here is a website my friend brooke introduced me to today.

love letters

i'm hooked.

another one that i love:

visual thesaurus

today was an excellent day.

i'm not even sure i want to elaborate because it might ruin it.

lately, i've been loving the idea of going back to paris. i can't stop watching films that are somehow tied to the city. here are some recent additions:

avenue montaigne

love in the afternoon

i seriously have to get to watching the films up for awards. i feel so behind since i was gone for a few weeks. however, i just finished reading harry potter and just started persepolis and collapse. i'm very excited about these two books.

this album has captivated me for about a month now.
scout niblett - this fool can die now


along with beirut's the flying club cup and iron and wine's this shepherd's dog.

i re-read my journal from tctw the other day. it shed a lot of light on my life at that time and how i have changed for the better since that summer out west. it's funny to recognize the exact moment i embraced the trip and started to let it change me. it happened in san francisco and the days after. during the steve seskin concert at the palms and the following days at yosemite and grand teton. i want to make that trip again. i want to go back as staff.

i received a lot of cook books for christmas. two of them specialized in soups. yesterday i prepared a roasted garlic and potato broth/soup. it was so simple yet so tasty. i renamed it the poor man's soup. for the next six months i'm going to be completely broke due to fixing my busted vehicle. wish me luck in my new life of eating homemade soups and watching movies. not to worry though, it's awards season!

december boys
eagle vs. shark
apres vous
the bourne ultimatum
the nanny diaries

costa rica was beautiful, amazing, eye-opening, and so many other great adjectivies. many tears were shed, life was evaluated, goals were made, fun times and great conversations were had, and many many intriguing and amazing people are now my friends. i would say a great vacation.

on the first day of my vacation i finished the book into the wild. this book spoke to me in volumes. i think the time and place in which i read it was perfect. i can see it meaning less if i wasn't about to depart on a journey in a country which i'd never been to before to rediscover myself and figure out what i'm doing in life. on the last day of my vacation i watched the film version. emile hirsch says a line in the film during his portrayal of chris mccandless that really hit me. he says "The core of mans' spirit comes from new experiences." i will remember this whenever i'm feeling stagnant and stuck and it will breathe the life back into me.

i watched many movies upon my return to the states and seclusion in north carolina.

diggers
the kingdom
no country for old men
enchanted
fracture
the pursuit of happyness
pirates of the caribbean: at world's end
we are marshall

scout niblett (featuring will oldham) - kiss

goodness, i missed the whole month of november. how did that happen? tomorrow i leave for costa rica to visit my good friend lizzie, and then i'll be home for christmas for a bit. it's exciting to finally go on vacation and to actually go back to north carolina for more than four days. yet strange at the same time to be away from austin for a whole month. i will miss salad.



a bit of an update on some films to check out:

superbad
hilarious! ever since knocked up i've been on a crude humor movie kick. judd apatow and company are great though!

hannah and her sisters
this was our thanksgiving movie. we watched it after eating an enormous meal, and it's one of my favorite woody allen movies now. i did a lovely job at choosing this one.

paris, je t'aime
love love love this film! it's a must-see in my book, and i hate that term.

la vie en rose
another french film that i loved. edith piaf was a character and this film did a lovely job at portraying her life and career.

bright leaves
a man's journey following his family lineage through the north carolina tobacco industry. a doc that made me miss my homeland and inspired me to return to the idea of making a film about my family (an idea that will never come to be an actual project).

east of eden
a classic.

my country, my country
an iraqi look at the war on terror. very enlightening.

alpha dog and zodiac
two more mainstream films that i enjoyed also.

wah-wah

paris is burning
this film was very informative and interesting. it's about the balls in nyc in the 80s, when the transgender and gay population competed in "vogueing" and other categories for huge trophies.

the road to guantanamo
an excellent film by michael winterbottom, one of my favorite current directors.

zoo
a beautiful yet extremely hard film to watch. the subject matter is hard to swallow but the photography keeps you intrigued throughout the film.