So anyway, I went out last night with Sara and her “knight in shining armour,” Todd. We talked about when her computer died and the weekend she went to New Jersey. And of course, she wished me happy blogiversary and asked how things were going at work in the two months since I was promoted. And we talked about how some people call me Martin and some call me Marty and what that’s all about.
The funny thing was, this was actually the first time Sara and I had ever hung out (if you don’t include a brief conversation at the reunion back in June). But because we both have blogs, we already knew a great deal about each other and what we’d both been up to. Which was cool and all, but also sort of weird because it reminded me just how much of my life is put out on this blog for public consumption.
I mean, it’s not all here. You don’t read about work or my dating experiences, for example. But you know when I go to the movies and how I spend my weekends and what TV shows I’m watching (for better and for worse) and how I feel about various topics, and all sorts of other stuff.
So it’s funny. How many conversations start with something like, “What’s new?” or “What have you been up to?” But if you read my blog, you already know the answer to those questions, don’t you?
It’s not that I mind people being able to live my life vicariously through this site. Far from it. If that was a problem, I wouldn’t keep a blog like this one. And hey, if you find my life that interesting that you keep coming back every day, week, or whenever, well, then that’s cool. It’s just that it’s sort of weird to talk with people and not have to catch them up on what’s going on with me because they’ve been following along on here and they know all my stories already.
Not that it stopped Sara, Todd and I from keeping a conversation going last night. On the contrary. In fact, every so often we’d say something or do something or see something and wonder if the other would put it in his/her blog. And, well, I guess this posting (and Sara’s posting) just goes to show that yes, some aspect of the evening did get documented. Blogs are funny like that sometimes.
Chances are good you’ve never heard of Half Nelson, but it’s the kind of small, independent movie you should seek out as the weather turns cooler and the “better” movies come out. It’s a film about a guy named Dan (Ryan Gosling, who you might know from The Notebook), who teaches eighth grade in New York City and also has an awful addiction to cocaine. In the classroom, he’s largely in control and the students seem to actually respect him. Out of class, however, he’s a mess. And then, one night he’s caught by one of his students (Shareeka Epps) doing drugs in the locker room. The two form a strange friendship that transcends the teacher-student dynamic. That’s basically the crux of the film; there’s no other plot to explain. But this is an intense character study, and Gosling is simply great in the role. It’s a terrific performance. The film itself is not the most exciting one you’ll see all year, but it’s worth watching. I give it an A–.
Martin's Musings 