crunch factor, work of art, Solitary confinement

Hey,
Tomorrow we are going to go see the Best of the Fest Films in Ogden. I've lived in Utah a while and never been to Sundance, it seems like it is a bit of a pain in the rear to get there and deal with parking and crowds and expensive tickets. But Anita told us about Best of the Fest in Ogden, which is where they take two award winning films and show them for free. Luckily, I was going through Ogden on my way to pick up Nat from the airport a few weeks ago on the day they were giving out tickets. I had to stand in line for a while, but we got some! So we are going to see "Being Elmo" and "Another Earth" Tomorrow. I'll post some reviews later this week maybe.

Yesterday we went to the temple and had Sushi. I think it gets better and better each time you eat it. The Mexican Crunch roll is particularly amazing, we both agree that the "Crunch Factor" greatly enhances most food. Take Crunchwrap Supremes, or Double Deckers for example. Those double decker tacos were my jam in the Middle School Cafeteria.

We also watched an episode of 30 days, that show by Morgan Spurlock where he makes someone spend 30 days with a person that has a drastically different lifestyle. The episode was about a guy learning about New Age Practices. Most of it looked pretty bogus to me, specifically the Rakee...I think that's how you spell it. While he didn't really get into alot of the stuff, he kept the practices that actually helped him to relax. Good way to go about it I think. We got to thinking what the worst thirty days would be for us individually. For me, it would be putting me on the Raw Food Vegan diet for 30 days. I gotta have meat to function. For Nat it would be eating macdonalds for 30 days or living with Gun Activists. We also think living with Gilbert Godfrey for a month would be almost unbearable.
We also think that my the funniest position we could put my Dad in would be to force him to be a contestant on Project Runway. Love that show.

By the way, Natalie and I caught up on Work of Art: Next Great Artist, and we both really liked it. It was cool to see people work under deadlines to create. My first criticism of the show was that real artists need more time to create than the reality show could provide. But then I realized that in my own creative process, I don't really sit around waiting for an idea to come to me. I actively pursue it, spend time working on a goal and ideas shift around until something comes out of it.

Shad goes real hard here:


My first week on the job for reals wasn't too bad. The days are long but the 3-day weekend makes up for it. Everyone I talk to is either in crisis or really uneducated, so it makes for a bunch of tough conversations. I like that my Spanish is improving though, great perk.

Here are some songs I did for the latest Record Club selection, which is Beck's Guero. My little sister Rachel is participating this time around.
Go it alone by Armorie Record Club
Earthquake Weather by Armorie Record Club

I just got one more song to do on this one...

I watched a documentary on Solitary Confinement. It was frightening. The people they put in solitary just basically slowly go crazy and become more and more aggressive, so it really doesn't cure that at all. I guess some people argue that it is inhumane to put anybody in solitary. After watching these people freak out on camera I might agree. But the warden had a real good point, what are you supposed to do with them? If they are stabbing prisoners and guards, you have to some how slap them on the wrist. Isn't the most humane thing you can think of to separate them from people? Anyways, I thought it was really thought provoking.

I also watched another documentary called Cropsey on Friday night and it was a pretty disturbing story about Staten Island and a criminal there. I won't describe it in detail but it's streaming on Netflix and one a couple awards at Sundance last year.

On a big Bonnie Prince Billy Kick right now. I forgot how good even the mediocre albums are.. That and Scott Walker are in the headphones a lot.

More later.
Calvin

new songs, ramblings, ect.

Hey,

I can't stop watching Breaking Bad. Good thing I'm almost caught up.

Natalie is in Toronto til Saturday, I'm excited for her to come home.

I'm taking the comp tests right now at work, which means that I only have to travel 4 more days to Ogden, and then I will be working in Logan. Can't wait.

Thinking about writing lately...alot.

I recorded a bunch of songs this weekend. Here is one of them.
Juveniles by Calvin Smooth
It is a cover of the first song on the Walkmen's new record, which I think was my favorite song this year. I am trying to learn guitar, accordian, and trumpet little by little.

Kinetic Kalvin vs. the Beast 2 is well in the works. It's a very lazy mixtape full of throwaway battle nonsense. I'm laughing at some of it, and will have it done hopefully by month's end. There is some odd stuff on there.

I read The Accidental Billionaires and an LL Cool J autobiography over the break. One was good and one wasn't. Guess which was which? Now I'm back to plugging through David Copperfield. It's great, but long.

Honeycombs is maybe the best cereal for early mornings.

The record club project my friends and I do just finished it's fourth cover album, Neutral Milk Hotel's "In an Aeroplane Over the Sea" I think it turned out very well. Check out the songs:

http://soundcloud.com/armorierecordclub/sets/armorie-record-club-in-the-aeroplane-over-the-sea

Stay tuned for the next pick.

Also: Amendment to the top ten movies, I would put Fighter at number 6 probably, bumping off Hell House from the top ten.

Later Y'all
Calvin

Top Ten Movies of 2010

Here they are in order, no explanations needed:


10. Hell House
9. Exit through the Giftshop
8. Black Swan
7. Cyrus
6. Inception
5. Winter's Bone
4. Un Prophete
3. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
2. The Social Network
1. Toy Story 3

I also liked Greenberg, Shutter Island, and my little internal caveman was entertained by the Jackass movie.

Movies I still need to see that might bump my list around a bit I'm told:

The King's Speech
True Grit
The Kids are all right
Another Year
Catfish
Blue Valentine
The Fighter