So you want more blogs?

The picture above is how I feel about your requests.

So these jerks (you know who you are) have been harassing me to write this blog more often and, occasionally, such harassment is actually effective. Or, I have a lot of free time on my hands, as is the case today.

We need a topic now, don't we? How about some reviews. My opinions are waaaaaay better than your opinions and it would just be cruel of me to keep them to myself.

Here goes....

SOME MOVIES I'VE SEEN LATELY AND WHAT I THINK ABOUT THEM

1.) Pineapple Express

Yes, this came out a while ago but I just got it from Netflix last week. I don't go to see movies at the movie theater ever: it makes for a lame first date, I am not patient enough to deal with the noise and children of other people, I'm old enough to just go to a bar, and I have a bladder like an acorn. TMI? Perhaps, but it's a pretty unfortunate cross to bear.

So, the movie: the movie is not what I expected i.e. a light stoner romp along the lines of Half Baked. It certainly starts as such, but devolves into a surrealist's interpretation of an action movie. For instance, the third major protagonist in the film gets shot something like 10 times during the second half of the film and is perfectly fine without an real explanation why he isn't dead. If you're wondering why I don't know the actor's name, he's the one who never gave Judd Apatow a blow job (cough cough SETH ROGEN cough James DiFranco cough cough cough). He's funny though. Also bizarre and non-sequitous is all the balls-out violence that the movie jumps into. You just....don't expect it from the previews, I guess. Personally, I was pleasantly surprised. I like a solid handful of "this shit just doesn't make sense" as well as a few buckets of blood and effluvia in my cinema.

The Prognosis: Won't cure cancer but would be fun to watch with your buddies while enjoying some cocktails or other things***

2.) Rachel Getting Married

If you have a sister/possibly gay brother who insists on marrying a woman anyway, who is seriously pretentious and has way too many obnoxious artist and musician friends who all think they are the damn bee's knees - this is the movie for you. Or rather, this is the movie to prepare yourself for said relation's nuptials or to convince you to just kill yourself before the twee blowhard-fest gets underway.

Don't get me wrong, this is a really good movie. Anna Hathaway as the bitch-machine former meth-addict/model sister of the eponymous Rachel, who is getting married dontcha know, is divine. Rachel, played by some chick, is beyond revolting. OMG, she's marrying a black dude! HOW PROGRESSIVE! Oh wow, they have so many musician friends who CONSTANTLY play their folksy whatever because they're just so ARTISTIC! How sweet, they have a rehearsal dinner where EVERY SINGLE PERSON makes a speech (because you know how hipsters love listening to themselves talk). Holy smokes, they're opting for saris instead of traditional western wedding attire. HOW UNUSUAL!!!!!! For the love of jeebus, the groom starts singing to his bride during the vows BECAUSE HE'S A MUSICIAN!!!! No, this isn't awkward and kind of creepy (I lied, it totally is). The bridal couple and their friends are just so barfy and, unfortunately, Anne Hathaway's character never takes the piss out of them for being such enormous douches.

The Diagnosis: While definitely engaging, I would have liked Anne Hathaway to call everyone douchebags at least 5 times. That about sums up the douchiness.

[I'm already getting bored with this topic]

Alright, one more:

3.) Special

When I first saw this movie on Netflix, I assumed it was about me (reasonable). Alas, it's an amusing little indie about a guy who gets some good ol' fashioned brain trauma that makes him think he's developing super powers. It's charming and strange and a little sad, but mostly it makes you feel better about lunatics on the street. Maybe they just think they're super heroes and that's why they're shouting at those cars like that. It's a feel good film.

The Prescription: watch this movie, then go have a chat with a homeless.

Okay, new topic.

WEIRD CRAP I'VE SEEN AROUND HUMBOLDT PARK LATELY

I didn't live-blog the Puerto-Rican Day parade this year but, then again, I never had any intention to. I typically opt out as I am not puertorican, I don't like reggaeton, and the only flag I have features an airbrush of that seminal musical group, Poison. Instead, I went to the beach with my sister and then we went out for some mexican food. I'm sure the parade was super awesome: 1 million puertoricans with 5 million puertorican flags couldn't be wrong.

This weekend, I saw possibly the most impractical vehicle imaginable: I think it was an impala, 1970's or early 80's maybe. This is pure conjecture as I don't really know anything about cars (or care). Anyhoo, this bad boy was decked out in a major way. It had HUGE HUGE HUGE tires - easily twice the size of what normally would be on that car, and they had shiny chrome spinning rims (of course). The piece de resistance was that the car had full hydraulics and the hydraulics were being fully employed! I am not exaggerating when I say the bottom chassis (see, that's a car word) was about at eye-level for me. The bottom of the car was 5 freaking feet off the ground, just cruising down Division like "What? Everybody cool has a ridonkulously tall car with giant wheels that probably don't even fit in the wheel wells". I tip my hat to you, you crazy impala virtuoso!

At the Fruteria: those of you that know me well know how I feel about the mighty Fruteria. I love it and its wacky denizens, although I could probably do without the smell of the butcher shop in the back. I was in the Fruteria, as I am almost daily, after work one day last week and I overheard the most fascinating conversation. The proprietor of the establishment was having an argument with this young gentleman - the proprietor had accused the gentleman of stealing a carbonated beverage the day prior and the young gentleman said he did not do such a thing. IN FACT, as he effusively defended, he would never steal! If he wanted something, he would just take it, while stealing implies he would be trying to be sneaky about it. I know what you're thinking: what the hell is the difference? Well, as the young gentleman was trying to explain, he has no need to be sneaky, as he is such a bad ass that he would just take things flagrantly without hiding his actions. While that does clarify his position slightly, it certainly did nothing to assuage the proprietor's concern over that young man absconding with items he had not paid for, sneakiness or not. Ah, crazy people.

Outside the Fruteria: also last week, I was walking past the Fruteria on my way to work at 8am or so when I had this bizarre interlude: there was a big delivery truck parked on the sidewalk and, unless I'm mistaken, it was from Chicago Beverage. For those not in the know, Chicago Beverage is a major distributor of booze to stores and restaurants/bars in the city and I'm calling them out here because the people who work for them are damn crazy in the brains. Or one of them anyway. To wit: I am walking past and the delivery man is loading a dolly on the side of the truck as I am walking past. I get a few feet beyong where he is standing when he yells "HEY!! DID YOU JUST GRAB MY ASS!?!?" Um, no. "I SWEAR YOU JUST GRABBED MY ASS!!" I assure you, sir, I did nothing of the sort (yes, I really talk to people like this). "Well, where you going? Come back here!" I'm going to work, I don't have time for this. "AWWW, CMON! Come back!" And my final response was: Sir, it's too fucking early for this shit. And it really was. I do have to complement his technique for sheer insanity; if he was good-looking, it would have totally worked.

In the spirit of the anecdote above, I present to you....

A LIST OF BAD PICK UP LINES

(that will still work if you happen to be very attractive)

1.) "HEY!! DID YOU JUST GRAB MY ASS?!?!"

2.) "Did anyone ever tell you that you look just like Lily Taylor?", from a man with total Gollem teeth (watch Lord of the Rings if you don't catch my meaning) decked out in head to toe bright peach linen with white alligator shoes. While Lily Taylor is, no doubt, an attractive woman, she's easily 20 years older than me and I look young for my age. Stupid Gollem-teeth.

3.) "Are those space pants you're wearing? Because your ass is out of this world", employed by me in my college years. I am very attractive so this line always worked.

4.) "Hey baby, let's go back to your place and do some math. Add a bed, subtract your clothes, divide your legs and multiply", said at one point to my friend, Kris. Even if you are the sexy lovechild of Henry Rollins and the lead singer of Type O Negative, this line is too fucking gross to work ever. If you are even considering saying this to someone, you should probably get your head checked as you are CRAZY IN THE BRAINS. And not in a fun way.

5.) "Hey baby my name is (insert name) How are you?" Response: " I'm fine." Rejoinder "I didn't ask how you looked, I asked you how you were doing", also provided by Kris. Granted, this is beyond cheesy but, if you were the above mentioned sexy love child or even just regular ol' Henry Rollins, this would get you a laugh and a number.

On a slightly related note:

If you are on duty as a postal carrier, you should not be hitting on people.

I don't know why this bothers me so much. They're government workers? They wear uniforms? They could be fondling the books I buy from Amazon? Who knows? But I do declare, this is wrong behavior. Upon exiting my office one day with a female friend, the postal carrier outside (a severely obese and slovenly attired gent - therefore not covered by the "do whatever you want because you're really hot" caveat) first feigned a heart attack, then said something along the lines of "I'm going to have to serve you two ladies!". Naturally, my friend and I looked at him quizzically, whereupon he stated "It has to be illegal to look that fine!", thus implying that we should be served with legal summons for being so attractive. Buddy, just deliver the fucking mail and keep your commentary to yourself.

That's all I got for today, folks. Stop your bitching.

Love, Peace, and Hair Grease,

Jillian

***I'm talking about finger sandwiches. Stop being such a miscreant.