Light, literally and metaphorically. And lots of puns.

About two months ago, the internet blew up.

Okay, so that's not quite true.  I'm still on it.  Case in point.
What I mean when I say "the internet blew up" is really "my friends made a really, really big deal about the soundtrack to a new movie coming out."
Movie?

Music?  

 

Now, I'm all for soundtracks that fit the movie.  I don't want to watch anything of Austen's with a punk-rock score, and, let's be honest, an organ just doesn't fit with anything in Iron Man.
However, we're talking about a band called Daft Punk.  I like Simon & Garfunkel.  The Beatles.  Butch Walker.  Rufus Wainwright.
So when all of my friends (it seemed) went completely mad for this new soundtrack, practically foaming at the mouth, I didn't really pay attention.  Well, until the third time or so I heard about it, and then it just became irritating.

I was wrong.
So very wrong.

Today was my first Saturday night back at Coe, and a group of us went out to Sushi House (even better when you've been craving salmon tempura maki since November) and then to the movies.  And we went to see Tron.

Overall, I didn't much care for the movie.  I haven't seen the original, so there were some things that didn't make any sense (starting with the title).  And there were some other things, too.  From my understanding, everything in the Grid is a Program (except for the Users--which, incidentally, doesn't make Clu's genocide a genocide.  A Program, at least the way I think about it, isn't a sentient being).
A Program is code.  Code is binary--a series of ones and zeros.  Near the end of the movie, one of the Programs falls into a sea, and (from my understanding--again, not having seen the original) drowns.
One: how is it binary is affected by water?  And two: if it is, why have a sea?
I suppose most of my complaints have to do with the fact that everything in the Grid is binary.  That kind of ruins emotional attachment.  I'm not one to hug my computer.

Anyway.  The movie earned a resounding "meh" from me, but I feel in love with the music.  I don't like electronic sounding music, but Daft Punk and their 85-piece orchestra was sheer brilliance.
It's very consistent in basic form, but then it gets layered, almost like building blocks.  However, they also manage to keep it fairly minimalistic, in keeping with the visual simplicity of the movie.  In addition, the music fits into the film nearly seamlessly--one of the best I've seen/heard, if not the best.
It stands well on its own as well (listen here, and start with track four to hear what they've done with the original).

Final score:
The movie barely squeaked by in earning its $9.25.  I would gladly pay that for the soundtrack, though, and may do just that.
But the extra $3.00 for 3D is so very, very painfully not worth it.  [Did you hear that, Disney?  STOP THE 3D INSANITY!]

m.

And, just for the record, Cillian Murphy appears in one scene in the movie and is uncredited (according to IMDB).  I caught it, and knew who he was.

Patterns

There are a few things in my life I'm good at.

Okay, I like to believe there are more than a few things. But that's not the point.

I've always been a reader. I love the stories, but, in addition, I love words. Often, I've wondered if being good at spotting and/or developing patterns (another thing I'm not too shabby at), has something to do with the speed at which a person reads. Leaving behind my love of the stories, I'm a considerably fast reader, it seems like, and although I've never timed myself, I can move through a document faster than a number of people I know.

I once asked my mom--I don't remember what lead up to the question--if, when she read, she heard someone "reading" in her head. She said yes.

This has lead me to a new theory. When you read, your brain skips the smaller words and fills in the blanks. I think that the more patterns you recognize (the pattern of words within the sentence), the faster you become. Because you read (really read) fewer words, you have the ability to move faster through the text.

I also think it possible to read faster if you don't hear someone in your head.

Although I think this is a pretty good theory, I didn't have much to base it on until I came across something called "spreed." It's fascinating. They hold that you can become a faster reader simply by reading faster than your brain can read to you. To prove this, they feed you one word at a time (you have to tell it to) at 300 wpm, and then tell you to play around with it until you find a speed that seems comfortable. Although it can be harder to read a book like that (in part, because you don't get words fed to you one-by-one in a book), it gives you, I think, more confidence to read a document faster than you think you can.

It's not too bad for some impressive, if insane, bragging rights. For instance, I know I can read at least 600 wpm. I just...choose to leave out some of the minor details.

m.

compiling

I've begun compiling a list--at least in my head--of things I need to take to Turkey.

It's recommended that I only take one suitcase and stuff a duffel inside of it. I think that's what I'm going to do, although I have a sneaking suspicion I'll end up with a couple things that won't fit into the one bag.

However, Turkey is known for its textiles, so my logic is this: the less I take, the more I'll have to buy when I'm over there.

See how well it all works out?

There are, though, some things I know I need to take.

Brandon, for one. Not taking a camera to Turkey is like not taking air when you go scuba diving.

Emma and Emily, my laptop and iPod, respectively.

I'm an advocate for naming technology--I think it works better when you name it. For those of you who know me slash my technology, Ed, my former iPod, is just that: former. My mom recently got a MacBook (she was Maggie before she was out of the box), and while Emma is still mine (named after the fantastic Mrs. Peel of the original Avengers), I got the new music player. While I prefer the shape of the first generation (it's a touch), he's a bit titchy.

In my opinion, he just rebelled against his name. The full name is Edward, and although that's his name (don't ask; we've established I'm strange, and let's just leave it at that), he doesn't seem to like it.

So now there's Emily, and she's coming with me.

I also need to decide on a book. I sincerely hope one will be enough. It needs to be long, to last me the 16 hour flight to Istanbul plus two layovers, but I can't fill my bag with books.

Currently, I'm thinking that the unabridged Les Miserables will be good. I've read the abridged version and I like it, it's about 2,000 pages (should last me at least a month), and since I reread The Pillars of the Earth earlier this summer, it's out.

Some pens, my journal (maybe a second), and drawing pencils.

I'm still trying to figure out if there's something else that's vital. This is the first time I've spent this much time anywhere out of the country (although it often feels as though Iowa is). A good sense of adventure, I suppose, would be a good idea.

And excitement. Excitement would be good, although I think I already have it covered.

m.