New Years and Nipples

I can't muster excitement for new years. We are going a party tonight, and I'm glad to have plans, but I don't see the passing of time as something to celebrate. I don't like beginnings and I don't like ends. I like middles.

I'm starting to combat aging. I'm moisturizing my neck and hands more. I'm lifting weights to avoid bone density loss. I'm exercising more, eating healthier, drinking less. Fortunately, I'm happy to do this and it isn't a struggle. I see the payoff and I certainly don't want to get sick. You hear about people getting cancer in their thirties. All sorts of terrible things.

On a lighter note, sort of, here's an article on Facebook's 'war on nipples.' Tee hee.

See you next year.

My Bright Idea

This blog has been limping along sadly for a while now. I don't have the motivation to update it. Mostly I feel like I don't have anything to say. But I'm not ready to let go of Chanchow yet.

One of my new year's resolutions is to watch 52 movies, roughly one a week, that I've never seen or haven't seen in a long, long time. Classic or cult favorites that are referenced a lot. Movies I should know.

Here is my list, which is subject to change at any moment. Heavily represented are genres that I've never liked and always avoided-- horror, sci fi, war and westerns (i.e., guy movies). I suppose now is that time to bite the bullet and watch some of these.

1900
The 400 Blows
2001: A Space Odyssey
Apocalypse Now
Battleship Potemkin
Ben-Hur (1959)
Birth of a Nation
Blade Runner
Blue Velvet
Cabaret
Cabinet of Doctor Caligari
Carrie
Citizen Kane
A Clockwork Orange
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Dirty Harry
Do the Right Thing
Dr. Strangelove
Doctor Zhivago
Dracula
Drunken Master II
Enter the Dragon
The Exorcist
The Fly (1986)
Frankenstein (1931)
Ghostbusters
The Godfather, Part II
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Lawrence of Arabia
M
Manchurian Candidate (1962)
Midnight Cowboy
Mon Uncle
Network
Nights of Cabiria
Nosferatu
Repulsion
Rocky
Rosemary's Baby
Scarface
The Searchers
Shaft
Saturday Night Fever
Shane
The Shining
The Sting
Stromboli
Tootsie
Triumph of the Will
Two Lane Blacktop
Umberto D
West Side Story

Your Friday Afternoon Video #33: Eartha Kitt

For Those Who Read

The folks behind the Omnivoracious blog (editors at Amazon.com) have been putting together The Books of the States-- a series in which they select books about a State equal to the number of that State's electoral votes (e.g., 55 books about California). Since I only read 2 books a year, this will take me 100 years.

Your Friday Afternoon Video #32: Go See Slumdog Millionaire

Earthquakes, Fires and Mudslides. Oh My.

But don't worry, they probably won't kill you.

This Blog Has Become Super Lame

Between facebook and swimming and the rest of my not-so-interesting life, there really isn't time or inspiration for what once was a borderline mildly interesting blog. I'm mulling some ideas about how to get myself back in the game (actually, just one idea), so don't cry just yet, dear remaining reader, the Chanchow may be back.

2009: Year of the Gorilla

Only 700 mountain gorillas remain in the wild. More here.

Don't Let This Happen To You

Man killed for 'hogging karaoke'.