Friday I drove to Sundance to pickup my season pass for skiing -- a bargain for the midweek snowboarder like myself who doesn't have the money to travel further than the local resort to go snowboarding. It was a nice day off -- there was a humidity in the air that reminded me of California. Granted the feeling was a bit different with a high of 50 that day, but it was warmer than it had been for more than a week. I guess that means I'm acclimatizing to this frozen earth.
That evening I went and watched "Blood Diamond" in Provo. I had never been to a movie in Provo on a Friday night in the six months I have lived here so far. It seems that the limited number of social outlets there are in the town draw quite a bit of attention to the theaters. Luckily the movie we chose was rated R, thus separating ourselves from the rest of the movie-goers who wouldn't want to be seen near a movie of that rating.
You know it's Provo when a movie with a budget like "Blood Diamond" in the second week of screen time in Utah is in the smallest theater possible, in the very back of the movie house. But there I was, next to a drunk girl and couples who seemed infinitely bored on their "dates." The drunk girl learned over and managed to shovel seven compliments into four rapid-fire sentences that made her conversation receivers only that much more intrigued with her attitude. She must have breathed out quite a bit to as much as she did as quickly as she did.
"Watch Chris, I'm so going to get arrested for public intoxication."
I laughed. The movie ended. Inebriated girl said it was the worst movie she had ever seen, that Leonardo DiCaprio must have had something wrong with him to be breathing so hard.
"I think he said 'Come on!' at least eighty five times. Myabe 130 times."
I didn't have such harsh criticism for the movie. The plot was there, the money was there and the actors there. Yet with all of that behind it, the film tried to be more than it was capable of being. Some dizzying tirade of love, family, greed humanity that gets lost in the Charles-Bronson and Rambo-esque shoot-em-ups. It was too long for what it was, but not long enough for what it could have been.
I think of other movies I have seen along similar lines about tragedy and journalistic films, and "Blood Diamond" just wasn't what it had the possibility of being.
We exited the theater and there was seven inches of freshly fallen snow covering my car and the entire parking lot. I drove home very timidly, with inebriated girl teasing me for driving in the middle of the road like an "eff-in Utahrd."
After dropping her off I ran around, rather excitedly. I took out my boots and jacket, gloves and hat. I was going to make a more conscious effort to take some more impressive snow photos. I stepped out of the house ready to see what the light had to show me that evening.
The snow was very wet, unlike the last time I walked around taking pictures. It was difficult to keep my lens clear for many of the photos, but I was very happy with some of the results. I felt like I had left my funk of sadness behind for a while, and it has kept up for a couple days after now. I'll be posting photos a few at a time on staticantics.com but for now, I'll share one from in front of my apartment.
My car stayed underground for the storm and I spent the weekend walking everywhere. It was pretty nice. Observing my neighborhood's nuances more and more. I took my old camera with me on the way to church and got some youtube videos to share, these are short enough to keep even the shortest attention span occupied.
Morning Snow Preparation
Speed Shoveling
I was planning on a Monday morning trip up to sundance for my first snowboard trip of the year, but I want to make sure I retain my ability to walk without limping until after my paying wedding gig is doen and over and I fly back to Utah. I fly to Washington D.C. Wednesday, and come back for work on Dec. 24. I'm excited to travel a bit.
