Part I. Life at Home
I am currently leading a very lazy existence at my parents' house before I go back to Charlottesville next week. Both of my brothers are still in school (although that will change after tomorrow) and my dad is usually at work in Yuma during the week, so most days I run errands with my mom or lie around my old room not doing much of anything. On the bright side, my Sims 2 legacy is progressing well, and the Mac versions of the expansion packs were a good 70% off, so I just went ahead and completed my collection. I'm also thisclose to finishing Atonement, and I'm quite excited to see how it ends. On the not-so-bright side, I've been massively unproductive. I can't even motivate myself to take my Netflix DVDs to the mailbox across the street. Yeah, it's pretty pathetic. Anyway, I think I've had a relatively good visit. Most of my friends are still in school or not around, but I've seen plenty of Jackie (we had an awesome sleepover on Monday night), and I had lunch with Pastor Suzi twice. Rest assured that all this lethargy has not thrown off my (admittedly rather lax) exercise schedule; I've been biking with my dad and walking the dog fairly regularly.
Things are starting to come to a close. I'm starting to think about which clothes I want to leave here and which ones are going back to Virginia with me, and it's finally time for Richie's graduation. I am looking forward to having my own place (in the sense that I'm responsibly subletting it) and earning some money this summer, but I'll definitely miss my family. My mom is pretty sure she's going to come to UVa for Family Weekend, though!
Part II. Winter's Bone
Ever since I turned 17 and felt that I could in good conscience watch R-rated movies (yes, I'm weird like that; I haven't had a drink in my life and won't until I turn 21, for example), I've made it a point to see as many of the Best Picture nominees that I can. This past year I've done well, at least for me; when I watched the Oscars in March, I'd seen half of the films (Toy Story 3, The Social Network, The King's Speech, Black Swan, and Inception), and I've since seen two more (True Grit and Winter's Bone). Out of those, I loved Toy Story 3 and Inception, enjoyed The Social Network (mainly for the glorious Sorkinese), The King's Speech, and True Grit, and respected Black Swan as a well-made psychological thriller, even if I didn't exactly like it. However, I really have no idea what to make of Winter's Bone.
The one unequivocally good thing I can say about it is that Jennifer Lawrence is an amazing actress, and Winter's Bone convinced me that she will make an excellent Katniss. Ree basically is Katniss, although for some reason I found Ree slightly more likable than Katniss, who was never my favorite character in The Hunger Games (PEETA <3 <3 <3). Maybe that's because everyone except for Ree's brother and sister is kind of a jerk. I'll admit it - Winter's Bone is just not my cup of tea. It was gritty, dirty, and distinctly unpleasant. The pacing is uneven and the plot is hard to follow. It's an uncomfortable movie to watch. Ree's life is very hard, which the film makes abundantly clear. None of her relatives (except her uncle, Teardrop, in his own gruff way) seem to care about her. Her family is poor, and she has to be the primary caregiver at age 17 because her mother is basically catatonic. They're barely getting by, to the point where Ree has to resort to killing squirrels in the woods for dinner (the scene where she skins one did not do any favors for my vegetarian digestive system). It's all very fine and well, but nothing in this movie really appealed to me. I wanted to like it, I really did. I think my problem is that I'm all about the "light, bright, and sparkling" (I will love you forever if you can tell me who said that and in what context), and even the dramas that I like have to be either relatable or about something that holds my interest. The grim realities of life and the meth trade in the Ozarks just isn't it.
Part III. Tornado
There was a tornado today in Springfield, Massachusetts, just across the river from my former hometown of Agawam. Of course I've seen the news coverage of the tornadoes in Tuscaloosa and Joplin, but it's not until it happened in my own backyard (er, onetime backyard) that the reality really hit me. It feels very surreal, even though it doesn't sound like it was nearly as serious as the ones in Alabama and Missouri. This really is a terrible year for natural disasters. Please keep the people of Springfield and the surrounding areas in your thoughts and prayers.
Part IV. Before
P. S. John Green, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
