2 + 2 = 5

1. "Pretty (Ugly Before)" by Elliott Smith
   
   After this morning's Elliott Smith tussle, I went back and listened to "Pretty (Ugly Before)" during my lunch break. I stand by what I said: it's one of Elliott's best. The songwriting is spot-on-- an instantly hummable melody, lyrics that are sincerely optimistic but not cloying. The production is a marvel too: the Ringo drum fills, the backing harmonies, the piano accents, the backwards-guitar outro. It's the sound of an artist at the top of his game.
   
   
2. Collateral (directed by Michael Mann)
   As expected, Michael Mann delivered an ace thriller that is impeccably crafted. Sure it wobbles a bit (especially in the incoherent sequence at Fever), but the stellar performances and Mann's eye for detail make up for it. The best summer movie I've seen.
   
   
3. Drunken iTunes Music Store Mix Making
   The rules go like this: get tanked. Agree on a set number of songs that each person is going to buy (in this case it was five). Drink some more. Go online and begin selecting/downloading. When each person is finished, combine the newly purchased songs onto one playlist. Shuffle. Play.
   Trust me, that shit is fun.
   The inaugural playlist:
   1. "Home Alone Main Titles" - John Williams
   2. "California Stars" - Billy Bragg & Wilco
   3. "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (Japanese Version)" - The Flaming Lips
   4. "Blue Moon" - Cowboy Junkies
   5. "Do Nothing 'Till You Hear From Me" - Carmen McRae and Cal Tjander
   6. "Pitter Patter Goes My Heart" - Broken Social Scene
   7. "In Between Days" - Ben Folds
   8. "Tracy" - Mogwai
   9. "Love My Way" - Psychedelic Furs
   10. "Dice" - Finley Quay
   
   
4. The drunken 6 hour film conversation I had with Tim & Morgan on 8/8/04
   My friend Morgan called me on Sunday night to say that he needed some time away from the guests he was hosting at his apartment. He came over to hang out for a little bit and to watch a movie. Four beers, three shots of Cuervo and six hours later, Morgan, Tim and I hadn't gotten around to watching a movie, but we had managed to discuss (among others): Collateral, The Insider, Heat, The Passion of Mel Gibson (and I think I convinced Morgan that it is, indeed, a Jew-hating movie), Braveheart, Koyanisqatsi, The English Patient, The Outsiders, Rumble Fish, The Godfather I & II, The Conversation, Apocalypse Now, Tucker, Peggy Sue Got Married, The Cotton Club, Gardens of Stone, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Jack, The Rainmaker, Good Will Hunting, CQ, The Virgin Suicides, F9/11, 8 1/2, Amarcord, La Dolce Vita, Small Change, Band of Outsiders, The 400 Blows, Stolen Kisses, Atoine & Colette, Pulp Fiction, Kevin Smith's sucky oeuvre, Ed Burns' sucky oeuvre, Mystic River, Ishtar, The Royal Tenenbaums, A.I., Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal, Jurassic Park, and Dogville. Those are the ones I can remember. It was epic... like those all night conversations you had in college.
   
   
5. The crazy woman in Stars & Stripes on Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, CA
   I go to lunch almost every day on Beverly Drive. It's in the heart of Beverly Hills, right around the corner from where I work. And almost every day I see this crazy middle-aged woman power-walking up and down the street. She is always dressed in the same red spandex shorts, star spangled sports bra, American flag cap and gas station sun-glasses. Based on her accent, methinks she's Polish. And as she's power walking up the street, she stops for every guy and flirts with him. Her line goes something like this: "Hey baby, you're cute. What nationality are you? Really? I love guys from ______." Then she keeps walking. I see her do this every day. And no one ever gives her shit or yells at her. After seeing this for nigh on eight months, I decided I needed to give her a shout out. So there it is.