happy boston marathon day!

The Squid and the Whale is one of the best movies I have seen in ages. It is Anderson-esque (he's actually one of the producers of the film) but, in my humble opinion, it's better than most of his work. If I had to compare it to one of his films I'd go with Rushmore--The Royal Tenenbaums was more self-conscious and insincere--only in that it's an unusual film that is tightly written and character driven. It only had a 1.5 million dollar budget and was shot in 23 days leaving very little time to screw around with much which was the best thing that could have happened to this little film that could. I love films that are chockfull of flawed characters that somehow manage to come off as likeable--Jeff Daniels' character really was a bastard and yet I could not help but wish I could sit down with a couple of bottles of wine and bullshit incessantly with him about Kafka and Dickens. Despite the depressing set-up of a family breaking up, the movie really is funny. And the music is worth checking out especially given the inclusion of an old School House Rock song.

It turned out to be a delightful Easter weekend, for the most part. It started off Friday night with the first major hike of the season at the Dunes. It really was spectacular even with the, uh, "planned detour" my guide decided to go with. Dinner at the Boathouse was next (they have PBR on tap!!) followed by an unexpected visit from Ms. Minnesota (soon to be Ms. Colorado) at the Sandbar. Saturday was spent biking about town running errands. Saturday night found us indecisive as usual and, in fact, it wasn't until we were on the road that Cambridge House was decided upon. Kevdek, Xtina, Shadetree, Nick and Brooke, and Fatty all came out for some adult beverages and conversation. How.I.love.the.Stella.Artois. Sunday was spent with the Berghoef clan for a relaxing lunch followed by Chinese for supper and the above mentioned film. All in all, I'd say I had a pretty stellar weekend.

I finally finished Kindred--it was the first time I knowingly chose to read a science fiction book. I found myself highly critical of the writing, but pretty interested in overall concepts of the book. It was written in first person and I never really got a sense of the main characters. They lacked depth-a major problem for me as I dig on character-driven novels. Butler also had this irritating need to spell out the obvious. Despite all of that, I still managed to get some enjoyment out of it. And I think I finally grasp the reason sci fi is such a popular and specific genre--it's all about experiencing realities from different perspectives. It's the concepts that make the novels interesting. I'm bypassing Lonesome Dove for now as I've got my hands on a copy of A Confederacy of Dunces (a book I have started so many times, I've lost count) and I just started--after being granted permission from the author--a first novel that hasn't been published yet. It's the first time I'm reading something straight off a computer and I'm finding myself missing the tactile experience of paper and binding, but thus far I'm thoroughly enjoying the story.

I think I'm going to go to Reader's World after work (mostly because I need to mail my tax forms on 8th and River--yeah, they've technically been finished since mid-February, but in typical Erin fashion, I've waited until the last possible moment to send them out) where I'll contemplate purchasing my own copy of Dunces and peruse the poetry journals. I figure I'll probably be famished by that point which leaves me little choice but to eat at the Windmill.

Poor me.