Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Thank You Laura

The lovely Laura has been too kind once again, and passed on this Sunshine Award to me. Laura, thank you so much, you are very sweet and funny, and do I really have to say another 10 things about me?? C'mon, a girl needs some mystery left...
So I'll do my 10 favourite movies. They change often, but these are the 10 that are most consistently in there (and these are no particular order)
1) Lost in Translation
Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray, both in Tokyo and start a platonic relationship. Poignant, sweet, unclear, and a wonderful example of how travelling throws people together unexpectedly.
2) The Princess Bride
A classic. It has everything: sword fights, monsters, romance, and mystery. Also, it was the only movie our family owned for a while, so my siblings and I are pretty good at saying the lines along with Wesley (oh Wesley), and Buttercup.
3) The Darjeeling Limited
A Wes Anderson film about three brothers travelling in India. Hilarious, great music, and lovely scenery.
4) Ferris Bueller's Day Off
I love it. I just love it so much. It's 80's teen-hood encapsulated.
5)The Royal Tennenbaums
Another Wes Anderson, about this kooky family that's far from perfect. Again, love the music and the artistry that is in the details.
6) Gone With the Wind
I will gladly sit through all 238 minutes of this. The drama and the feeling just sweeps me along with it, and I love Vivien Leigh's Scarlett O'Hara.
7) Breakfast At Tiffany's
Hey, what girl doesn't adore this movie? I want to BE Holly Golightly sometimes, and play guitar on the fire escape, and hold wild parties that last until next morning, and live in an apartment by myself with a stray cat, and find ballet slippers in the fridge...
8) The Great Escape
I think Postman might like this one. It's a war movie, with Steve McQueen, and while there are so many humourous moments underneath there runs this current that tragedy awaits.
9) Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Paul Newman, Robert Redford as charming felons who run all over the place being charming and felonious.
10) Zoolander
Ahahaha, sooo many awesome lines have come from this hilarious movie about a male model. I finally got my dad to watch it, and now he joins in the conversation about being ridiculously good-looking, and getting the black lung, and having "walk offs" with frienemies.
Finally, here are some pictures from the latest Canmore fiasco. This is me being all artsy and taking a picture off the bridge.

K, me, Mel, and S

Me, Katherine, Mel at the very crowded, but lovely, Banff Hot Springs
in order (L to R) Katherine, Kelsey, Mel, Me, K, and S on the main street.
This is very typical K and I. I am force-feeding her some of my bagel because I probably said something or rather and then felt bad, so to make it up to her I am giving her my food. Which accounts for my sheepish expression. Only a best-friend would take that as a sorry, right?
A tres elegant Mel, looking European as always.
My darling S. This was taken after we had watched Canada win our first gold medal, and we were very, very happy.
I want to say a little word about S.
I didn't like her at first. But ever since she forced me to stop seeing her as a "Riverbender" when we shared a spare in grade 11, I have been ever so grateful. She is one of the most loyal, generous, self-sacrificing friends I have ever met. This summer when I was too hot to sleep and plagued with nightmares about my life, I could count on her to answer her phone on first ring and drive with me to Denny's, even at one in the morning. It was air-conditioned, and we would listen to loud music in the car to chase away demons. She has this way of getting to know the people in your life, so that when you are having issues she knows exactly what's up. The three of us, (K, S, and I) make up a magical trio of fun and adventure, and I have no idea what I would have done without them. They are the backbone of my life here, and it breaks my heart to think of leaving them.
But that's what I do. I leave, my family moves, and we start again. Before now I have always accepted that as my fate, and believe me, there is nothing I like more than moving and travelling... but the thought of not having K and S there to help me this time... I harden myself normally to protect against this, and I will be fine. Really, I'll be fine.

4 comments:

  1. You are very welcome, Jane!
    I enjoy so much reading you - you have a beautiful way with words (and I always love the pictures).
    Sunshine suits you.:) You are also very pretty!

    The 10 movies are really cool. I haven't seen all of them, but I can tell you that I've watched Gone With The Wind 14 times. I know...crazy.lol
    But it's a fascinating movie.

    Keep writing, you do it real well!

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  2. I second Laura's sentiments wholeheartedly.

    I sympathize with you. I, too, moved around a bunch when I was younger. I never had a steady set of friends I'd known all my life. I regret that intensely. Glad you've still managed to make such close friends regardless, though. It doesn't surprise me one bit...

    Glad to see some images of Canmore!

    "The Great Escape" was one of the first movies I bought, ever. I'm not even talking war movies, here. Any movie of any kind. I snapped it up. Great film. Funny dialogue. Amazing theme. Irresistible premise. I also like "Gone with the Wind" and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid."

    I never thought "Lost in Translation" was worth my time, but now I might have to reconsider...

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  3. Laura: aww, you're making me blush. And I am duly impressed with the number of times you've seen GWTW! That's pretty insane. And you're very pretty too!

    Knight: I knew it. I should have guessed you have had some of the same experiences as me growing up, because you understand- it's hard sometimes, isn't it? I was so bitter towards my parents all through high school, but now I can see what amazing experiences and opportunities they have let me have, and I'm grateful.
    But we miss out too. I'm always slightly envious of those people who have had some friends from infancy, because I have never experienced that kind of history or closeness with people other than my family.
    Haha, the Great Escape is totally awesome. And I think that in a perfect world every guy would be either Butch or Sundance. They are heroic to me.

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  4. It is bloody hard. The gang I run with out here have all been living in this area their whole lives. They've known each other since middle school, sometimes even kindergarten. I feel like the odd man out sometimes.

    I'm grateful to my parents, too. I didn't always lose friends when we moved, though, either (beauty of being home-schooled). And if we hadn't moved around so much, the book of my life would be many pages shorter, and quite a bit duller. I've lived in the South, North, East and West...the Midwest, the East Coast, the Southwest...the Bible Belt, the Sun Belt, the Beltway. "I know the average all 'round," as Colonel Sherburn says in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

    It was kind of a lonely way to grow up, one brother, no other kids on the block, and cousins which I didn't see but once every year or two. (And no female cousins, which meant I probably missed out on a lot of social experience I could've used, heh heh.) But it got me here, didn't it?

    That would make for a world full of buddies, that's for sure, if every guy was either Butch or Sundance. I always identified more with Butch. You know, the fun-loving, wisecracking, wily, brainy fellow. Never shot anybody before. Sounds heroic to me.

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