Some Thoughts on a Mild Monday Evening

Juno

"That ain't no Etch-a-Sketch. This is one doodle that can't be un-did, homeskillet." -- Rainn Wilson as Rollo

The must-see indie of the year. We're talking Little Miss Sunshine good here. But with hilariously witty/sketchy dialogue punctuating every single scene. Seriously, people, Diablo Cody's script intimidates me. And without an ounce of preachiness, it attacks some pretty heavy subject matter. It’s fresh. It’s genuine. It has heart. Love Ellen Page. Canadian, quirky, super-smart. I hereby predict It-Girl status. I laughed out loud. And then it made me cry. But a good cry. Not to be confused with a happy cry, though. Not that I wasn't happy....

Awesome soundtrack gets its own set of upturned thumbs. That's right, folks.

Juno: I think I'm, like, in love with you.

Bleeker: You mean as friends?

Juno: No, I mean, like, for real. 'Cause you're, like, the coolest person I've ever met, and you don't even have to try, you know.

Bleeker: I try really hard, actually.

Massage

I had my first massage today. At work. Since my office doesn't really do the Christmas-bonus thing, my boss decided to draw names for free massages. It was a little awkward being told to take my shirt off in the conference room; at least my boss covered the windows with movie posters before the massage therapist arrived.

Let me tell you, I could have stayed on that table forever. So good. I've been stiff since the summer before university (that would be 2001, for those of you trying to do quick math in your head). The RMT even commented on how tight I was. I'll probably be super-sore tomorrow. But I can live with that. I used to think that little would change in my life if I came into a financial windfall. Not completely true. I would have regular massages. Regular looong massages. But I would tip well.

The Quote Wall

I once lived in a little basement apartment with two rather remarkable and inspiring women. And when any sort of brilliance spewed out of a mouth (be it one of ours or someone else's - we didn't discriminate against sources of brilliance), we would transcribe the nugget of gold on a Post-It and stick it to the wall by the fridge. Behold, a sampling of my Guelph days, in literary form:

I wouldn’t want to get sucked into living in Bermuda. I mean, they don’t even have a university. – Wendy

I take it back. I no longer have a heterosexual “man-crush” on Colin Firth. – Seth Myers (SNL)

The TV show The Bachelor is like youth group. – Margie

Matthew Broderick has something very Zack Morris about him. – Nadine

Yuck! Tom Cruise is like the cocky guy in gym class. – Margie

I know it’s sick, but I have a little soft spot for farmers. – Wendy

If you tell him, I will smack you like a bad, bad donkey. – Pepe (Muppets from Space)

Director's Note

Dear Nadine,

Thank you so much for your courage, hard work, and commitment to the truth. You are a beautiful actor and being and it has been a pleasure and an honor working with you. Keep tapping those K-27 acupressure points and all will be well. Thanx again.

I found this note as I was sorting through the endless piles of *crap*/beloved articles I've accumulated over the past few years. It was a little jarring at first, as I was startled into desperately wanting to be on stage. It touched me. Then it made me laugh. And confused me. I had no idea acupressure points were such contributing factors to my performance. Too bad I forget which points boost energy and which points calm. I could end up a little schizo.

Trivia Queen

I have way too much random (and often pointless) information floating in my brain. I’m always up for a game of Trivial Pursuit. I care that Matt Damon was an extra in Field of Dreams. And that Sid Vicious used to hail taxicabs with his middle finger. So it should come as no surprise that the first freelance writing contract I sign is to write questions for a trivia game. That’s right. It’s only a few days in 2008 and I’m already semi-moving forward in my writing career. Or maybe sideways. Should look good on a resumé, if nothing else. Of course, I fully intend to buy the game and then kill in that category. Yep, kill. Slaughter my trivia competition. “You think you know trivia? Yeah, well, I am the CREATOR of trivia.”