Went to Haruki and WaterFire and Pastiche with Jimmy and Ben. I felt so grown-up.
I stopped feeling grown-up the moment Ben coined the youtube-inspired phrase LOL Fag. I laughed like a thirteen-year old. Good times.
So, in keeping with the scary week theme, let’s talk about The Shining(movie, not book). My deep and unwavering fear of scary movies is well known amongst my friends and family. I’ve had actual sleepless nights thanks to the few that I’ve made the mistake of watching.
And yet. I have seen The Shining three times. I have enjoyed The Shining. I have lost no sleep over The Shining. The AFI deemed it the scariest movie of all time. I would disagree with that ranking. Silence of the Lambs for instance is terrifying and even more psychologically rich; however, that isn’t to imply that The Shining is without its moments of fear-inducing creepiness.
Something about that movie makes it exempt from my usual, “what the crap was that noise, ohmigod, there’s someone in the house!” feeling that I get after watching films like it. I wonder if it has to do with the nature of the story. More than its tone of dread, the story is infused with melancholy. An alcoholic writer who has once before hurt his son and is now trying to kill him and his wife? Yeah, that’s sad. Creepy and sad.
Stephen King apparently based some of the story on his own struggle with alcoholism. And though he his the master of horror, he’s also a man who loves to tell stories about family angst. I love to watch movies about family angst. Family angst may be frightening to some, but it won’t ever stop me from getting a good night’s sleep.
Of the things that scare me, and there are a few, I’ve never counted spiders among them. I don’t want to make friends with a nest of them or anything (Is nest the right term? Or have I just offended my spider readers? Sorry about that, Charlotte. Damn it. There I go again.)
Arachnophobia was suitably creepy. The idea of hordes of spiders (please tell me hordes is the right word) wandering around my house waiting for me to take a shower or go to bed icks me out. But in real life, I’m the person at the office who refuses to step on the little buggers. I find a cup and a piece of paper and use them to capture the arachnid and release it into the wild. I feel so one with nature when I do it. And just a little badass for my lack of fear.
My name is Beth, and I am a Peggle Addict. The first step is admitting you have a problem. The second step is figuring out how to beat the damn water levels.
I really wanted to like Avenue Q. It won a Tony, and it’s got the twisted, weird sense of humor that usually turns my crank. But the show ran too long (over two hours with an intermission) and the main storyline meandered.
I’m not easily shocked (lie), but watching two puppets rock out in the 69 position and then go back to bumping uglies while other puppets’ shadows masturbate was a little much for me. The show prides itself on being profane sometimes to the detriment of the story.
All in all, I was disappointed. I’ve wanted to see Avenue Q for years. My brothers love the soundtrack, and every time I hear the song, “What Do You Do With a B.A. in English?” I laugh as only a former English major can. But the music isn’t pretty enough or clever enough to stick in my head, and I wasn’t moved to sing along to any of songs.
As Halloween gets closer, I’ve been thinking about things that scare me. It’s a longer post that requires pictures and video, but I keep thinking about standing in the bathroom, staring at the mirror with the lights turned off, and making a mean face until I got a chill. I played a game. It was called, “Scare Myself for No Good Reason, because It’s Kind of Thrilling and a Little Strange.” I miss that game.
Hey there, advertisers of the world. Suggesting that a good suit will get you tail, because women are shallow may not be the best marketing strategy. I mean, don’t get me wrong. Women really are that shallow. But we base our decisions on whether or not to sleep with a dude on his car. Come on. Get it right!
