" and manages to crash a few press conferences.  He parodies people's obsession to worship the plastic canopy of U.S. royalty. My favorites from the video below are him telling Lindsay to "fight for your right to party" and proclaiming Michael Lohan as "father of the year." 

The Great Indoors

I read this past week that we humans spend 90% of our lives inside buildings. Isn't that depressing?  That is so much of our lives.  And that doesn't even include time spent in the car.  It's like we're never outside.

This is why I am writing this entry outside.  Take that, statistic!

What Really Grinds My Gears: Issue #2

For some reason I can't fill that space above.  Sometimes technology sucks. Moving on...

I first took issue with socks and sandals, my next problem is with...

poorly done signs. This really bothers me for some reason. I have always found presentation to be just as important as content - if I'm going to buy something, it had better look good.  That is why I have to pick a bone with these clueless people who mean well but are really hurting themselves by having poorly designed/executed signs.  Take a look at the girl on the right. She no doubt is establishing herself as an entrepreneur, venturing out into the unknown and scary world that is the street corner.  She has set a fair price for the product that is surely not to keep anyone away.  But the issue is you can't really read the sign.  You would have to squint or drive slowly past it to figure out what it was.  She needed to spend more time on the sign, coloring it in so it would be visible from further away.

But little girls are the not the only victims of this unfortunate predicament. Everyone from homeless people writing out their statement on a piece of cardboard to people advertising their parking on game day to people letting you know about their garage sale.  And as a result, they do not get my business.  Color in your signs people.

What The Dog Said

There are times when I wish my dog could talk.  Things she might say:

"Nick, I'm not pawing at your chair while you're eating breakfast for nothing. I haven't defecated for more than 2 days and now it's hit me like a steam train. Still ignoring me? All right then.  When you go take a shower, I'm going to lay the biggest deuce I've ever laid in your three years of knowing me.  And just to teach you a lesson, I'm going to barf on your bathroom rug."

"Your facial expressions when you're dancing alone in the apartment suggest you think you're a good dancer.  You're not."

"I'm helping you meet females from your building, the least you could do is toss me a slice of that ham you're putting on that ham sandwich."

"(sigh) IAMS again. Remind me why I wake up every morning?"

"I love you."

I would like to know she's thinking - I want to know if she's sick of something, wants to go outside more, or whatever...maybe if she had a blog.

I would feel bad, however, if she could speak because then she could understand the lady who asked if she was pregnant last week.  Thankfully, she wouldn't know Spanish, so she couldn't have understood the other lady who called her "gordito".

Ugri

The Russian word for acne is ugri (with emphasis on the i).  Russian has a few words like this, where the Russian captures the essence of the thing it's describing much better than English - Exhibit B: kakashka (poop).  I have always found the English term to be lacking in conveying the grossness that is acne - I mean ugri is not only fun to say, but it sounds gross.  "Acne" just doesn't cut it.  I mean, it's growths on your face filled with white puss and blood inside.  It's gross.  

For something so gross, however, I like acne.  These growths have been a part of my face since high school (and in the past year, a part of my back).  I, for some reason, am not repulsed by it on me or even on others (acne almost makes a girl more endearing to me).  I blame my mom who would grant favors in exchange for a few blackheads on my nose.  In my opinion - a few minutes of pain + a red nose > doing the dishes.  Eventually, I picked up on her technique and began popping my own zits (now there's a good word...that, and pimple...blemish I'm not so hot about).  Before I knew it, I had discovered a before-bed ritual that I actually liked doing.  

I don't know what it is, but I'm almost disappointed if I look into the mirror at night and don't see a whitehead or a blackhead calling my name.  I think it stems from the fact that I like closure - I'll watch a TV show I like until its last episode//I never leave baseball games early//etc.  Popping pimples makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something - the whitehead is on my face, the whitehead is now on my mirror.  Story over.  Mission accomplished.  Finito.    

Anyways, the point of this post was to bring awareness to those who may not like acne as much as I do that I have discovered the best acne-fighting treatment - a towel.  That's right, you just wrap a freshly washed towel around your pillow and sleep on it.  Think about it.  Your pillow is saturated with the grease of your hair, which in turn greases up your face.  So a clean surface = less acne.  Thankfully I still get enough to keep me entertained at night, but not so much that people make eye contact with my third eye instead of my two eyes.

Now, if anyone has any tips for curing backne/bacne, I am open to suggestions.