Depressed? Step away from the remote!

A recent study, highlighted by the folks over at Live Science, found that 'unhappy' people watch an average of 30% more television than happy people. That's a difference of approximately 19 hours to 25 hours a week.

This is not good news for me.

Even as I type now, I have Hardball with Chris Matthews blaring in the background, I sleep with the TV on every night. In fact, my slumber suffers from the silence if this habit is compromised. I watch talk shows while I get ready in the morning, and late night shows as I doze off. I even watch the prime time shows I miss during the week online when there's a lull, and go to pseudo-illegal downloading measures to secure a couple of my favorite shows that air on premium cable channels.

Now this is embarrassing.
Depending on the season, I regularly watch Flight of the Conchords, The View, Dexter, Southpark, Hardball, Countdown, The Rachael Maddow Show, What Not to Wear, The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, Project Runway, Bones, Fringe, House, Lost, Entourage, Whale Wars, Monsterquest and any variety of news, entertainment and trashy reality shows if none of these titles appear in the TV guide.

Maybe silence makes me uncomfortable. I keep my TV streaming as I surf the web, do homework, put up my laundry, work out in the fitness center, clean or participate in any other distraction.

And amazingly, I'm still highly productive.


And, I feel happy.


Does the exception make the rule?

Wikipedia Random article #3

Daddy. (1989 film)

A Bollywood film about a young girl that tries to reunite with her father, but is struggling to battle alcoholism. It won a critics award for best performance.

Wikipedia Random article #2

The Rosenbach Museum and Library in Philadelphia.

The library, which is comprised of two restored 19th century townhouses, holds rare books, manuscripts and art.

Wikipedia Random article #1

I've decided to try a new blogging experiment using Wikipedia random article search. Today's post will be the first in the series, so here we go:

Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany

It was a short lived political party during the Second Reich.

"The history of the USPD began on December 21, 1915, members of the SPD fraction in the Reichstag, the German parliament, voted against the authorization of further credits to finance World War I, an incident that emphasized existing tensions between the party's leadership and the left-wing pacifists surrounding Hugo Haase and ultimately led to the expulsion of the group from the SPD fraction on March 24, 1916."


You learn something new everyday.

Let the Right One In

If you're a fan of vampire flicks but aren't in a tizzy over Twilight, check out Let the Right One in, now playing at the Alamo South Lamar.

Let the Right One in is a Swedish film, but it has been making waves a film festivals worldwide. The film focuses on the relationship between two children--Oskar a lonely boy who is often the target of school bullies, and Eli, a 12-year-old vampire.

The film evokes snippets of the famous vampire genre, but is more of an emotional tale than typical horror movie. Sure, theres blood and guts, but this film manages to communicate more about emotional pain than physical.

I won't give too much away. So, I'll just say this: believe the hype.
A-

Changeling (50 word review)

Angelina Jolie carries the heart-breaking role of a grieving mother with conviction and depth in Eastwood's Changeling. While the plot-line is moving, the fashion is booming, Jolie looks right at home in authentic and beautiful 1920's style: prominent red lips, feminine leather gloves and a characteristic wavy bob.


B+

Of Montreal @ Fiesta Gardens

Of Montreal took to the outdoor stage at Fiesta Gardens, and delighted the crowd with their musical styling and brilliantly and bizarrely choreographed sideshow.

The show, which was opened by Icy Demons, (members of Man Man) drew an enormous crowd.

Through numerous costume changes and off-the-wall scenarios, the musicians and dancers of Of Montreal were a sight to be seen. The band played for nearly two hours, covering tunes from several albums, most notably, their newest--Skeletal Lamping.

It's 11/11

I'm posting at 11:11 on 11/11.

Make a wish!

Barton Creek Square Mall> Highland Mall

Having been an Austin resident for over a year and a half, it may shock some that I had never visited Highland Mall--until today.

Barton Creek Square Mall is a comfortable 5-10 minute drive from campus depending on traffic and time of day. And while the variety of stores leaves something to be desired, the movie theater and convenient location make it a worthwhile trip.

However, my desire to visit Forever 21, an old standby for cheap and stylish mall-bred clothing, drove me out of my south Austin comfort zone.

Highland Mall, or as I have often heard it referred to as, "the ghetto mall" did a fair job of fitting the description. The stores were clean enough and stocked, but many lacked the organizational flow of newer establishments. The mall itself was small, and it was difficult to maneuver through the department stores. The parking was cramped with bus traffic.

Maybe it was the bad lighting or cramped shelves, but I only made one purchase today, an $8 belt. Hardly qualifies as a shopping spree.

Which dog should the Obama's get?

It's your turn to weigh in.

Make your suggestions in the comments section.

Fun Fun Fun Fest Volunteer Diary

Todays volunteer duties were twofold.

1) approximately seven hours at the will call and wristband tent

2) the rest of the evening patrolling the park's fence to make sure kids didn't jump over and sneak into the festival

The will call table was fast paced, we had a strong and steady crowd for at least five hours straight, but there were no major blunders and we were within earshot of one of the stages.

The territory for my second duty was a long expanse of fence in the far corner of Waterloo park, an area isolated behind a lengthy expanse of porta-potties. My only companions during this time, besides the little punks jumping the fence, were the homeless men on the other side, the occasional loners seeking quiet space to chat on their cellphones and the numerous impatient and conspicuous men who thought it was a good idea to just whip it out and pee behind the porta-potties rather than inside of them.

Perhaps my presence is not as imposing as the festival coordinators would have hoped because at least three lil' juvenile delinquents jumped over and took off running like ninjas in the night less than 100 yards from me.

Bands overheard: YACHT, Dean Deacon, Z-Trip, Dead Milkmen, Octopus Project, ALL, The National, Deerhoof, Atmosphere & the Adolescents.

bands watched: zero.

Fun Fun Fun Fest [Preview]

Tomorrow and Sunday, I will be posting about my experiences volunteering at Fun Fun Fun Fest in Waterloo Park. The lineup, which includes Bishop Allen, Dead Milkmen, Minus the Bear and Leftover Crack, can be found at http://www.funfunfunfest.com


Also, remember there is a student discount on ticket prices.

For now, I want to share a tip about where to park. There is free parking on nights and weekends at the Capital Visitors' Parking Garage, pretty much directly adjacent to the park--in fact, that is a good tip for any night on the town.