Less than 18 hours to go. 3 episodes left. Obstacles: checking out school camera equipment, packing, shopping, eating, sleeping, correcting papers, reading the paper.

We’ve got 8 episodes left to finish Season 3. I leave for Wisconsin on Friday. Jamie and Erin leave for Minnesota on Saturday. Will we make it? The countdown begins. Cue dramatic clock ticking sound effects…

I saw The Last Detail tonight at Film Streams (with Jamie). It was a great, entertaining film with wonderful, nuanced performances by all three leads, Jack Nicholson, Randy Quaid and Otis Young. It was a film that was about something without having to be about something, with characters that felt real and with the perfect tonal mix of sarcasm, sincerity, warmth, irony and humor.

I had never seen the film despite loving the other films I have seen by director Hal Ashby, including what is perhaps my favorite film of all time, Harold and Maude. This only cements my respect and love for his work. His stories has such a humanistic feel to them. They can be dark, edgy, unconventional, and sarcastic, but they hold such a love for people…and not a certain kind of person, but the full range of diverse characters that inhabit his films. His films project a kind of curiosity, searching for the person underneath all of the posturing. I also love how he lets scenes play out in a wide shot, letting the actors play off each other and allowing viewers to soak it all in without being forced what to focus on. Ashby doesn’t tell us how to feel or try to pin down his characters or drive us through the story. He allows the characters to fully inhabit what feels like a very real world. And we in the audience get the privilege of watching. It also made me think about how that movie would never get made now. I felt invigorated and depressed after watching it. It was exciting to watch it in a theatre and it felt innovative and new and then I had to remind myself that this was a film made over thirty years ago. I felt like I belonged in a class of fifty-year olds grumbling about how they just don’t make them like they used to.

For all of you who don’t have the privilege of living in Omaha and reading the program notes and comments that Alexander Payne wrote for the films he chose as part of his curated repertory series, here are the more articulate words of Payne about The Last Detail:

“This is a film I now watch about twice a year, and it grows more profound with every viewing. It’s one of those rare seemingly simple films at once about one thing and about everything - mostly about the ways human beings can find to love one another despite the roles society imprisons us in, at the same time damning the society that keeps us from loving one another fully. Perhaps it’s about none of this. But one way in which it speaks to our current times is that, as in 1973, we are at war. Imagine a film coming out now in which Iraq is barely mentioned, but in which you see soldiers acting like the simple and complex, unique yet recognizable human beings they are– laughing, crying, whoring, stealing, getting drunk, getting in fights, happy just to blow a little per diem, resigned to a life in the military because other options are lacking. Such a film might be accused of subversiveness, but it would be subversiveness of the most gentle and honest kind. It would reveal that what it criticizes, but is elegant enough not to name, is the true subversion.”

My resident genius friend Alex has given me additional, crucial information, and thus, as a conscious citizen, I pass it along to you: “Using warm water to brush your teeth might not be great for you and the environment. Warm water means that it has been in the hot water heater. Water heaters contain weird metals that can corrode into the water. In general, people don’t consume water from the hot water heater; it is usually used for showers, washing hands + laundry. Brushing teeth doesn’t mean that you really consume much water, but it might not be bad to avoid.”

Thank you, Alex. I hope you don’t mind me posting this (sorry I’m impatient).

To keep the trend going, I will try to offer another helpful hint over the weekend, or as I see fit.

I have been very cognizant lately of how much water I use while brushing my teeth and washing my face at night before bed. I have been turning the water off while brushing my teeth for a little while now so as not to waste water. However, I am becoming increasingly stringent with myself and have become to feel very guilty any time I use more than a light stream for a few seconds.

While this in itself is a good habit, the problem is that this does not allow enough time for the water to warm up. This is a minor (and excessive) complaint compared to the many across the world who do not even have access to safe, healthy water for drinking and cooking. However, I do miss the warm water that used to soften my toothbrush bristles and the comfort and soothing nature of the warm water splashing on my tired face and eyes.

I suppose I can settle on giving myself the luxury every now and then. What I just realized is that I should try to time this nightly ritual to occur right after someone else has used the water and warmed it up for me. See how helpful blog writing can be? You can come up with possible solutions to your minor, privileged problems and broadcast this banal, internal back and forth for the rest of the public to read. I’m going to think positively and hope that this provides a helpful tip to others out there who have been grappling with this same problem.

Alternate post titles: A dose of the left, 3 More Reasons to watch 24, 3 more justifications for watching a show that primarily features torture and rugged, roguish men defying rules, punching people and overall just being really masculine. I went with the rhyming for obvious reasons.

Janeane Garofalo is joining the cast of 24 (thanks for the tip, Jamie). As if I needed any more incentive to watch this show. Adds further intrigue to my earlier blog about the political intonations/qualms with the show and its creator. I cannot wait. Just three more seasons to get through before the premiere. Garofalo told the Ottawa Sun that she was surprised: “I feel like I’m being punked. I feel like the creators are going to make me say things that cause my sphincter to tighten.”

This announcement comes on the heels of the announcement that Cherry Jones will play the President in the next season. Jones is not only a woman and a Tony-award winning actress, but also an open lesbian.

AND…yes, there’s more…the show is going green. They are switching to biodiesel, renewable sources of energy and hybrid vehicles. They’re attempting to be completely carbon neutral by the season finale. They also plan to spread awareness of climate change and carbon reduction in storylines when appropriate and Kiefer and company are reportedly filming PSAs about climate change.

First a black President (David Palmer/Dennis Haysbert, I love you), now a woman as Commander in Chief? Then you invite Janeane Garofalo, a woman who has “liberal” tattooed on her, to join the cast? And then you take the initiative to make 24 an environmentally conscious and green show? And make environmental PSAs?! What kind of Right-winger are you, Joel Surnow? A soon-to-be-denounced one is my guess.

Oh, I am so happy to have this news to back up my love of Jack Bauer and CTU. It’s like when Sonic Youth and Yo La Tengo appeared on Gilmore Girls. Thank you gods of legitimacy.

Unfortunately, Laura and I did a poor job of documenting our weekend of fun. We did, however, manage a photo shoot during our short trip to the local Hy-Vee.

Just think: you too can have this much fun if you come visit me in Omaha.

This was my immediate view after coming up from the basement, straight out the front door. These have not been enhanced or color corrected in any way. In fact, it looked much more vivid in person. It looked like Armageddon had just occurred. It was really very beautiful.

This is the fun of living in Nebraska. You get to hang out in the basement (where I am currently writing, from supposed safety), and listen to blaring tornado sirens while watching brown/green swirling skies with ominous clouds, heaps of rain and 80 mph winds. Weather.com claims, “A tornado has been sighted or indicated by radar in your area - seek shelter immediately!” Fun! Excitement! Brings back all those memories of Midwestern tornado drills in school.