Everyday Jams, July 2010 edition

These are things that are big in my life right now, every day or most days:

Bok choy! The crunchiest, crispest, tastiest greens to stir-fry. The crunchiness of watercress with the flavor of a nice green onion. I've been trying to learn how to cook one new vegetable per week, and this is the best one so far. Kohlrabi, on the other hand...not a great success.

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. I just finished this, after reading it on and off for a year. This is like the LOST of books, am I right? Glad to have finished it, but now I want to scour all the fan blogs and theory pages (assuming they exist) just cuz I'm curious about what other people think.

Venus flytraps. Half of my apartment is technically a basement, and all of it is in an old house in the woods. I got lots of insects lurking just outside my door, and sometimes they sneak in; plants and non-chemical repellents (lots of candles and lemons at my place too) are my favorite weapons in this war, and the VFT is the most fun one.

Sunscreen. Doesn't need explaining!

Water. See above!

Fundamentals of Database Systems textbook. Bo-ring but true. My summer class is rough going but important for my career (maybe). Half.com screwed up my order so I'm borrowing from a friend. Still does not hurt the sting of Databases 1.

Preschoolgems twitter feed: Really helps during Databases lectures. Really, really, really helps.

Movie freewrite: Singles (1992)

JOP has enough movie reviews, movie articles, reviews in general, but something I've been missing lately is a good fifth grade-style FREEWRITE. I sat down tonight after a long day of moving, hoping to relax to some early-90's romantic comedy...here it goes: Singles!

- Nothing really compares to Reality Bites. Was RB derivative of the trailblazing (?) grunge collage aesthetic of Singles and Slackers and offered only a slicked-up, Ben Stiller'd version of it for the masses? Or was RB simply the best synthesis of those elements and a really good movie after all? Would I have enjoyed Reality Bites as much as I do if I had been in the target audience (18-25 yo) when it was released, or would I have been pissed at how "inauthentic" it is?

- Wondering where Bill Pullman is.

- Why does the male romantic lead (Campbell Scott? more generic name please!) send out such a teacher-y vibe? Mr. Rutherford, Mr. Williams my 10th grade Chemistry teacher...channeled by this actor. Blech.

- Bill Pullman shows up as creepy plastic surgeon, hits on Bridget Fonda so overtly it's surreal and the movie doesn't make sense anymore.

- Matt Dillon = never hot.

- JOP already has a "Bill Pullman" tag--this one's for you, Clamz!

- the Expect the Best dating service sequences are maybe the best thing about this film...and heyyy, is that Peter Horton from Thirtysomething??!? it is!

- holy crap, these girls are arguing over Peter Horton..."does that give you the right to just bone him in my kitchen?!"

- welcome to 1992: the computers in this movie actually make boop-beep-boop-boop sounds when you hit keys! (and the screen is black with green type, obv)

- dozed off for a while, but I saw enough to say that things wrapped up satisfyingly but not too crazily; no Garden State-like horrors here. It's sort of a feel-good movie!

- so: Singles gets a solid B from me.

The Biggest Loser?

It really kills me to see what's playing out in the news these days. Unless any of our readers are over 70, I think it's common belief that Conan is actually funny and Jay is old and tired*. BUT! NBC continues to believe that Jay has a chance? I'm happy that they finally are cancelling his 10pm show because it was painful. The fact that NBC is still willing to give Jay whatever he wants in the form of an 11:30 show is still nauseating. I love this argument - "Jay just wants to tell jokes!". Too bad they aren't funny!

I hope that Conan decides to leave NBC instead of taking their compromise of moving his show back to midnight. I understand Conan wanting to host The Tonight Show, but would his show at midnight even carry that title? At this point is it even worth it? Also, the People article is weird too with the whole "Conan's motivation will become clear". What?? Are they not reading the NY Post?

It's "funny" that Late Night shows have such a dark side, and why is Jay Leno always involved in these hosting controversies? Leno being picked over Letterman to host The Tonight Show almost seems tame compared to Leno vs. O'Brien. I never thought Jay was "a nice guy"(TM) , but seriously how much power/whining is 1 unfunny man capable of? Is his ego as big as his chin?

*I think David Letterman is actually the best late night host, but obviously Conan is the best on NBC/for the future.