moving: how do YOU stay sane?
What I thought was crunch time was not crunch time. This is crunch time.* Yesterday was spent mostly packing items away and marking items for the trash. Our building’s trash area was open in the morning while Fiesta DC was setting up, but someone decided to close it down–with no notice–during midday. Not that I was going to take trash out while Mt. Pleasant Street was full of festival-goers, but after they left for the evening I went down to find a big lock on our trash area. There was a hastily scribbled sign–in English and Spanish–that said “Announcement: Trash Room Closed Today”. Way to keep us informed, condo board!
Still, I didn’t want “new” TV on while I worked, so I resorted to a few minutes of getting my Netflix streaming movie queue sorted out and watched old movies and shows via the TiVo. One of those, of course, being Blazing Saddles–an all-time fave. So much so that I barely need to be in the room while it’s playing except for a few moments that make me giggle. Of course the film is so foul-mouthed and inappropriate that I couldn’t share them all, but this is one–language NSFW, obviously–that never fails to crack me up:
[flv:french_mys.flv 496 208]
Even this scene is offensive to some, I admit, but I won’t deny that at some particularly happy happy hours in my day, I’ve been known to stamp my foot and say “Watch. Me. Faggots!”
Though it is interesting how far we’ve come. When I was a kid, this movie would have every instance of “curse words” bleeped out or dubbed over, but the words “nigger” and “faggot” were perfectly fine for broadcast over cable non-movie channels. With the film’s setting, it’s really hard to be offended because the words are used in such a humorous context that you have to laugh, even though they just said something horrible. I’m pretty sensitive about a lot of comments these days, but I watch this film–repeatedly–without flinching.
This, among britcoms and Mythbusters, helped keep me sane yesterday and may well do so again today. I’ve reserved the new place’s loading dock for tomorrow and everything I see is slowly going into boxes. It’ll all be ok, but I gotta admit that I am definitely looking forward to tomorrow afternoon/evening when my stuff will be in the new place and I can maybe sit down and have a little cry and start the unpacking process.** 😉
* Yes, I will keep saying that until it’s all over and done with. The cake is a lie.
** Or the Happy Hour process, it’s all good.
Wait, aren’t we skipping a beat here? Netflix works through TiVo now? When did this happen?
It’s been for a while now, but only on newer units. Unfortunately the ol’ Series 2 aren’t eligible. I upgraded to an HD model when I got the new tv.
Similarly, another Moment of Mel Brooks that keeps fighting its way to the tip of my tongue is Dom Deluise as Caesar yelling at his steward, “All right, faggot, what’s next?”
Jeez, it’s one mustache away from my dad.
Mel Brooks was a genius at displaying the absurdity of prejudice in all its forms. All of the white people are made out to be morons (except for the alcoholic). There are Indians that speak Yiddish and marvel at Bart’s family (Dey’re darker dan us! Woof!). I love the line near the end of the movie when the railroad workers are willing to help the townspeople in return for a little plot of land to call their own. After some consultation, the white spokesman says, “All right, we’ll take the niggers and the chinks, but we don’t want the Irish!” Brilliant.
Blazzing Saddles is one of my all time favorite movies.
I cant walk into a theater now without considering buying milk duds