“…Maybe I should go out and get a slide projector?”

What is it with this show? I’m really sad I came late to the party, because as much as I love all the other shows I watch, I have to say that Mad Men is probably one of the most brilliant. It is an example for every other show out there. I love it. It amazes me. Every single character is a terrible person. They are all morally bankrupt, they all do completely reprehensible things but I at least still find myself caring about them and loving them.

Okay – I love Don Draper (and his voice). I’m just fond of the rest. Except for Pete Campbell, whom I find absolutely loathsome. Fortunately, I think that’s the point, and I love that they gave him a wife who is just as irritating as he is. I like that they’re perfect for each other, and that no one else has to put up with them.

Here’s a clip from the first season.

One of my favorite things about watching the show on TV instead of DVD is the way they actually get you to watch the commericals. Inbetween ads they show facts about various advertisements that companies have had. I was so impressed. Seriously – the show’s about an ad agency, and they think of a way to get the people watching their show to watch the commercials between segments. I mean… wow. I applaud you, whoever’s idea that was. And I also applaud the fact that they only showed commercials at all every fifteen minutes, and the breaks were pretty short. That’s how it should be.

“Hey kids. There’s a storm coming.”

I went to see Babylon A.D. tonight. Here is what I thought.

it is like watching a monkey playing with tools

I would like them to reshoot this entire movie with a cardboard cutout of Vin Diesel instead of Vin Diesel. It would probably deliver a better performance.

You owe me $5, Vin.

I’m going to hear helicopters in my sleep

Things I love right now:
1. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. I shamelessly adore this show. Time travel? Robots? Thomas Dekker and Brian Austin Green? Yes please. I just finished the first season… the new one starts the Monday after next.
2. Cinnamon Swirl bread from Wal-Mart. I always wanted to try it whenever I saw it in the bakery at work, and then I finally did. And it was everything I wanted it to be and more.
3. Water. Why am I so thirsty all the time? Oh, probably because it is so hot here and I sweat every speck of moisture out while I’m walking to class. That’s right. Silly me.

Things I do not love right now:
1. The weather in Waco. “Sarah, what did you expect, it’s Texas and Texas is hot, don’t be a whiner, you wanted to go there.” Yeah, well. You make sacrifices to go to the school you love. That doesn’t mean I can’t complain about it being hot. It was like a hundred degrees the other day.
2. Our cable. It is fickle and only works when it feels like working. Today it’s picking on my TV, which means I didn’t get to watch Project Runway, which means I’m upset. Fortunately Bravo reruns everything like twelve times a day.
3. Whoever lives above us really loves playing loud rap music and it annoys all of us.

In other news, I watched Apocalypse Now tonight for one of my film classes. It was the definition of epic. While I can understand why it is considered to be one of the best movies ever made, I will probably not ever watch it again for as long as I live. It was that kind of movie. By the way, it was really long. I thought it was never going to be over.

Donald Miller’s prayer at the DNC tonight.

“Father God,

This week, as the world looks on, the leaders in this room create a civil dialogue about our future.

We need you, God, as individuals and also as a nation.

We need you to protect us from our enemies, but also from ourselves, because we are easily tempted toward apathy.

Give us a passion to advance opportunities for the least of these, for widows and orphans, for single moms and children whose fathers have left.

Give us the eyes to see them, and the ears to hear them, and the hands to serve them.

Help us serve people, not just causes. And stand up to specific injustices rather than vague notions.

Give those in this room who have power, along with those who will meet next week, the courage to work together to finally provide health care to those who don’t have any, and a living wage so families can thrive rather than struggle.

Help us figure out how to pay teachers what they deserve and give children an opportunity to get a college education.

Help us figure out the balance between economic opportunity and corporate gluttony.

We have tried to figure out these problems ourselves, but they are still there. We need your help.

Father, will you restore our moral standing in the world. A lot of people don’t like us, but that’s because they don’t know the heart of the average American.

Will you give us favor and forgiveness, along with our allies around the world.

Help us be an example of humility and strength once again.

Lastly, father, unify us.

Even in our diversity help us see how much we have in common.

And unify us not just in our ideas and in our sentiments—but in our actions, as we look around and figure out something we can do to help create an America even greater than the one we have come to cherish.

God we know that you are good.

Thank you for blessing us in so many ways as Americans.

I make these requests in the name of your son, Jesus, who gave his own life against the forces of injustice.

Let Him be our example.

Amen.”

Link.

Also, here’s an interesting article explaining the reason it was Don Miller up there and not Cameron Strang of Relevant Magazine doing the benediction.

chapstick emergency

Behold, a crappy, blurry picture I just took on my cell phone:

I cannot describe to you the level of distress I am in right now. I… I am so upset. I am obsessed with this chapstick. I love it. It is perfect. It is the C.O. Bigelow Vitamin Mentha Tinted Lip Balm. It does everything I could ever ask of a chapstick – it moisturizes, it freshens with minty freshness, it softens, it smooths, it tints a baby pink tint, and it lasts all day. And now, it seems to have disappeared off the face of the planet.

See, I only have one tube of this stuff. I bought it on a whim along with some of those C.O. Bigelow lip shine things that were my previous favorite lip stuff. But this lip balm quickly surpassed them in all its messy lipsticky glory and I decided I needed more of it. I have the baby pink color, and I think there were two others at the Bath and Body Works in Park Meadows. Unfortunately, Park Meadows is a bit of a drive from here, so I hit up the Richland Mall here in town to pick up a couple more of these beauties.

But they didn’t have any. None at all. Just the glosses. I was annoyed, but decided that if I really needed more of this stuff I could order it online.

But I CAN’T. Because I just LOOKED for it and it is NOWHERE TO BE FOUND. It isn’t on the Bath and Body Works website, it isn’t on the C.O. Bigelow site, it isn’t ANYWHERE, and I am FLIPPING out.

Everyone, my birthday is September 3rd. If you have any goodness in your heart, and you see any shade of this tinted lip balm anywhere around you, please, BUY it for me and then give it to me for my birthday before I get any more distraught. The day this little tube runs out could, very possibly, be the worst day of my life, and I’m sure you don’t want to help facilitate that for me.

Here are a bunch of sad faces to help get the point across:

That’s me right now.