Hi, I'm Alan

...and I'm sorry for NEVER posting on here anymore! I might as well say this now: I'm kind of over blogger. It's too... organized, I guess, for my head. This is more of a summer jam for me, when I didn't have to write formal essays and all that jazz.

You should really check out my tumblr, I update that sh*t everyday:

MY TUMBLR!!!

A blanket of stress? Ehhh?

Dawg, I want to go to Argentina. Or China. ASDLSAKJFH.

I feel like when I started blogging, my brain was so cleared of anything super stressful. It's weird, because those of you who read my blog frequently (aka no one) have seen me change a lot. Not to toot my own horn, but I have to admit that things have happened in my life since I started blogging (American Studies, Larissa and Anna leaving--although Anna leaving isn't anything new, it never gets any easier--, realizing things about certain friends that disgust me) that have both made me grow up and made my skin thicker (and you never thought "thick" and "Alan" would go in the same sentence! Zing!). Ugh, I apologize for the awkward dashes within the repetitive parentheses, but Joe has yet to teach us about the dash.

But lately, I feel like I have been kind of regressing back into the more timid, fearful version of myself, and I hate it. I never knew this side of myself until the beginning of freshman year. It's the side of me that constantly wishes I could be somewhere else - not even somewhere else, but sometime else. I am really happy with my life; I love who surrounds me, Larissa, Anna, Paul, my parents, my group of friends from Mercer Island, the "gems" (thanks Riss) I have found/have been trying to find at SAAS... But it's more about wishing I could be in a different part of my life, mostly the past. I don't know, this is just rambling now and alsdkjvcnalsdkjn.

BYE, love you.

Not one, but TWO good movies this weekend

DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN ZOMBIELAND OR PARANORMAL ACTIVITY (unless you're not planning on it... in which case, I feel bad for your sorry soul)

So I would like to start off by saying both of these movies are excellent! I will keep this entry short (as per my new approach to blogging - ten points for consistency) but you have got to go see these movies.

Paranormal Activity: one word: shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitballs. I never get legitimately scared from a scary movie, but holy cannoli! This movie is a modern day Blair Witch Project - meaning it is a mockumentary-style film (although you are led to believe it is real until the very end). The acting was actually good... at least, as good as acting can get for a horror film... I don't really want to say anything, because when I saw it, I didn't know anything about it - I recommend you go in the same way!!

Zombieland: this movie is more lighthearted, but still very well done. Although very similar to Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland (forgive me for not using proper formatting when writing titles, all you gramma Nazis) is a dramedy involving very different characters taking on a nation of zombies. The two things I liked most about this film were the emphasis on home and the importance of enjoying the little things. Much like The Wizard of Oz, this film brings together four different people (although two of them are sisters, a pre-existing relationship) who are trying to find their own version of home. They realize in the end, however, that they have created a new home among themselves. They also have a lot of fun being the last remaining humans; for example, they break the sh*t out of a Native American gift shop and situate themselves in Bill Murray's Beverly Hills mansion.

GO SEE THESE MOVIES!!! Bye.

Maybe, just maybe...

I'll stick to shorter posts for a while! Hm...

Recently, I've been enveloped by homework, play rehearsal, and most importantly, my sweet, sweet dose of reality shows (Survivor, Amazing Race, Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Ruins)

I have a FAAAAAAAT amstud test on Thursday which has been calling my name, "Aaalllaaaan... aalllllaaaaaaaaan..." all week, and I'm sittin' here like, "lolwut." Because of this test, I will keep my descriptions of each show brief - NAY, I will write haikus about each!

Survivor

Does anyone else

notice those weird finger marks

under Russell's jaw?

I cannot believe

CBS chose to cast a-

nother Natalie

Like last season, my

horse this time will be Laura

why are you surprised?

Amazing Race

Dumbasses from Mass

are they that dumb, or do they

want me to hate them?

Overall, this year

is very forgettable

down with team zebra

The Ruins
Oh hey, Cohutta

how've you been since we last spoke?

You are a banjo

Oh boy, Johanna

I loved you on your season

but now you are lame

TOODLEZZZZ

I sure do wish my car's turn signal was louder...

AHHHH. Okay, I haven't posted in over a month, and I feel like azz. However, I haven't forgotten about my little slice of heaven... and a fresh, new post is coming up very soon! I just have to figure out some things (i.e. life) and then everything will be good.

Am I frazzled enough for you?

SCHOOL/Life and Stuff

Oh sh*t guys, school time.

I started school on Tuesday and it's........... school. I dunno.

Except it's weird, because this is the second year (sixth grade being the first, lawlz) in which I went to school on the first few days and was actually sweating I was so nervous. American studies, aka intense 101, created a pit in my stomach not only the first few days, but during the whole summer. I don't want to say too much because I don't want to refer to people without their knowledge, but you basically gotta know your sh*t and if you don't, you're f***ed. :D Orange you glad I put things so nicely?

However, I have been thinking about SAAS a lot recently (perhaps because school started, but ya never know...) and I discovered two things that would make the school a hundred times better (academically, don't even get me started on social dynamics):

1. Women Teachers
The few times I've had women teachers at Seattle Academy, I always end up liking the experience a lot way more than with a male teacher. From what I've seen, women teachers generally relate to different personality types much better than men teachers. Also, the women teachers I've had have the tendency to teach more romantically, and I like that a lot more than a Machiavellan approach. Also, there are just way more men than women in the faculty. Creating a balance would simply be a good thing to do. Specifically in the arts, history, and math deparment - where the four music/theater directors are men, it would be nice to see a woman direct a vocal show or play. Where all history teachers are men and have similar approaches to teaching, it would be nice to see a woman teach. That also goes for math.

2. Journalism/School Newspaper
If SAAS developed a journalism program, that would open up a lot of doors for students who don't necessarily want to perform in the style that all extracurricular activities share (speeches, singing, acting - all in front of audiences). The only thing we have at Seattle Academy along the lines of "journalism" is a parent newsletter called the SAASWatch, but it's basically all written by one woman. You have the option to be a "SAASWatch Intern," and write articles about random things (which I plan on doing) but it would be awesome to have a student run newspaper. However, if I tried to start one my junior year, on top of everything else, it would be the death of me. So... if you go to SAAS, start one? Kthx. Also, we have the facilities for it - laptop program, lotsa paper and printers (for a paper); I'm sure the vocal room has some nifty recording tool (for a radio show); and we have a film program, so I'm sure some kids would be interested in taking charge of production (for a school news station).

Haha, basically SAAS kinda blows. But... I won't go too much into that one!

God damn it, Lindsey lent me Mario Kart Wii and the only thing I want from that game is to unlock Baby Daisy, but it seems like quite a feat, and a time consuming one at that. Also, I miss Larissa. Life is definitely more "mehh" when she isn't around. It's not that she always gave me advice and I was dependent on said advice, but she was just a good friend to have with me and we agreed and were on the same page regarding just about everything. Plus, we hung out all the time this summer, and when that kind of thing is interrupted it's hard to go back to everything else. All of a sudden I have to find friends in my own grade... what? No.

Anywho, junior year so far is one bumpy, pothole-y road, but I'm ready to rock this sh*t! Bring it awwwwwn.

Check out my brain purge!

This decent enough kid I know named T-Stweezy has a blog (?), and I saw this interesting thing he had on there called a "brain purge" - basically a candid, handwritten thing in which you say random things that are on your mind... Because I am a sheep, I tried it out!

Here it is, folks!

Oh, by the way - the last two sentences are, "When other people are aloof, it makes me uncomfortable. "To Kingdom Come" by Passion Pit is the best song I've heard all summer."

Another Surprise Movie Review...

Disclaimer: like last time, don't read if you don't want this movie to be spoiled for you!


So, the night before I left for Berkeley, my sister and I watched Cape Fear. To be honest, all I had heard about this movie was on VH1's "I Love the '90's!", in which D-list comedians made fun of Juliette Lewis (who is an incredible actress, btw... although The Other Sister is... ehh...) sucking on Robert De Niro's thumb. I know you expect me to say something cliche like, "with that as a precedent, I went into the movie with low expectations! :P " but I'm not dumb enough to let lame comedians influence my movie choices, thanks.

Actually, I was pretty excited. My sister said it was one of the scariest movies she'd ever seen, and saying she's a movie buff is an understatement.

First of all, the movie takes place in Cape Fear, North Carolina (represent), which is, in fact, a real place. More importantly, it took place during the summer, and the feel of a North Carolina summer is one that will stick with you forever - humid, wet, so hot it almost exhausts you, but also really wonderful - so I guess in a way I could feel what was going on. An ex-con (Robert De Niro) is released from prison and seeks revenge on the lawyer (Nick Nolte) who withheld information about his trial that could have helped save him from prison and the lawyer's family (Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis). The ex-con, Max Cady, had been imprisoned because he raped and beat a teenage girl, and the lawyer, Sam Bowden, was assigned by the court to defend Cady. The girl had allegedly been "promiscuous," and apparently in teh olden dayz (aka the '70s and '80s, wow) it could have been the girl's fault if she was promiscuous. Seems like a bag of BS to me. Sam explains his reasoning for not using that evidence to support Cady's case by describing how battered and bruised the girl was, and that Cady had to be punished.

Oy vey! Right off the bat this movie just has an eerie, overbearing feeling. Other horror/suspense/thriller movies are about 99% build up to one particular shocking moment, and it's not that Cape Fear doesn't have moments where you go "AWW SH*T NO!" - I guess what I'm trying to say is that every moment of this movie is significant.

Another thing I really like about this movie is Juliette Lewis's character, Danielle. Whereas scary movies typically depict teenagers (girls in particular) to be really perfect (popular, get along with family, good grades) yet stupid ("opens that door" after the audience screams "DON'T OPEN THAT DOOR!"), Danielle is really complex, and has a pretty believeable side story. Sam and Leigh, his wife/her mom, force Danielle to go to summer school to avoid expulsion from her high school after she was caught smokin' dope. That right there proves that Danielle has some substance. Now, I know "I Love the '90's!" made fun of the "finger-sucking" scene, but I actually thought it was one of the most interesting scenes in any movie I've seen, and I'm really picky/don't like watching movies in general. See, Danielle is supposed to be really afraid of Cady because he wants to torment the family, but she's realistically enamored with him. He poses as her replacement drama teacher at summer school, and he really relates to her in weird ways. There's a long scene of them just talking back and forth, but Juliette Lewis's delicate approach to Danielle makes it really good and really raw.

The final scenes on the Bowdens' houseboat are all amazing, too. Cape Fear (as a cape itself) is aesthetically really weird; it kind of looks like a swampy river. The strong visual background really complemented the scenes. Anyway, because Cady is a freakin' psycho, he clung to the bottom of the Bowdens' Jeep all the way from their home to their houseboat out on the water (which we can assume is a good few hours, so daaamn). Once Sam, Leigh, and Danielle are all out on the water, they think they're safe - until Cady pops out from the bottom of the boat! A fight between the Bowdens and Cady ensues, and eventually Cady drowns.

I would definitely give the movie five bright, golden stars - rush out to your local Hollywood Video/Blockbuster/Netflix to rent it, it's awesome. I'll take this time to welcome Lindsey to BLOGSPOT! WOO! I've been tellin' her to get a blog, because like Amy Adams as "Julie," she "has thoughts!"

Big Brother news in 20 words or less: RIP Chima/Lydia, love Jeff and Jordan, Natalie and Kevin better go next.

A Not-so-perfect Getaway (see what I did there?)/a Spoonful of Big Brother

Disclaimer: I'm totally 'bouts to spoil this soooooooper scary movie, so don't read if you want to go spend your hard earned money seeing it!



My sister and I just saw A Perfect Getaway and I don't really know how I feel about it. The trouble with all of these "twist ending" movies is that you can only really watch them and enjoy them once. The voice in the previews said, "one of these couples is the killer" or something, so going into it I knew I wouldn't be surprised.

Here's where I break s*** down:

Milla Jovovich (Katinka Ingabogovinanana, anyone, anyone?) and irritating looking short man who I see too much of (aka Steve Zahn) make up the main couple. Supposed "newlyweds," this completely unrealistic (she is so far out of his league it's ridonkulous) couple goes to Hawaii for its "honeymoon" and "discovers" that there is a man and woman out there murdering other couples in Honolulu. Do you see where I'm going with this? The quotation marks aren't a mistake, people.

Anywho, they start out driving in a yellow Jeep rental car all throughout the picturesque Kauai. Along the way they see who I like to call Sketchball Couple #1 hitchhiking and OMG almost give them a ride. But since it was the beginning of the movie and nothing really legitimate can happen until later, they move along. SC1 eerily appears once or twice more in the movie, but it's not like it really matters because they're way too creepy to be the actual murderers. That's right, movie writers, I'm onto you and your tricks... SC1 is arrested because the po-po think the two of them are the murderers.

The main couple meets Sketchball couple #2's male component, and since I can't remember his name we'll call him "Rick." Like SC1, Rick is just too creepy for me to believe that he would be the killer... Long story short, Rick and his girlfriend Gina (whose name I actually remembered) are almost killed by the main couple, who, in case you haven't figured out, is made up of the two killers. However, Katinka (haha) has an epiphany and realizes that Steve Zahn is shorter than her. I'm kidding - she realizes he's an a-hole and that he was controlling her life, so she pretends to be one of his victims to the cops who magically save their lives via helicopter, and they shoot 'im.

Now, I know all you people who expected me to write about the deliciously watchable reality shows that are on TV are bummin' right now, but I have a point. Seeing this movie proves the true impact reality shows have on movies. How many reality show advertisements do you see with "...and a GIANT twist the cast members DON'T expect!" or something to that effect? Now, think about recent movies like Eagle Eye that have really ambiguous advertisements which mention - no, promise "twist endings" much like reality television shows and you'll understand my theory.

On a different note, I basically "did what Andy Samberg did" in my pants when Jeff used the coup d'etat to evict Jessie "teh natural bodybuilder," and you BB11 fans out there know you did too. I'm off to watch tonight's episode - Michele better put Natalie and Chima up!

Comment with your thoughts on my whole "parallels between reality shows and movies" spiel.


\m/

Why everyone should listen to Girl Talk

Way back in March, when my sister was home for spring break, she played Girl Talk in the car. I had never heard it before, but it annoyed the crap out of me. To be specific, it was the song "Give and Go" from Girl Talk's "Night Ripper" album, and it was the part when "Face Down, Ass Up" is featured. Needless to say, I quickly dismissed it. Then April came around and I was working on my research paper (on the Jonestown Massacre, nbd)/finding new music via Limewire. Long story short, I decided to give Girl Talk a second chance, and the "spark" in my relationship with Girl Talk has yet to disappear.

As cliche as it sounds, there's something for everyone in Girl Talk. In one song alone, you can find "Galang" by MIA, "Magic" by Pilot, and "Gold Digger" by Kanye West within about 20 seconds of each other. However, if I only had ten seconds to sell Girl Talk, it would be the first ten seconds of "Too Deep," where, and as many NSLC friends know I enjoy this, the line "are you talkin'? Psht, whateva" comes in. So great! Also, did I mention "Night Ripper" is 46 minutes long? Perfect for working out, and it all flows really well.

On a different note, I watched "The Haunting in Connecticut" last night with Larissa and my sister, and it was awful. It was hilarious seeing the movie scare the pants off of Larissa/Anna, but other than that it was a very uneventful almost two hours. I just hate those stupid scary movies where you ask "WHY ARE YOU DOING THAT!?" a hundred times, like when they go through a mysterious door and on top of everything, most of the "scary" things that happened were figments of the main character's imagination or dreams, which is the biggest letdown ever.

Anywho... I STILL have zero guesses on my two truths and a lie... who knows, maybe I'll give the winner a free iPod shuffle or something neat like that...

word

The injustices of Big Brother 11

This summer, I have decided that I am going to watch Big Brother the good ol' fashioned way. I haven't been going to the spoiler websites, I haven't been "reading ahead." With that in mind, I might as well come clean - this season SUCKS. To quote my father, "the most unfavored people are winning head of household!" I couldn't have said it better myself. I have lost so much faith in this season that I'm worried I will come out of it as a lesser human being!

Let's look back on the HOHs thus far:
Week 1: Jessie (by default, so unfortunate), evicted Braden
Week 2: Ronnie (awful), evicted Laura
Week 3: Jessie (really?), evicted Casey
Week 4: Russell (you know the season is bad when he's my favorite HOH so far), evicted Ronnie (yesss)
Week 5: drum roll please... CHIMA

That's right, Chima, the "Flavor of Love" reject with lips bigger than my face is now the HOH. I have yet to watch who she nominates, but I'm sure it will be AWESOME! :|

Chima, sick

Why did Laura have to go so early on? I know she had two very prominent *friends*, and fit the mold of stock "I can be smart AND beautiful" (Janelle?) but at least the wheels were turning in her noggin. She completely exposed Ronnie for what he really was (a rat, I love it) and was goin' places. Also, she was my horse (the person who I bet would win at the beginning) so it doesn't make the season very fun to watch when you keep having to pick new horses. Ugh.

I'm a big fan of Jeff and Jordan. I should note that I like them on individual levels, and not as a couple. Couples on Big Brother don't interest me, but since I like them both as people it doesn't bother me as much that they're couplin'. I hope Jeff uses the coup d'etat this week on Chima's behind!

On another note, have you listened to Passion Pit? Odds are you've heard "Sleepyhead," which is a wonderful song, but the best song I've heard all summer is "To Kingdom Come." Listen to it. Also... you better guess my two truths and a lie!

PAZ

What the beeeep, I'm blogging!

Guh, where to begin? Well... I promised myself and a lot of other people (mainly NSLC) that I would start bloggin' once I got back from my awesome, awesome time studying journalism at UC Berkeley. Well, here it is, folks! Actually, to be specific, I made three personal promises: to blog, "Tweet" (aka use Twitter, for those of you who don't know), and to start running, just for fun. The title is a quote from Billy Madison, one of my favorite movies, but I thought it would be a pretty neat-o blog title. However, I AM new to blogging and the like, so everything on this page is subject to change at any given moment. That's right, I'll go doublethink on your boot-hay and you won't even know...

My main "angle" is going to be discussing reality television shows, and those of you who know me know that this is right up my alley. But like I said, ---doublethink--- (aka it's subject to change at any given point).

I'll start off by talking about NSLC. To put it simply, I did not assume that some silly pamphlet (well, it was more like a magazine) sent home in the mail after the PSAT would affect me as much as this program did.

Looking back, the first day is all a blur. I arrived in San Francisco right after the bus left to go to Berkeley, so I had to wait an extra hour. However, I had the upper hand in a weird way, because I was able to see people approach the group waiting at the airport and I could judge them. :D Just kidding... kind of. Also, bear in mind that this program was less than two weeks, so I don't really think my nervousness was as necessary as I thought it was.

The most distinct memory I have is of "Laurene Schmidte" (a Grosse Pointe resident... get it?) walking up to the group. Now, Lauren and I go "way back" - I Facebook chatted (definitely a verb, it's 2009) her at least a million times before NSLC even began, mainly to talk about how excited/nervous we were, and we liked to joke around that we knew each other's life stories before we even knew each other tangibly. So, and any Facebook stalker could attest to this feeling, it was interesting seeing Lauren in person and using my vocal cords to communicate with her as opposed to my lappy's keyboard. The whole airport group ventured to the buses waiting outside, and Lauren immediately pulled me aside to say, "You're sitting with me."

Like I said, the first day is now a blur, so before I knew it we were all sorted into our TA groups. My TA, "Nathan Bringham" as it wrongfully (it's Brigham, no "n") said on my binder, had been MIA the entire day. Where was he? I still don't even know. Perhaps he was running 10-12 miles, looking at lolcats/ http://www.thisiswhyyourefat.com (epic), or watching himself on YouTube. Now for those of you who went on NSLC, I'd like you to take out your binder and look at the page with all the TA/intern bios. Now look at Nate's picture. Funny, right? My whole TA group had this one picture to base our initial opinions of him off of, so (and this rarely happens) I had no idea what to think of him or any preconceived notions. However, once the "opening ceremony" (did I mention NSLC has a baffling knack for making everything seem like much bigger of a deal than it really was?) began, and the mock A-Rod press conference took place, I knew Nate was the perfect TA. I don't mean to knock other TAs or anything, because I can honestly say I didn't dislike one TA there, but when they asked "A-Rod" (Buddy) their questions, it wasn't very interesting. As I was slightly dozing off, I hear this: "Uh yeah, hi, Mr. Rodriguez - Nate Brigham, icanhascheezburger.com... [some question I forgot]" and in that moment, life made sense.

There were 86 (not quite sure) kids in the program, so for me to shout out every single one of 'em is pretty ridic, and it's not like you're all going to read this anyway. But I mentioned Lauren Schmitty, who is wonderful, and Nate, who is also great (did anyone reading this ever read Nate the Great as a youngun? Hollaback!), here are a few other noteworthy people:
---Sarah: I think Sarah may have been the first person I met who was in my TA group, and she proved to keep me sane throughout the program. She was always levelheaded and down to earth, and we chit chatted about everything.
---Cami: how do I even describe Cami? We transformed into Cholos (in the nicest way possible ;D ) shortly after meeting each other, and she's just mi azucar.
---Emsillay: we "vibed," and that's all I gotta say.
---Monica (TA intern): like Cami, I basically just spoke gritty Spanish around her and she didn't judge.

These are just a few, but I will make shoutouts TO... all of the Natedogs (Alan-Sarah-Tiffanie-Nick-Brandon-Rachel-MG-Tess-Brooke-Harrini-Amanda-Caroline-Lauren-Nicole-Rebecca-Nate DAWWWGS, that's right - I got it memorizzay), Bryson and Gus (Slott 207, word), all of the other TAs (A/A/B/B/C/D/J/K) and Molly from education! Curse you and your yellow lanyards/binders...
And shoutouts to all the rest of y'all!

I miss you all very much, but I know that I will see you soon!

Though there were times at the beginning where I thought to myself, what the beeeeep have I gotten myself into?, NSLC was one of the best experiences of my life.

More about me: I'm a disgruntled high schooler who dislikes about 98% of his school, but gets good edukayshun 'n stuff, so that keeps me happeh. I have a few very dear friends here at home, and they all keep me sane. I'm obsessed with the following shows: Big Brother, Survivor, Amazing Race, Real World, and Real World/Road Rules: Challenge. When not watching reality TV, I like to listen to bangin' music, expand my vocabulary, attempt to stay in good shape, friend (also a verb, thanks LARISSA) with people, and play Wii - particularly Mario Party 8 (Peach, Birdo, Boo, Luigi) and Super Smash Bros Brawl (Peach, Kirby, Meta Knight). I'm also tall and lanky.

Like the NSLC TAs did on the first day, I have two truths and a lie for you all to figure out: I know all the words to "Viva la Vida" by Coldplay; I've been to Tampa; and I'm secretly obsessed with This American Life podcasts. Think away and... comment with your guesses!