I'm Bored--Here's a Post

Dina's off at some Ambassadorial Weekend event at the university, so I'm off my usual Saturday routine (reading in bed) and looking for something to do. I amused myself for a little while watching the obese man across the street load up his family's collection of ATVs on the extended trailer for what I presume will be a long day of environmental destruction. Every member of the family, as far as I can tell, is grossly obese, including the two children. They drive an extended cab pickup and a slightly smaller pickup and eat a lot of fast food. About a week ago, the obese daughter was learning to ride her bike, but she seems to have abandoned that effort for the much simpler gratification of riding up and down the street on her new ATV.

One of the problems with living in a suburb built on converted farmland is that most of the people who live here seem to feel licensed to drive their off-road vehicles on the streets, regardless of the large number of roaming children and unleashed pets also on the streets. Then there are the wannabe ranchers who have purchased the lots next to their homes and set up tiny horse corrals. I feel bad for the horsies, confined in narrow pens that don't allow them to do much but stand around.

I can't help feeling that I don't really belong here, but there are few places that I really felt I did belong. I guess the last place I lived where I felt really comfortable was Logan, probably by virtue of having stayed there so long.

Went to see Capote last night. Even knowing the story, I was struck by the great sense of emptiness to the lives of Truman Capote and the subjects of his book at the end of the film. Philip Seymour Hoffman's portrayal of Capote, however, was one of the most impressive transformations of an actor I've seen. His Capote was both familiar and unnerving, in the sense that the scenes in which we see him entertaining a small group of devoted followers (It's hard to imagine that Capote had many true friends, although, as he says in the film, "I know a lot of people.") made me laugh out loud, while at the same time recognizing the same diversions I sometimes use in my own conversations to avoid anything like an honest emotion. The scene that takes place after Capote's first reading of what will become In Cold Blood was especially insightful. Capote is visibly moved by the audience's reaction, but backstage, as he's relating some bawdy tale of his pants ripping, a man comes to shyly congratulate Capote on the depth of his characterizations. Capote offers a polite thanks, but when the man leaves, he turns the whole incident into a kind of publicity joke for his backstage groupies, saying, "Have any of you met my father?"

A film that manages to deconstruct the writing process, provide an unblinking look at the almost vampiric nature of Capote's craft, reflect back on the viewer's own shortcomings, and allow a favorite actor to bust out of his usual roles is a film worth recommending to you.

I'm holding off on my Oscar picks until I see Brokeback Mountain, but since I'm sure you won't sleep well until you know my preferences, I will go see it as soon as possible.

Here are some possibilities for the rest of my day:

• Listen to the 45s I liberated from the campus radio station
• Grade student papers
• Download music
• Catch up on the DVR backlog
• Send out publicity info on the next screening in my film series
• Blog about the first night of my film series

While you're thinking about what you're gonna do today, check out yet another indication of why this nation is rapidly becoming a bastion for religious fundamentalists.

Finally, I've been meaning to do this for weeks, but I'm adding Kottke.org and Chronicle West to my list of blog links. They are two of my favorite sources for internet reading, and I have enjoyed drinking beer with at least one of the authors.