I'm Not There

I was already of the opinion that Cate Blanchett as one of the Bob Dylans in I'm Not There is one of the most brilliant pieces of casting ever made (and this judgement is made solely from watching the trailer and a few clips of her in action). Now Dana Stevens over at Slate has perfectly encapsulated my reaction to it:

Cate Blanchett is Bob Dylan: Could there be a sexier above-the-title tagline? But Haynes' casting choice functions as far more than a clever stunt. The gender reversal introduces a strangeness that makes us look at both performers through new eyes. And though you soon forget that Blanchett is a woman—her channeling of the Don't Look Back-era Dylan is that uncanny—you never for a moment forget that she, like Jude Quinn, is a performer. Blanchett shares Dylan's knack for moving audiences deeply without disclosing much of herself, and her Jude is a magnetic cipher, seductive without being likable. When a British journalist (Bruce Greenwood), intent on exposing the self-invented singer as a fraud, questions him harshly in the back seat of a limo, you don't know whose side to take: Yes, the interviewer is a reductive prig, but Jude is a self-important asshole. Blanchett conveys all of this while still keeping you wrapped around her (or is it Jude's?) little finger. Before, I thought of Cate Blanchett as a beautiful and gifted actress. After this crush-inducing performance, I'm seriously considering flying to Australia to stalk her.

A place for my stuff

Part of the big renovations push Mrs. Mosley and I are currently engaged in is a getting rid of excess stuff (that would be in addition to the stuff that was gotten rid of involuntarily).

It's not that we have a lot of stuff. Well, that's my opinion anyway. Mrs. Mosley will occasionally beg to differ most vocally on this subject.

But we are endeavoring to create some new storage solutions and shelving, so we should be looking a lot better once the dust settles.

Still, it's always nice to put things in perspective:

The Oprah Show featured a two part series on the “Secret Lives of Hoarders” this week, and featured two empty-nesters named Sharyn and Marvin. In addition to 75 tons of garbage (that’s 15 industrial sized dumpsters), the 100 member clean up team filled more than 1,800 large crates of items from the home, enough to fill three semi trailers.

More than 75% of the home’s furniture was destroyed by black mold and other infestations. Along the way, the clean up team found food from 1994 in the basement, dozens of umbrellas, a long forgotten pool table and thousands of gifts Sharyn had purchased but never given away.

It took a little more than 8 weeks to complete what was originally scheduled to be a two week project. Organizational Expert Peter Walsh headed the effort, and after all the unwanted belongings were cleared from Marvin and Sharyn’s house, the team rented a gigantic 10,000-square-foot warehouse to hold a rummage sale. The family profited more than $13,000 from the sale, which included more than 3,000 handbags and 3,000 pairs of shoes.

Hey! You two in the back from Minnesota: Stop Snickering!

Well, I woke up this morning and found my car encrusted with frost; the first of the season.

Hey, I know we don't get blizzards or black ice down here, but we timid Floridians still have to be cautious when it comes to these things.

"Let's be careful out there."

I just found my favorite picture of the week.

Well, at the very least it ties with Fiona (story found via Neatorama):

A group of orphaned baby owls snuggle up to a cuddly toy which has become their surrogate mum after they were found on the brink of death in the wild.

The tiny tawny owl chicks burrow in under the fluffy toy's wings to keep warm after they were separated from their own mothers.

The chicks, all aged between just four and eight weeks, faced certain death as they fended for themselves alone in the wild but are now recovering in an animal hospital.

Hello (and Goodbye) to Nickel Creek

Mrs. Mosley proposed three months ago that we go to a Nickel Creek concert that was going to be at the Florida Theatre. I gave a listen to one of their CD's, which was kind of a modern bluegrass, and immediately agreed. So we went last night and it was fantastic. More's the pity that this is their farewell tour, but at least we got to see them near the end of it.

Mrs. Mosley was proud that she picked some musicians that I would like. And though the quality of their music was a big part of her recommendation, I told her after I looked at their Wikipedia page that there was another indicator at how they might be up my alley: They did a concert earlier this year with Fiona Apple. I would have easily paid double the ticket price to hear all of them together on stage, but I'll just amuse myself by posting some pictures of that concert. From all indications, Fiona and Nickel Creek rocked the house.

Hail Mary, full of grace ... BANG!

This guy has recreated famous scenes as isometric computer game shots. Some are from historic moments in time, and others are from cinematic scenes. Two scenes are redundant, since the angle of the new shot is the exact same as the original. Two scenes are absent of people, and I couldn't guess them without consulting the FAQ. At any rate, they're all interesting. Check 'em out. (Found via The Mint Julep)