After thoughts about… Memento

May Contain Spoilers

Wow!!! Just wow!!! Thinking about it, Memento is one of the most intelligent and unique films. The way it uses it’s story is so fully formed and there is a nice sense of full circle.

However when it ended “Wow” wasn’t my first reaction. It was more along the lines “Has it finished yet?” and was because I got bored. Yes it was brilliant and I don’t think there are many films like it, but I didn’t care. And I think I got bored for the same reason I think it so original: the story structure.

I think the story technique running through Memento creates a predictability about it. There was no doubt of how it was going to end.

* * * Spoilers * * *

If you study how Memento uses non-linear structure compared to Once Upon a Time, I think you’ll see two different stages of development…

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Even nuns get violent in meetings—here’s how to keep the peace with your colleagues

My Favorite Heels: Jessica Simpson

Nickel City Pretty

I love shoes…and I will admit it, I have WAY too many pairs.  I wish I could say that I love all of them equally, but I have grown to have an absolute favorite brand.

Jessica Simpson’s brand of heels are AMAZING.  Seriously, I don’t think I will ever buy anything else.  Not only are they so cute, they are actually really comfortable.  Comfortable enough for me to be able to wear them through an entire wedding, INCLUDING a few rounds of dancing!  I’m normally the girl who ditches the heels right after dinner and changes into flip-flops.

You can find Jessica Simpson shoes in a lot of stores, but I have purchased most of mine at Macy’s.  Even better when they run sales and coupons!

Here are my favorite pairs of Jessica Simpson heels that I currently own.

These first two are the same model and I love them so much…

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Even Lindsay Lohan is Better Than Me

Stunted Adults

I’ve had many a low point in my life, but 2014 may have just kicked off with the lowest yet.

On January 2, 2014, I learned that Lindsay Lohan is better than I am.

That’s right.

I can’t even bring myself up to Lindsay’s level of competence.

Wow.

I had no idea things had gotten so bad.

It all began the prior Sunday.  As I’ve let slip, I’m training for a marathon.  After a week of holiday gluttony (champagne, cheese, cake, lather, rinse, repeat), I had to pay the piper and slog through a 15 mile run.  I was unusually thirsty during that run, but I just chalked it up to too much boozing.

I guzzled liters of water and Gatorade, but I just could not quench my thirst.  Over the next few days I continued to deteriorate.  No matter how much water and how relatively little champagne I…

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Quartz Daily Brief—Europe edition—Suntory buys Beam, Google’s Nest egg, shark prevention, redhead sex appeal

Copyright Week launched to fight “biggest threat to the Internet you’ve never heard of”

More Misogigamankai at Kanda Shrine

Tokyobling's Blog

More photos from the Endurance/purification ceremony at Tokyo’s Kanda Shrine (Kanda Myojin) the other day. Although I am usually all for immersing myself in my adopted culture this is one habit that I will refrain from. Most of the participants where shaking as they stood waiting for their turn and even the leader of the group, who spent over half an hour standing in the ice water while keeping an eye on the bathers must have been suffering greatly. The funniest incident of the day was at the end, after the one hour long ordeal when the obligatory group photos was to be taken. Everyone lined up smartly, with the new 20 year olds at the front, and as usual the news media photographers where fiddling with their equipment. It didn’t take many seconds for one of the girls to shout “just get on with it!” to the photographers. Much…

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Pollution isn’t the only thing killing tourism in Beijing

Disrupting Education’s Status Quo

Organikos

Harvard Business Review offers this interview with the founder of Khan Academy, a non-profit educational initiative that has been succeeding the way many dot-com businesses succeed–the difference being that all the benefits accrue to students and their educational attainment around the world. Bravo, Mr. Khan:

…In the traditional academic model, you’re passive. You sit in a chair, and the teacher tries to project knowledge at you; some of it sticks, some of it doesn’t. That’s not an effective way to learn. Worse, it creates a mind-set of “you need to teach me,” so when you’re on your own, you think, “I can’t learn.” Anyone in any industry will tell you there’s new stuff to learn every week these days. So you have to say, “What information and people do I have at my disposal? What questions do I need to ask? How do I gauge whether I’ve really understood it?”…

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The Buzz of the City

Monie Blog

The buzz of the city filled the air with endless possibilities. From the moment we saw the bay bridge we knew we were in for an adventure. I imagined young people working in their studio offices making creative decisions that would influence our culture.

The first stop we made was a hidden coffee shop. When I walked in the doors, I saw tables full of people talking and visiting with one another. I was tempted to ask them what they did for a living so I too could be in a coffee shop on a Tuesday morning at 10am hanging out with friends.  We ordered our lattes and pretend we were one of them.

We later made our way to watch the sun set at the beach. The people of the city seemed to be searching for a connection with nature, the parks were full of runners and the beach…

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