Autumn isn't coming soon enough

Summer: “One day I woke up and I just knew.”
Tom: “Knew what?”
Summer: “What I was never sure of with you.”
- 500 Days of Summer

I'm a big fan of the eventful weekend as opposed to the quiet restful one. I've had more of the former as of late. The theme of the weekend was celebrating with Christina and Adriana during their last days in Austin. Too bad Caro and Oscar were out of town. I'm glad there are always so many things to do in Austin.

Friday, after work, I came home and passed out because I was still tired from the piano bar the night before. Once I woke up, the I met up with the girls and their friend John downtown. The night was a bit slow and my conversation skills were not at their best, but my Dos Equis were very refreshing. I'm not a fan of bars with very loud music. I can't hold a conversation like that and people still try to communicate so it's not like you are there to just drink and listen to the blasting music.

Saturday morning I made a trip to north Austin to buy a used tire for my car in that never ending saga. It is a bit different from what I have, but the size seems to be right. The price was definitely right so I'm not worried about being scammed. I still need to take it to have it mounted and replace my ticking time bomb of a tire. On my way down to Buda, I stopped by Red Lobster to have lunch. That is one of my favorite places to eat. Abram spent the day on an 8 mile hike with his dog Brooks. After his hike, we went to see the movie (500) Days of Summer. This I will talk about in a bit. It was my first time to the Barton Creek theater, even though I've been to that mall many many times.

Sunday was Happy Friendship Day! Yeah, I didn't know that either, but I hope all my friends had a good one. I woke up early, but sick. I didn't drink on Saturday at all, but I had a sore throat nevertheless. I spent the day watching movies at home while I recuperated, including Fierce Creatures, Tron, and He is just not that into you. The last movie had a quote that reminded me of one from 500 days: Anna: "I can't do any of this. I mean what you are saying and what you are offering is what what every girl wants, it is what I always wanted, it is just...." Jarrad: "That you don't want it with me." (silence)

I understand why the movie got bad reviews. I hated the ending. The unmarried couple should of stayed unmarried and happy and the friends should have stayed friends and not been the exception. It just detracted from the point of the movie. I liked the part where the guy said, "I like you the way I like a basset hound." and the line, "I'd rather be like that, than be like you." And don't forget:
Neil: Or... There's a possibility that I mean it when I say I don't believe in marriage.

Beth: Bullshit! Bullshit! Come on! Bullshit for every women that has been told by some man that he doesn't believe in marriage, and then 6 months later he's married to some 24 year old that he met at the gym. That's just... It's bullshit!

Here are my articles of interest I ran into on Friday:

Scientists Discover Why We Never Forget How to ride a Bike These results are very important for people interested in how the brain processes information and produces and stores memories. I guess you really do not forget. It make me think of other things people compare to riding a bike. Biking had been on my mind.

Marijuana’s Impact On Brain Function Minimal, New Study Says “Minimal evidence of major effects of cannabis on brain structure has been reported,” the study found, noting that marijuana users and those of the control group perform similarly on cognitive tasks. It didn't discuss how it saps your motivation though. Can't kill you, doesn't impair brain function, but illegal.

As I had mentioned, this weekend I saw (500) Days of Summer. For those of you that have not seen it yet, you should. It isn't available everywhere, but I'm sure it will be soon considering the reviews it is getting. I don't mean to get into spoilers, but you should probably stop reading now just in case.
I liked the movie a lot. The movie is a simple one. Boy meets girl, Boy falls in love, Girl doesn't. I think the Narrator puts it best as: Voice-over: This is a story of boy meets girl. The boy, Tom Hansen, grew up believing that he’d never truly be happy until the day he met the one. The girl, Summer Finn, did not share this belief. You should know up front this is not a love story.

This independent original romantic comedy is clever, intelligent and understands that we mark our lives by our scrapes with love and not by the happy endings. It's a story you've seen or heard a million times, but it is told in such an inventive and relatable way that it almost feels like the first time. I thought the movie was able to capture the elation and anxiety of new love, along with the terror. The profound sense that you have never felt more alive and the occasional wish that you could die on the spot. I feel like the experience was good for Tom and one that people need. I especially liked the ending scene on bench.

My favorite scene though is the split screen "expectations" versus "reality" scene at the party. The way this was done was amazing. This was the climax of the movie. I liked the camera work and the chronology in which the story was told. I liked how the movie wasn't about the ending, but about what happened in between.

In his review, Roger Ebert said, "One thing men love is to instruct women. If a woman wants to enchant a man, she is wise to play his pupil. Men fall for this." I liked this comment. Everyone wants to think that they are special and unique and bring something to the table that no one else does. The main character really thought he was different, he was the one that was going to bring down her wall, but he wasn't the one even though may have gotten farther than most. I think the whole idea of wanting to bring down someone's wall is what keeps you from doing it. It is the person who isn't preoccupied with that that always seems to find themselves behind it.

I've collected a list of my favorite quotes from the movie as I often do. Enjoy:

Author's Note: The following is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Especially you Jenny Beckman.

Narrator: This is a boy meets girl story. It is not a love story.

Tom: It's official. I'm in love with Summer.

Tom: What happens when you fall in love?
Summer: You believe in that?
Tom: It's love, it's not Santa Claus.

Rachel Hansen: Just some guy she met at the gym with Brad Pitt's face and Jesus' abs.

Rachel Hansen: Just because she's likes the same bizzaro crap you do doesn't mean she's your soul mate.

Rachel Hansen: Tom, I know you think she was the one, but I don't. I think you should look back, and not just at the good stuff.

Tom: What happened, why didn’t they work out?
Summer: What always happens? Life.

Summer: Ok. I, like being on my own. I think relationships are messy and people’s feelings get hurt. Who needs it? We’re young, we live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world; might as well have fun while we can and, save the serious stuff for later.
McKenzie: You’re a dude. [to Tom] She’s a dude!

Tom: [drunk to the redhead] Fine, go...you look nothing like Summer anyway.

Tom: I need to know that in the morning your not going to wake up and change how you feel.
Summer: Nobody can promise you that.

Summer: “One day I woke up and I just knew.”
Tom: “Knew what?”
Summer: “What I was never sure of with you.”

That is all I have to say about that. Great movie, you should see it. I think I'm getting closer to writing the story I want to write, I just don't know how the story ends. I'm starting to get more and more inspiration to start. I just hate to write something so unoriginal. Maybe I just need to get started.

I've started taking steps in furtherance of my big goal. The odds are stacked against me, but for some reason I have this unrealistic faith that everything is going to work out. Now I have to be patient. Soon I'll be estatic about my change in circumstances. Wish me luck. I really do have nothing to lose.

gone for the weekend