Out of office reply

Just to let everybody know, I won't be having much (if any, I don't know yet) internet access for the next two weeks. Next week I'll be in Fresno torturing children at a math and science camp for girls, and the week after I'll be torturing coaches and parents alike at a volleyball tournament in Reno. If everything pans out, I'll be back in Bakersfield on the 4th of July. I will have my cell if anybody absolutely has to get in contact with me.

Thoughts and Disappointments

So it will be another year before AFI comes out with their next list. A lot of people (mostly Rachel) have pointed out to me that it's silly to care so much about what AFI thinks and track percentages of the movies I've seen on their lists. Really, she's right, but mostly because I think AFI gets a lot of it wrong. The math nerd in me would really like to know the demographics of all the people voting, and look at the statistical information to see which groups of people voted certain ways. I have a feeling that the average age of the people voting is quite a bit older than me, and it is reflected in the movies that are placed on the lists.

Anyways, here's a recap of the Top 10 from last night's lists, since I'm pretty sure the only people who watched the show were the people watching it with me.

Animated: Snow White
Fantasy: The Wizard of Oz
Science Fiction: 2001: A Space Odyssey
Mystery: Vertigo
Gangster: The Godfather
Sports: Raging Bull
Western: The Searchers
Romantic Comedy: City Lights
Courtroom Drama: To Kill A Mockingbird
Epic: Lawrence of Arabia

There are really only two of the number 1s that I disagree with, those being 2001 and City Lights. Star Wars should have been the top movie in Science Fiction, and City Lights I don't even think fits well under their description of a romantic comedy. Something like Bringing Up Baby (which wasn't even on the list!), It Happened One Night, or The Philadelphia Story should have been up there.

Anyways, I know you don't care, but now you know the crucial information about AFI's new list. Now I can't wait for the next one!

It's like the Superbowl

Tomorrow means that it's time again for AFI to release their yearly list. This is something I look forward to for pretty much the whole year, so I'm very excited. I'm planning on getting my spreadsheet ready for the new films tomorrow, and probably have it on my laptop as I watch, because I'm that much of a nerd.

Special brownies

Jessica, Chris, and I went to go see Reefer Madness today, which was playing at The Empty Space, a theater here in Bakersfield. Since we had all recently watched the movie version of this to show Carly that it wasn't horrible, it was very fresh in our minds. I think all of us were impressed with the way the show turned out, even though there were some things we wish had been done differently. The entire cast had very good singing voices, and gave good performances, especially a couple (Mae and Ralph). If you're in Bakersfield, I'd suggest seeing it, although I think it's only showing for another weekend.

After the show finished we went back to the apartment and somehow ended up looking at all the high school year books. It's amazing to see what people thought was important enough to write into a yearbook back then. Chris was amazed at all the Star Wars references sophomore year, until I reminded him that was the year The Phantom Menace came out. Scary stuff, reminiscing about high school.

I also bought Lego Indiana Jones today, although I'm waiting to play it until tomorrow (see, I do have some self control!). I'll be sure to post about it later.

Facebook

I've decided to try to start using Facebook more to keep in touch with people. Of course, I haven't really figured out what I'm going to do more, but I did add five friends yesterday, so I guess that's a start. Suggestions?

I did learn one thing

As much as it pains me to admit it, I did learn one thing from senior English. Of course, I would have learned it later in college, but I have to be fair and admit where I learned it once. Post hoc ergo propter hoc (it's even in Latin!) is a philosophical fallacy that says because one thing follows after another, the first thing caused it.

The reason I bring this up is because I have, in the past, been accused of killing television shows. The argument is that if I start regularly watching a show, within a year or two, it will be canceled. This came up in conversation with Chris and Jessica, because Chris started making a list of shows that he wants me to start watching - American Idol, Survivor, Dancing with the Stars, and Law and Order: CI (I'm sure I've forgotten some).

I'd like to claim that me killing television shows is a post hoc fallacy, but really, I don't think I can.