Lock the Door...Pretend You're Safe

Is Tamara there?

Are you sure?

See you later...

As previously mentioned posted...there is one way that is guaranteed to make me stop feeling sad...no matter what....and that is a scary movie. It truly is impossible to feel sad when you are terrified. So that is what I did and here is my review of The Strangers. I knew that it was going to be good based off of the fact that the previews freaked me out. As long as the previews hadn't showed all of the scary parts...I would leave the theater looking over my shoulder and walking fast out of fear.

So you have Liv Tyler as Kristen and Scott Speedman as James...and they are the somewhat troubled couple who are "home". They spend the next 90 minutes trying to stay alive in spite of three insane people in masks who are taking their sweet time in finishing them off. The movie is truly terrifying and not terribly gory...which is a rare feat in film today. Here is why it works...

(POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT)

So there is the obvious angle of the whole thing happening in the safety of one's home. OK so techincally it is a summer home but when you think about it...that actually makes it slightly more scary. Think about it...vacations are supposed to be relaxing and typically your guard is down because you are relaxed. More importantly...how much would it suck for the madness to be occuring at the safe and fun place from your childhood? But back to the point... it is happening in one's home...the place where one should feel the safest. I know that I always feel safer once I've walked through my door and promptly locked it behind me. But what if the very thing that you are afraid of is already inside? Guess what...You're pretty much fucked.

Another part that scared the hell out of me was how incredibly smart "The Strangers" were. It wasn't like they were brainless zombies or lunatics. "The Strangers" were incredibly smart and that sends chills up my spine. From the way that they returned James' cellphone so quietly...sans the battery to the way that managed to keep sneaking back into the house unnoticed to do little creepy things like turn on the record player..clearly they were fairly bright cookies.

Creepiest of all in the opinion of Millie the Geek is the fact that there were three "Strangers" and of those three...two were women. Sure that is probably incredibly sexist of me to say it but there is something really, really creepy about two women helping to torture a young couple with no real reason for doing so. Not to say that I don't think that women are capable of committing such heinous acts...but it is almost always fueled by jealousy and/or love. Rarely it is unprovoked. Random acts of violence tend to be a man thing. Yet there were the two young women being just as evil as the man they were with.

Liv owned her role as Kristen...largely in part thanks to her big blue eyes. She was born to look vulnerable and therefore she sold that she spent the entire movie in fear for her life. She never did anything out right foolish throughout the movie but she was not a smart heroine. She was average with worked for the role. I mean...how does one prepare to combat something as terrible as being tortured in your own home?

James was awesome. He was a total gentleman in spite of his broken heart, smart, tough, and completely sexy. I knew he was doomed but damn it all I really wanted him to make it.

The scare scenes were scary...the death scenes were gory but not overly so...and the storyline was believable....so overall the film was pretty damn awesome. Definitely worth seeing.

"Why are you doing this?

"Because you were home."

Oh...and don't forget that the story is based on actual events. That little fact increases the fear factor tremendously.

Let It Out and Move On

OK...so I posted a well-written Star Wars related post tonight...read it and realized that I had better pull the post. It was too dark of a posting and would get me referred to worklife or even worse...result in a paranoid phone call from my parents. (Email me if really want to read it). So instead...here is a complimentary shuffle. It is sort of like when baseball has a rain delay and so you end up watching an episode of Will & Grace instead.

Sally's Song Catherine O'Hara (137) - I love The Nightmare Before Christmas...specifically this song. Sally is probably my favorite fictional heroine. She was one smart and tough cookie...and yet so sad. Tonight especially...I feel Sally's pain. The best line of the song is the opening line...which makes it all the more awesome. Best line: "I sense there's something in the wind...that feels like tragedy's at hand." It is the type of 1st line that really hooks the listener.

Cradle of Love by Billy Idol (195) - I LOVE this song. It is the best song by any Billy...there I said it. ;>) AU I was actually singing this song in the car this morning...when I was still somewhat upbeat...completely unaware that the day would be one of the worst in a long time. I love this song because it is extremely sexy though I can't exactly say why.

Try Me by James Brown (245) - Love songs...they just don't make them like they used to. This is another song that I hear and immediately shut my eyes to better see the one that always comes to mind from the moment I hear the 1st note. There is no real reason for it since there is no connection between the two but it doesn't stop me from wishing that there was. I suspect that this song would be perfect to slow dance to...just as I suspect that I will never know for sure. Best line: "Darling tell me...I need you."

I Grieve by Peter Gabriel (174) - I don't know about the rest of you...but I always think of Nicholas Cage's character Seth in City of Angels when I hear this song. Remember how completely crushed he was by the loss of Maggie? I always picture the devastated yet determined look on his face at the market as he loaded his basket with pears as this song played in the background. He had tears in his eyes as he grabbed pear after pear, clearly fueled by his rage and pain. It might be my favorite Cage scene ever...as I totally bought it. I remember several of my guys friends making fun of this scene...(what else did I expect from teenage boys?) and yet I will always remember the tender way two of those insensitive jerks (kidding my dear friends) sang part of this song this to me at my saddest hour. Much like Seth in the movie...this song ended up giving me comfort...which is why it totally kicks ass. Best line: "Did I dream this belief or did I believe this dream?"

Of course...one must sleep in order to dream.

Baseball Overdose

No real blog tonight folks as I am off to Safeco for more baseball goodness.

It might seem a little weird that I will be cheering my heart for the team that I was just against three days ago but the fact is that I must fight evil at all costs.

Besides…One cannot pass up an opportunity to boo Manny Ramirez…no matter how tired one feels.

It's Up To You...NEW YORK!

Where to begin? It is hard to say because I crammed a lot into a very short period of time. In honor of my self-diagnosed ADD...here is a completely random recap of the weekend.

Let's start with the Hartford Airport...which totally suuuucks! It might be my least favorite airport ever. It wasn't too bad when I got there but leaving was a damn nightmare. From my battle with the ticket counter lady over my departure ticket. She seemed to think that I hadn't paid for my ticket and when I asked how I got to CT in the 1st place if I hadn't paid for my ticket her response was..."Umm that is weird huh?" It eventually got sorted out. Then there was the search that TSA conducted right outside of the gate. Yep that is right...I made it through the 1st security check point with no problems but then had to get searched at the gate....patted down and everything. I am all for security...but this seemed like some serious overkill. Either they don't trust their agents at the first gate or they think that the average traveler can channel Macgyver and make something evil out of novelties sold in the Hudson News Gift Shop. Whatever. Minor inconvenience really except for trying to cram all of my Yankee stuff back into my seriously overstuffed bag.

The actual goal of the trip was easily accomplished. (No not the Jeter the thing...more on him later.) I now have a place to live when I move out to CT so that is one major victory in the world of Millie.

Moving on...

WTF is wrong with this Elmo? Well...I discovered the answer to this question after Elmo agreed to pose for a picture with MC. As I reached to take the picture back, Elmo grabbed me by the wrist and informed me that he was "fucking homeless" and wanted a dollar. In true Millie the Tourist form...I honestly had no cash on me as I had spent most of it on cab fare. Elmo seemed to have no intention of letting go of me and I could already imagine the headlines..."Coastie Tourist beaten by Elmo on Broadway over a buck!" Then I got a bright idea and settled my picture-taking tab with Elmo by giving him my Metrocard. The damn thing wasn't getting me where I wanted anyway so it was no real loss.

Ahhh the Subway...I got lost twice riding it but by the end...I think I finally got the hang of it. In fact...I think that I would have been a pro if I had one more day. It wasn't nearly as scary as I thought it would be. Considering that I watch an obscene amount of the various Law and Order series...I think the fact that I even got on the damn thing is a pretty major accomplishment in itself. I did have a brief moment of panic when some guy wouldn't stop talking to me about why I was in the city and where I was headed via what route...etc....so I jumped off at the next stop and waited for the next one to come along. I am sure that he was probably just being friendly but I had no intention of finding out if I was being paranoid or smart. Good times.

Meeting Andrew...which was awesome. He was very bit as brilliant as I expected him to be and incredibly nice...which I also expected but was pleased to be proven right about. I think that it went well because thanks to blogging, Facebook, and email...we had already gotten the basic stuff out of the way to keep the first face-to-face from being awkward. It was awesome and exciting to talk to someone who speaks "pop culture geek speak" so well. By all rights...Andrew has every right to be cocky considering that he is the greatest mind in pop culture...yet he wasn't. He is probably one of the nicest guys I've met in a long time...and he doesn't flaunt the fact that he is a pop culture genius. In fact...he is quite humble about the whole thing and didn't even mention the WSOPC thing and refused to spend more than a few minutes talking about it after I brought it up. The highlight was when he was getting ready to take his pic with MC and asked which smile I preferred. I can't remember what the 1st option was...but the 2nd choice was "Painfully white geek trying to look cool"...which is most often the look I go for when taking pictures. (In fact...there is only one person who has ever seen the other Millie look used in pictures and has already deleted them.) But I digress...I enjoyed meeting Andrew and I am even more of the guy now that I have meet him in person. Birds of feather indeed.

The train to NYC...what an experience that was. Every now and then I have a completely boneheaded moment and make an outright foolish choice that I should have known better than to do. In this case...it was deviating from the plan. My plan was to take the damn train from New Haven to Grand Central Station and then take the Subway to Yankee Stadium. But no...I had to be a dumb ass and get off at the 1st stop. For the record...it was the 100 or so other fans who got off at that stop that convinced me that it was a good idea. It wasn't and I ended up wandering the streets of Harlem by myself. The upside of this situation was that I was able to make good on my promise to OSCS S and hail a cab and tell the driver to get me somewhere quick. He got me to Yankee Stadium in like 5 mins which was awesome! Granted I was only there for all of three minutes but Harlem wasn't nearly as scary as I had expected.

Yankee Stadium...it is hard to put the experience into words. I have seen it at least a half dozen times before but something about this time made it special. Probably because I doubt that I will see it again. But as I walked up and saw those blue letters...I had my 1st emotional moment of the day as I paused for a moment in awe. I quickly regained my composure and snapped the 1st picture of MC at Yankee Stadium.

I was actually the 3rd person in my line to get into the game which was kind of cool...or kind of lame depending on who you ask. The awesome part of it was that it was umbrella day at the stadium and got a cool "Final Season" umbrella. I booked it over to Monument Park but was not able to get in because so many other people had the same idea and they closed the line. Oh well. So I went to field for Yankee batting practice. I talked my way down to the front row seats in order to get some good pictures....and it was absolutely overwhelming.

I did make my second marriage proposal to Derek Jeter. Once again...he didn't say yes but he didn't say no...so I consider it to be a victory. Never mind that unlike the 1st time I asked him...I am not certain that he heard me this time. Either way...the important thing is that he still hasn't said no which means there is a still a chance! Let there be no doubt that Derek was painfully good looking in person. I was maybe ten feet away from him and the only thing that stopped me from well...you know...was the extremely large security guard who was eyeing all of us fans very closely.

Then came A-Rod. It is no secret that I have had my issues with A-Rod in the past...and I never expected that I would ever make my peace with him. Yet as he walked over to start signing autographs...something changed. A-Rod was standing directly in front of me...if I would have reached up...I could have touched him...yet I couldn't move. I couldn't move to get my camera or pen...all I could was stare at him. I am not sure what it was...but I was star-struck. (Before you judge...consider that he is the greatest player in baseball at the moment...standing there in pinstripes.) Then he smiled and suddenly everything was different. It wasn't even like he smiled at me...he just smiled at his fans...and they were smiling back. I stood there like a dumb ass for the next few minutes as he signed baseballs and programs...and kept staring at him as he walked back to his teammates. As I saw him start joking with Robinson Cano...I realized that my hatred for him died the moment I saw him smile. Sure he makes more money than any man should...and all of the things that made me hate him some much before are still real reasons for concern...but the hatred is gone. In spite of everything...that smile healed all. I saw him as man who loves what he does and God bless him...he is damn good at it. The smile was genuine and something about that melted my heart for the guy. By the time I left the stadium...I walked out with A-Rod baseball bracelet among my tons of Yankee merchandise. It wasn't until the train ride home that I realized that I should have gotten a picture of him with the MC pic. Damn it all. But just to be clear...In spite of my forgiveness of A-Rod...my love for Jeter is as strong as ever. He is damn amazing!

Finally...the last thing part of the trip that is worth mentioning is my issue with McDonalds. By in all...McDonald's sucks. Yet I found myself eating it 3 times during the weekend for one reason...McD's Sweet Tea. I LOVE sweet tea and it is damn impossible to find in Seattle...yet on the east coast you can get at the McDonald's drive-thru. How unfair is that??? And that is just one of the many reasons why I cannot wait until I move either permanently!

I'm Looking Forward To The Future But My Eye Sight's Going Bad

In light of the excitement and thus total exhaustion from my trip to the east coast...I seriously considered skipping tonight's shuffle in favor of my random recap of my journey. Tempting though it was...I must honor what few traditions that I have...so let's shuffle.

Thnks fr the Mmrs by Fall Out Boy (298) -Seriously...I love Fall Out Boy. I am not sure why it is someone taboo to admit but the fact is that I think that are excellent. Lyrically they manage to paint whatever image they are singing about better than most new bands that are currently around. Their songs always rock and are almost always cleverly titled. And as mentioned before...Patrick Stump is one of the two strongest male vocalist at the moment. So someone tell me why mentioned anything other than hatred for the band on the Internet results in a serious decline in pop culture cred? This is my favorite FOB song because it gives me a false sense of strength. Maybe one day... For this particular song I will not use the best line...so let's go with the 2nd Best line: "In these crystal balls...It's always cloudy...Except when you look into the past."

Lonely No More by Rob Thomas (32) - This is the song that made Rob Thomas for me. Until this song I simply viewed him as the lead singer of an overrated band. Yet this solo attempt came out and he went from lame to bonafide superstar. The video was sexy and the song even sexier. I still think that Matchbox 20 is overrated but I have a great deal of affection for Rob. The thing that makes this song so sexy is the fact that it oozes vulnerability and you know what a sucker I am for songs with that theme. It is a pretty easy concept to get on board with because honestly...who does want to be lonely? The best line of the song is one that stings me the most. "Now it seems to me that you know just what to say but words are only words...Can you show me something else?" I am not sure why I don't listen to this song more often...probably because I kinda forgot about it until it came on the shuffle tonight. I have added it to My Top Rated because it is worthy of more than 32 plays on my iPod.

Loungin' (Who Do Ya Luv?) by LL Cool J (45) - WTF is up with this song? Seriously...it is a hot song with one exception and honestly...that one part just ruins it for me. In the chorus of the song, LL can be heard whispering "I wanna laugh at you...I do what I gotta do." WTF LL? You are trying to seduce a love-deprived woman by telling her that you want to laugh at her? Where is the fucking romance in that? I have asked just about everyone I know in the pop culture world for their take on this line and short of LL wanting to demonstrate that his the Alpha Pimp...no other answer can be supplied. Seriously though...the song is awesome and totally groovable but I just can't get over the whole "I wanna laugh at you".

Fidelity by Regina Spektor (189) - God help me but I love this song...in spite of the fact that even I recognize how truly annoying it is. The vocals are down right terrible but the lyrics seem to be another song taken straight from the heart of Millie. I think that the reason that I like this song so much is because it makes me feel better to know that I am not the only person whose head is filled with music. It doesn't make me any less crazy but at least I have some company in my insanity. Best line: "I hear in my mind all this music and it breaks my heart." Some days it is down right miserable to listen to my iPod because every song makes me think of things that break my heart and it sucks. Being a music fiend has it ups and downs and the biggest down is once you associate a person or memory with a song...it is doomed to be that way forever. Soon songs that you once loved and couldn't listen to enough like Honey & the Moon and Romeo and Juliet make you want to throw the damn iPod against the wall. This song makes me think that I am not alone in this situation.

I Can't Go For That (No Can Do) by Daryl Hall and John Oates (19) - Just to be clear...I am not a fan of this song nor the weird guys singing it. I am not sure what it is doing on my iPod. The only reason that it stays is because it is now one of many songs that reminds me of Dino and makes me laugh as a result. Every time I hear this song I think of me trying to sing it to him when he said that he didn't know who Hall and Oates were. Everyone laughed but he still didn't know who I was talking about. So it stays for purely sentimental reasons in honor of my dear friend. Seriously though...I still don't understand what the big deal about this song is. I think it sucks.

Highlights from the trip tomorrow...

Whatta Man! Whatta Man! Whatta Man! Whatta Mighty Good Man!

It takes more than a fast pitch from some Orioles jerk to keep Jeter out of the lineup.

Thank goodness...as I would have been really pissed if he was forced to sit out of Sunday's game become some asshole hit him with a pitch.

I have a new player to hate...

I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

So honestly...I was bumming pretty hard by mid day. Luckily...Dino is an awesome enough of a friend to drag my emotional ass out of the office for an afternoon of fun with the gang. It was totally awesome!

Highlights of the day include:

Hitting a hole in one!

Spinning Josiah not once but twice in go-karts. (Never mind that we were not supposed to hit each other.)

Screaming like a little bitch for the second year in a row with my dear friend Charlene on the giant swing.

Somehow managing to earn one of the only two negative scores in Laser Tag. (How in the hell does one end up with a negative score?) The best part of the negative score is that the only other person to get a negative score was Dino whose company I love to be in...even if it means getting our asses handed to us after I had talked an obscene amount of shit.

And how could one be bummed out when playing Dance Dance Revolution even though the guys whooped the girls?!?!!?