Quote of the Day: Rick Gekoski

November 7, 2010 at 9:29 pm (Books, Eavesdropping, Links, Recommended, Sundays, Weather)
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Oh, it is so dreary today!  Absolutely dreary.

Which, self has to say, is doing wonders for her blogging energy.

During a lull in the rainclouds, self ventured to the backyard for an inspection of her plants.  She’d no sooner set garden clog on soggy earth than the heavens re-opened.

Is this self’s fourth post of the day?

Must be.

Here’s something self stumbled upon in the Spectator Book Club, a quote from Rick Gekoski by Selina Hastings, in her review of Gekoski’s 2009 book, Outside of a Dog:  A Bibliomemoir

Every reading experience vibrates subtly across the jelly of being.

Isn’t that such a wonderful sentence?  Doesn’t it capture so exactly the wonder of reading?  How it can transform your life, your everyday mundane dull otherwise un-exciting life?

Stay tuned, dear blog readers.  Stay tuned.

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The New Five-O is the New Awful

November 7, 2010 at 7:27 pm (Eavesdropping, Sundays, television)
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Self can’t resist, simply can’t resist getting into this one hammer and tongs!

She read Heather Havrilesky’s review on Salon.com, and left a comment (Self loves Heather Havrilesky.  She’s been reading Salon.com forever because of Heather.  Right away, dear blog readers know where self is coming from.  So, don’t bother to read the rest of this post if you hate HH)

First of all, self watched the second episode of this show while she was at the San Jose Fairmont.  Waiting for Dearest Mum to wind up her fab dinner with President Noynoy and assorted party.

A few days later, while having lunch at the Burlingame Country Club with Dearest Mum and assorted aunts, one of self’s aunts proclaimed her enthusiasm for the show, and swooned over Scott Caan, saying he was the perfect rendition of his father, James.

So, self checked out a few more episodes, and –

No, Scott Caan does not look the slightest bit like James Caan.

Self left a comment (No. 15) on Heather’s review.  And, this always happens:  self leaves a comment, and suddenly there are 50 comments after hers.  This time was no exception (Perhaps self should call this blog The Kanlaon Post, or something)  There are people hating on her, hating on Heather, defending Grace Park (whose character on “Five-O” is a limp dishrag compared to what she played on “Battlestar Galactica.”  In fact, she has no character on “Five-O.”  Only a cute face and a great body)

OK, bring on the hate, Five-O lovers!

Stay tuned.

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Rainy, First Sunday of November 2010

November 7, 2010 at 3:00 pm (short story collections, Sundays, Weather, Writing)
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It is raining today.  Feels like it has been raining for hours.  Time moved backwards, so that the clock says 6:53 even though she expected it to say 7:53.  Out in the living room, she hears the beagles jumping and clattering all over the hardwood floor, trying their darndest (Beagles are so dumb) to wake her up.  Well, she is up.  But, unless they can hear her typing, she will pretend she is still asleep.

This morning, still reading Joshua Ferris, she comes to a section of his novel where a character named Lynn, recently diagnosed with breast cancer, thinks of the time she drove a lousy car around Lake Michigan.

Self too had a lousy car.  Several of them, in fact.  She wrote about one of them in a story called “The Lost Language,” one of those hybrid stories that are part essay and part fiction, that is told in segments.  And it was published in Isotope, whose fabulous editor was Chris Cokinos, but now no one in America (or anywhere else in the world) will ever read it, because two years ago, Isotope ceased to be.

“The Lost Language” is the title story of the collection that was published last year in Manila by Anvil.  Maybe people in Manila will read it.  Maybe a dozen people?

And then this year she finished a novel called “Leaving.”  It was about a Filipino maid.  Then Mona Simpson came out with her big novel about a Filipino maid.  Then self watches on YouTube as Mona Simpson reads from the section of her novel that has to do with a Filipino maid.  The maid is called “Lola.”  She is far more competent with children than Mona Simpson is.  Oh.  Wasn’t that Dear Departed Sister’s maid?  The one self just encountered in New York, this last trip with Dearest Mum?  Her sister’s maid was getting paid so much money, self wished she were a maid and not a writer.  Seriously.

Self, where is this going?

Rainy thoughts, rainy thoughts.

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Since Self Is Already In a Blogging Mood

November 7, 2010 at 3:29 am (Lists, Movies)
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She might as well go ahead and list (for the nth time) her favorite movies (so far) of 2010.

Especially as she’ll be traveling in December and likely won’t have time to watch movies.  Unless she can sneak away and go to Greenbelt by herself, as she did last time she was home (January 2009).   She remembers watching Ang Tanging Ina Ninyong Lahat, munching on a huge bag of chicharon, and laughing so hard self is sure the other people in the audience thought she was nuts.  Self loves Ay-Ay!

Herewith, the list (Movies followed by asterisks are in her “Top 10″)

  • Kinatay (Because, even though it was hard to watch, she can’t forget it –  especially the scene when the taxi breaks down!)
  • The Social Network*
  • Due Date
  • Never Let Me Go*
  • Cairo Time*
  • Get Me to the Greek
  • Inception*
  • Mother and Child*
  • Please Give
  • Winter’s Bone*
  • Get Low*
  • Restrepo*
  • Kick-Ass
  • The Ghost Writer*
  • Dinner for Schmucks*
  • Machete
  • The Book of Eli
  • The Town

Let’s see, self’s favorite actress of the year is a four-way tie between Naomi Watts, Carey Mulligan (in “Never Let Me Go”), Keira Knightley (Best Villain, in “Never Let Me Go”), and Patricia Clarkson.

Best “finds” of the year would be Alexander Siddig (“Cairo Time”), Andrew Garfield, and Justin Timberlake (Who knew he could act so well?  Self loved his portrayal of Sean Parker) and Danny Trejo (in “Machete” –  self died laughing)  Oh, and Bill Murray, of course –  how could she forget his performance in “Get Low”?

So, self’s favorite movies of 2010 were either really sad, really violent, or really funny.

And sometimes really sad/funny.  Or funny/violent.  Or sad/funny/violent.

(Sorry, self doesn’t really like animated movies.  Oh, wait, Zack Snyder’s “Legend of the Guardians” was pretty good!  Good because it was strange.  Even, creepy)

Stay tuned, dear blog readers.  Stay tuned.

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