AFI 62 - American Graffiti

American Graffiti

1973

Directed by George Lucas

Netflix sleeve: Showcasing then-Hollywood-newcomers Harrison Ford, Richard Dreyfuss and Ron Howard, director George Lucas weaves together the stories of a disparate group of teenagers as they struggle with adolescent rites of passage in 1962. On the night before two of them leave for college, four high school buddies cruise their small hometown finding love and mischief in this Oscar-nominated coming-of-age classic.

Ah, nostalgia. From the guy who would one day bring us Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Which, in their own right are highly nostalgic films. Especially for those of us who were kids when they originally came out. I don't feel a lot of nostalgia watching American Graffiti though. That doesn't mean I don't like the movie. It just means I have a hard time identifying with the culture of the early 60s. Not that I mind trying. I love the music of those days and have always been a big fan of this movie's soundtrack. It was one that we had when I was growing up. It contained so many oldies that it needed to be packaged as a double CD. Which, as a kid, I thought was awesome. That's right, as a kid, I loved listening to the classic hits of the late 50s and early 60s. Still do from time to time. Anyway, I find this to be a pretty decent movie. The kind of story that unfolds over the course of a single night, like so many 80s movies would later attempt. Good times. Great oldies.

Special K

I've made it no secret that I recently started a new job. I hesitated to still refer to it as a "new" job. Tomorrow I'll complete my third week in this counseling position. And it's kind of awesome.

I'm not too sure I've really described what I'm doing. For the purposes of confidentiality, there isn't really much that I can say about it. Basically, I'm working with a handful of students in an elementary school. This means I spend a chunk of my day inside a classroom full of kindergarten kids.

Have you ever spent any significant amount of time with a class of kindergarteners? Until a couple weeks ago, I hadn't. In fact, my only exposure to kindergarten (aside from that time when I was 5 years old) has been the Schwarzenegger classic Kindergarten Cop.

That being said, I wasn't too sure what to expect. Now, I'm not a teacher. But I am in there with these kids. I've gotten to know each of their names and they now know me as another grown-up that's present throughout the day. They know I'm not their teacher, but they recognize me as having at least some authority. In reality, I have no authority over the vast majority of them. However, by virtue of being an adult, they see me as someone with authority.

You have no idea how tempted I am to tell them to "TAKE THE TOY BAHCK TO THE CAHPET!" But I haven't. But if anyone ever tells me that a headache may be a tumor, I will tell them it's "NOT A TUMAH!"

On the plus side, I have managed to learn some very informative mnemonic devices that help me to remember the days of the week as well as each day's weather. I've had the "Days of the Week" song stuck in my head for three days. I can't get it out. It's gonna be real awkward when I start singing it in public one day.

My Sneaky Valentine

I've never been a huge fan of the Valentine's Day. I've just never seen the point. But I've never actually been "in love." So I guess that means I kind of miss the point. But even if I was "in love" I really don't think I'd be too keen on one special day to show someone you love them just because Russell Stover tells me I should. I don't like being told when I can and can't celebrate my love for someone.

Anyway, I didn't go into this thing to complain about Valentine's Day or talk about how I really feel about February 14. No, this is about the ridiculous commercial I've heard on the radio over the last couple days.

It's for some kind of warehouse sale. I'm not sure what company it's for, and even if I did know, I wouldn't mention it here, simply because I wouldn't want to give them any extra advertisement. I know there are only a handful of people out there in the Roanoke area who will read this, but still, I don't want them making any more money off this stupid ad.

It starts out with a guy warning everyone (and by everyone I mean men) that, even though there have been lots of warnings, Valentine's Day has snuck up on us again.

Honestly, I tune out the commercial after this initial announcement. Because, really, did Valentine's Day sneak up on anyone? It's the same day every year. It's listed on all those calendars that people buy at the beginning of the year. How is that considered sneaky at all?

I can completely understand someone forgetting a birthday. Yes, those do come around annually. But they're not marked on every single calendar that you come across on a daily basis. Also, birthdays aren't being prepared for by every store in the world hanging pictures of birthday cakes and party hats, the way they decorate for Valentine's Day in the middle of January.

The problem isn't that people forget that Valentine's Day is happening. They just procrastinate. Also, they put too much importance on the day. Expectations are way too high. And so when a significant other doesn't deliver, it turns into a fight. It just seems so exhausting.

Why do people fight over such stupid things? I really haven't had experience in the relationship game. I mean, other than watching all the relationships that have come and gone all around me. But it seems to me that people fight over stupid things because there's something deeper that they aren't willing to confront. Again, it just seems really exhausting.

If I ever decide to seek out a girlfriend, I really hope we're able to communicate about stuff and not just let things fester under the surface until we end up arguing because I bought her the wrong kind of flowers on Valentine's Day.

Question of the Week: Just to Be Polite

Do you frequently find yourself--just to be polite--saying things you don't mean? For example, when you say good-bye to someone who does not interest you, do you act as though you enjoyed their company?

I would say that in most cases, I don't just say nice things to be polite. I don't like to say things if I don't mean them. But that doesn't mean I'll always come right out and say everything I'm thinking. If I don't have anything nice to say, there's a good chance I'll just keep my mouth shut. Probably explains why I'm considered a quiet person so much of the time.

*Question of the Week comes from The Book of Questions by Gregory Stock, Ph.D.

The Rereleases

I know that I've complained about the 3D-ization of movies in the past. Personally, I've never really seen the point of it. If you want to impress me with 3D, make something that's actually interactive, Star Trek holodeck style. More often than not, 3D just gives me a headache and doesn't really add anything to the movie-going experience that a regular 2D movie can't give.

However, I can totally get behind the idea of rereleasing classic movies from the past.

One may not necessarily call The Phantom Menace a classic. I certainly wouldn't. But Star Wars definitely has an epic ring to it. And seeing it on the big screen again was kind of hard to pass up. And so, in spite of the 3D-ness of it all, I bought my ticket and went to see it.

Look, I know a lot of people complain about the fact that George Lucas keeps on making "improvements" to his space saga. I won't be one of them. Especially if he decided to improve Episode I by eliminating the character of Jar Jar Binks or recasting the role of Anakin Skywalker. Sadly, these improvements did not make it into the final 3D cut.

Why would I get behind the idea of a rerelease? Seeing movies in the theater is always fun. Who doesn't enjoy seeing their favorite movies on the largest screen possible? Surround sound? Anyone? That's what I thought. Tell me you wouldn't like to see Back to the Future on the big screen 27 years after its initial showing.

I know I would.

People will argue that it's a waste of money. I still argue that there's just something more fun about seeing a great movie in a big dark room full of strangers. Okay, when I read that back, it sounds a little creepy.

But movie studios were doing the rerelease game long before the 3D fad started catching on. Disney used to release their beloved animated classics every decade or so. I remember seeing Sleeping Beauty in the theater as a kid. And I was certainly not a kid in 1959. My own mother was just a toddler.

Hollywood likes to rerelease movies that are up for Oscars sometimes. That way they can get the nominated films back in the minds of the public and the voters just in time to win some awards. But I'm not interested in going back to see a movie that was just out a few months ago. Bring back the movies that have done well in the past.

We live in a world of too many remakes and reboots and sequels. I'm not saying that the studios should stop making new movies altogether. Just stop making bad movies. Although, I suppose, no one sets out to make a bad movie. But it happens all too often. And there are a lot of great movies out there that haven't seen the inside of a cinema in decades.

Instead of dusting off Indiana Jones' fedora for a fifth outing, bring back Raiders of the Lost Ark to the big screen. Instead of rebooting the Superman franchise with Man of Steel next year, show us the classic film that taught us to believe Christopher Reeve could fly.

You may be thinking that my words have become blasphemous. After all, I'm a movie lover and a big Superman geek. On a side note, I will be seeing Man of Steel as soon as it comes out. I'm not saying that I won't. I'm just saying that I would see the original Superman film on the big screen, should Warner Bros. decide to make that move. I never saw that one in the theater. It was made before I was born. I was cheated of seeing its awesomeness in a big dark room full of strangers.

I know that Disney is planning to do a few more of their animated movies for a 3D rerelease. And Lucas is planning to put out the other five Star Wars films in 3D. I still don't see the point of 3D, other than the excuse to charge an extra three bucks a ticket. That's not cool. Because of that, and the inability of The Phantom Menace to dazzle me with its new effects, I may not be willing to see Episode II when it comes out. But I'm kind of a sucker. It could happen.

Bragging Rights

Remember when I mentioned Amy's contest on her blog? The one where she was giving away the Barton Hollow CD from The Civil Wars? It was a couple weeks ago. I'll let it slide if you don't remember. We are, after all, a nation with a short attention span.

Anyway. I won.

I failed to mention this when the announcement was actually made. Don't get me wrong, I was excited about winning. Okay, I was more than excited. I feel like I never win anything. Though, come to think of it, I guess I've been kind of lucky when it comes to winning things lately. Over the summer, I won that awesome prize package for the Greenbrier Classic. That led to witnessing a pretty awesome golf tournament as well as The Black Eyed Peas in concert. You know, and some other stuff. Good times.

Oh, and a few months ago, I stopped to get a Coke. I twisted off the cap and found out that the next time I bought one, I could get a second one for free. That's right.

So I received my brand new Civil Wars CD in the mail this week. And it couldn't have come at a better time. With my wicked long drive to and from work each day, it's nice to have new music to listen to. On any given day, it means I could listen to the entire CD nearly four times.

I blame the Charlatan for introducing me to The Civil Wars. Though he didn't do it with the intention of getting me to like them. I'd seen him mention them on Twitter occasionally. Then on our epic road trip to Indy we listened to some of their stuff. I thought it sounded pretty good. So I'm really enjoying my new CD. Thanks again, Amy!

In completely unrelated news: the kindergarten class that I spend a good chunk of my day observing studied Abraham Lincoln this week. This, of course, led to a discussion of the Civil War. I couldn't help but think about a time when I was young, probably the same age as many of these kindergarteners, and mispronounced the word "Civil." 5-year-old me was certain it was the Silver War.

The Single Guy Was Just Kidding

Remember how the Single Guy was planning on moving into an apartment with those two girls in Radford? Yeah, that didn't work out.

Turns out, the potential roommate that the Single Guy was unable to meet last weekend, well, she's got parents. And those parents weren't exactly comfortable with the idea of their daughter living with a guy they don't know. So there goes the idea of a Three's Company themed semester.

Really, it's all right. The Single Guy understands that kind of concern. I'm sure if I had a daughter I wouldn't be thrilled with the idea of her sharing an apartment with someone she's never met before, male or female.

Luckily the Single Guy had a back-up plan. He did see two apartments that day. So... fingers crossed... the slightly more expensive place with the bigger closet should work out. Should.

In the meantime, he's also replied to several more ads on the Craigslist. You know... just in case.

Zzzzz...

All it took was a small seed to be planted in my subconscious. That's where the fear took root. That fear took hold and manifested itself in my dreams.

During my first week in the new job, I spent a lot of time being trained and discussing the job with my trainer. She's a coordinator who has worked with a number of counselors and teachers in the past. She told me the story of a particular teacher who seemed pretty set in her ways. This teacher absolutely refused to have a counselor in her classroom. This coordinator talked her into giving our counselor a chance and things worked out just fine. But the coordinator later found out that this teacher had had a horrible experience with a counselor in her classroom in the past.

Apparently, the last time she'd had a counselor in the classroom, the counselor just sat in the back and slept. Really not a cool move.

So here I am, a guy who lives an hour and a half away from the school in which I now work. And I have to be there by 7:30 in the morning. That means I have to be on the road by 6am. So I'm up before dawn even breaks. Me and the early bedtime are becoming very good friends. Anyway, I'm taking this long drive in the dark and I might be slightly sleep deprived.

Before I began spending the whole day at the school on my own, I knew that being tired might be an issue for me. And so, I dreamed about it the night before that first day. In my dream, I made it to school just fine. This is good because falling asleep at the wheel might be a real fear for me too. Side bar: so far, so good. Anyway, I arrived at the school and made my way to my office. While preparing for my day, I fell asleep. Inside my dream, I fell asleep.

I didn't have an Inception kind of thing where I had a dream within the dream. I just slept. But my unconscious self was unaware of being unconscious until I woke up (in the dream) two hours after school started. And then, panic set into the dream. I woke up and realized that I had yet to begin my first day. And the panic went away.

But I was still kind of tired when I got to school yesterday. And today. As I'm sure I will be tomorrow. But I really have to hide it tomorrow. Got a meeting with my supervisor in the morning. I know I'm more nervous than I need to be. I should probably just try to get a good night's sleep. And then drink copious amounts of caffeine on the hour and a half drive to the Middle of Nowhere Elementary School.

Question of the Week: Listen or Talk

In conversations, do you tend to listen or talk more?

I tend to listen more. Not that I don't have anything to add to the conversation. I just tend to hold back my true thoughts until someone is sure they want to hear honesty. Or until I have something worth saying. I like listening though. I'm much better at observing the human condition than actually experiencing it. Besides, no one ever says, "You listen to much!"


*Question of the Week comes from The Book of Questions by Gregory Stock, Ph.D.

Lesson

I hadn't been out of school long when I decided to fall for one of my best friends. Thing is, she and I hadn't really been great friends for very long. To be honest, she kind of got on my nerves. But isn't that always how it is? No? Sometimes, though... You've gotta give me sometimes.

Anyway, the "friends first" thing was how I thought it was supposed to go. I mean, sure, I'd met girls and been on dates without knowing a thing about them, but that didn't exactly work out. And I heard all these great stories about men and women who had been friends for a long time and then fell in love. Seemed like a pretty good idea.

Look, when I say I "decided" to fall for one of my best friends, it wasn't really due to any effort on my part. It just, sort of happened. You ready for the back story? Tough, 'cause here it comes.

I graduated from college and got a job. I ended up moving to a new town for a fresh start. I moved into a questionable apartment with a sketchy roommate. Funny story, that roommate eventually turned out to be like a brother to me. Another story for another time.

Where was I? Oh, yeah... So I'm living with this guy, Charlie. He was a full-time med student living on student loans. I was busting my butt in my first real job and felt like I was barely getting by. After a few weeks of living there and getting used to my surroundings, Charlie decided to introduce me to the girls across the hall. Apparently, he and his former roommate used to hang out with the girls across the hall all the time. Greg moved out, I moved in. Charlie thought it might be a little awkward for the girls across the hall. At least, at first.

First there was Kendall. She was the girl from across the hall that never seemed to be around. She had a fiancee that lived about two hours away. So, a lot of the time, she was just out of town. But she paid her share of the rent, so Frannie didn't mind. Oh, that's the other one. Frannie. And she's the one I was talking about at the start.

Man, Frannie was annoying. After I started spending time with her, I began believing that the whole "fiancee" story was just a smoke screen that Kendall was sending up, just so she wouldn't have to live with Frannie full time. This girl had an excess of personality. She talked all the time. And she sang incessantly. But she couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. It was rough. Like nails on a chalkboard.

Ironically, nails on a chalkboard doesn't really bother me. But I digress.

Over time, though, those things that bugged me so much eventually became endearing qualities. Six months after meeting her, she and I were spending most of our free time together, whether our roommates were around or not. But we weren't dating. At that point, the possibility hadn't even crossed my mind. And then we kissed.

I don't think either of us planned for that kiss to happen. We were just out for a walk. It was just the two of us and we were talking. At some point we had been talking about past relationships. Somehow that turned into a conversation about loneliness. We turned to face each other and I leaned in. I mean, it just felt right. Well, it felt right in the moment.

The next day she told me she was sorry she let it happen. She said she didn't want to ruin the friendship that we had. I pretended that I wholeheartedly agreed with her. But for me, it was already too late. I had fallen hard. Head over heels.

I don't think it was the kiss that did it. That was just a kicker after months of getting to know her and opening my eyes to seeing how amazing she was. Yeah, I'm sappy. Sue me.

Time passed, but my feelings didn't change. I still spent a lot of time with Frannie and secretly hoped that she would change her mind about me. She didn't. Instead, she started dating some other guy. Some guy named Michael. In case you couldn't detect it, I just rolled my eyes. I tend to do that when I think of Michael. Did you catch that? 'Cause I just did it again.

Michael was one of Charlie's friends from school. And he was apparently perfect. I didn't see it. But Frannie did. One of those love at first sight kind of moments. Charlie felt bad about it once he found out how I felt about her. But, in his defense, he didn't know how I felt when he introduced them. I couldn't hold that against him. I still don't.

Turned out, though, Michael wasn't perfect. He did a number on Frannie. Broke her heart. Being the solid friend that I was, I offered to beat the living crap out of him. So did Charlie. Frannie declined. And since I was solidly in the friends' zone, I became her shoulder to cry on. It was a role I sometimes liked, because who doesn't like to feel needed. But sometimes I despised this role. Who in their right mind likes to feel used?

And that's how I always ended up feeling. Like she was using me. I started to like it better whenever Kendall was around. Because then, Frannie had a girlfriend to vent with. I didn't have to hear about the guy that done her wrong.

This went on for nearly a year. Eventually, the girls across the hall moved away. Kendall got married. Frannie got back together with Michael and moved in with him. I stopped being her sounding board. We kept in touch, I just stopped offering to listen to her guy problems.

Not long after she moved in with the jerk, I decided to tell her how I felt about her. I knew what to expect, for the most part. She tried to be nice about it. She let me know that she didn't feel the same and that she truly loved me as a friend. What surprised me was that she knew all along that I was crazy about her. Not that I tried to hide it. But for her to keep talking to me about this guy who'd hurt her like she didn't know I was in love with her? That hurt worse that simply getting the "let's be friends" speech.

What did I learn from this ordeal? "Friends first" might work for a select few, but it won't work for everyone. It certainly didn't work for me.

Here endeth the lesson.

This prompt brought to us by Sunday Scribblings. Go see how others were inspired by "Lesson."