Commencing countdown, engines on

In a few weeks I'll be taking a magical journey, can you guess where?

If you've been paying attention, you've had several hints over the past couple years.  And no, it's not Dirtydumptown USA, population: your mom.  And it's not Dust Mountain or Hoardersville either, so shut up.

Aaannnyyyway, I made myself a to-do list of things I'd like to get done before I take off.  It's pretty long, but I think it will be nice to come home to see some changes I made before I left.

Here's part of the list:

1. Clean the kitchen, meaning under the fridge and stove, and the cupboards too
2. Throw out all carpet scraps that are left from the bedroom removal.  Some of them are still in my basement because they are too large to put in my outdoor container, and I don't have a vehicle to haul them
3. Paint the kitchen/living room long wall green
4. Spray paint and rewire a chandelier
5. Sell books to Powells
6. Weed garden
7. Get the flat files removed from my basement.  My friends are taking them, but we haven't been able to coordinate a time to pick them up yet.
8. Hang curtains on the sliding glass door

Those are the big things.  I know this is boring to read.  Maybe I'll have some good pictures as a result pretty soon. 


Here's a really nice music video from a band I might see next month.  I had forgotten about this song.  I made my co-worker watch it because we were both having a lame time today with some bullshit.  This helped a little.  I'm gonna sort out the linen closet now, re-watch Mr. Robot, and forget my troubles for the rest of the evening.

Reluctant Goodbyes

At the last episode of Twilight Rummage Salerino a pattern began to emerge.  I hear myself saying to people who buy my DVDs, "This is a really good movie/TV show.  It's so good I had to sell it so I wouldn't watch it anymore."  Let's consider the following:

Miami Vice - Season 3
I've lost track of how many times I watched this set.  It's because until recently the other seasons were lost in my basement.   It's good viewing anytime, but it's better than a sunlamp during gloomy Portland winters.  Some spoilers of S3: Crockett goes off his rocker.  Tubbs goes off his rocker.  Det. Zito gets a hot shot in the neck (I was sad about that one).  Lt. Castillo glowers.  Also, Liam Neeson, Helena Bonham Carter, and Lou Diamond Phillips make appearances, among others.  Wowee!!

London Boulevard
I like gangster movies for some reason, I think for the same reason I like books like Dune or stories that take place in manor houses.  Complex unwritten social laws, mores and politics underpin what everyone does and says.  When someone diverges (in LB, that would be Colin Farrell's part), it's like cutting the head off a chicken.  His breach, in this instance, is leaving prison and trying to go straight.  I know you've heard it all before. I know you're probably thinking I have a Colin F. bias, but that just isn't true.  I do have a funny thing for David Thewlis however:

Stuff like what I've just shown you, I just have it playing on my laptop while I do dishes and other housework.  It's not like it takes my full concentration.  Same goes for the VHS copy of Pretty in Pink that I'd watch at least a couple times a week when I was overseeing The Bad Apple store.  Finally I stuck it in the window display, and it got snapped up soon afterwards.

Is it weird that this is my favorite scene?  

OK, I'm cutting myself off.  I just caught myself trying to watch that scene from LB again.  See ya later, loonies.