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Eric Conveys an Emotion

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arachnophobia pt. 2

I would just like to compare this entry from July:

I was almost killed by a bug...

with this from yahoo news:

Along came a spider...

I tell you, they're a menace!

my name is summer and I'm a dumb american

You know, I always come up with excuses for not being more informed about what's going on in the world:

If I had more time, I'd read the newspaper...
I'm not usually around a t.v. when the evening news comes on...
NPR is always playing classical music when I turn it on...

But I think I can finally admit it to myself. The real reason I'm an ill-informed member of society is simply that being informed is so BORING. I mean really, if it isn't Jon Stewart giving me the news, I have no interest.

And I need to come to terms with the fact that given the choice to read The New Yorker or Entertainment Weekly cover to cover, I'll take the fluff any day of the week (and what does it say about me that The New Yorker is the only serious magazine I could think of?).

I'm not proud. But it feels like I've taken an important step in owning what I am, rather than chasing what I think I should be.

hormones

In a disturbing development, my neutered cat has taken to aggressive attempts at humping his female counterpart recently. I would be worried about her coming to bodily harm in his clumsy, needy attempts to mate if it weren't for the fact that she kicks so much ass.

Edgar, a 17 lb behemoth, might do some damage if his 17 lbs were made of something other than lard. He is also at a disadvantage when it comes to weaponry. The unfortunate habit of tearing up my parents' carpet when he lived with them led to the loss of his front claws many years ago.

Poe, on the other hand, is a svelte 9 lbs with an athletic demeanor and a full set of claws (and a good 8 years younger than Edgar). So far she seems adept at fending him off, but I worry about the psychological damage he might be inflicting. She's become skittish and surly, and she's taken on a flitting, untrusting gaze.

All this brings me to the question of why a cat, neutered years ago, would suddenly take to aggressive sexual displays? Nothing in his environment has changed recently. He and Poe have lived under the same roof for almost 2 years now and he's never shown this kind of interest before.

It just doesn't make sense, and it's really creeping me out. And I can't imagine what poor Poe is going through. How to explain why her fat, castrated, older step-brother suddenly finds her sexy?

I love guerilla film making...

We finished shooting Happy Accident this afternoon and Santiago and Jessica are taking the footage they have, editing this evening, and submitting it to the Amazon Tribeca Film Festival tonight.

We had such a blast working together--even if we did have to spend two days standing around in the ridiculous heat. I have a funny little heart-shaped sunburn on my chest (from where the v-neck shirt exposed my skin), blisters on my feet, and I'm sure I smell pretty ripe.

Still, I couldn't imagine a better way to spend the day.

happy accidents

I got a message from Jessica with Adams House Productions who said she'd like to use me in a short that Santiago Tapia is directing this week. Santiago is one of the first film directors I worked for earlier this year--a fantastic guy, works meticulously, and produces wonderful films.

I was psyched to work with them again, so I called back and left a message. In the mean time, I got an email from my friend Kevin, saying he'd been cast in a short film and that they were looking for a few more actors. I read further down and saw--you guessed it--it was the same film. He had a script attached to the email and when I opened that it turned out the writer of this film (called Happy Accident, by the way) was the director I worked with on The Hub.

So I talked to Jessica to let her know I was free, and since they were still looking for two more people to cast, I sent a few friends her way. Now it looks like the entire cast, save one, as well as the production crew are people I know. Awesome!

And here I was, bemoaning the postponement of a different project just two days ago.

I love when the universe sends me an unexpected gift like this--it's like finding a twenty on the street.

A man walks into a talent agency...

Thom and I saw The Aristocrats on Friday and I have to say that it is one of the most vile, disturbing, demented, and hilarious movies I've ever seen.

If you haven't heard about it yet, The Aristocrats is a documentary about a joke comics share between themselves as a kind of insider's handshake. The opening and punch line remain the same but the meat of the joke is completely open for improvisation--as long as it includes some riffing on bodily functions, incest, bestiality, or any other depraved act you can imagine.

The movie captures more than 80 comics telling their own disgusting version of a joke known as "The Aristocrats." The point of the joke, which is in itself not that funny, is to see how far you can take it, how much you can get away with, how inventive you can get. Can you say things that in another context might get you thrown out of a party or even tossed in jail?

My favorites included Bob Saget, whose squeaky clean image was a perfect counterpoint for the unbelievable filth that came out of his mouth, Sarah Silverman, whose sweet, personal reminisces of incest end in the best alternate punch line of the movie, and Kevin Pollak, whose superb impression of Christopher Walken's version of the joke made me weep to see it end.

I found some of the retellings tedious and not funny. And more than once I thought, Surely they can't make this joke any more disgusting, only to be regaled with another nightmare-inducing version. And, really, I'm not proud of myself for laughing at poop and sex jokes for an hour and a half.

And yet... I think there's more value to the movie than some of its critics would have you believe. Underneath the seemingly endless versions of The Aristocrats, the movie gives us an understanding of the anatomy of a joke, an insider's look at the pure joy of comics performing for each other, and a glimpse into the depraved depths to which their psyches plumb.

Still, I wouldn't take my mom to see it...

rise and shine

I woke up at 4:30am and found myself unable to go back to sleep. The weird thing? I was in a FANTASTIC mood.

It feels like a fog has lifted. My cold--and the fatigue that came with it--is all but gone. I feel focused and driven and really excited about attacking the day.

I didn't realize how desperately my body and mind needed a break until I had no option but to take one. So thank you, sickness. You sucked, but I guess you did your job.

nah, they're not so bad...

I've had some time to reconsider my position on "people" and I'm on much better terms with them today than I was yesterday.

Last night, for instance, I went to see The Bad News Bears with a friend (his idea, not mine--though a surprisingly funny movie) and on my way into the theatre I noticed a security guard stop two kids outside the entrance. He was investigating something they were doing and just as I passed by, he broke into a full-bellied laugh.

"Go ahead. I want to see you try. You've got some balls, kid."

With a clearer view I saw the boys--both with pants and shirts about fifteen sizes too big for their scrawny bodies--attempting to conceal a 2 liter bottle of soda somewhere within their extra folds of fabric.

I passed by with a giggle and didn't get to see if they were successful in making it into the theatre with their secret stash or not. But that security guard made my day for letting them try.

people suck

I submit the following:

Mother and son shot after traffic dispute

U.S. women name Paris Hilton princess

Bush: U.S. to Stay in Iraq Despite Deaths

"Dr. Phil" in for Five

I'm just a ball of fun lately, aren't I? I think I'm going through a post-Hal mourning process. I'll be back to my regular sunshiny self soon...

sick-o-meter

I turned down a back rub from my husband last night because I didn't feel well enough.

That's like the Cookie Monster saying, nah, I've had my fill of cookies, how about some carrots?

Being sick sucks ass.

down for the count

The fact that my throat closed up in the middle of the night--making swallowing about as pleasant as a smack to the face--has led me to believe I might need to take more of a break than I initially intended.

I'm hoping I just caught Thom's cold and don't have, as my swollen glands are want to tell me, strep throat. In any case I'm on tea and hot soup at the moment, and I'm going a little crazy not being more productive.

I forced myself to sit and watch Merchant of Venice on pay per view, and now I'm trying to find some other suitably non-taxing activity without much luck. The meds I'm on are starting to make the screen blur, so I'll cut this short.

My parting thought: Al Pacino really likes to use accents.

the cast...

Because I know my mother would love to see this and it makes me happy, here's the cast and part of the crew of Hal Harry Henry. Check out the cool marquee...

a woman of leisure

We wrapped up Hal yesterday and I'm in recovery mode now.

I think I'll take what's left of today and do absolutely nothing that I should do. For the first time in months I don't have an immediate obligation to be somewhere, work on something, create anything, or help anyone out. And I'm taking a break, damn it!

...for a day at least...

So what will the world offer me today? It would be nice to find some cheesy thriller in a drugstore, go out to the river, plant myself in the grass and read the day away. Or I could go see a movie. I've been anxious to see Hustle & Flow or Mad Hot Ballroom. And for some reason the idea of writing a letter to my grandma sounds appealing... not sure what that's about.

A lot of my friendships have been neglected these past two months, and I should really remedy that. Of course, I'll save that for tomorrow simply because I'm not doing "shoulds" today.

I think I've figured it out: I'm going to grab my severely neglected journal, take it to my favorite cafe, and try to digest all this past week has held. I would do it here, but a girl has to have some private thoughts, you know?