2000-01-12 :: 00:15:40

Shot?

Soundtrack: Stretch Princess, "Stretch Princess"

Well, after a bunch of repetition (sexual confession -> kudos -> complaints -> complaints about complaints -> defense of sex as fun and healthy -> random ads for diaries -> *repeat*) in Freespeak, it was refreshing to see some provoking questions from gloomgirl. Yeah, some of them were kinda bleh, but some are on my mind, too.

In particular, I liked the following:

"Do I exist? Do any one of you exist? Are one or any of those diaries I'm reading pure fiction?"

This was something I was talking about with Heather today:

Jordan (6:08:24 PM): i think its kinda bad to see a diarist's pic
Jordan (6:08:32 PM): i almost want to think of them as this literary construct

Heather (6:08:35 PM): ruins yur idea of them and their life

Jordan (6:08:49 PM): you know for all i know anyone reading my shit thinks im 5'3" and blonde

Yeah, what if I am 5'3" and blonde? Or maybe I'm albino. Or maybe. Maybe you're posting pics of your gorgeous friend and captioning them as you in your diary, and I think that it really is you. Maybe people think you sound hot until they see your picture. Diaries are such an interesting way of carving your selfhood. Ah boy, you know, this can only get messier. Heather and I also discussed who, say, "sounds hot" or "sounds cute and wishes s/he was hot" or whatever. Who knew that writing could be hot? Hahahaha.

Speaking of haha, how about this picture? No, it certainly isn't me (not after that diatribe, right?). The rest of the Shack pictures of the day are pretty damn funny, too.

Heather definitely disliked Magnolia, which I clearly didn't think so poorly of, and we had a nice long argument about it like the pseudo-Eberts we are:

Jordan (5:50:47 PM): idono
Jordan (5:50:57 PM): like i find it hard to believe anyone is coming up with much original thought
Jordan (5:51:03 PM): so i agree a lot of it is in the presentation

Heather (5:51:03 PM): i agree
Heather (5:51:07 PM): yeah

Jordan (5:51:07 PM): and some of this was really trite

Heather (5:51:11 PM): once again
Heather (5:51:12 PM): i agree

Jordan (5:51:17 PM): but i thought a lot of the interconnection of the lives was interesting
Jordan (5:51:18 PM): and i like that
Jordan (5:51:22 PM): because i think about that a lot :P
Jordan (5:51:32 PM): and i do think some of the stuff was done well
Jordan (5:51:40 PM): and i liked a lot of the actors, lines, and shots

Heather (5:51:48 PM): hello interconnection has been done way better b4

Jordan (5:51:51 PM): so on the whole i felt it made me consider things i hadn't thought about in a bit

Heather (5:52:01 PM): i didnt think of anything
Heather (5:52:04 PM): i thought i hate this movie
Heather (5:52:07 PM): and it was way too long
Heather (5:52:12 PM): and pretentious

Jordan (5:52:14 PM): i think the old man's scenes were long
Jordan (5:52:19 PM): that i will agree with

Heather (5:52:37 PM): and i thought a woman coulda written this same exact movie so much better

Jordan (5:52:45 PM): RESPECT THE COCK

Heather (5:53:00 PM): mmhmm

Well, I was probably a little too effusive in my praise for the film, but I still found it enjoyable. I stand by my initial reaction with a slightly less enthusiastic (though that means little considering I do like the film a great deal), just as she stands by her original call when considering my opinions about films. And I've already been through what a critic is worth, haven't I? In a three hour film, I doubt you will like everything (and I said there were flaws, right?), but I certainly found enough in it that was redeeming. I think Heather's best suggestion was to expand on Philip Seymour Hoffman's (note the PSH.html URL back there) character -- something she claims a woman would have done. You go girl! Straight to Oprah, honey!

Really, though, I think the best thing to come out of the convo is that original thought is hard (impossible?) to come by. Elizabeth told me an interesting Lewis Caroll quote, and I'll paraphrase from memory: "A work should mean more to the reader than to the writer." Do you think Shakespeare said to himself, "Ah yes, I'll put 8,539 clever bits and twists here that state the truths of our existence?" I can't help but wonder if Grant Wood, painter of American Gothic, really meant all that crap about sexual liberation by having one wisp of the woman's hair coming loose (it was his sister Nan, for crying out loud!). What pours out of us pours out, but we can try to put our own little stamp/tint on it. So therein is the performance -- the enjoyable, original aspect of it.

Not that this thought was original.

Ah, finally. An unmasking (can you really be sure with all those ficticious diarists?) in Nodoby from person: "I'm Esther. This has been fun. Good-bye." Oh, but is it all over so easily? Why can't the show go on? And what of the next poster, also claiming to be Esther?

The first line of Shot? so quick, so clean an ending (which is, of course, just that), came to mind. Some seems quite fitting, some may seem right to you -- or not. Take what you will, I do love Housman.