On the Trail of... I-5!

Don't read my blog if you haven't driven I-5.

It's Saturday, but I'm up at my normal time as if I'm off to school. I'm about to drive down to southern California, only to drive back again tomorrow. I love nothing more than waking up early. Feels great.

I've written about how I do like taking super long drives, but I-5 isn't one of those long drives that I like. It was F'ed out for me in college. Going back and forth to San Diego, I saw my share of Buttonwillow.

I know pretty well at this point exactly how far each major stop is from home, or heading south, from my Grandma's house or SDSU, depending on the final destination. I can point out the spot just north of Coalinga (and still within smell range) where I was pulled over for doing 83. Lame.

But still, I'm looking forward to the drive. As I've written about before, I like the time inside my own head. The only sounds are the ones that I want to have in my car. I have a feeling that I'll be accompanied by Adam Carolla and his guests' voices for most of the drive, but I'll probably turn it off completely for a little while.

I'm not sure when exactly I'm coming back on Sunday, but I'll get to eat meat on the drive home. And honestly? It isn't that big of a deal. A month ago, I thought that I would be dying for meat a the end of the month. But the only cravings I've had have been really specific. For example, I saw a commercial for the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich at Subway, and I wanted that. But I haven't had a craving for just meat. (My reason why I think it's been true for me but not others doing Namaste It! is that I haven't been searching for "meat" substitutes. The only time I did was a single veggie patty on a burger. Other than that, I've just been eating foods that aren't meat.)

I had desired the convenience of meat, however. This is going to be one of those times, driving up I-5, where I'm going to want something fast and easy. A quick burger is more than appropriate here.

Tomorrow begins Haiku-a-day Month. I'm sure I'll be home in plenty of time to Haiku it. but I might have an I-5 themed haiku from somewhere on the road. How many syllables in Buttonwillow?

If This Be Their Destiny...!

Tonight was Concord High's homecoming game. Ever since my first year of teaching yearbook at Concord, I've tried to go to that game. It's cool to see some of my former students. Emphasis on some.

Many of the kids were dressed in green and gold, some even going so far as to paint their faces. In the lead up to today, I've seen several Facebook status updates mentioning that kids were excited for the game. I had to wonder how many of these kids actually have spirit or if they just want to be like their friends. I also had to wonder back to my high school days to think if I had that kind of school spirit.

I was a band geek, so that's the group I most closely identified myself with in high school. Many year, my lunchtimes were in the band room. I was in there before and after school. I even had my own key to the band room. Since our marching band was fairly successful, I think that most of my thought process was focused in that direction. I don't remember very much about homecoming at our school, other than helping rig the vote for junior prince.

I also like to think that during those days my mid was actually focused on real things. No, we weren't exactly debating philosophy on a regular basis. But I had a decent understanding of the world I lived in, as did most of the people I was hanging out with. In general, I was pretty happy. I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that I was generally sober, as well.

The topic of drugs came up more than once tonight, as so many of these kids are high on a pretty regular basis. And that's their life. They wonder why the rest of the world is so boring. It's probably because being on drugs is fun. That's why people get addicted. When you spend too much time in that world, the real world must suck.

While I don't want this to be an anti drug prudish message, in the end I think it needs to be. Allow me to clarify that I'm in support of the legalization of "soft" drugs, even though I don't partake in them myself.

The main reason is that I believe in personal freedom. I think that these things in moderation probably aren't bad. If I had the money, I would drink more wine. I wouldn't be drunk often, but I would have a glass or two on more evenings. If pot wasn't illegal, would I use it? I don't know. The only comparison I can make is that I was in Holland a few years ago and I never even considered stepping into a coffee shop. There was no appeal for me. I've also read a bit about mushrooms that make the idea interesting, but I never have and I'm not actively trying to find any. And then there's the failure and expense of the drug war and the lost income on taxation of these drugs, but only people with common sense realize that.

But I'm talking about adults here. People who have been through school and have learned to make good choices. Possibly more importantly, people who have something to lose if they overdo it.

Yes, drug abuse is a problem in adults. How many of those who abuse them as adults WEREN'T as kids? I'd guess very few. What if we were teaching kids about drinking in moderation when they are younger instead of prohibition? I'd guess they'd be less interested.

I wonder often about people who talk about their high school years as "The Best Years of My Life," and wonder how pathetic their lives have to be to think that. The best years out of your way by age 18? Do you realize that people live well into their 70s? 80s? 90s (Happy 90th birthday to Grandma, by the way)? 100s? 18 is nothing.

Sure. I'm the old fart who is going to turn 36 in a few month. Double 18, for the non-math majors. And things are always better than they were. Yeah, there are lows. But life's good. The kids who find life so boring today during their sober hours - what's their life going to be like at age 36? how much are they going to hate their lives?

I had a good friend who got herself hooked on pain killers because real life was too hard. And because she's hooked, she doesn't feel and therefore can't heal. I don't even know how she's doing these days because I haven't talked to her in over a year. The drugs were much more interesting than anything I could ever do or say. And it absolutely sucks.

I've had the "opportunity" in the past couple years to take a similar path. I know I've barely mentioned my depression to most of you, as it isn't something I enjoy talking about. But I spent a really shitty afternoon in New Orleans sitting outside a bar wanting to go in and disappear inside, possibly forever (and probably my lowest point). I've had potential access to painkillers that could have swept me away. I wonder if I would have gone down the road often traveled if I had become more comfortable with these drugs when I was in school.

But as I said, life is generally good. I have other, better options when things suck. For example, I haven't been as thrilled with my job the past couple years. But I'm not about to become the school drunk to change things. I have a feeling I'm going to need to make a change soon, but it's likely going to be a venue change, as I don't see my current venue making changes.

But that's an option I have. The idiot former students of mine who are high 24/7. Will they have the same options? Or, rather, will they even recognize them? And, the question I ask every day in my job, if they don't care, why should I? Really. Why should I?

Scott C. Harris Vs Scott C. Harris, the Strangest Foe of All Time...

Don't read my blog if you don't like narcissistic behavior.

For this blog, I decided to interview the most awesome person in the world, me.
Hey. If Clinton's would-be assassin can do it, so can I.



Me: Ummm.. Hey.
Me: What's up?
Me: Just writing a little blog here.
Me: Yeah, me too.
Me: This interview really needs a soundtrack.
Me: I think I'm right. Open THIS in another tab and listen while reading.
Me: That should be good for a couple minutes.
Me: Actually, it's a minute 40.
Me: Yeah, but there might be an advertisement for the first 20 seconds.
Me: And then the music doesn't even start for like 30 seconds.
Me: True. Let's talk about the music.
Me: That is, quite possibly, one of the worst songs ever.
Me: Agreed. And I think this proves it. Nothing says shitty song like Cartman singing it, I know?
Me: Yeah. I know. But those lyrics. How about this one? "Russian Roulette is not the same without a gun." What does that MEAN?
Me: Using this logic, can't someone pick pretty much anything and take away its primary element and it sounds deep?
Me: I mean like "Soccer is not the same without a ball."
Me: Yeah, but soccer sucks.
Me: True, but totally not the point. How about "Smoking is not the same without a cigarette."
Me: Or "Sex is not the same without two golf clubs and a mini bagel."
Me:
Me: Let's choose to pretend that never happened.
Me: What happened?
Me: That Lady Gaga song, I think.
Me: Oh yeah. The lyrics.
Me: I don't know if I can really make fun of the gun lyric in a song where "Mum mum mum mah" is a real lyrics.
Me: Isn't that a Muppet Show song?
Me: Close enough, but that song is actually much more clever than any kind of Poker Face.
Me: All right, let's move on to the next question.
Me: Hey! Who'd doing the interviewing here.
Me: I am.
Me: Oh. OK.
Me: So what's going on with Blog-a-day month?
Me: We're winding down here. As usual, I'm in the lead.
Me: But wasn't my victory declared before the month even started?
Me: Yes, but it was likely conditional.
Me: On what conditions?
Me: I probably have to blog everyday. But even that isn't necessary.
Me: Yeah, I will pretty much win anyway, don't I think.
Me: I know.
Me: Me too.
Me: So tomorrow is Halloween.
Me: Isn't tomorrow the 30th?
Me: Yes.
Me: And isn't Halloween on the 31st?
Me: So am I wrong when I just stated that tomorrow is Halloween?
Me: Yes, but no. Since Halloween is on a weekend, all the little kiddies dress up at school on Friday.
Me: Does that mean they dress up twice?
Me: Don't know, don't care.
Me: Me neither.
Me: So am I dressing up?
Me: I'm getting dressed. Didn't I just read my nudity blog the other day?
Me: Yes, I did. I read it while I wrote it.
Me: So then I know that I'm not going naked. But clearly that's not what I meant.
Me: I will not be dressing in a costume this year. It's been a few years since I have.
Me: The last time I was Clark Kent just starting to change into Superman.
Me: Since Superman moves so quickly, clearly that was just a fraction of time I was representing.
Me: Yes, it was. And so many kids didn't get it.
Me: Didn't get the fraction of time?
Me: No. The whole costume. They couldn't figure out what it was.
Me: That's because kids are dumb.
Me: Yes. Yes they are.
Me: So no costume this year because that smacks of effort.
Me: I think I'm going to count the number of times that kids ask me, "Where's your costume?"
Me: I do realize that normal people would consider that a rhetorical/sarcastic question.
Me: Yes, I do. But I think a bunch of these kids really think that I have one somewhere but I'm choosing not to wear it.
Me: That sounds logical. So I think that's going to be my smart ass answer. I'm going to tell them that my costume is hiding.
Me: Maybe if they find it I'll give them a prize.
Me: I think that will be my stock answer tomorrow.
Me: Good thinking.
Me: What about kids who might read this blog? Could that change the tally.
Me: Kids don't read.
Me: I'm right.
Me: That's right I am.
Me: Moving along, what movies am I looking forward to seeing soon?
Me: A Serious Man is opening at CineArts this weekend.
Me: That's the new Cohen Brothers movie. The trailer looks interesting.
Me: But I won't be home this weekend. I might have to catch it after work next week or next weekend.
Me: I'm mildly interested in The Damn United, also opening at CineArts.
Me: I'll catch that if it sticks around long enough, but it isn't a priority.
Me: And the Men Who Stare At Goats looks pretty good.
Me: I'm not sure when that opens, but it has potential.
Me: Yeah, but a lot of movies I've seen this year have had potential.
Me: I'm right. I've been disappointed by a lot of movies that have been goodish, but not really great.
Me: True. I'll write about several of them in December.
Me: Any other movies?
Me: New Moon, of course.
Me:
Me: No.
Me: What about the Michael Jackson movie?
Me: If I wouldn't pay to see it when he was alive, him being dead won't change anything.
Me: How about 2012?
Me: F that S.
Me: Exactly.
Me: All right, so I'm winding this down now.
Me: Yes, I am.
Me: Let's see if there's anything I want to add before I end my interview.
Me: I just want to add that I have two days left of vegetarian eating.
Me: It hasn't been nearly as difficult as I thought.
Me: No, it hasn't. And I've found a few new cool foods to eat.
Me: That's right. Last night I made a kick ass pumpkin soup.
Me: Yep. It was awesome.
Me: So I heard a rumor that staying vegetarian on the 31st is optional since some months only have 30 days.
Me: Or something like that.
Me: Yeah, that's for the weak. Clearly, that was written as someone's concession speech since they came in second place in Namaste It! I won again.
Me: That's two for two this month.
Me: And I can't forget the Stan Lee Challenge!
Me: Yes, I'm obviously going to win that, as well.
Me: I'm surprised about that one, since I thought it would be more difficult than it was.
Me: I think I came up with a few clever titles that worked nicely.
Me: Yes, I did.
Me: So three for three. I won Blog-a-day month, Namaste It!, and the Stan Lee Challenge. That's amazing.
Me: Not really. It's expected.
Me: I'm right. I knew I would be victorious.
Me: And next month's Haiku-a-day month already has my name inscribed on the trophy.
Me: There's a trophy?
Me: The proverbial trophy.
Me: There's a trophy for proverbs?
Me: No.
Me: I didn't think there were any proverbs about a trophy either.
Me: Cram it.
Me: So there we have it. Let the cramming begin.

The Buttcrack and... the Conchords!

Don't read my blog if you don't like two unrelated topics. I don't even know what that means.

I couldn't decide which of these to write about today, and since I don't really have enough about either to make a good full blog, I present two 3/4 blogs.

Public Nudity
No, I'm not talking about streakers or nudists. I'm talking about people who are just a little too comfortable being naked. At the gym in the locker room, to be more precise.

I have no problem with taking your shower naked or even walking back into the locker room. In fact, the only thing I really notice at that point is that they're walking around with bare feet. I've seen spit and worse all over the gym floors, not to mention the athlete's foot they are destined to enjoy.

But they stand next to the lockers and stare up at the TV with all of their junk hanging out. Usually next to the locker where I want to get my clothes from, so I have to stick my head next to some naked ass crack just to get out of there and head home.

Now I'm not a prude here who has problems with nudity. I believe, especially after my visits to Europe, that our society could do with a little more. Just not no close to me. I don't even like being near people who are fully clothed, so I certainly don't want the wind generated by your swirling schlong or the sweat dripping off of your sweaty balls getting near me. I would just like to point out that I didn't ask you to visualize that. You did that on your own.



Flight of the Conchords
I've got a Netflix recommendation for you, but only if you like stuff that's funny in a weird way. And as I've writing this, I haven't finished watching all of the episodes. I'm making my way through season 2. There were only two seasons, so I am approaching the end. And since that's all there is, it isn't a huge time commitment that other series might be.

Flight of the Conchords is the story of a band called Flight of the Conchords. It features two guys from New Zealand, Bret and Jemaine as they work on their two person band. They have a stalkeresque fan, who is also their only fan. But the real star, as I'm beginning to see in the second season, is their agent Murray. The episodes feature some cool and funny songs that weave into the plots. Here are three of my favorites so far.

Everything Can Stop the Sandman!

Don't read my blog if you sleep.

i've had my fair share of insomnia over the past few years. I've never been very good at falling asleep. But there's a real difference between having trouble falling asleep and insomnia. When you got four or five straight days without closing your eyes for longer than a blink, it's not good times. Drugs don't work either. I've had some high power prescription strength sleeping meds that I've stayed awake right through.

Daylight Saving Time ends this weekend. That's an extra hour of sleep, kids. For those of us with various sleeping disorders, it's a good thing.

I know that lots of people enjoy that light in the evening. They like the lights on as long as they can get it. But not me. I enjoy it getting dark sooner. I love the nightlife. I got to boogie.

But it's really about the morning with me. I'm not a morning person. I never have been. I've accepted that I never will be. Yeah, I've tried every technique in the book. I've read just about every source and theory possible about sleep. I'm never going to be the guy up at the butt crack of dawn ready to face my day. I would much rather ease myself into the day.

But that light in the morning helps. Even if it isn't light when I'm waking up, I need there to be some light by the time I leave. I still look back on the four years of zero period yearbook with amazement. I don't know how I got out of my car and walked to class while it was still dark outside.

Honestly, I would be much happier if school started and ended five or six hours later. And i know for the other non-morning people, it would work better for them as well. Would it be as convenient? Not always. But kids would have a place to be until their parents got home. I would love to see a school split so that some started early and some started late. For some of these kids, they don't wake up until halfway through the day. It would help them, too.

I have a feeling that my new career as an international jewel thief is going to serve me much better as I don't see the early morning heist as being profitable.

The Thrill of the Workout!

Don't read my blog if you don't like music.

I wrote about listening to podcasts earlier, but a few weeks ago it was time to amp up my gym workouts. I'm getting too comfortable on the elliptical, so I'm on the treadmill. My legs are killing me. So the podcasts had to go and I brought in the music.

Here's a nice little set list that can work for YOUR workout or housecleaning or whatever it is you want to accomplish. These aren't necessarily my favorite songs or anything, though I do like several of them and listen to them outside of the gym. But mostly they are songs that I can drift off into and ignore the burn. THE BURN!!! If nothing else, enjoy the tunes.

A while back, I remember Sean Bristol mentioning to me that he and some roommates used to use South Park's What Would Brian Boitano Do? to jumpstart the housecleaning (or the story goes something like that). I've used this for some cleaning as well, and it's equally effective to jump start some gym time.




I took a few art classes a few years back, and I two of the different art teachers played Iggy Pop's Lust For Life. It was a great song to get my pencil or brush moving, and it's also great for a nice jog.




I'm not as big into lyrics on this list. It's mostly about the music and rhythm. But Don't Stop Me Now by Queen is too much on the nose. You might want to use it later in your workout if the words inspire you not to stop.




I'm not sure how That Thing You Do! by The Wonders even made it onto a workout list long ago. I remember the movie being OK, but forgettable. I don't think I ever listen to this outside of the gym, but the song is catchy and works.




Somehow Tom Petty's Running Down a Dream became my absolute favorite workout song. The beat keeps driving throughout, and I really dig it when this song hits. It energizes me for the rest of my workout.




While 12:51 isn't my favorite The Strokes song, it's probably in my top 5. Honestly, I just play all of Is This IT sometimes, and it's pretty awesome for the gym. But 12:51 from Room on Fire is my favorite at the gym.




OK - time to start cooling down. That sprint is now a slow jog or a fast walk for the last two songs. Weezer's Burndt Jamb has a cool groove that let's me catch my breath. And still rocks enough to keep me moving for a few more minutes. Off topic, if I took karaoke more seriously and wanted a cool, different, and challenging song, I would pick this.




I enjoy the entire Once soundtrack in the gym, but not every song helps me move. When Your Mind's Made Up is the perfect song to finish a workout. This is where I hop off the machine and walk just a bit more to finish cooling down. One complaint I originally had about the movie is that they played this song twice. Now I love the song enough that I'm cool with it.


Note: I know that bold isn't the correct way to list a song, but I wanted it to be easier to see titles and artists here. Also, I had to get a lot of unofficial youtube versions since a lot of official versions don't allow embedding.

Haiku-A-Day month is coming!

November is Haiku-A-Day month. Here are the rules.

1. As there is no prize or reward for following the rules, you may bend all rules. But because if you break the rules you aren't playing the game, no breaking the rules. Example of bending the rules: You go to bed at 2 AM, so before you go to bed you haiku for the previous day. Breaking the rules: Skipping four days and haikuing five times to make up for it. EDIT: Feel free to preload some haiku for Thanksgiving vacation. But do them before, not after.

2. Every day, a haiku must be made. More than one haiku a day is encouraged.

3. Suggested format is 5-7-5 syllables.

4. Be original. Duh.

5. Don't be ordinary.

Preeeeeesenting... the Gimmick, and its Masters of Menace!

Back in the last 80s, comic books went through a really bad trend. They started trying a bunch of gimmicks to sell the books. For awhile, it even worked.

They would print books with multiple covers. If you wanted a complete collection, you HAD to buy both. Or all three. Or four. Or five. They still do this every once in a while, but it's usually presented as one "real" cover and one alternate.

I admit that I fell for this one a time or two myself. But I will slightly defend the only time I remember buying more than one cover. It was the release of the new X-Men title to go alongside Uncanny X-Men. But the only reason I did was because the artist and co-writer Jim Lee was coming to Flying Colors to sign comics. I had all four signed. And hey - if you put all four together, it makes one image, as you see below.



But almost 20 years later, I feel like I was ripped off. I don't remember anything about the interior or the story, but I remember spending more money than I should have. I'm just glad that I didn't try to buy them an an investment, as many people did at that time. I just wanted them because they were cool and I could get them signed, which was cooler.

This wasn't the gimmick that really hurt, though, as obviously I had a choice in whether to buy more than one copy or not. They started putting out foil covers. And covers with holograms. And fold-out covers. all of these choices came with a higher price tag. I like a nice simple cover which is some sweet art and shows what's in the comic. No gimmicks.

At first, they started with some "special" issues, like multiples of 100. Then it turned to multiples of 50. 25. 1. And in most of those cases, I didn't have a choice. Well I did, but the choice was "Buy the foil cover or don't have that issue." And in the end, I chose not to have that issue, or any others. I took about five years off from reading and buying comics.

Yes, these gimmicks sparked sales and gave more money to the companies. But it left a bad taste in my mouth. As I stated, I stopped buying them completely for awhile. And now I'm worried because I'm seeing a similar trend in the NFL. Throwback uniforms.

NFL teams change their uniforms every now and again for whatever reason. Often it's because their look is associated with a bad era. In recent memory, both the Broncos and Buccaneers completely changed their jerseys and won the Super Bowl within a few years. The Rams slightly changed theirs, going from yellow to gold. Sometimes teams tweak their jerseys slightly and you don't even notice until someone points out the change.

But over the past few years, teams have occasionally featured some throwback uniforms. For a game, the teams sport a jersey from their past. And occasionally has become frequently. This season is the 50th anniversary of the 8 original AFL teams, so the games those teams played are called "Legacy" games. They wear their throwback jerseys. In most cases, they are hideous.

I don't even like the ones that other people seem to like. The Chargers started wearing their old powder blue throwbacks a few years back, and now that's their regular jersey again. To me, powder blue doesn't display the edge that a team needs. It's weak. And ugly.

And why are they doing this? They get to sell the throwback jerseys to make some extra cash. When they play the games with some of the abominations, I don't want to watch. It hurts my brain, especially watching in HD on my 62 inch screen. Even more atrocious. Then again, I don't get to see most of these games because NFL rules prohibit the showing of competitive football games.

In the Clutches of... San Francisco!

Don't read my blog if you don't like San Francisco.

I spent the day in San Francisco, as I mentioned I would in my last blog. for the most part, it was pretty cool. I really don't get into SF nearly enough, and I wish I could get there more often. However, I never seem to find the more personal, intimate parts of SF. I see some touristy stuff, which is nice. In fact, there's one major tourist thing that I've never done, Alcatraz, and I think about going to do a couple times a month.

I had a few technical difficulties as well. I went with my camera, Blackberry, and mp3 player. I usually enjoy walking around with a soundtrack. But last night I apparently left my mp3 player on all night. I didn't notice until I was in the city. My A battery recharger doesn't seem to work anymore. My battery notification on my camera popped up quickly. The batteries did last, though, and I got some pictures that I've posted below. My Blackberry gives me regular problems. This time it locked up for about 15 minutes - and drained the battery.

But living this close to the city, I should know it better than I do. I was very tentative everywhere I went. I wasn't sure where to eat or which way to go. I remember some of the only times I've been comfortable and really enjoyed SF were when Lance E. Kisses was living in SF. I was hoping my Blackberry would help a bit, but it died. I need someone who knows SF to be my tour guide in my own backyard.

Here's some pics, then a pretty awesome video. I hope you enjoy Biker Rapper Guy - you'll wish you had been there.

The Coming of Movie-A-Day Month!

Don't read my blog if you hate movies.

I was really into music in high school and college. I have always been pretty happy with my diverse taste in music. But somewhere in my twenties I stopped buying a lot of music. Around that time I started getting more and more interested in movies. For the past few years I've been a bit upset with myself for getting away from music, but that's because I hadn't realized that movies had taken their place.

For me, my interest in movies really grew when I watched the AFI top 100 movies. the American Film Institute put our their list of the best 100 American movies. That seemed like a great starting point, as there were plenty of movies that I had heard about but never seen. As these were the days before Netflix, it took me several years to get though the list. i kept track of watching them on my website. I placed a copy HERE for your perusal. You'll even notice my Livejournal icon that I made from ten of my favorite movies.

As I mention at the top of that list, something clicked when I watched Citizen Kane for the third time. The third time was immediately after the second time. I watched it with the commentary from Roger Ebert. I saw the movie in a whole new light.

A few years back I started going to movies more often and keeping track. Then at the beginning of every year I try to post a top 10 list, which allows me to reflect back on the films I really enjoyed. In previous years I've tried to go to 20-25 movies a year. This year I've cranked it up a notch. I saw my 25th movie last weekend (which many critics loved, but will not make my top 10 list). I've gone out of my way to see a few smaller films that haven't shown in Concord, and tomorrow I'm planning to head into San Francisco just to spend a cool day in the city and watch a movie that isn't showing around here.

So that all brings me to my next -A-Day challenge. No it isn't in November. November is haiku-a-day month, as that's usually pretty easy. I'll give more details on that in a few days. But for December, I'm creating Movie-A-Day month. Each day, write about a movie. It doesn't need to be a full critique. Just pick a movie and write about it.

For me, I'm going to try to write about as many movies I can that I saw in the theaters that won't make my top 10 list for 2009. But I want to write about a few others that I really like. I'll probably put together some kind of list of rules so that we can all ignore those as well. But for now the only rule that I know I want to have is "You have to have seen the movie from beginning to end OR if you stopped early it has to be because it was that bad."

I've wanted to write about a couple movies already for Blog-A-Day month, but I've skipped them knowing that I was going to drop the gauntlet for December. for many of you who have avoided Blog-A-Day month because it's too hard, you were right. A new topic a day is tough. But have you seen at least 31 movies? Yes, you have. Can you write a few lines about it? Yes, you can. You're in.