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senatorhung's pad
ramblings of an information troubleshooter

not so spellbinding

permalink Sunday, 04JUN2006:

went to see 'akeelah and the bee' this evening with joanne and kevin. even tho i would argue that much of its subject matter had been presented more naturally in the documentary film 'spellbound' (which i would recommend wholeheartedly), the film still held up as an example of successfully restrained hollywood myth-making.

wearing its liberal heart on its sleeves, this gumbo was injected with the financial plight of inner-city schools, the conflict of values between families that have money and those that don't, the power of words and language to shape the world around us and, of course, since it's an american film, the importance of winning. i have never seen 'what's love got to do with it', but i'm sure that angela bassett and laurence fishburne enjoyed the chance to act together in a less confrontational fashion. that said, i couldn't get the image of 'morpheus' out of my head whenever he went into teacher mode :)

however, i'm not sure that the movie will reach a wider audience than 'spellbound' did, beyond those of us who already look back fondly at our own childhood spelling accomplishments, so i'm not sure why starbucks was so keen on backing this flick. still, as an example of corporate largesse that doesn't do any harm, i give the film props for not straying too far from its source material.



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essentially eclectic

permalink Monday, 05JUN2006:

tonight's setlist was gleaned from my 'Essentials #1' cd binder, my first set of desert island disks. as i stated during the show, i would always have one essential binder, ready to go, that i would take with me out to every work crew, swapping in a few new cd's every time i came back to civilization to raid a cd outlet. i've already ripped all of these cd's onto my hard drive, but there are always a few tracks that don't quite meet my exacting standards for mix singles, tho i still maintain a fond spot for them as album tracks.

here's the show download. Aur.Oral Exposures radio show setlist for 05jun2006:

  1. Heart Go Boom - Apollo Four Forty


  2. Sunshine So Fine - Barstool Prophets
  3. Girl of Mine - Blue Rodeo
  4. Victim of the Game - Garth Brooks


  5. Steal a Day - Another Carnival
  6. I Know There's a Word for This - Aimee Mann
  7. A Place in My Heart - Social Distortion


  8. Drink Before the War - Sinead O'Connor
  9. Lantern Riddles - Orchid Ensemble
  10. Love Should Be So Kind - Quarterflash


  11. if my heart was a car - Old 97's
  12. I've Got Dreams to Remember - Oh Susanna
  13. Lonesome Roads - Dwight Yoakam


  14. Mood to Burn Bridges - Neko Case and Her Boyfriends
  15. Since I Don't Have You - The Brian Setzer Orchestra
  16. didn't i - k.d. lang and the Reclines


  17. I Can't Forget You - Cracker
  18. click ... off ... gone - Sleeper
  19. Beat Me to the Door - Jr. Gone Wild


  20. Nobody But Me - Save Ferris




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springtime restlessness

permalink Thursday, 08JUN2006:

i stayed late at the office tonight to try to wrap things up so i don't have to make an appearance in the morning like last time. i still had leftovers from my huge meatball and baby corn lunch from the northern lights cafe, so i scarfed that down to keep my energy up.

when i had done everything that i had set out to do, and turned on my out-of-office message, it was still daylight outside and the sun was just starting to head towards the horizon. without a wind, it was an amazing time to be outside, so i walked over to arctic ventures to pick up some new boot laces so i wouldn't trip over myself on vacation. i was tempted to just go on an impromptu hike up into the hills, but decided that i still had too much to get ready before my trip.

even though it was nearly 10 in the evening, there were still a good 30 kids jumping around the court in front of the nakasuk school. most of the snow in town is now gone, tho there are still scattered drifts along the ridges and hillsides. while we had a fresh snow this time last year, i think it's a pretty safe bet that we're into the rainy season now.

i should be packing up for my trip tomorrow, but i just don't feel too motivated.

it's like i'm ready to let go of what i have here, but still haven't figured out which other swinging trapeze bar i should dive towards. with a tory government, i have serious misgivings about the future prospects of this territory and i'm not keen to watch it fall apart on my watch. going south feels like i'm scouting out my next journey and i have this nagging feeling that i'm betraying the ideals that brought me up here to the north.

fave song of the week: 'walk away' by franz ferdinand.

i love the sound of you
you walking away



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