I can't seem to find a source online for the script of the original movie, so I'll have to recite it best as I can from memory.

The scene is a pool, with three women sitting together. One of the women is average size, the other is a "little" bigger than average, and the last one has a body that most women (who care greatly about their body shape) would probably kill to have.

For the sake of easy clarity, I shall refer to the first woman as A, the second as B, and the third as S.

As the women are talking, they happen to notice some Africans (three, I believe) at the pool as well (Nigerians, I think).

The men notice the women and walk over to them (I think the third one shows up mid-conversation, so it's 2 men approaching three women).

B, used to not being noticed, immediately looks down rejected, particularly since S, used to attention, immediately starts showing off her body.

The men, however, aren't interested in S. They try to start conversing with B, but S butts in. I remember at one point, she remarks (thinking the men are interested in her body, which she is fully prostituting for free by now, as much of a contradiction as that is), "You like what you see?"

It seems, at least the message that this movie was trying to convey, that Nigerians like bigger women. Therefore, the hierarchy that the U. S. has established is reversed - the skinny woman is given looks of oddity and passed over in favor of the more appealing woman on the scene.

At some point, the third Nigerian comes back to catch up with his friends, notices S and remarks in one of the native languages of Nigeria, "What is wrong with her? Is she sick??"

I've never seen the movie in full, but I will forever adore it for that scene alone.

I came across these two articles while looking for the movie. I would definitely suggest checking them out. I need to watch some of the movie mentioned in them at some point.

Nobody Loves a Fat Woman On Film

Take Any Shape But That: Fat Men On Film

"He definitely was bipolar and had mood swings but then these men were all human beings with problems and flaws."

I happened to notice this statement somewhere on YouTube (surprise, surprise). Would anyone like to explain to me how being bipolar is seemingly a "problem and flaw" that must be justified? Humanity never ceases to amaze me.

I believe another archaic word is in order and long overdue.

Luculent [loo-kyoo-luhnt]
-adjective

1. clear or lucid: a luculent explanation.
2. convincing; cogent.

Origin:
1375-1425

Life can be just entirely acherontic, at times; I'm drawn to think that, usually, it's because it refuses to stay luculent. Sure, I've had the idea gainsaid before, but I think it's a deep-rooted fear we have to oppose the unknown ere we have the chance to know it. Life would surely be more luculent if we didn't ignore the fact it is unclear to begin with. You would think, in the spirit of knowledge, that more would deign the topic; mauger the plain logic I've just laid out, I have yet to find willing participants to help in aiding the end of my agony.

So, for one of my courses, we have to read colonial literature. And, in one of the books we're reading, "maugre" was used, and I didn't have to check the footnote to understand what it means. I flipped a shit, no lie.

I have come to the conclusion that one useless man...is called a disgrace, that two are called a law firm, and that three, or more, become a CONgress! And, by God, I have had this congress!

Benjamin Franklin: Please, Mr. Dickingson, are we to start banging? How is a man to sleep?
*Congress laughs*
John Dickinson: Forgive me, Dr. Franklin, but must you start speaking? How is a man to stay awake?
*more laughter*
Dickinson: We'll promise to be quiet, sir. I'm sure everyone prefers that you remain asleep.
Franklin: If I am to hear myself called an Englishman, sir, I assure you I prefer I remain asleep.
Dickinson: Ohh, now what's so terrible about being called an Englishman? The English don't seem to mind.
Franklin: Nor would I - were I given the full rights of an Englishman! But to call me one without those rights is like calling an ox a bull: he's thankful for the honor, but he'd much rather have restored what's rightfully his.
*Congress uproariously laughs; Franklin smiles pleasantly at Dickingson*
Dickinson: ...When did you first notice they were missing, sir?
*Congress laughs again and slightly jeers; Franklin laughs as well at the good play by Dickingson*
Dickinson: Fortunately, the people of these colonies maintain a higher regard for their mother country.
Franklin: Higher certainly than she feels for them. *gets up and starts walking towards Dickingson* Never was such a valuable possession so stupidly and so recklessly managed than this entire continent by the British crown: our industry discouraged, our resources pillaged - worst of all, our very character stifled.
We've spawned a new race here, Mr. Dickingson - rougher, simpler, more violent, more enterprizing, less refined. We're a new nationality; we require a new nation.

Kinda weird thinking I'm going back in a matter of 5 or so days. It'll be an interesting year, I'm sure (largely due to the five classes I'll have). In theory, I'll have gotten a better placing this year (socially and otherwise). Of course, it wasn't really until Junior year of high school that I got myself pretty settled. Some things just take time, with which I'm fine with. There's a slew of things on campus I'm involved with that I can't wait to dive into again.

I've got a single room this year, so no roommate to have to manage. Plus, my previous no-window, small room got switched for a senior single. Which is nice.

We'll see how it goes.

Tomorrow I'm going to stop by the old high school GSA for the last time. It's somewhat astounding how far it's come. Yeah, yeah, I know, I've talked about this a million times. Suppose it's a final goodbye to everyone, as well. I need to do a bit of packing next week - joys....

It's really been an uneventful day. I stayed up far too late wanting to watch A.I.: Artificial Intelligence but YouTube were taking far too long to load. Maybe tomorrow.

After waking up, me and my brother watched Mary Poppins and The Great Mouse Detective (fantastic movie). I love doing things with just my brother, because often enough what we enjoy we agree on. Mary Poppins has never been more amusing. Too many moments where we just looked toward each other and burst out laughing.

Why must be looking for scholarships be so difficult?

In unrelated news, I actually watched The House Bunny today. I wouldn't've been so disappointed (or disappointed at all - I had the stupid thing pegged before I watched it) if it hadn't somehow convinced me it had some merit to it at at the beginning of the film.

If you haven't seen the movie yet, I'll give a quick rundown. We're informed by the main star in a quick 5 minutes at the beginning of the movie that she was pretty much an outcast and loner when she was younger. Then she got older and was seen to be pretty. Not very smart to begin with, she opts to use her looks to her advantage. So, she does as any other girl would naturally do in this situation - she joins Playboy to live in the Playboy mansion.

The beginning seemed like fantastical satire, even during the entirety of the Playboy mansion scenes. As the girls danced around in what seems to be some sort of fantasy for some people (hey, if girls in "rabbit suits" smacking each other's behinds is what gets you off - and you find a consenting adult to participate - I'm not one to protest), you couldn't help but feel the movie was highlighting something. As the main character put it when she expresses she one day wants to be a centerfold (paraphrased), "The centerfold is one of the most prestige awards a person can get. It's like saying, 'I'm naked and featured in a magazine.'" Hard to argue with that.

As part of a cruel plan from another house member, she receives a fake letter that says she must leave the Playboy mansion.

Somehow, she happens upon a college and wants to become a sorority mother; and happens to choose the most unpopular one she can come across (for a rather shortened version and sum up).

Now, I admit, while not stellar, I enjoyed the humor thus far. After all, I wasn't exactly expecting hard-hitting, groundbreaking material from this movie to begin with.

And the sorority members gave a really distinct and utterly fun new set of characters. There was the leader, the geek of the group (it was rather fantastic to watch her go on about Battlestar Galactica and to have her list ideas for the sorority such as B.Y.O.M - Bring Your Own Mouse...much to others confusion). There was a girl who had to wear, basically, a full body brace all the time. Another girl who had an incredibly deep voice and walked around all the time hunched over. One of my favorites, one with a ton of facial piercings and a totally feminist view point (a great line was when she hoses a guy in the face who was drooling over some girls and remarks, "Just washing the testosterone away"). And the other memorable one that comes to mind is a girl who never talks, and mostly hides most of the movie. During the big scene where she does, one of them remarks, "Wait....you're British??"

As you might expect for the plot, the "House Bunny" changes all of them and, at the end, they figure out they've lost their personalities and who they were.

Except one thing...they all still seem to dress rather nicely, the feminist one going as far as to not to bother to put back all the piercings in her face and, even, keep her hair dyed and wear a bit of makeup.

Now, now - before we go any further: I have no issue with maybe the character fitting this new mold instead of the previous one. In trying to break societal expectations, we don't necessarily need to defy society's idea of normal. In fact, any time you choose to define yourself by defying something else, you defeat the purpose and/or have no further purpose (with a few concrete and specific exceptions, of course).

However...is it so impossible to finally have a character which destroys what we expect from a person and not force him/her back into this preconceived mold by society?

In all honesty, while The Breakfast Club didn't really seem to be all that special or different from most teen movies of similar material, I can never really forgive it for it's treatment of Allison.

Labeled the "freak" in the movie, she's by far the most out there of the characters. By the end of the movie, we get this:

Some may disagree with me, but they robbed the character of the person.

Again, don't get me wrong - my issue is not that they've now made her exactly what society expects of her. It's that there is rarely a strong, wholesome character displayed in media who is normalized while not trivializing (nor getting rid of entirely) their interests and who they are.

In the end, just be who you are. If you happen to be a blond who happens to be in cheerleading and only dates football players and you do that because that's just what feels most normal to you - then do it. But do not suddenly stunt your intelligence and mistreat others because that's what's accepted of you. Be who you want to be, regardless of what society tells you to be (notable exceptions to the rule (obvious stuff) are being purposely stupid, being immoral, etc.).

My favorite scene from The Breakfast Club, admittedly, is a scene during the detention, where all the students are bored. And, so, Allison decides to shake dandruff from her hair onto the table in front of her. Once she finished making it snow for a little bit, she looks down in complete joyful wonder at the site, with an almost childlike entertainment; completely unaware of anyone else's gaze or judging.

While, ultimately, The House Bunny seemed like it might offer some substance of interest, the saddest part of the movie was simply that it offered so many decent (if stunted) good moments and, to an extent, message while not bothering to check or care if they mashed completely with its formulaic plot and message.

The part I can't seem to get from my head is when, emotionally moved, the main character says something along the lines of, "That just makes my heart fall out of my head." The feminist retorts, "Do you realize how utterly stupid you sound when you say that?"

And, while not really marked (as I remember it) as a special or epiphany-like moment, she simply states, "I know that my heart doesn't reside in my head; but I do know that when you're following a logical plan, it won't work still unless you put your heart into it." Again, paraphrased - and more effective when done by the actress. But it really just gets it across that just because a person isn't articulate or smart in the most traditional of senses, that doesn't mean they aren't smart, aware, and just as deserving of respect. And maybe it wasn't the best way to demonstrate that point and they should've applied that sentiment to the character for a larger portion of the movie.

But maybe it's so striking because that level of maturity and insight from this type of movie is so utterly unexpected.

I feel like I should give you all an update of some sort, but I have none. Nothing entirely interesting, at least. Yet there's been stuff happening the past few days. I'm mostly stuck between stuff. I need to tie up loose projects.

Went to the dentist today. This was followed by an unexpected trip to Evanston Park and the beach by Northwestern. It was quite enjoyable. This train of thought may converge into another post, btw, later.

Not much really to say. Other than the heat for a few points, the weather was fantastic (shifting from gray, overcast to sunny depending on the time of day). I think I'd go crazy without anything other than Illinois weather. We're just so temperate all the time. Though when we do want to go extreme - watch out; the weather then goes all out (Chicago winters FTW!).

Yeah....

Time to tag on random song again. I've just had this stuck in my head the past couple days. It's astounding.

[edit] I just rememered something I had thought of earlier today. I could've saved it for later, but I suppose it fits here. I remember when I was younger, I never knew what the future would be like. I didn't really think that far ahead or I thought it'd be the same as things currently were - unstable and, for the most part, rather dismal. I lacked severe self-awareness when I was younger. I couldn't say it was really happy or sad, just that it was more depressing most of the time. What I couldn't have fathamed was that I'd end up being somewhere I wanted to be and utterly sure of that. I don't know if things are ideal and, if they are, who can say they'll stay that way? But I'm happy. And I'm sure of who I am. And I have at least two people who would support me through life and death and Hell and all the way back. And, to be honest, I wasn't even aware that would one day be possible. GMH

So, during my past-midnight musings, I happened to remember an aspect (one of the many) I dislike about my mother (and it just dawned on me how awful a person I must seem to those that don't know me).

We'll be watching T. V. or a movie and a character (usually a comic relief who has equal character development and standing with the other characters) who is deliberately odd for the show/film will come on the screen and my mother remarks, almost as if this is some inside joke or is trying to get into my good wishes/good side by getting me to laugh, "Now that's a nerd," or, "Now that girl is goofy/weird, you'd never want to date her, right?" (moments of this happening are Grease and High School Musical 3, respectively (as to High School Musical, the siblings and I got bored one night and rented it to have something to laugh at. I assure you, I'm no fan of the series)).

To this I have to ask - what do you expect of me? Am I supposed to laugh at your immediate conjecture of this person (albeit a fictional one) and vain assumption of your apparent superiority of them? Granted, I understand my somewhat abnormal response to your reaction is just that - slightly abnormal. Characters that exist on the screen solely for laughing at are nothing new. But perhaps that these characters weren't meant to be laughed at is what really just peeves me (particularly in the case of HSM; knowing the series, it was probably meant to be to celebrate being different. Preaching to the wrong crowd, Disney, though I do appreciate the attempt).

But no, it's because, mother, I know you. I know it doesn't just extend to the screen. Like all actions, the smaller ones are shockingly accurate of your bigger actions; and yet you'd probably just laugh at me if I told you to watch every action you make; though you do prove my point beautifully everytime, so I thank you for that. Frankly, mom, I can't go to public with you because the apparently abhorrent weight of the woman passing by us is in dire need for you to give comment to - out loud while she passes us.

Is it a generation gap? Am I just "out there" with this opinion? Because, to me, dropping a personal opinion (which I'm sure the passerby don't really give two flying fucks about what you think, anyway) about every person that you see is really just unnecessary and, more importantly, flat out rude. It denotes a complete understanding of flat out stupidity, really.

So, when you look at me like I'm supposed to understand what you're getting at, as if you're striking some kind of note that I ought to get, like by finding this "common ground" we'll become closer together, understand that you have just demonstrated to me you don't know me by any stretch of the imagination (in spite of me constantly explaining this viewpoint every damn time you do something stupid like this). But more importantly, you've demonstrated your own ignorance about humanity (and what's important about it) and an understanding on how to treat your fellow Man.

Pray, tell me, why is being different so bad a thing? Rather, why should we wish to normalize ourselves? Am I the only one who actually gets intrigued at someone who happens to stand out? I'd love to rant on that point, but I honestly can't think of any more thousand ways to restate that basic, beautiful point. Sometimes the most direct and blunt way is the best.

So, mother, no - to both of your questions. To be honest, I'd rather not take part in your 2-dimensional view of the world which shoves us all in these convenient boxes for the sake of your pathetic inability to comprehend much more than what you've been told to believe, understand, and appreciate.

Am I being overly critical (or, perhaps, patronizing...)?

Nothing really new to say today. Was just in the mood for this song (or maybe Thundercrack...or Rosalita). From Shortbus, which is a fantastic movie. It might actually become the fifth of my favorite movies, though I have to see it once more to be certain. Unfortunately, one of my friends who met the director with me said he was a bit of a creeper (see, Kari, you're not alone). But the movie's still fantastic.

Looking over my footprints, I have some of the oddest reasons people come here, though there are a large amount who do (though that might just seem like that to me because I near to never check my footprints). It seems the largest reasons thus far is people looking for lyrics for "Hellfire"from The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Disney, "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica, and various songs by Bruce Springsteen (most recently "No Surrender"). Amuses me, because I don't think anyone beforehand ever came by here. Suppose 4, going on 5, years of journal can do that. Not that I mind. It's always been open to anyone. Not entirely sure you'll be interested, unless you actually know me, but it's free to browse around.

Know what annoys me? People who overlook something they deem "offensive" in a piece of work. If you have to over look anything - either the work is flawed or you're missing a crucial part of the work. Expand your minds a little.

In his novel Timequake, the late Kurt Vonnegut tells of the late jazz musician Fats Waller who, when he was in the throes of a brilliant performance, was prone to yell: “Somebody shoot me while I'm happy!”

Honestly, I sometimes worry if I made a "culture" for myself of wasting out - when you're under depression, dealing with many things out of your control, and then have homework on top of all that, staying up late, uploading on sugar, etc. is a bit justified. And it's slightly therapeutic for the self, I would argue.

However, when you actually bother to plan things out so you have enough time to do the work and really have little excuse as to not get the homework done on time, etc....that habit of slacking off, staying up, and all else kind of looses the credit it had.

And yet, I had two or so days to work on a paper and I didn't bother to. The night before the day it's due (today at 5 PM) I spent with friends eating Twizzlers and brownies and watching The Blues Brothers and The Land Before Time. Now I'm putting together my draft with no sleep yet - and feel fantastic. Granted, that might be because I actually have a draft already that, if worse came to worse (I have 'til five, there's no way I'm not doing any editing to the thing, don't worry), I could just turn in without any editing. It could be that I can sleep in like all Hell after this paper is turned in because it's finals week. Or, for all I know, it could be a natural high I have from running on caffeine, sugar, and a lack of sleep.

Yet I think part of it is just being within a medium I know well and understand - I have a visible deadline coming up and (technically) I still have plenty of time. I do best with a deadline and when I'm right up against it. Perhaps that's a product of that "culture" of burn-out.

Maybe it's just great to be stretching myself out like this. Back to those depression discussions over being able to "feel" yourself.

Or maybe the inability to keep concentration due to depression and the depression itself is excuse enough and I'm being too harsh on myself. I dunno, can't say.

But I feel great. It's gonna be a good day. Wish you all the same.