The Bitch of Living

There are too many notecards in my area. I could literally build a freaking house out of all these notecards. Also, what am I supposed to do with all of these notecards when I'm done using them to study? Maybe I should get a filing cabinet. I really really want one. A metal one so I can put jazzy magnets on it. Yeah...

My Government final is going to be deadly. It covers everything from public policy to political parties to voting behavior to elections to foreign and domestic policy and oh yeah, the freaking economy. The whole thing is interesting, no doubt. It's just that the more people teach me about these things, the more upset I get about the state of things. Don't even get me started. But I literally cried the other day because I am just so upset about who shitty things are. Just all over, ya know? So upsetting.

Also upsetting: the huge amount of info covered in my World History final. I mean, really. World War I all the way to like, today. That's a whole freaking century of info. IN EVERY CONTINENT. The mind reels. I love history. I think it is essential to know what's shaped the world into what it is today, and this time period is of particular importance because it actually affected or is affecting everyone. But, damn this test is a lot.

I'm not evening going to touch on Astronomy. I don't care. It's ridiculous. Except for Dark Matter and The Big Bang. That's mildly interesting.

Wednesday=Movie Night w/ Callie
Thursday=Chinese Foodie for Taylor's Bday. Shhh. It's a surprise.
Friday=TAYLOR SWIFT+Callie/Bekah+ 1 bottle of wine= :)
Saturday= Bailey's Birthday. But I don't get to see her because she's adamant about not spending time with me anymore. Hey, I miss you. K?

I'm also fairly sure I'm going to have to paint in my freaking basement AGAIN this weekend. How about some of you assholes help a sistah out, hmm? You'd think since I let your asses get super drunk on a regular basis you might want to hurry the process along so we can have a party. Just saying.

In other news, I am obsessed with the Spring Awakening soundtrack. I can't stop listening to it and I'm pissed that no one took me to NYC to see it when it was there.

"Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains." -Jean Jacques Rousseau

(Note: "The Bitch of Living" from Spring Awakening. Go to iTunes and listen to the soundtrack. You'll be glad you did.)

Imagine

Glee has inspired me to write a new blog merely three days after my last confession. I love Glee. Even though it's all bright and shiny it still has meaning (unlike Sideways World). In case you live under a rock, Glee is about a Glee Club at some high school somewhere. I don't know how all these really amazing singers just so happen to go to the same high school but that's irrelevant. Anyway, everyone hates them and they're unpopular and people throw slushies in their face. Except for the cheerios (sent to spy for Sue Sylvester) and Finn and Puck (because they're on the football team), they're kind of popular.

Anyways, the Glee Club has: 2 asians (one with a fake stutter), a dude in a wheelchair, a gay guy on the football team, a pregnant chick, 2 Jews (one with two gay dads), a big black girl, a dumb blonde cheerleader, a slutty latina cheerleader, and that black guy that can dance.

A huge amount of diversity and they all get along. They all care about each other, even though sometimes they don't admit it. They're all in the same club, working toward the same goal. It's beautiful.

I wish that the world was actually like this. I wish that everyone everywhere accepted people for whatever they are. Like, it's okay if there's a Muslim on the Supreme Court or it's perfectly fine that my next door neighbor loves men. Sure, gay marriage, that's cool. You're sixteen and pregnant? Sure, you can get an abortion. Whatever. Nationalized health insurance so people with pre-existing conditions (like being in a wheelchair) can have insurance? Sure, thing.

After all, aren't we all in the same club? We're all Americans aren't we? It doesn't matter if you consider yourself to be African American, Asian American, Irish American, etc., there's still one thing in common with every one of those labels. They're all American.

So why should it be such a BFD if your taxes go up so that Artie can have wheelchair ramps installed in the auditorium? Why does it matter so much to you if Quinn wants an abortion so maybe she can finish high school? Her parents won't support her and last time I checked she doesn't have a place to live. Does it really affect your life so much if Kurt wants to get married to his boyfriend? Is it such a shame that we (allegedly) respect every religion in this country instead of having one national religion (Christianity, obviously) so that it's okay if Puck and Rachel celebrate Hanukah?

What's the big freaking deal?

People these days.

XOXO

(Note: "Imagine" covered by Glee Cast. I so shouldn't have to tell you who originally sang it. Because then we wouldn't be friends. So if you don't know, Bing it. Seriously.)

We're All In The Dance

All I ever do is watch movies. I watch them all the time. Every spare second of my life, I'm thinking...104 minutes...can I fit this in before Government? Or, should I watch EVERY Katherine Hepburn film or just the ones that sound interesting? The answer, of course, is every one. Because anything with Kate Hepburn in it is interesting. She's known as the world's greatest actress for a reason, folks.

Recent watches: The Reader (A+), An Education (A+), The Queen (A), Alice Adams (A), How To Marry A Millionaire (A-), Monster (A), Smokey and the Bandit (B), La vie en Rose (A+), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (A+), A Streetcar Named Desire (A), The Aviator (A)

Seriously though, people don't watch good movies these days. I mean, really. I'm upset about it. No one saw The Reader and it was nominated for an Academy Award in 08! It was fantastic. But since it didn't have explosions or Megan Fox it's just unacceptable. Whatever. Bring on the superhero movies.

LOST is depressing me. Only six hours left. Jesus.

WHY? OH WHY? did someone decide to place Glee in the 9:00 time slot on Tuesdays??? Do they not understand that Tuesday is LOST Day?? I blame you, American Idol.

Speaking of, I think it's high time we pull the plug. I mean, the only people who've ever been successful from American Idol are: Kelly Clarkson (B), Carrie Underwood (A), Jennifer Hudson (A+), and that Daughtry guy (whatever). Unless of course you count Clay Aiken, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia, David Cook/Archuleta, etc. as successful. I love Katherine McPhee but even I can see the truth.

I had a really really good time on Tybee with my mom and brother and sister and Callie. It was fun. We saw a lighthouse and a house that Miley Cyrus sat on one time. And we ate seafood and went on a ghost tour and watched shows about murder. And had a hellacious argument (again) about Harry Potter. Oh, and in case you're wondering, Wet Willies does in fact make the best daiquiris.

I made an 86 on my last Astronomy exam. Kiss my butt Interstellar Medium! Haha!

I'm going to see Taylor Swift in like, two weeks or something. It's going to rock. I don't care what you say.

This semester is almost over. Then I get a mini-break before Summer classes. Then it's summer and that means: Beach, Savannah, New Apartment, New Book Releases, Hanging With People I Love, etc. Yay!

Also, Marlon Brando is sexy. Damn.

"If you never do anything, you never become anyone." -An Education

(Note: "We're All In The Dance" by Fiest. Go download it. It's better than Usher's new song, I assure you.)

Don't Fear The Reaper

WE KNOW WHAT THE ISLAND IS!!!!

Oh. My. Lanta. Last night's episode of LOST was basically the best thing that's ever happened to me. Just excellent. Somebody give Nestor Carbonell on Emmy for crying out loud. I mean, seriously up there with some of my personal faves.

It's officially the half-way point in the final season of one of the greatest shows on television. I think it's time for a brief summary.

First off, in the words of Jacob (that I so carefully recorded): "Think of this wine as what you keep calling hell. There are many other names for it too-- malevolence, evil, darkness-- and here it is, swirling around in the bottle, unable to get out. Because if it did, it would spread. THE CORK IS THIS ISLAND. And it's the only thing keeping the darkness where it belongs." So prettymuch, The Island exists to keep Smokey at bay. The Island also has to have a Jacob to make sure that little cork stays put. No Jacob=Smokey pops bottles like he won the championship game. Or a NASCAR race.

Also, it's kind of like having a happy little suburban town sitting directly on top of... A HELLMOUTH. Everyone, call Buffy. She'd be an excellent replacement for Jacob. Much better than most of his so-called "candidates." Just saying.

We also found out why our dear friends (and hated enemies) are present on The Island: "That man (Smokey/The Man in Black/Locke/The Devil?) that sent you to kill me, believes that everyone is corruptible because it's in their very nature to sin. I bring people here to prove him wrong and when they get here, their past doesn't matter. I want them to help themselves to know the difference between right and wrong without me having to tell them. It's all meaningless if I have to force them to do anything."

Just for the record, I totally called it after last season's finally. I'm pretty sure anyone that watches LOST with the ferocity that me, Rachael, Bailey, and sometimes Callie (when she isn't texting someone or reading a Nicholas Sparks novel) watch with totally got it as well. Hasn't the entire point of LOST been to show us these terribly flawed, sometimes unforgivably flawed, characters with a clean slate on The Island? And how, sometimes, they rise above their previous M.O. and become truly great, sometimes heroic, characters? See: Confidence Man Sawyer- Lafleur, Creepy Scary Ben-All I Want Is To Be Needed Ben, Scary Maybe-Untrustworthy Juliet- Sawyer Loving Juliet Who Sacrifices Herself, Criminal Kate- Helpful Tree Climbing Kate, Asshole Jin- Sexy Jin That Lets Sun Unbutton Her Shirt, the list goes on.

EPISODES OF SEASON SIX IN ORDER OF AWESOMENESS: #1 "Ab Aeterno", #2 "The Substitute", #3 "Dr. Linus", #4 "LAX", #5 "Lighthouse", #6 "Recon", #7 "Sundown", #8 "What Kate Does"

QUOTES I LOVE THIS SEASON: "You can let go now."-Rose (LAX), "I made her stay on this island because I didn't want to be alone. You can understand that right?"-Sawyer (What Kate Does), "I don't trust myself."-Jack (What Kate Does), "There are miracles, John. And the only thing I was ever waiting on was you."-Helen (The Substitute), "John Locke was... a believer. He was a man of faith. He was a much better man than I will ever be. And I'm very sorry I killed him."-Ben (The Substitute), "Sometimes, you can jump into a cab and tell someone what to do. Other times, you have to let them stare at the ocean for a while."-Jacob (Lighthouse), "What if I told you, you could have anything you ever wanted?" "I would tell you, the only thing I ever wanted died in my arms. And I'll never see it again." "What if you could?"-Smokey & Sayid (Sundown), "I was afraid I was going to lose everything that ever really mattered to me: my power. But the thing that really mattered was already gone."-Ben (Dr. Linus), "Because he's the only one who'll have me." "I'll have you."-Ben & Ilana (Dr. Linus), "We ain't taking the plane, Freckles. We're taking the sub." -Sawyer (Recon), and everything that anyone said in last night's episode.

So...how are they going to resolve Sideways World vs. Island World? How does Smokey plan on leaving the island? Who is going to be The Substitute? Is everyone going to die? Seriously, where is Desmond?

And I really would type the rest of my questions--I have a list, don't worry--but I should really put on some pants and go to class. Do these people not know that I must read all of Luke 4 and determine its significance to LOST??? Really, is Health that important???

Until we meet again.

(Note: "Don't Fear The Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult. Funnily enough, I couldn't get it out of my head after last night. I think it should be Smokey's theme.)

Amazing Grace

For those of you who don’t care, this post is dedicated to my final theory of Lost. Not to say that I won’t have more theories after the glorious evening of February 2nd. This is just everything I’ve gathered thus far and what I think everything means. Which could actually be a load of hogwash in the long run, but I digress. Anyways, even if you guys aren’t obsessed with Lost like me, you may want to stick around. You might learn a thing or two.

It has long been obvious that Lost is not a show about a bunch of people who crash on an island. They do crash, and they are lost, but not just because they have no idea where they are. This is a show about people. What makes you human. What makes you flawed. A story of the human condition. It’s not about the fact that these strangers are lost on an island, or lost in the forest. The castaways of Oceanic Flight 815 are metaphorically lost within themselves. Each one has a flaw, or a secret, or a stain on their record. What some of them don’t realize is that by crashing on this island they’ve been given what so many people long for: tabula rasa or a “blank slate.” Upon which they are free to write what they will.

A con man can become a gracious leader with a heart of gold. A torturer can be a symbol of hope and strength. A marriage so weighed down with deceit and lies can rise up and embody the true love that is at its roots. A man embittered with his father can finally be at peace with himself. A cripple can once again walk among the people who look to him for hope. A drug addict can become a father figure and protector. A fugitive can become the girl next door who you always knew would break your heart. A man who has been called a coward can save the world by pushing a button.

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now I’m found, was blind but now I see.”

Forgiveness. Redemption. Betrayal. Murder. Salvation. Revenge. Life & Death. Fate vs. Free Will. Rebirth. Good vs. Evil. All of these are common themes in Lost. But what everything really boils down to is faith.

John Locke has always been the self proclaimed “Man of Faith” to Jack’s “Man of Science.” But at the end of season five, we see Jack’s evolution into a man of faith. He now believes completely and whole heartedly in destiny and fate. This represents one of the two huge role reversals we see in last year’s season finale. The other being a Locke/Ben situation. For seasons now we’ve seen Ben as the ultimate badass. He always has a plan after all. Always. He’s always in the know of what’s going on. He’s the man behind the curtain. Ben has always manipulated Locke expertly into doing the things Ben wants him to do. Yet, now we’ve seen the complete opposite when Locke convinces Ben to murder Jacob. Of course, as we all know, Locke isn’t Locke he’s actually the Man In Black, Jacob’s Nemesis, Mr. Loophole, Smokey, etc. But that’s another matter. Anyways, these roll reversals are huge. Both Jack and Ben cause the catastrophic season finale after all. Jack decides to blow up a hydrogen bomb and Ben kills Jacob (Christ?).

These incidents, of course, both stem from each individual’s fatal flaw. Jack has always searched for a purpose, to fix things, to make things better. He married his greatest accomplishment. He got like 5 people off the island. He took everyone to the rape caves (Shannon). Yet when he’s off the island and seemingly happy he does the exact same thing that got his father fired: alcohol. He ruins his relationship with Kate and then tries to jump off a bridge. I won’t mention the beard. So, when he gets back to the island and Sawyer is the leader now, he’s all jealous and whiny. And when Faraday comes along with a plan, Jack is all for getting that power back so he goes with this whole idea of altering time and thus messing with the space time continuum, etc. etc. Ben just wants to feel wanted and needed. His father blamed him for the death of his mother during childbirth. The only person that ever really gave a shit about him was that girl Annie that gave him that wooden doll (Whatever happened to her is going to be important.) He’s always been alone in the world until he initiated The Purge and became the leader of the Others. All of a sudden he was needed. Then, when Locke confronts him with the ugly truth: that maybe Jacob just used Ben. Maybe he was never really needed, Ben is all for stabbing the dude even though he’s like, the nicest guy ever. “A man does what he does because he wants something for himself.”

So, you see, there are always two sides. It takes two to tango, after all. “Two players. Two sides. One light. One black.” Ben vs. Locke. Locke vs. Jack. Jack vs. Sawyer. Jacob vs. Mr. Loophole. And so on. But can anyone ever really win?

Wow. I digress, again. Sorry. Back to my theories:

1. Juliet succeeded in blowing up the H-bomb and we’ll see a reset of the timeline. I’m totally right on this, you guys. We’ll see the plane land in LAX. But, everything is gonna suck of course.( I mean have you seen Back to the Future? His mom hits on him!) And everyone’s fates are still intertwined. For instance: Maybe Kate still delivers Claire’s baby? Maybe Jack still saves someone’s life? Maybe Locke is still a figure of hope for someone? Maybe Hurley still hits it off with Libby? Everyone who died is back. Jin and Sun still hate each other and everything still basically sucks. Then like 1/3 of the way through the season, people start figuring out that something is amiss. (Like in The Matrix, whenever there was a glitch in reality, everyone saw it as déjà vu, but it was actually reality trying to fix itself.) So everyone bands together to set things right. How? I don’t know. What I do think is that eventually we’ll get back to where season five ended but not for a while. “Because Jack, what’s done is done.”

2. Ilana and her Ajira peeps are Others. Jacob asks Ilana for help. They know about Locke not being Locke. They know about the cabin and the ash surrounding it. Ilana finds a piece of Jacob’s tapestry in the cabin and knows exactly where to go. She asks “What lies in the shadow of the statue?” To which Richard (oldest Other ever) replies: “He who shall protect us all.” Only he says it in Latin (THE LANGUAGE OF THE OTHERS). Totally. Oh and when Jacob says “They’re coming.” He’s probably talking about Ilana and them. Just saying.

3. “You have a choice.” Jacob says this to Ben, just before Ben kills him. I think what he’s trying to say is that you always have a choice. Fate has its plans, yes. But, free will still exists.

4. Jacob is a Christ like figure. Loophole is Devil like. (Coincidently, the official name for Smokey/Loophole is Cerberus. In Greek mythology, Cerberus was the three-headed dog that guarded the Underworld. Coincidence? To quote John Locke: “Do not mistake coincidence for fate.”) Basically, I think Jacob and Loophole have been on The Island forever and that they are there to judge humanity to see if it is worth saving. Loophole is pessimistic and wants out. He doesn’t like playing these stupid games and he’s ready to go home already. So, he concocts this elaborate plan to kill Jacob so he doesn’t have to put up with Jacob’s optimism about the human race any longer. But, Jacob, being Jacob, has his own elaborate scheme to parry his nemesis’s elaborate scheme but he’ll still have to die (a sacrifice? To save his people? Sound familiar?). Jacob knows the whole time what’s up so he’s prepared for his death.

5. “Just because we love each other doesn’t mean we’re meant to be together.” I don’t have a very positive outlook for the romance in Lost. I really wish Sun and Jin would be together in the end. And maybe even Charlie and Claire. Oh, and Desmond and Penny of course. But, things aren’t looking good. I don’t think Kate can just “end up” with anyone. It would be too easy to end the love triangle with her just picking one. The whole point is that she can’t pick. She should be with Jack, but she can’t resist Sawyer. It’ll have to be the men that decide. One way or another. One of them will have to choose to step down or sacrifice himself or something dramatic like that. (PS, whenever Juliet let go of Sawyer and plummeted to her death? I think that was a metaphor of her letting go of Sawyer all together. As she said “You would stay with me forever if I let you.” I think she was letting him go. What a woman.)

6. Some interesting tidbits: On Jacob’s tapestry, in Greek, are the lines “May the Gods grant thee all that thy heart desires.” Perhaps this is Jacob’s power? We know he touches Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley, Sayid, Locke, Jin, and Sun in those flashbacks (Hurley and Sayid were AFTER they had already returned from the island, everyone else was BEFORE they ever went to the island). Jacob also says to Hurley that he isn’t cursed, he’s “blessed”. The tapestry also says: “May the Gods grant thee happiness.” Jacob’s gotta be the good guy. Maybe he wants the castaways to be happy but they keep screwing everything up. (Both of these quotes are from The Odyssey)

7. The bottom of the tapestry also says, in Greek: “Only the dead have seen the end of war.” Which happens to be quote from the Greek philosopher Plato. And… I don’t really know where to go with that. Maybe Jacob wants world peace? Or maybe since war is suffering, he wants to see the people who he chooses suffering to end? By everyone dying? Gosh, that would be sad.

As for the mysteries of Lost, well they’re another matter. What do the numbers mean? Who built the four-toed statue? What is the island? Who put it there? Why does the DHARMA Initiative exist? Who are Adam and Eve? Will they ever leave the island for good? What exactly goes on at The Temple Station? Why was Charles Widmore banished? The list goes on. I’m not so naïve that I expect all the mysteries to be solved and delivered to us in a nice little package. I realize some things will remain a mystery. But, I think some things shouldn’t be known. We shouldn’t know every little thing because that would take away from the magic of Lost—a show that dares to spend whole seasons developing characters and that pushes the envelope of what people expect to see on TV. I just hope they find some way to wrap up everyone’s story the way they’re supposed to end, and somehow reach a conclusion that does the show justice.

But if Kate and Jack end up together, I’m gonna be pissed. Damn it.

In conclusion, I leave you with this lovely clip—which, in my opinion, is the best we’ve seen so far. If you watch very carefully, you can see some new footage. My personal favorite being the emergence of Claire (!!) wielding a gun. Oh, and it totally supports my theory of an alternate timeline.




(Note: “Amazing Grace” by Willie Nelson is the best version of Amazing Grace ever. Plus, they play it in some of the previews for the final season of Lost.)