He’s Just Not That Into You!

A bit of a spoiler alert!

I had high hopes for this movie and am pleased that it met my expectations. It’s amusing and while lighthearted, it still addresses the weighty issues at hand.  I found myself rooting for certain characters and against others, which is what i want to be doing in a character-based movie. The A-List ensemble did well to make me believe what i think they wanted me to believe about them.

For example, I was convinced that even though Bradley Cooper looks amazing in either a tailored suit or raggedy gym clothes, he’s still a self-justifying jerk.  I was convinced that Ben Affleck is still likable despite his personal beliefs on marriage, which have no basis (not enough time in the movie to develop this).  I was convinced that Scarlett Johansson is naive and for all intents and purposes, a skank; Jennifer Connelly is uptight and insecure but finds her resolve in the end; Ginnifer Goodwin is overeager but still adorable and we are happy for her (maybe because she represents the audience the most even if we don’t want to admit it); Drew Barrymore is whimsical and aloof, about as much as you can do with such a periphery character; Kevin Connolly is the average upper-middle class Joe who tries too hard; and Justin Long is the proverbial narrating voice who arguably ends up learning the most.

Yes, some would say that it wraps up all too conveniently in the end but with so many storylines and already being 2+ hours, i am happy with it.  And hey, you might learn something.

And for the guys out there, this clip is especially for you!  It’s on the movie’s website and it’s very funny!  Here are “10 Chick Flick Cliches You Won’t Find in He’s Just Not That Into You.”

Perhaps you noticed that i missed Jennifer Aniston in my list up there.. it’s cos the only thing i want to say about Jennifer Aniston is that she is hot as ever! (And, watching her in this film made me root for her in real life, too!)

My Internet Usage

I check the following daily:

• Gmail
• Facebook
• CNN/news
• Weather Network (pretty much 3-5 times a day!)
• MLB
• iTunes
• iGoogle

iGoogle is what i use to keep track of the blogs i follow. There are about 60+ blogs ranging from personal friends to culture blogs to photography sites to random laughs. I suppose that’s a lot but more than half of them rarely update on a weekly basis so it’s not that much in actuality.

I check the following weekly (or, a few times a week):

• WordPress
• eBay
• YouTube
• Wikipedia
• Google Maps
• RedFlagDeals
• Calgary Transit
• MySpace Music/ Band sites
• organizations with a cause
• any work-related sites
• TV network stations
• various banking

And then there’s a good chunk of everything else. I’m probably missing a few things.

Reclaiming Someone’s Garbage

I’m in line at Second Cup and reach in for my wallet, search and scramble a little ’til the knowledge hits that I’ve forgotten it at home.  Gah!  I’m feeling like a dolt cos i just walked 15 minutes in -15 degree weather (that is very BRRRRR pour moi, okay?) specifically to come to this Second Cup to sit, chill and read.  I have no desire to walk back home and feel i need to somehow qualify the numbness in my extremities with a creative solution.  I turn around, walk out of line and into the mall section (it’s not a stand-alone coffee shop, i know, not nearly as cool but I’m working with what i got here) where i see a nearby clump of couches/chairs for shoppers.  Next to the couches i see someone’s abandoned, leftover, used, Second Cup cup… basically, it’s garbage (just not thrown into the garbage yet.. very important point).

Can you guess what I’m thinking…?

Yes, embarrassing but I’m getting desperate!  I stand there for about 30 seconds and debate in my head.  I do a 360 degree look around and proceed to confidently grab that Second Cup cup into my hands.  And then, walk straight back into Second Cup, plop myself down on a leather couch, place my garbage cup onto the coffee table, and spend the next 2 hours finishing Revolutionary Road (it’s good, btw).

Second Cup, I promise you my future business!

The Isaiah Paradox

There are people I meet that are so interesting, attractive, engaging, entertaining, appealing and simply fun that I desire to build relationship. Or, at the least, some sort of affiliation while fostering hopes of increased connection. I enjoy these people and my curiosity propels me further into friendship, into relationship, into time spent together. Potential intimacy looms.

Conversely, the prophetic word towards Christ records that God Himself left much (everything) to be desired by me. No sign of potential intimacy anywhere; a seemingly infinite leap.

And yet, i find this intimacy inescapable.

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. What a paradox.

Irish Spring is my Favorite Soap, etc.

Facebook notes have lately been dominated by these “25 Random Things About Me” tags. I feel like i say random things about myself on a regular basis so it makes sense to turn it into a list. I would have eventually done it even if i wasn’t tagged.

1. Irish Spring is my favorite soap.

2. I am always in the middle of many books at once. anywhere between 5-7 of ‘em.

3. It took me moving to Calgary to really become a Canucks fan.

4. I love maps and atlases. i’ll go into a bookstore and spend an hour looking through one atlas. i’ll spend 20 minutes staring at the world map up on my wall and trace my finger along different places in the world. i’ll Google Map different cities and places for fun. stuff like that.

5. I don’t exactly know what a food processor is.. i have a vague idea but have never used one. “it’s so white.” haa.

6. I am very amazed when i see stars in the sky.

7. I had always wished i took an astronomy course when i was at UBC. not for “easy credits” but because i actually find it interesting.

8. I love city lights and like to compare the night skylines of different metropolitan cities.

9. I own over 20 MLB jerseys. (i love baseball!)

10. I think it’s interesting when people have favorite biblical characters. i find it partly strange but i understand why cos i have my favorites too. Joseph and Peter.

11. I change my desktop picture often and it’s usually from National Geographic’s website.

12. The #1 place i’d like to go for travel’s sake is Greece.

13. My 2nd Grade teacher made me cry a lot cos she always criticized my handwriting.

14. I often come across lyrics which i wish i had written.

15. I secretly want to buy an engineering Iron Ring off of eBay.. maybe not so secret cos i’ve told people that before.

16. I put milk in the bowl first, then the cereal. people find that strange but it makes sense to me cos then your cereal won’t get soggy.

17. I smile every time “Womanizer” comes on the radio cos i like it!

18. “The Family Man” is my favorite Christmas movie.

19. I love Mexican candy!

20. I like knowing that i started using a metal water bottle before it became popular.. before Nalgene got recalls and before Sigg capitalized on it!

21. Andy Stanley is my favorite-ist preacher.

22. I’m not a fan of shortening “because” to “cuz.” i always write it out as “cos.”

23. I like watching American Idol and Season 6 was my favorite. Sometimes i fear thinking someone sings well but it’d turn out that they weren’t very good at all. that’s never happened but it’s a weird, little fear.

24. Conan O’ Brien is so so funny.

25. One of the first cassettes i ever bought was the single, “Another Night” by Real McCoy. Good times!