The Movies

So, I went to the movies tonight. Yes, it is a Wednesday night and I should have stayed in since I should have work tomorrow morning, but I made the mistake of calling in sick on Tuesday. Four people in my store have been out sick for the past week with four different mysterious illnesses. A handful of other people have been out sick from other stores as well. The result: paranoid managers. Today I called to check in and say I felt fine to come back tomorrow. In all reality, I probably would have been fine to go back in today, but I stayed home just in case. My store manager said she didn’t want me coming back without a doctor clearing me. HA! I don’t have health insurance, thus it would cost me more to visit a doctor than to not work for a whole week. I’m convinced I’m fine so it’s just not worth the cost to me. Besides, if the options are see a doctor and go back to work vs. stay home for a few days off and end up in the same financial situation either way, I’ll take the days off thank you. Anyways, my temperature was just under 100, so they said no dice and I’m not allowed to work tomorrow. So, I went to see a movie with friends instead, which brings me to Paranormal Activity (PA).

I was against seeing it. I never sat through Blair Witch Project or Cloverfield. While I respect the clever marketing behind the movies, I refused to buy into the hype. Even with PA, I wasn’t sold on the movie, interesting marketing strategies or not, but my friends were. Being bored as I am, and having a bad case of cabin fever from being a shut in for the past two days, it seemed like a good idea. No, it wasn’t terrifying. I’m not left creeped out and unable to sleep. I won’t go to be fearing it will happen to me. However, I am left amused and satisfied. There were some great comedic moments and a lot of ‘Yeah, the guy would be dumb like that’ and of course a few whimper-worthy scenes. I love that the idea of scary movies are reverting back to the prolonged shots, like those of Alfred Hitchcock (The Birds still creeps me out). There’s a lot to be said for a file that can make use of a seemingly boring shot to get you on the edge of your seat. Not to mention the fact that it’s always refreshing to see a ‘scary’ movie that toys with you psychologically instead of relying on gore, sharp movements, and things jumping out at you to be effective. And, I’ll be honest, while I haven’t lost the ability to sleep, I certainly won’t be trying to provoke evil demons anytime soon. Besides, who in their right mind walks down a dark hallway, towards scary noises yelling ‘is that the best you got’ or ‘bring it on!’ Sheesh. How dumb do you get? I am glad I paid the $10 to see it in the theater. I think it was much more effective being surrounded by screaming, gasping movie goers than it would be at home. It certainly made it a lot easier to get lost in the movie. Plus, the big guy sitting next to me spent the better part of the movie with his head tucked into his shirt like an overgrown turtle. Moderately creepy movie 1, big strong man 0. Priceless.

And on the note of marketing strategies, I remain convinced that the best marketing campaigns do nothing but expose the weakness and gullible nature of people. It’s a great psychological game and I respect it, and find it amusing. Hell, I even fall victim plenty of times. But end of the day, it’s still nothing more than a well crafted game. Props to you, Paramount, your marketing team is top notch and tech savvy. Cheers to your success.

This is all I do now... really?

So, this is it. This is all I do now. Seems like things used to be a lot busier, my days were a lot shorter and filled with so much more. Classes, homework, real work, friends, drama, TV show addictions, the occasional video game. Not so much anymore. Well, I still have a real job, and the occasional drama, but I’m usually pretty far removed from the center of the drama, so I don’t count that really. No more TV show addictions. Well, that’s a lie. I’m still addicted, but I don’t follow them religiously like I used to. I’ve missed so many episodes of my favorite series I’ve given up on trying to watch the new ones and just catch reruns whenever I happen to catch them flipping through the channels. Oh, and my ‘real work’ is not so much work. Job market sucks so I’ve been working retail down in Waikiki. It’s not so bad. They pay well ad have some great benefits, so it’s enough to get by for now until I find a real job, preferable something that values my college degree. But anyways, I’ve been bored lately. It’s amazing how much free time I have now that I’m not doing homework, writing papers, working on project, or procrastinating for hours on end. I felt like I wasted a lot of spare time in college, but I never realized how much ‘spare time’ there really was in a given day. I’ve been trying to find a new hobby. Not that reading and lying out by the pool aren’t incredibly satisfying, it’s just not enough to preoccupy me for days (and nights) on end. Yes, I know, there are worse things in life than boredom, but right now, I’m bored. So instead of just talking to myself, I’ll blog. Seems a little less insane than the alternatives, like talking to the walls or random strangers that walk by. No, there will be no theme to this blog other than my little case of insanity, restlessness, and desire to find something worthwhile to do or contribute in this world. Just the random musings of a bored, practically unemployed, energetic and restless college grad with too much on my mind and not enough on my plate. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. I’m certainly hoping I will.