yesterday in my little daydream world i daydreamt about sufjan stevens doing a summer tour to celebrate the release of "come on feel the illinois." of course, since this album is going to be so epic, he would need a full band. and of course, the band would be made up of denison witmer, john ringenhofer, james mcallister, liz janes, and a few others, since they have all been part of team sufjan at some point in time. who would cover the horns? well, anathallo of course. so, then, naturally, the tour would become a beautiful lollapalooza of sorts, with the following lineup:

anathallo
liz janes
ester drang
half-handed cloud
(let's throw vollmar in just for kicks)
denison witmer
and sufjan stevens with his all-star illinoise team.

i know i'm a nerd, but honestly, i got chills thinking about it, in particular their live rendition of 'chicago.' honestly.

born into brothels and nobody knows last weekend. mad hot ballroom last night.

all dealing with somewhat similar subject matter in different ways. all three were heart warming, and the first two were simultaneously heart wrenching.

nobody knows was my favorite of the three. it was, i think, quite honestly, the most gorgeous film i have ever seen. every shot was breathtakingly beautiful. i kept comparing it to lost in translation: same beautiful cinematography, same pace, same minimal dialogue, and unique because of it. the children were amazing actors, very natural, and they brought the film to life. it was excellent. and very intriguing themes of innocence/childhood/responsibilities/and so on.

born into brothels was also beautiful. it had a very simliar feel to dark days. the children were adorable and their art was incredible. interesting themes of investing in people's lives without knowing what will come in return, and giving them the final say, and having it all be worthwhile no matter what results, which can be hard to grasp for our results-driven mentality.

mad hot ballroom is a crowd favorite lately, but allow me to be forthright in saying, as a documentary, it was very unimpressive. there was very little substance to it. VERY little. people are comparing it to spellbound, but make no mistake, spellbound stands head and shoulders above this one. now, that's not to say it isnt an enjoyable film. the dancing is incredible, the children are darling, and it is a feel good film for everyone to enjoy. it makes you mad you didnt learn how to dance when you were young, it makes you mad you cant dance now, and it makes you mad your school district isnt doing this program for your kids. the film is worth your while, but it could have been a lot better.

there you have it.

i wrote another post last night with the others, but got kicked off the library computer just as i was finishing up, and it got lost. sorry.

dont get too used to seeing posts from me. we have no internet access and do not plan on getting it i dont think. and the library, although it possesses a very decent DVD selection, is rather lame on the computer side of things.

right now i am at john's house so that i can apply for loan consolidation online. and i am wasting my time on this and must go. the days and nights are busy. much too busy.

so, call me.

history is the ebb and flow of extremes, the action of one side and the reaction of the opposite side. we must to study history, then, to find that oh-so-needed middle ground.

the other night my parents were visiting the apartment. as they left, i said down the stairwell, "good luck on your surgery, dad." realizing my faulty theology, i stuttered and corrected myself, "i mean, god bless on your surgery."

with a biting sarcasm he most definitely picked up from me, he replied dryly, "you're so spiritual," and walked out the door.

erica and i giggled and giggled. i think it was the funniest thing he ever said to me.

hello, again, real world. i wish i could say it's good to be back.

the wedding went off with only a few minor hitches, and those hitches weren't very noticeable to the guests. it was wonderful to have so many friends there, espeically my precious best men.

mexico was wonderful too. there are many stories i could tell, but we'll save that for another time. erica and i have decided, though, that from now on, in spanish circles, we will introduce each other as "mi esposa hermosa" and "mi esposo peligroso."

the apartment is a mess and mowing starts tomorrow. should be a great time. this stuff is stressful.

i will not have internet access besides the bethlehem library, so these might come few and far between. but there may be an important change to this thing in the near future, so stay tuned. oooooooooo.

yep, i forgot to use the certain dri last night. but the show must go on.

t minus seven and a half hours.

wish you were here.

upon jamin's suggestion, i picked up some very heavy-duty anti-perspirant called certain dri. it's so heavy-duty, in fact, that you put it on the night before, at bedtime.

now who in the world is going to remember to put on deoderant before going to sleep?!? i've had it for a week and have only remembered once. but as long as i remember tonight, we'll be set.

well, hey, in case you haven't heard, i'm getting married tomorrow. TOMORROW! so you may not hear from me for a week or two. take care of yourselves. behave and all.

just got back from a "bachelor party" with mark and heather. heather has been concerned with "pampering the groom" all day. i'll take what i can get. but tonight's party was filled with all kinds of excitement. we fixed our cravings with some big bacon classics, and then conquered frederick street - the steepest street known to man - in a stick-shift car. it was all very exciting.

i think it's all starting to hit me. slowly but surely. it's all a very weird feeling.

one of the weirdest parts is that i find myself thinking that the whole world is in the frantic tizzy we are in. i go to walmart and everyone's son or daughter is getting married this weekend. the anticipation is in the air and everyone is completing their last minute errands. everyone asks each other, "well, almost ready? hanging in there? getting excited?" all other weekend plans are out the window, this is wedding weekend, for everyone, everywhere.