Apparently, the number one movie this week is The Covenant, which I had never heard of until I saw its abysmal rating at Rotten Tomatoes.  It's not that unusual for a truly bad film to dip below the 20% mark, butI  had never seen a movie with a 2% rating before.  Certainly not one that people are actually seeing.  As any lover of sarcastic wit knows, reviews of awful movies are delightful to read, and the format of Tomatoes, which highlights a one-line soundbite from every reviewer's take, provided me with all I need to know about The Covenant:

 "Anyone with half a brain is clearly not this movie's target audience." -Boston Globe

"Essentially, Covenant is about young, wet, 'CW' ready underwear models running around hurling 'magical' gelatin blobs at each other while they compete for screentime with their own abs." -Efilmcritic.com

"This inane film is definitely a wayward canine in need of an animal-control officer."  - Mountain XPress

"This sort of thing might work as a desperation rental -- like if you've been injected with poison and must keep watching incredibly lame movies or die."  -E! Online

"Movies like this are why we have eyelids."  - Globe and Mail

"It's super lame."  - New York Times 

And that's just the beginning of the fun -- reading the whole review both contextualizes these quips and multiplies them.   I feel sorry for Victoria Alexander, of FilmsInReview.com, the single thumbs up in the bunch.  Her tepid and rather incoherent endoresement of the film almost feels apologetic and hinges on an allegory which seems not to exist only in the reviewer's own mind.   Forget the film itself; this, my friends, is good entertainment.

Posted by Trailhobbit at 1:56 PM EDT

Updated: Saturday, September 16, 2006 2:29 PM EDT

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Harvard is ending early admissions.  The mascotless fops Crimson claim this move is meant to reduce pressure on high schoolers and to make Harvard more accessible to lower-income students.  In reality, however, we know it's just because we pwned them last year.  They're the bitter kid who, when his chances for board game victory look grim, whines "I don't like this game," and throws the board, pieces and all, immaturely skyward.  If Yale's going to beat them, they're just not going to play anymore.  Aw, poor things.

Posted by Trailhobbit at 8:39 PM EDT

Updated: Wednesday, September 13, 2006 8:39 PM EDT

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I talked to Richard today and finally agreed to his longtime advice to do a semester of Directed Reading before formally enrolling in the Senior Essay course in the spring.  It takes a lot of stress off me - I can research both the Gallinazo and the Huari collection (the latter of which would be easier to integrate into a UCLA M.A. topic...) for a few weeks, then spend a few weeks really getting to know the collections before delving into the actual writing next semester.  It sure sounded like a better way to really do it justice.  He recommended that I submit the term paper for Complex Societies to grad schools as a writing sample instead, since it is a grad course and they don't want a 40-page sample anyway.  He also suggested I apply to 2 or 3 schools instead of 6 or 7, and discouraged me from Stanford.  We kind of landed on UCLA, UCSB, and Harvard as the best options.  He is very high on UCSB, which is great to hear, as much as I love UCLA.  So I'm a little less stressed now, feeling equally busy but much less rushed.  The challenge now is to neatly correct my schedule which I already impulsively finalized. I'm not worried.

 I'm still not getting a real job; I just don't want to deal with that right now.

There's a FOOT reunion tonight where we all meet with our groups for ice cream.  I kind of want to go to see all the senior and junior FOOT leaders one more time, but I kind of don't. I don't have a group.  It will make me sad.  I also have a UU small group service to lead right beforehand and might be late.  Hm.  

 My week and a half of super-healthy lifestyle or whatever you want to call it went kaput when I suddenly realized how time-consuming and distracting it was.  Brownies for lunch, yay!

I watched the English dub of Bleach Episode 1.  Um, it's not a complete disaster.  That's all I'll say on this subject.

I found I could upload audio onto this blog!  Unfortunately the song I am in love with ("Staralfur" by Sigur Ros) is too big for tripod to handle.  This is terrible, because everyone needs to hear this song.  So here is my other new discovery, by Polly Paulusma.  It is made of love. 

She Moves in Secret Ways

Posted by Trailhobbit at 2:07 PM EDT

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Mood:  accident prone

Okay, it's settled.  I'm taking Complex Societies, and I'm excited about it. I got into my history seminar.  So my official schedule is thus:

Monday: nothing;  work on senior project

Tuesday: Early Complex Societies (2h)

Wednesday:  Land, Homelands and American Indian Histories (2h)

Thursday: Archaeologies of Empire (2h)

Friday: nothing; work on senior project 

Yes, that's right.  4-day "weekends." 

However, I might get a real job this semester, as if I didn't have enough on my plate already.  From my initial assessment, the Stanford grad school application is much friendlier than the UCLA one, but the process is still intimidating.  

Today I actually utilized the basement gym for the first time since living here, which prompted the following tribute.

Top 10 Reasons Ellipticals are Awesome:

10.  They don't hurt your feet, your knees or your lower back.

9.  Your iPod doesn't freeze from bouncing up and down.

8. They tell you how many calories you've burned even if it's a total lie.

7. They're indoors.  This is a big deal in January.

6. Let's face it, it's just easier than running.

5. You can do your seminar reading while working out!

4. Living in D'port, your room is right upstairs.

And the top three reasons ellipticals are awesome:

3. You won't get hit by a car.

2. You won't get mugged, even if it's midnight.

1. You won't fall down and bleed all over your running socks.

Can you tell who ate concrete while running yesterday?  I swear, every semester, new scars on my knees.  >_<  It's like a tradition or something. 

Posted by Trailhobbit at 3:07 PM EDT

Updated: Sunday, September 10, 2006 6:57 PM EDT

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Archaeologies of Empire rocks my world.  I must say it's a bit pretentious to call it "Archaeologies of Empire" rather than "Archaeology of Empires," but no matter.  I'm glad I like it because I basically have to take it.  Actually, I've really enjoyed everything I've shopped, which poses a problem.  I'm pretty confident I'll get into my Native American history seminar, though I have yet to hear anything definitive which is driving me crazy.  Assuming I do, then I have two seminars and my senior project, and need one more class.  I really, really like Ethnohistory and Archaeology, which is a small-table non-seminar with the new big guy on the council, Rod McIntosh, who's delightful.  The class seems relatively easy - a take-home final paper based on field trips and a debate are our major grades - especially compared to the alternative.  Said alternative is a grad seminar on Complex Societies cross-culturally, team-taught by Richard Burger and McIntosh.  This doesn't meet until Tuesday, so I have to wait forever to check it out.  So here are the pros and cons of these classes.

In favor of Ethnohistory and Archaeology

1. Not a seminar = slightly more relaxed.  I will have major papers due in History and in Empires, thesis not withstanding.  >_<

2. Really cool syllabus and field trips (!)

3. It would preseve my afternoon-classes-only schedule of love.

4. Thematically unlike anything I've taken here while still being relevant.  By contrast, CompSoc seems perhaps too similar to Richard's spring seminar I plan to take on the Origins of Peruvian Complex Society, which I would prefer to take because of its immediate relevance.

In favor of Complex Societies

1. Taking a grad seminar is hardcore. 

2. Especially one, in the fall, that's being taught by the man who's getting you into grad school.

3.  It would mean no class on Monday or Friday.

*cue Jeopardy theme* 

Also, my friend and I collectively lost 2 library books last semester, which will cost $110 apiece.  And I swear it was not my fault, but since I was foolish enough to check them out and lend them out, I deserve to pay my share. 

Have I mentioned that Frappuccino Light is the best thing since sliced bread? Actually, it's better than sliced bread.  I can cut my own bread; I can't concoct a 110-calorie caffeinated milkshake.

And does eating Splenda by itself constitute an eating disorder?  Because, well...yeah.  Then again, last year I was eating instant coffee by itself, which must be worse, though I'm not sure why.  Ah, college. 

I love Yale.  I really, really love Yale.  I just wish the weather were this nice all year.  But then it would be Stanford.  With personality. 

Posted by Trailhobbit at 8:13 PM EDT

Updated: Thursday, September 7, 2006 8:37 PM EDT

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So I got my poto handed to me by the Spanish placement test, along with nearly everyone else who took it.  Which simply means I won't be taking Spanish, because I'm not sitting through Intermediate five days a week in my senior year and whizzing by everyone at high speed: www.notworthmytime.com.

 As a result, I have some tantalizing class options at my fingertips.  Much depends on whether I get into my history seminar, which I hope to find out tomorrow.

 In the meantime, chocolate fondue awaits.

Posted by Trailhobbit at 7:23 PM EDT

Updated: Tuesday, September 5, 2006 7:29 PM EDT

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Yesterday I took the Spanish placement exam and am not too optimistic about passing out of Intermediate.  Alas.  But UCLA loves me, so it's okay.

I started decorating my bedroom today.  I have so much wall space all to myself and I really want to make it cute, but my old posters are a little ratty and I'm too cheap to buy new ones.  We'll see how it comes out.  I also ordered a class ring so that I'll never forget I went to Yale.  This whole 2007 thing scares me.  Everywhere I go, there are flocks of freshmen, and they're all my brother's age.  They look it, too.  I feel old.  

 Having my own room is truly, truly beautiful.  I feel so peaceful when I'm there.  

 Labor Day is the worst-timed holiday ever.

 I wish I felt like writing.  Tomorrow is registration, and we might have a fondue party.  Mmm...

I might go to some College Dems meetings this fall.  I don't want to take too much time away from my work, but this is an election year after all.  And there are actually signs of hope. 

Posted by Trailhobbit at 3:48 PM EDT

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I'm back at Yale, practically moved in, and glad to have a room of my own.  I also won my UCLA interview.  For real.  That means I probably only have 3 more coast-to-coast commutes to go in my career as a student. *knock on wood*

D'PORT '07!! 

Posted by Trailhobbit at 12:50 AM EDT

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