Dead iPods, Black Swans, and Assorted Holiday Miscellany

I remember my sister got me my first iPod for Christmas back in 2006. Four years later, tens of thousands of songs later, and 3 computers later, I think it's safe to say that it has finally gone on to digital heaven. It was crashing an awful lot the past month or so, so I guess you could say I saw this coming. iPods do not last forever, and I know people who have had iPods shit out on them after less than 2 years, so I was pretty fortunate to have mine last as long as it did. It still sucks though. Now I'm going to have to deal with the shitty radio (or just endure a silent trip) when I'm in the car, and I'll just have to grit my teeth when I hear that shitty Katy Perry song in the gym, in addition to the other saccharine garbage they play. But hopefully I'll have enough dough for a new one soon enough... one that has more memory. Right now, I have it plugged into my computer and it just says "Please wait, very low battery," but nothing's happening. I think this sort of digital life support is failing. Well, the last song that was played on it was "Gimme Danger" by the Stooges.



Amelia and I saw Black Swan a couple of nights ago. Definitely the most intense film I've seen this year. Natalie Portman gave such a haunting and flawless performance that if she is snubbed for an Oscar this year, then the people at the Oscars are stupid (I mean, they're stupid anyway. When your list of Best Pictures includes Crash and Titanic, there's something wrong). Mila Kunis was also incredible in the film, a departure from any of her previous work: I caught myself saying "Shut up, Meg" during a few of her lines of dialogue, a nod to her role in Family Guy. It was your typical Darron Aronofsky flick; The story was of a tortured soul striving for some form of perfection or euphoria and having that person experience a tremendous pitfall, with grotesque detail of physical or mental trauma. Nonetheless, Black Swan was perhaps the most captivating of all of his movies, and Nina (Portman's character) was certainly one of the most sympathetic characters in any Aronofsky flick (topped by possibly lonely, old Sarah Goldfarb in Requiem for a Dream). Black Swan definitely deserved the critical hype it got, and if it weren't for Scott Pilgrim v. the World, it'd be my pick for best picture of 2010!



Captain Beefheart died over the weekend due to complications of multiple sclerosis. It was weird because before he died, I was listening to him a lot. Just last week I found an old copy of Safe As Milk for $6 at a local record store. One of rock's most uncompromising visionaries who was light years ahead of his time.

I have a busy week ahead of me before Christmas. Today I meet with an academic advisor for Southern. I have laundry to do. I have work tonight. I have to put more shit up on eBay, and I have to schedule a physical so Southern can have an updated health record of me, I guess to make sure I don't have tuberculosis or the bubonic plague. Not like I have money for a physical (I'm still uninsured. Thanks Obama for caving in on public option!), and the cheapest doctor I know of is in Bridgeport, and that's $100. $100 I do not have at present.

I'm compiling my list of the best albums of the year. It's gonna be harder now that I don't have an iPod, but I have a list that I've narrowed it down to.