What I’m reading, watching, listening to…NOW!
1/12/10
Movie I just saw: Up in the Air. Another George Clooney movie, but of course. I liked Up in the Air, but as I discussed with friends after the movie, the search for a clear protagonist is a hard one in the movie. George’s character, Ryan, is a self-isolated professional downsizer; his on-the-road lover Alex is a hottie (she’s told several times in the movie that she’s beautiful, and she is) but has a confusing secret; his on-the-road sidekick Natalie is uptight and only occasionally likeable… and then there are some people from rural Wisconsin. I like that it wasn’t a typical romantic comedy and that it wasn’t a typical comedy and that it wasn’t a typical drama. Somewhere in between, somewhere interstitial.
Music I’m listening to… Neko Case’s Middle Cyclone. She’s a little bit country, a little bit alt-rock, not at all pop. Kind of a Jenny Lewis voice, but not as sweet. I love — love! — singing her “People Got a Lotta Nerve” on Rock Band. My boyfriend knows this all too well. He backs me up on the gee-tar.
TV Show I’m afraid I’m being sucked back into… No, not “Project Runway,” because that doesn’t start until Thursday the 14th. Alas, it’s “The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love.” And yes, they already played that song. Mostly hussies, lots of models, lots of blondes, hard to tell them apart. Some crazy, some yet to be deciphered. Boring bachelor… We’ll see if there’s anyone to root for, except for the girls who get booted.
Lauren the Bookworm 
I was surprised when talking to Bob about the ACT as a predictor of success.
I think it’s in part because the ACT not only tests content (like, can you do plane geometry), but also cleverness and an ability to see patterns, to make inferences, and to anticipate how the testmakers are trying to trick you — they do it in really obvious ways sometimes.
Re “More” by John Hodgman: I enjoyed his last book a lot, but had the same sentiment about needing small doses. Compared to other comedic books I’ve read, it didn’t have the kind of cohesiveness of Colbert (going off on political topics) or the wonkiness of Franken. Still, I enjoyed it, and I’m looking forward to reading “More” when you finish it!