I'm Judging You Behind My Ray Bans

Today I had one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life. I recently overheard someone bragging about her new boyfriend, how he is in Greek life, and how he requested her to paint a cooler for him for his birthday. He set up a Pinterest account so that she could easily access his vision for his birthday cooler. Me, being a mega-stalker, found this guy on pinterest, and proceeded to scroll through his 174 pins for this cooler deal. These coolers were all obviously inspired by fraternity themes. They were bedazzled in bowties, and phrases like “Life is a waste of time, time is a waste of life, let’s all get wasted and have the time of our life”. Now, other than the glaring grammatical errors within this short, but clearly challenging sentence, I want us all just meditate upon the message here. It clearly states that life is not worth living unless we are all wasted. There was another quote a little further down within the plethora of self-absorbed cooler quotes that went as follows: “Finish your beer, there are sober children in Africa”. I don’t think I even need to spell out what is wrong with that quote. But the quote that I saw repeatedly throughout the questionable collection of coolers stated “I am judging you behind my Ray Bans."

 This one really got me. I am judging you from behind my Ray Bans. Here’s a guy who clearly has one motive in life, and it only involves the consumption of alcohol. However, he has a picture of a painted tuxedo with the words “Because class is not just something you attend” inscribed beneath it. It’s classy to get wasted, and to celebrate the fact that this is clearly the only thing you take pleasure in? It’s classy to compare your drinking habits to children on another continent who are dying every day from lack of food? It’s classy to advertise that you are judging other people while you hide behind that $200 pair of sunglasses that your parents purchased for you? I didn’t realize that this was the definition of class. I’m not judging Greek life here. I am judging what it is encouraging and what it is becoming. I realize that not all Greek organizations are created  equal, and that not all the people within them are equal, but if it can cause a person to become this insensitive and egomaniacal and judgmental of other people, I think that a new perspective needs to be acquired. For someone to be this self-centered is beyond me, and reading through his little Pinterest board has opened my eyes to his true character.

Happy Birthday to Christian Bale!

Today is Christian Bale's birthday, and as my first ever celebrity crush, I thought we should all take a moment to honor him and his marvelous talents. And good looks. Ever since Kenneth Branagh's Henry V, I have been in love with Christian. I know that his portrayal of Batman left much to be desired, but let's face it people: he made a fabulous Bruce Wayne. And from Mr. Bale's shocking weight loss for his role in "The Machinist", to his high-larious beer belly in "American Hustle", this guy has been able to maintain me as a fan. And don't even get me started on this guy in "Newsies" and "Little Women". Such display of charming manliness I've never seen. I still want to kick Winona Ryder every time.

 

And so America, I raise my glass of ice water to Christian Bale on his 40th birthday.

Lord Benedict Cumberbatch

 

 

 

 

 

I'm sorry about this.

Is this post rendered legitimate because of the picture?

Or is it still just like every other post on every other blog of every other teenage girl who secretly believes that she, and ONLY she, shall be the one to melt the ice in Sherlock's heart?

If so, I'm really not sorry.

There's a reason why every teenage girl on every blog talks about Mr. Cumberbatch. And that reason is: he's freaking awesome.

He's ridiculously smart, ridiculously talented, ridiculously pale, and ridiculously good with kids. Everyone should want to marry him. And that includes everyone, even Anderson Cooper. (I have no idea what Anderson Cooper thinks of Benedict, he was just the first person I thought of.)

HOWEVER.

This post is about the picture, really. About how BAD it is, good gosh, looking at it now is absolutely PAINFUL. Not only because his eyelashes look like they were bought from the Maybelline section of Walmart.

His mouth is RIDICULOUSLY wrong. And, let's be honest, he's rendered a tad pitiful without the hair. 

But it'll improve. Over time. Maybe. And I'll be sure to shove it in your face again when it does. Will I do it just for the chance of talking about Senior Bendytoots again? Absolutely.

 

 

 

 

 

Song of the Day

Currently obsessed with this scene from "Inside Llewyn Davis", and this song in general. It's the first time I have ever been able to willingly listen to Justin Timberlake. P.S. I seriously do love him sometimes. Also, Adam Driver is my favorite person right now. The comments on the video are really annoying me, however. Not sure what's wrong with these people.

No one is Ever Told What Would Have Happened

 

Basically, I think everyone understands that feeling of frustration and overwhelmed emotions that come with the realization that nothing makes sense. Something I’ve been feeling and dealing with lately is that nothing makes sense whatsoever, and shows no signs of changing anytime soon. I don’t know if it’s the fact that I’m graduating college in a few short months without any real life plan or life skills, or that I’m about to turn 23, which is a terrifying number, or the fact that I just finished watching Breaking Bad and now my big question is WHAT IS LYFE?! I mean…. Walt didn’t even have his crap together by the end of that and how am I supposed to move on after that series finale?

I recently had an incredibly depressing conversation with a friend who shall remain anonymous. This conversation made me realize that I have to make decisions in life. When I come to that fork in the road, I have to make a choice. I can stand there forever, wishing that fork was some other more circular utensil, but the fact of the matter is, it is a fork and I have to deal with that reality.

The fact that major life decisions are rapidly approaching my doorstep is mildly horrifying. You think once you get into college that everything will eventually fall into place: the right major will show up, you’ll meet your significant other, you’ll get a sweet internship, you’ll go to some awesome parties with your awesome friends and it will be the time of your life. I’m just glad I realized sooner rather than later that this is all a pretty picture that the schools paint for you so that you will choose them to give your money too. But no matter how green and shiny that great lawn is, your life is still going to make no sense at the end of the day.

I guess the best advice I can really give myself and anyone else out there who is struggling with the same emotions is just do something. No matter how terrifying it may seem, you HAVE to make choices, so just do it and have faith that things will eventually be less horrifying somewhere down the road. If all else fails, you can always turn to hard drugs, like Walt.

And I suppose, in the end, you can’t spend time looking back and asking, what if? As Aslan says to Lucy in C.S. Lewis’ The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, “no one is ever told what would have happened”. That quote has always stuck with me since I was a little kid. No one is ever told what would have happened, and there must be a reason for that.

As John O’Callaghan once said, “The what-ifs and the should-haves will eat your brain”.

And as God once said “I am with you always. Even to the end of the age”.

Spike

Spike Jonze is one of those guys that would stop to pet some dirtbag's dog while said dirtbag was in the ABC buying expensive jack with money that should've been spent on a bedazzled collar for said dog. Said dog would totally fall for Spike Jonze and want to go home with him but Spike, being perfect, would just stay with the dog until the owner came back out with his jack in a plastic bag instead of paper, because he's a dirtbag and doesn't care about the environment. And then Spike would just look at the dirtbag with his soulful twinkly eyes and Dirtbag would just repent. He would just repent and take his dog to a doggy day spa and get its nails did and then he'd buy flowers for his mom and maybe start writing letters to death row inmates.
Ehem.
Spike Jonze is an inspiration to me. He's the first director I've encountered (encountered as in, stalked on Tumblr) who both a) doesn't speak in riddles and b) also manages to make good movies. (and also is super cute, but that's beside the point) Really good movies. The most recent of which is Her, starring Joaquin Pheonix and like 10 super hot women, I mean, really accomplished actresses. The biggest thing I realized during this movie was how adorable Scarlet Johansson's voice is. I never pegged her as someone who could be good in a movie without being manifest in it, but she so could. The second biggest thing I realized is that it is scary how well you can hear a writer's voice through their work.
So basically watch the movie, and make a shrine to Spike. Because he is glorious.

Song of the Day: Oscillate Wildly, The Smiths

This is an instrumental song by The Smiths. I love this songs because it shows what an evocative and powerful band they are, just instrumentally. They don't even need lyrics to show meaning.

Moonrise Kingdom Artwork

This picture represents a work in (not too much) progress, but I’ve chosen to exhibit it because of what else it represents for me. See, I don’t do work with color. Ever. Like, when people give me paints, I kind of freak out, and if I go so far as to pick up a brush and prepare to USE them, my hands shake and are rendered basically useless. Black and white, oh my gosh, black and white, what a stark and dull comfort zone. It’s the shadows, I think. I’ve always been praised for my ability to use shadows to my advantage, especially in human faces. Because what do you use for shadow in a black and white picture? Black. Lighter black. Smudgey black. And, if you haven’t washed your hands, brownish-black, because I always use my fingers to smudge and end up hating myself when I ruin a picture because of it (I might even upload my recent picture of Benedict Cumberbatch to illustrate this phenomenon. His forehead is now a total mess. I’m crying as I type.)

BUT anyhow, to get back on topic, I used colored pencils for this one. I had to. It’s a still from Wes Anderson’s movie “Moonrise Kingdom” , which is SO great, and like all of his films, visually just a masterpiece. I loved this still in particular, and when I like something that much, I draw it. But I knew it would be a crime to render this without color, I mean, 90% of the sheer PURPOSE would be sucked out of it by my cowardice. Of course, if you’ve seen the movie, you can tell that the colors here don’t match up perfectly at all, but that was slightly intentional, if you can believe me. I went all out with those colors. I decided that if I had no idea what I was doing, it might as well show. So I just put in colors where they didn’t belong, I think I must’ve put purple EVERYWHERE, and I have to say I’m pleased. Everything is so much richer and more alive than it would’ve been if I’d stuck to the primaries. Werq that color wheel. 

 

-Anne 

Song of the Day: Such Great Heights, Iron and Wine

We are going to see Iron and Wine at the Norva in February. We couldn't be more excited for this concert, so here is your song of the day: Iron and Wine's gorgeous and soulful rendition of "Such Great Heights"

Armour Rings

This thing is sweet. I mean, let’s be honest. Just look at it. It’s so weird. It’s so… shiny. I love it. Yes, people gave me some pretty unique looks the first time I wore this thing in public. But it is so cool, I think I might have to wear it almost every day. It’s really interesting because each section of the ring bends with your finger. The ring comes in four sections that you clip together every time you wear it, and the separations between each part roughly match up to the joints in your fingers so they bend with it.

I decided I really needed one of these things after watching way too many episodes of Fresh Meat. Vod, probably my favorite character ever in anything, wears a lot of really special pieces, but this has to be my favorite. I think I will have to do an entire blog post dedicated to Vod at some point. Anyway, this ring was only $4.00 on Amazon.com. Can’t beat that price. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to make people think that they are weird.

 

Vod from Fresh Meat played by Zawe Ashton

Into the Wild

 

 

Into the Wild

 

by Mary Elizabeth St.Jean

The wild, untamed peaks

Morph into flames of gold or scarlet

Bewitched by the waning twilight sun

The trees slant on the rocks

Thousands of them

Listening, waiting to hear the mournful cry of the birds.

The volcanic heights

Reveal the world below

A patchwork quilt of farmland

Forests, trees, sunlight and shadow

The sky above, endless and deep

Trailing pale clouds like kites across its blue canvas.

Climbing upwards and then upwards again

Towards aerial heights

Clawing, grappling every foothold

Every craggy space in the frozen blue stones

My fingers search for them

To guide my ascent.

I stand in the furrowed, disturbed mists

Breathing.

Heart pounding out every beat like it will be my last.

My mind awakes

My hands start to shake with the joy that follows

Extreme beauty.

Blue, sudden, and unexpected

Like a bolt of lightning

Your ragged peaks leave white spaces

In the sky

Shifting between the colored trees

And the ancient rock.

Loneliness is the human condition

Loneliness is what my heart has found

This lonely mountain fills my soul once more

With the feeling of forever life

And forever sorrow

Inescapable beauty of sadness.

My memories of you are not always joyful

But I always come back to you

You’re like a toxic lover

Forever pulling me-

Body and soul

Beauty over regret.

This fierce azure land

Of lonely freedom

Inspires my deepest core

And satisfies my wander lusting soul.