We're all moved in to the house.  Have been for months.  Still many things stuffed in closets that should be hanging on the wall, or someone else's wall.

I'm uncomfortably busy at work lately.  I don't think it's going to get any better for a few months.

That being said, I'm much happier with the job now than I've ever been.

I started writing a script.  Stopped.  Reworked my angle.  Haven't picked it up since.

Austin newspaper film critics piss me off.

Second wave of Fantastic Fest titles are being released tomorrow (wait...today).  September cannot come fast enough.

Waterloo Video is going out of business.  That makes me sad because it was my favorite place to go during my lunch hour.

The Dark Knight is my favorite crime film since The Untouchables.  Its positive reception critically, publicly, and box-officely is the most refreshing film related event I can recall since Saving Private Ryan.  It's nice when the best film of the year up until that point is also the leader at the box-office.  It's also reinvigorated my thirst for movie posters.

In 2003 Ang Lee made a film called HULK.  It was received semi-fairly by critics, but left audiences cold with its dim story and lack of pure summer excitement.  The result- the film cost $137 million to make, grossed $132 million domestically and $245 million combined worldwide.

In 2008 Louis Letterier made a film called THE INCREDIBLE HULK.  It was received better by critics than Ang Lee's film, and it even satisfies the summer moviegoing audiences' desires of destruction moreso than Ang's.  The result- the film cost $150 million to make, has grossed $133 million domestically and $228 million combined worldwide.......

That's ha-ha funny.


 

Ever since March 3rd things have been rollin'.  We closed on the home March 3rd,  and I was offered / sought out moving to another position in the company.  Two very big changes, and both for the better.
The house is coming along quite nicely.  Our lease at the apartment complex isn't up until April 5th, and since we closed on the house March 3rd it gave us the entire month to get everything moved out and situated.  We used the first weekend of March to clean the house, and repaint one of the bedrooms.  The second weekend we rented the Uhaul and got some friends and family to help us move about 90 percent of the apartment to the house.  I took two days off from work the week of Good Friday, and used one of those days to move everything else over.  From then until now it's been just a daily schedule of giving ourselves a goal to work through so many boxes, until the time comes when the house is about as close to 100% the way we want it as we can get it without spending an arm or a leg.
Graciously, we accepted a brand new rerigerator courtesy of my parents, and an embarrassingly large sum of money from Victoria's mom, which I won't disclose, to help us buy some new furniture.  So far we've got a new dining room table,  and two pleather recliners for my room / "the movie room".  Today we picked up a computer desk at an estate sale, as well as a few little knick knacks at some garage sales.  We may have received a good deal of money from her Mom, but after moving in we realized exactly how much furniture we'd like to add or replace, so we want to extend that money out to cover as many categories as possible.  The rest of the money will probably go to a bedroom set, and we desperately need a television stand in the living room.  Not a replacement stand, but an initial stand as we never had to buy one before since the last two apartments we've been in had encaved wall space to set up the TV.  Then, hopefully if we can cut some corners somewhere with those two purchases the last thing we'll actually need is a secondary seating for the living room, and eventually we'll pick up an automatic garage door opener to install.
Hopefully we can get this all done by the end of April.  If it was just myself I probably would have purchased it all already, but Victoria is a much stingier shopper than I.  She's a stickler for finding the perfect item, and therefore is the type that would rather deal with the fact that our living room televsision is at shin-level and wait until we find that special stand that sings to us than purchase a serviceable replacement that's an obvious upgrade but may not sing as in tune as the mythical perfect stand that we haven't found yet.  I think we're going to have to work out a timeline where if she hasn't found the perfect set of items by a certain day then we're just going to go with the best thing that we'd found up until then.
As far as the job goes, I was at a point last year where I was reaching my limits.  I had always figured myself as the type of person that could deal with the monotony of a job if I knew the functions significantly well.  Apparently, that isn't the case.  Ever since I'd returned from vacation last September after Fantastic Fest I hadn't been the same.  I was feeling less positive about my job, and started to accentuate all the negatives in my head.  Around mid-October I began to wonder how much longer I was going to be able to deal with it, and if not then wondered if the job was going to change, or if I was going to have to change it myself.  
During this time the customer service aspect of my job began to get nasty.  People were calling me about all kinds of issues that took hours - to days - to weeks to resolve.  This then would set back my daily processing work, and I would start to get incredibly stressed knowing that I had a deadline approaching and I hadn't begun the processing for that particular project that was going to be due.  The amount of paper at my desk probably equaled the death of mid-sized tree.
Then, towards the end of October my boss took a week-long vacation.  What this meant for me was that I was now going to have to sacrifice a few hours of my day so I made sure certain things that she did didn't get ignored.  This severely affected my morale.  Not so much because of the amount of time I was having to devote for that, but because the reason I was so down ever since I'd returned from vacation in September was attributed to nobody doing the same thing for me.  To be fair what I do, or used to do, was something that could be put on the back burner because most of my paperwork is stuff that doesn't necessarily need to be entered in to our system immediately.  As long as it's processed before I do a certain procedure at the beginning of the month then it's no biggy, whereas if something that one of my coworkers goes ignored for two days or so then we start to get more phone calls from angry clients.  In the case of my boss, if I didn't deposit the checks every morning then everyone else's job was set back a day.  Still, I couldn't help but think to myself that I had to put in over 20 hours of overtime just to keep my head above water when I returned from vacation because nobody was able to help me out while I was gone, yet here I am losing time out of my day to do my job and putting in more overtime after I had just gotten myself out of a long and stressful bind because I'm helping someone out while their gone.  Again, it was just a devastating morale buster, and I hadn't been the same at my job ever since.  Not personality-wise, but certainly performance-wise.  I really just didn't want to do the work anymore, but I couldn't bring myself to walk away from the money, which I really needed.  However, I knew that I wasn't going to last a helluvalot longer if something didn't change.  Then came the oppurtunity to do just that.
Two months ago one of our more esteemed employees had to leave the company because of geographic issues.  He lived in San Antonio, and didn't want to leave.  The partners of the company wanted him at the office more often and wanted him to move here to Austin, but he couldn't bring himself to do it, and had to say goodbye.
So, this put a lot of the burden on the shoulders of another esteemed employee who is basically the do-it-all of the office.  He's our one man I.T. guy, phone guy, human resources, etc.  Now, he was going to take over the role of the departed as much as possible, on top of what he was already doing.  What this meant was a new opening in the company to come in and be his back up / understudy / teammate to help him with the workload.
I knew that they were hiring for the position, but I honestly never thought of applying for the job.  I knew very little about that section of the office, and knew even less about  computer systems setup and didn't think I was what they were looking for, at all.
That being said, we do work in a very small company and I do have a close working relationship with our office do-it-all, and word did reach me that if it was up to him I would've been his choice, without question.  The only reason I was never approached about the job was because of their fear of what that may do to my part of the team of where I was.  They didn't want it to seem as if they were just going to come in and take what they need and leave everyone else to fend for themselves.  Even though this posting doesn't express the company in the brightest of lights because of my own woes, we are a very tight-knit company and we all get along very well.  They didn't want to do anything to damage a solid and harmonic working environment, and cause any bitter feuds with my direct boss.
So, I did hear it from someone else in the office though that they really did want me to move out of what I was doing to the other job.  I was ecstatic.  I knew what the job was, and knew that I knew little-to-nothing about any of what I will need to know eventually, but also knew now that even though they knew I didn't anything about that stuff that they felt extremely confident in me that I could do whatever the job required.  What also excited me about the job was that there is absolutely nothing about it that's tedious or repetetive.  I was basically going to become a problem solver and a person to help find better solutions, and I loved it.
So, I then approached my boss about the position and that I wanted to throw my name in the hat.  She had no complaints.  She didn't want to lose me, but she's always looking out for what's in the best interest of her employees.  I knew she'd respond that way, but I still thought it a respectful thing to do to let her know of my intentions.
To make an already long story slightly shorter I approached the right people, I met with the partners, met with a few other people, and a week later they made the announcement that I'd be moving over to the other side of the office.  I was overjoyed.
This all happened about a month ago.  A week later they interviewed people for my old position, and hired a replacement.  She started just this past week, and I've spent most of the week training her about my old job functions and responsibilities.  She's got a good deal of it down, but there's still a lot for me to bestow.  I'm anticipating that by the end of April she'll have most of it down cold, and will just come to me every so often looking for advice on how to handle something.
As for me, I got set up in my new office (yes, an actual office with walls and a window), I got a laptop of which I can bring home, and got a quick run through of what kinds of things I'll be doing.  I got a tour of our server setup and operations, and starting Monday I'll be taking a nosedive into basic computer information 101.  We loaded my new laptop with Office 2007, and I'm still trying to adjust to the layout differences in the different programs.  I learned how to set people up with access to certain parts of our network, and set them up with a company email.  So, I've got about 3 things down out of about a couple of thousand things I'll need to know.  
It's a lot to learn, but I'd much rather be working through all of this and learn different things daily than have to sit down at my desk and repeat what I'd been doing every single day for the past 3 years any longer.  I'm a little nervous about it all, but if they feel pretty certain I can do it then I'll take their word for it.

Also, last but not least, the topic of continuing my education did also come up in the meeting.  It wasn't a stipulation of my getting the job, but they did highly encourage me to seek going back to school.  If it's something I want to pursue they did offer me financial assistance.  As in, they would pay for it.  All of it.
The thought of going back to school had never crossed my mind before that discussion, but with that proposal I have to say that I was taken aback, and I am considering it.

 I went into a Gamestop today during my lunchbreak.  I hadn't been to one in a while since I don't buy games anymore, and they've now pretty much done away with their dvd stock.  However, in the off chance that they had some blu-ray discs as part of their buy 2 get 2 free used dvd sale (they're trying to rid themselves of what's left of their dvd stock) I wanted to give it a shot since I had a ton of time to kill.
So, I get in the store and start looking around.  I find the depleted dvd section and start sifting through the remains for any left behind gems, and nothing pops up, as expected.  I thought that maybe they'd have some hi-def titles separate from the rest of the stock in an effort to satisfy the PS3 owners.  So, I walk up to the guy behind the counter to ask about blu-ray discs, and right as I get there the phone rings.  The guy realizes I'm about to ask him a question and politely asks me to hang on a second while he takes the call.  I comply, and this is what followed.

"Thank you for calling Gamestop where you can sell or trade used games, this is _________, how can I help you?"

..........................

"Oh....hey Travis...."

.............................

"That hasn't been released yet Travis"

..............................

"It's not due out for a few more weeks"

................................

"Yes, we still have your reservation for that"

.................................

"You already asked me that before Travis"

.................................

"MGS4 isn't due out for a few months"

..................................

"No, it's Mature rated"

..................................

"I don't know what else is coming out that isn't M-Rated"

..................................

"I've already answered that question Travis, I'm not gonna answer it again."

................................................................................................................................................................

and so on

For the few that read this journal, you understand 100% who is being referenced here.  Now, I wasn't on the phone with him so I can't say with absolute certainty that the person on the other end was indeed "Travis", but the phone frustrations did seem uncannily similar to the kinds I had myself many a time while employed at Gamefellas.   Even the facial expression as he said "Oh, hi Travis" you could tell that he physically meant "why am I the only one here to answer the phone?"
As I continued to listen to their circular conversation I began to notice that the employee was getting a little harsher with his answering, and I felt bad for Travis.  The guy wasn't blatantly rude, but it was obvious to anyone listening aside from Travis that the guy really wasn't playing up his customer service skills.  I wasn't sure if I should feel bad because Travis is usually oblivious to irritated behavior, but still.  Travis is just a harmless little game freak that's unfortunately a little on the slow side and doesn't realize that he's pestering, and really just wants to converse.  He doesn't deserve to be treated like someone who's purposely trying to get on someone's nerves.  Even though I can fully empathize with the recipient of a Travis phone call there are much better ways to satisfy the both of you than getting impolite with him.
Needless to say, I didn't stay long enough to find out if Gamestop had any blu-ray discs hidden somewhere to the naked eye, or just my eye.  I had plenty of time to look, but to wait through to the end of a Travis phone call would've required me to take some paid time off.

 I didn't make a new year's resolution this year.  Last year's didn't pan out, but oddly I did lose some weight which wasn't a resolution for 2007, but was for 2006.  However, here are some things I can foresee for 2008:

1.  Come March 1st I'll no longer be a slave to rent and see my money go into the hands of a wealthy apartment complex owner, for he/she to do as he/she chooses.  Now, I'm going to be a slave to the bank for fronting the money for Victoria and I to purchase our first home.  The home inspector is checking the house out tomorrow, and the papers are in the works to close on the deal March 1st.  I'm so looking forward to mowing the lawn again.

2.  Maybe this year I'll actually "celebrate" my birthday.  I hadn't really done much for my birthday the past many years, but since the home we're planning on moving into is nicely sized in the living area with a decent backyard, and not too distant from my parents' place I might have some people over to celebrate turning a year over a quarter of a century.

3.  Fantastic Fest 4 will be awesome, because it has no choice.  It may not top FF 3, in fact I doubt it will, but it will rock as it always does.

4.  Hopefully, by the time we move in I'll have watched all of the Criterion dvds that I own but have yet to see the film.  I know that sounds simple being as I've got at least 45 days to watch them all, but believe you me, the number of titles as at least triple that number.

5.  I'll continue to have ideas about doing something film related for a living, but won't motivate myself to take the plunge and leave my job.  Our realtor told me that one of his clients is a screenwriter here in Austin.  Maybe I'll ask him to set up a meeting so I could pick his brain and find out how he got started.

6.  THE DARK KNIGHT will not disappoint.

7.  I think INDY JONES 4 may disappoint.  I just hope not.

8.  Hopefully Universal will release a good number of catalogue titles in hi-def this year.  Something along the lines of the classic horror-monster collections, or the Hitchcock films.  Not likely, but hopefully.

9.  I just had an idea that maybe for my birthday I'll try and find a 96 oz. steak (as in the Old 96er from THE GREAT OUTDOORS) and serve that as the dinner for my birthday.

10.  I will have seen every film that I own at this point in time by the end of the year.  Again, sounds simple, but in order for me to do so I'll have to watch almost 2 films a day.  I need to stop spending money.

 Right during the Thanksgiving holiday I went buyer crazy over upgrading my home entertainment setup.  Until that time I was sitting on a very low-end hi-def 27 inch television with no "real" sound system to speak of.  It was a basic setup to say the least, and with the amount of money I bring in per month I was certainly due, and able to upgrade.  Perfect timing as Amazon began to run their 10 free HD-DVD titles with the purchase of any of the players.  Consider the cost of the player (on sale for $200), and the value of the HD-DVDs I chose, I paid $200 for a $500 value.  Fantabulous.
Later that week, when the HD player arrived I knew I needed to upgrade the television next, otherwise what good is it to watch hi-def on a television that really isn't hi-def?  That's like an ugly woman applying higher-end facial products than what she used to.  It's an upgrade without question, but if you want to see the potential of the product then you should probably apply it onto a face that's a tad smoother, and more accepting of make-up.  So, I utilized the empty space on my Circuit City card to purchase an LG 37 inch 720p television, since I wouldn't have to pay any interest for a full year.  And, while I was at it I purchased an HDMI cable for the best possible resolution, clarity, and vibrancy that my player and television could agree on.
I was all set.
The first film I watched in HD was 300, because it was packaged with the player and was one of the free titles and I hadn't yet received the 3 I got directly from the Amazon offer.  The last time I had watched 300 was on my better-than-crap lesser-than-acceptable television on my standard dvd player.  Immediately, I could see a difference.  Not great, but certainly a difference.  Then, as a matter of comparison, I popped in my standard version disc.  YUCK!!!!  Now, I can really see the difference.  Don't get me wrong (I should say don't buy in to my exaggeration), it's not as if I started watching VHS again or something.  The difference certainly is not THAT substantial, but there's definitely a difference enough to validate my purchase of the player.
Basking in my glee of hi-definition I went on a shopping hurricane over the next month.  All throughout the Christmas holidays all I did was trade in my old dvds that are currently available on HD, and then upgrade to the better versions.  I couldn't be stopped.  I traded in about 500 dollars worth of dvds, and with all the buy one get one free and discounted sales throughout December I was able to amass a total of 85 HD-DVDs to date.  I was a happy, happy camper.
Then came January 5.  The day of HD-DVD infamy.  Warner Bros. made an official announcement to cease distributing to HD-DVD, and will back Blu-Ray exclusively beginning in May, 2008.  What was my reaction to the news?  After contributing about a grand or so to the HD-DVD camp, how did I take this deathstrike that was like a gun shot to the main artery of HD-DVD?  I sighed.
I had anticipated back in early December that Warner Bros. would defect to the side of Blu-Ray with their announcement that they would indeed cease the usage of both formats, and decide to support one, and one only.  With the PS3, and the strong marketing of Sony I didn't see how HD-DVD was going to be able to woo Warners enough for them to think that it was the best way to go.  In terms of pricing they're certainly more cost effective, and as far as extra features are concerned they were feature ready before Sony was.  It looked promising for a bit as it seemed that Warners preferred HD-DVD as they had a number of their titles already exclusive to HD-DVD, and none exclusive to Blu-Ray.  But, honestly, I think what it comes down to are the manufacturer names.  Blu-Ray technology is Sony licensed.  HD-DVD technology is owned by Toshiba.  Sony vs. Toshiba.  If you saw those names, which would you be more inclined to choose?
Also, I think a lot has to do with the mindset of a consumer.  Many times the deciding factor in regards to what you buy does depend on the price.  However, not in the sense that whichever is cheaper gets the money.  No, the caution alarm tends to go off in a shopper's head that makes one think to themselves when trying to decide between a more cost effective HD-DVD player, or a Sony brand Blu-Ray player.  Offhand the cheaper pricetag may have led some people to believe that the HD-DVD player itself was a movie player ready to transform itself into a paperweight.  It's that age old belief system that more expensive must mean better quality.  Whether that's true or not in this case is beside the point.
Anyway, back on track, I was prepping myself for the bomb raid in the instance that Warner Bros would choose to side with Blu-Ray.  So, what did I do when they announced that Warner Bros. and Blu-Ray would be dating exclusively (Well, at least Warner would be faithful, but Blu-Ray already has a few pocket lovers in Fox and Disney.  It's kinda like BIG LOVE)?  I went online to check out the Blu-Ray library, I gashed through my dvd reserves, and started trading in everything on standard dvd that I was going to upgrade to when I decided to buy a blu-ray player.  Now, it was only a matter of when was going to be right.  Today, would be that time.
With Best Buy running a sale for 10 free titles with the purchase of the player, and with the blu-ray price drop to $399 for the basic models I couldn't pass up the oppurtunity.  Luckily, serendipity would be on my side for this particular event.
I contemplated back and forth all week whether or not I would dish out the money now for the blu-ray player.  For $399 minus the value of the 10 titles I would be getting, I'd be paying about $120 bucks for the player.  Not only that, I'd be paying $120 for a player that would play my movies, but would not be able to utilize future discs to their capacity as it is a first generation player, and thus cannot upgrade its specs to become a version 1.1 player.  All that means is that I would never be able to use the Picture in Picture feature on future blu-ray discs.  Having that ability with my HD-DVD player I can say that it's most certainly an agreeable little bonus to have.  You don't have to go back to a root menu when you're watching your movie as it will continue to play and just bring up the dvd menu across the bottom, or side of the television screen and let you navigate through the disc as the movie continues to run on the screen.  It's certainly neat and handy, but not something I couldn't live without.  Now, this feature is something that I would be able to upgrade to if I purchased a PS3, but the PS3 was not an eligible blu-ray player to take advantage of the 10 free titles (you could get 5 by mail in rebate though), and the PS3 that I'd have to get in order to utilize its backwards compatability would have to be the 60 gig model, which is $100 more than the blu-ray player I had my eyes set on.  So, I cancelled the PS3 as an option.  But, I still wasn't completely satisfied that I wouldn't have the ability to upgrade my stand-alone player to 1.1, or 2.0 down the road (unnecessary feature that I won't expand upon), so I remained on the fence until today.  Today, I decided to go ahead and do it.  I could rationalize the purchase and I felt good, and excited about it.  So, I rush over to the nearest Best Buy, start picking out my 5 free titles (the other 5 are mail-order from a list of eligible titles) and then I head to the dvd player area to pick up the actual player.  With 5 free titles in hand I get to the area, and come to find that they are completely sold out of both $399 models.  Suddenly, I felt as if something was telling me that it wasn't meant to be right now and I should just walk out, and wait another day.
Then, I looked back down in my hand and flipped through the lovely hi-def cinema that I was holding, and had to wait to watch.  KINGDOM OF HEAVEN the Director's Cut, 3:10 TO YUMA, SUNSHINE, THE TERMINATOR, and ROBOCOP.  Suddenly, I had this urge that I HAD to have these, and I HAD to watch them.  But, what could I do?  
I had an idea.  Let me find a sales rep to see if I can buy the player now, even though they're out of stock, and I can have them contact me when the player comes in and I can pick it up.  This way I can take advantage of the sale, I just can't watch my movies just yet.  I find a salesman, give him the spiel, and he tells me that it'll work.  Badass!!
I follow him to the register in the area, he starts punching on his computer keys, then he gets this look of grief and disappointment on his face.  Apparently, in order for them to allow someone to pay for an item that's currently out of stock at their store they would need to be able to have that item available at a nearby location, or available online.  Every store in Austin, SOLD OUT.  Online warehouse, SOLD OUT.  It wasn't going to work.  It wasn't meant to be.
Then, as if arriving like a knight in a moment of desperation, the manager walks over just to take a look at something on the computer next to the one my salesman is using.  My salesman sees his manager, and decides to ask for some advice.  He tells him my story, points to there being no $399 stand-alone players available at the store, shows him that ordering one for pick-up is an impossibility, shows him the dvds I picked out, the manager nods as if he understands and gets the situation, realizes that I have to buy a player in order to get the 5 free titles, and knows that the last day of the offer is tomorrow.  He looks back to my salesman, and says to him, "just sell him the Panasonic player for $399."....
I look back at him, and ask him again if he meant that.  He said, "sure do".  The manager approved to sell me a player that's $100 more than the basic model I was going to buy, has faster loading times (I researched that model because I was leaving it as a possibility in the instance I wanted a better player), and something I was completely unaware of is that it is out-of-box ready with version 1.1.  Somebody loves me.
I got my movies, I got my player then and there, and now I'm home writing this just to express my happiness.  Now, with both players, I can enjoy anything released on hi-def that I choose, and not just what's been chosen for me.
Now, in regards to the HD-DVDs that I already own, I still love my HD player.  I in no way regret my purchase, and I in fact see the potential to pick up many HD-DVDs in the future at a very discounted price if the technology goes kaput, and with the Warners announcement is certainly well on its way.  That's high end quality product that's on a par with the currently winning format, at a fraction of the cost.  That sounds beautiful.
There you have it.  I didn't necessarily choose a format that I endorse.  I just want to watch movies in the best way possible that's within my means.  I can't compare quality because I have yet to hook up my new blu-ray player, and it honestly no longer matters.  Blu-ray will win.  It would take some massive event to change that, and honestly I think the consumers are fed up with the war and just want a standardized technology chosen for them as soon as possible.  I know I'm ready to watch as many hi-def stuff as possible.
In fact, what the hell am I doing writing this monstrous piece of work that nobody cares about when I can be enjoying, at this very moment, any of the 5 free movies I got today?
What kind of a world is it where I am choosing to sit in this butt-numbing chair and write until my eyes hurt, rather than watch some gorgeous and engaging cinema right in my own home?
That's it, I'm saying good-bye now, and I'm going to watch me some SUNSHINE.

1) I just got word I'm due another raise this week.
2) I spent more money than I planned to because of it.
3) Everytime I get a raise I get myself into trouble by spending more on unnecessary, albeit cool, items.
4) This raise should play into our (Victoria and my) favor of getting approved for a loan to purchase a home in the next few months.
5) I'm not as much out of debt as I'd planned on this time last year.  My raise should help that.
6) The monthly payment of a home will significantly hurt that.
7) This time next year I should (<key word) be completely out of debt, minus the new home payment and one year left on my car.
8) That's the exact same thing I said to myself this time last year when I got a raise.
9) With the raise I got last year I splurged more than I wanted to, but I did manage to completely clear out one credit card.
10) I was on my way of clearing off another with one payment left on my Circuit City card.
11) They really get you with those 12 months no interest deals they run from time to time.
12) I took advantage of that deal by upgrading to a 37 inch Hi-Def LCD television for my room.
13) I'll have it paid off in less than a year to take advantage of not paying any interest.
14) That's exactly what I said this time last year when I purchased my girlfriend and I our Ipods.
15) I had to upgrade my television after I purchased my HD DVD player on Amazon.
16) It was on sale for $200 and came w/ 10 free HD DVDs.  For that price I essentially bought the dvds and got the player for free.
17) I've spent more money on upgrading my dvds to HD DVD than I planned on so soon.
18) My raise will contribute to my dvd purchasing addiction.
19) THE FOUNTAIN on HD DVD is orgasmically gorgeous.
20) CHILDREN OF MEN is sophisticated filmmaking, and in HD it's an almost unbearably potent experience.
21) I'm afraid to watch the two Stanley Kubrick films I have on HD (A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, and THE SHINING) because of my reaction to CHILDREN OF MEN.
22) By this time next year I will shamefully own everything on HD DVD that I want to.

After writing this I have no misconceptions about where I'll be next year.  I have goals that won't be met, but I can promise you this...

22) This time next year I will have a second card paid off, with one halfway paid off, and the Circuit City card cleared off just in time for me to max it out again while I take advantage of another 12 months of interest-freeness to purchase a larger television for our living area, along with a sound system for the "movie room" as Victoria calls it.

Point being, I'll be a little less in debt (minus the new house payment of course), but should have a complete-enough home for me to come back to each day from my job that I'm grateful to have, so that I can continue to get raises that, somehow, never assist in depleting what I owe from my accumulative spending habits. 
I've just now realized how lucky I am that I'm in a committed relationship to someone that saves money MUCH better than I do. 

 I just had one of the more surreal experiences of my young, now quarter-century long life.  Last week, I witnessed what may possibly have been the final football game played by the A.S. Johnston High School Rams - The Pride of the East Side.  Not the final game of the season, because that wouldn't be journal entry-worthy.  No, THE final game.  As in forever.  
The school has been sucked in to a downward spiral for about two decades, and come this February when the latest crop of Austin's east side impoverished take the state standardized scholastic aptitude test they should perform low enough to finally pull the plug on a high school that's been breathing its last breath for far too long.  The school that's been atop the list of having the highest dropout rate in the United States, has long been the major player in statistically raising the number of high school pregnancies,  and a school that has recently been unmasked for its long time low performing numbers with the extraction of the Liberal Arts Academy a few years ago.  Most definitely, The "Pride" of the East Side.  My alma mater.

I attended Johnston High from 1996 through graduation day in the year 2000.  When I first came in as a freshman the school was in terrible shape in every aspect you could think of.  Physically, economically, culturally, academically, criminally, and last but not least, athletically.  Whether or not you consider athletics an important part to the success of a school the fact is that school pride can be fed heartily by the performance of an athletic team.  It's a fact.  Winning on the field generates a boost in morale for the majority of the student body, and faculty.  I know, I witnessed it firsthand in 1998 when our varsity basketball team defeated the Westlake Chaparrals on a last second shot for a share of the district title, and a state playoff birth.  We couldn't be yanked off our cloud if you had an army tugging on the other end of a noose wrapped around our necks.  We weren't going to budge.  And by "we" I mean everyone from the principal down to the freshman that nobody noticed.  Our confidence was damn near an all-time high.  That's the power of athletics, and Johnston High had that singular experience to essentially make up for all the losing seasons in all the sports for the past 6 years, and to last for all the losing seasons that were to follow for the next 10.
The rest of the things that were lacking at the school weren't as easy to make out as the underperformances of the athletic squads.  Johnston High was home to one of the more recognizable magnet schools in the state, if not the country, which was The Liberal Arts Academy (LAA).  Graduates from the Liberal Arts Academy usually went on to Ivy League or Division 1-A universities, and would be a step up over everyone else towards inevitably lucrative careers after graduation.  The majority of the students in the LAA were not usually of the lower-class east side Austin resident variety.  Most came from upper middle class families from different parts of the city.  Sure, there were quite a few students from my neighborhood, and the similarly poor neighborhoods in the typical Johnston High district that were LAA students, but I wouldn't say they made up a significant percentage of the LAA class.
The inclusion of the Academy temporarily solved two problems at the school.  One, it evened out the racial make-up of the student body.  Whereas most of the typical Johnston High students were either hispanic or black, the educational advantages of the LAA brought in the white crowd that would normally grace the halls of one of the west side Austin high schools.  The other problem it solved was that the low performing numbers generated from the Johnston High students were evened out by the high performing numbers that came from the LAA students.  Problem solved? Or, was it just a bandage put over a deep gash?
The fact is that the success of the LAA did nothing to help the problems that Johnston High School was facing.  It just put a shiny coat of paint over a car that didn't run.  From the outside everything didn't seem so bad, but once you get in and turn the key in the ignition, there was no life.  There was nothing working for the car that wasn't brought upon by the shiny paint.  The LAA flourished in academic and artistic activities.  Many a great band musicians and drama students came from the Liberal Arts Academy, and on the flipside probably close to none came from your average Johnston High School student.  How do I know this?  I don't.   I can only assume that the cause of a state competition level marching band going from 50 members to 9 in one year's time probably had something to do with the fact that the same year was the first year the LAA was moved from Johnston High to neighboring LBJ High, in an effort to combine the two Austin magnet schools together as LBJ was already home to The Science Academy.  I can only assume that the drama program suffered just as big of a blow.  The marching band never recovered by the way.  Usually, the University of Texas marching band or other close-by colleges would offer their services to come and perform on behalf of Johnston high school.  Sometimes, even old Johnston grads would pull out their retired tubas, drums, flutes, or what-have-you and join the 9-man marching band on the field, as if they were 5 to10 years younger.
So, the LAA left to leave the rest of the Johnston students in the sewers. The bandage was ripped off, and the gash was left to bleed.  What difference does that make, though?  The students will have the oppurtunity to go to a better school once the place closes, right?  My sentiments exactly.  "It's about time," I thought to myself.  It's time these kids that really want a good educational experience don't have to transfer out of their districts to get it.
Then, I went to last Friday's football game.
As I looked around the stands, and down on the field all I could think to myself was, "these poor friggin' kids."  Here I was thinking about the future youths that will have a much better oppurtunity and high school experience than their predecessors, and I completely forgot about those predecessors; the kids I saw down on the field in cheerleader outfits, the handful of boys eligible to put on football pads, and everyone else in the stands currently a Johnston High student.  These were the kids that fell in between the cracks of the not-so-good, but better times that have been had by the students of my class and others, and the better times to be had by all the current 8th graders that won't have to go through what the post-LAA classes did.  I'm not talking about the 61% of the student body that dropped out.  To hell with them, because they were one of the biggest reasons the school found itself in the emergency state that it's currently in.  I'm talking about these kids that tried their hardest to be the solution.  The kids trying to do what I could've been trying to do.  The kids that wanted desperately to turn things around, and make a difference in an attempt to be able to recollect on their high school days fondly.
It's a hard swallow to say that you were part of the last class of a high school closed down due to performance.  That's not something I'd have the ability to say easily.  It doesn't matter how well you did, because your team failed, miserably.  That was something I didn't get when I attended Johnston High.  The lack of academic and athletic excellence wasn't something I was wanting to change, I just didn't want to contribute to it.  I was going to do my part to not be part of the problem, I didn't think of working hard enough to create a majority solution.  I hit the gym every summer for voluntary workouts, and went home and studied enough to get my B's.  I was going to do what I needed to do, and get out.  
Years later, I think back every so often and wonder whether or not I could have made a difference.  Could I have influenced a change in the status quo?  With my class it certainly seemed so.  We were a unified group, more so than I can recall any prior Johnston class being while I was there.  Everybody knew everybody, and everybody generally liked everybody.  No joke.  Nobody was excluded from activities and everyone got along about as well as a neighborhood full of Cleavers, and I credit that to a great number of classmates, that includes myself, who still remain friends to this day.  It started from the top of the stereotypical ladder of class status, with the head cheerleader, class president, valedictorian, football captains, prom and homecoming kings and queens, band members, etc.  We had a graduating class of about 265 students, which is relatively small for what it should have been, but I could probably name every single one of those people and tell you at least one point in time where I had hung out with them and shared a moment.  We all just seemed to make a genuine effort to include as many people as we could in everything we could.  I loved my class, and in turn ended up loving my high school experience.  I guess I just didn't love my school enough to make a change to what I knew needed serious work, and could have used my help.
So, there I was, sitting in the stands with two former teachers talking about old times and the eventual decease of the place I connect with all of my best relationships and memories.  I just kept thinking to myself that I was, on some level, partly to blame.  This was partly my fault.  That's not intended to sound like delusions of grandeur.  I don't think of myself as an important person, but I do think I had the oppurtunity to at least try and make a difference.  It's not my fault because I failed, it's my fault because I didn't even make an attempt.
As I sat in the stands, watching the football team get pummelled in typical Johnston High fashion, and was surrounded by old and current friends, part of me was looking internally for some form of redemption.  I think I turned out alright, as did most of my friends of past and present (meaning the majority of my entire graduating class).  For the most part, we aren't criminals or societal leeches.  We're good people, doing honest work, and earning fairly substantial paychecks.  Some of us have started some happy families, and some have gone as far as living out the dreams they had when they grabbed their diploma.
Maybe I'm not partly to blame.  Maybe I did what I was supposed to do.  In fact, I did.  I did my job.  I just didn't help anyone else do theirs.  I'm sure I would have if someone had asked, but is there some degree of responsibility on my shoulders to have offered?  Maybe that's what Johnston High needed.  I certainly can't recall being asked for help, from a student nor a teacher.  
I should have known better though.  I needed to offer, it wasn't going to be asked of me.  This was, after all, the pride of the East Side...


Adam Charles
A.S Johnston High School graduate (non-LAA)
Class of 2000

 WICKED FLOWERS

This Asian film fits less in the typical genre categories of the rest of the FF lineup.  This is more of a suspense/mystery in the vein of films like David Fincher's THE GAME.
A young slacker is greeted on the streets by a woman passing out packaged napkins with an invite to join in on a game that has a large prize.  You sign up for the game online, and then are told to go to a physical address in order to begin playing.  The young man goes to the address, and is greeted by a woman who seems to be signing everyone up to join in.  What the young man didn't anticipate getting into is a survival game consisting of a number of players who are all given a time limit to figure out the one and only answer to a series of riddles that are acted out by kabuki-style stage performers in different rooms throughout the building.  The young man is read the rules of the game, is told that he has a time limit before he succumbs to the poison that he wasn't aware he had already drunk, and then is placed in the first room to see and hear the first riddle acted out on stage.  Along the way in the different rooms he comes into contact with a few of the other players, all slaving away with their notepads, and petrified of their deteriating time.
On the whole the film is pretty interesting.  The concept keeps you awake and curious as to what the answer may be.  You do tend to find yourself working out the possible meanings of the riddles in your head, and so it is in that sense a pretty fun movie to experience.  But, just like nearly every other film of this kind, including Fincher's THE GAME, the fun is in the suspense and mystery aspects of the film.  So, once you know the ending and the answer there's no more fun to want to really watch it again. Except, maybe to rewatch the stage acted riddles, because those are pretty entertaining to see from a humorous standpoint for a few, and a little bit of creepiness from the others.  

 THE COLD HOUR

There seemed to be a running theme at this year's festival, which put the stamping on the belief with day 7's "Secret Screening", and that is that the Spanish are starting to own genre filmmaking.  This is a science fiction/horror film from Spain, and was my favorite competition film at this year's festival.  It's about a group of refugees confined to a rundown building, sort of hospital-like in set up, but we only see the building from the inside and rarely see anything above or beneath the floor that the refugees are inhabiting.  Amongst the small group of people are two kids; one a pre-adolescent boy with a video camera who is documenting pretty much anything he can, and the other a teenage girl.  Making up the remaining characters is a group of specialized professionals, such as a doctor, a soldier, an astrologist, etc.  However, their pre-refuge professions are virtually irrelevant, as their new profession is common amongst them all, which is to survive in this building which they dare not attempt to escape from the fear of encountering one of two possible deadly threats. One being the "strangers", which are zombie-like humans that are infected with a disease that eats away the skin and is passed on by a simple touch to those currently uninfected.  The other possible form of death is to be in the grasp of environmental temperature dropping ghost-like creatures that come along during odd hours of the night, which come to be known as "the cold hours".
The way that the story unravels its secrets mimics the way that the two youngest people in the group learn what's going on in regards to their situation.  We learn fairly early on that these people weren't all in this predicament naturally, but we have no clue as to anything in the five basic questions beyond the "who".  We don't know "what" the threat is, "when" this story is taking place, "where" they all are, or "why" they're there.  All that we know is that there's a group of people that are beyond cautious of leaving the area they've confined themselves into, and they've grown comfortable of their situation enough to joke around with one another occasionally, build emotional relationships, and sometimes have a nice game of basketball.  But, in the middle of the night, after curfew, something lurks in the hallway where all their bedrooms are that causes everything in close proximity to drop in temperature to freezing levels.  Not even the characters seem to understand what it is.
What I loved about this movie is its precision in giving out the details to you little by little.  Even if the characters weren't intriguing in engaging, which they are, you'd still be hardpressed to be disinterested in what the hell is going on.  These people are threatened by two completely different forms of danger, we don't know where they are, why they went there, and why they can't, or shouldn't leave.  And when the outside threats become a focus, things start to tense up fast because we don't even know what the hell it is that we're scared of.
Also, since you know so little about the situation, you're never over-working yourself trying to fit pieces together as if they're clues into giving away the ending.  Believe me, you will never guess the ending or work it all out before the last frame of film has rolled and the credits are going from bottom to top.  In fact, I can gurantee you that you're going to walk out of this film feeling exactly the same way you were while you were watching it.  You're going to feel like a little kid who wants nothing more than to seek answers to more questions.
This was probably the most engaging film of the festival from beginning to end.  There's never a moment in between the first and last frame where you find yourself mentally wandering.  There's so much that you don't know you become afraid that if you lose focus for a second that you're going to miss something important.  I can tell you that if you do start to stray you might as well stop watching and start over from the milisecond that you lost attention.  Not because you missed a big puzzle piece, but because by the time the film ends you're going to ask yourself, "did I miss something?"


INSIDE

This will undoubtedly be the most troublesome piece I'm going to write in regards to the films that I watched during the festival.  It's not because it's a difficult film to discuss, or a difficult film to work out.  It's because this is a difficult film to want to mentally revisit.  Not because I didn't like it.  Not because it was an emotionally tiring experience.  No.  This film is difficult to think about again because this film is indescribably affecting, and grandly F***ED UP!!!!!
I'm not going to tell you anything about the story.  I want you to think about what I just said, and mix these ingredients together.  Are you ready?  Remember what I said.
1.  Slasher
2.  home alone (the situation, not the Maculay Culkin movie)
3.  HAUTE TENSION (the movie, and the emotion)
4.  NC-17 (Nothing less)
5........

If you need to know, then scroll down.  If not, then stop reading.  There isn't much to this movie in regards to plot.  All I'll say is that I nearly HAD to look away more than once (and only one other film I've seen has made me do that), and the audience I saw it with winced, squirmed, ghasped, and was completely shocked by film's end.
Do you seriously want to know the last ingredient, because I'm wary of telling you for your own good.  Look back at number 3.  Think about the kind of tone number 3 had, if you've seen it.  If you haven't, the tone is dead serious.

This is it.  I warned you