The Ugly Place

I have taken a brief detour the last few days into, what I have not-so-affectionately dubbed, "the Ugly Place". Everyone goes there sometimes. Some more than others. A sad few never return. For the most part, I make a resounding effort to find the good, leave the bad and maintain a modicum of perspective on the unimaginable array of astounding blessings jam-packed into my little life. But not always, sometimes "stuff" just gets a girl down . Chances are if you visit me in this Place you will probably find me studying for finals. Or dieting. Or both - in which case, whoooa, you're better off getting a room at the Sad Sack Inn because we are staying awhile.

And really? When I get like this- i.e. when the majority of my waking hours are spent in isolation, hunched over textbooks, besmudged by highlighter ink, the faint smell of coffee and bitterness lingering in my wake- there is very little I have to offer the internet, not to speak of the poor people that have to suffer me live, in-person. Right now its not even just finals bringing me down, but too many other completely boring, excruciatingly-human foibles that manage to feel a whole lot worse because all my personal energy has to be spent committing to memory every last hearsay exception, so that I can graduate and never have to do this again. As opposed stopping to smell the poseys, making friend-dates, having a cocktail and singing Kumbaya in order to figure all my other shit out. That's right, I'm also in the Cursing Place, the Ugly Place's vulgar neighbor to the north.

Let's leave that place, shall we? Instead, I'd like to take the focus over Christina's Consumer Corner, a new, semi-erratic column dedicated to my thoughts on various things (food, books, movies, small shiny objects etc.) in lieu of having anything better to write about. Plus, I get a little OCD during finals and this provides me the opportunity to make a list and feel that all the world might be righting itself. Tonight's topic is "movies I've seen lately", but there are only three because, well, I study a lot --

• My Flesh and Blood: I had been wanting to see this for the last two years, but only now tracked it down via NetFlix. For those unfamiliar, its the stark, unglorified documentary account of Susan Tom and her 13+ children, all adopted with severe mental and/or physical special-needs. It brought me to tears multiple times, twisted my heart from the inside out and made me look at the world differently, forgive the cliche. It's less like a film and more like an experience, one I can't get out of my, and don't want to.
  
  
• Beerfest: okay, lets be clear, this movie is puerile in the truest sense of the word, and dagummit if I didn't laugh until it hurt. Gratuitious boobies, innane "plot" points, irresponsible displays of alcohol consumption, fraternal shenanigans, etc. - its all there. But I dare you to watch 'Beerfest' and afterwards be able to suppress the unfathomable urge to chug beer from a giant boot.
  
  
• The Last King of Scotland: highly recommended but not for the faint of heart. Very violent and disturbing, but in the interest of historical accuracy rather than abject, pornographic gore. Forrest Whitaker's Oscar should be grateful to him for the honor of being in his possession.
  
  

That's all for now. Tune in next time, when I'll be most likely finished with law school (forever) and waxing poetic about the sweet nectar of freedom, only mostly inebriated. Fun for the kids!