Craig is going to Armstrong the shit out of The Great Gatsby score

I'm on a weird sleep schedule this week due to the fact that I'm working whack ass hours. I'm picking up the slack for someone else. I'm the new guy. Am I going to say "no" to my boss when he asks me to help him out? Hence my blogging in the middle of the fucking night.

Big films usually have the various artist soundtracks with all the current hot shit artists. I generally use soundtrack and score interchangeably in reference to composers. As far as I know, the difference between the soundtrack and score is that a soundtrack is the music for the motion picture where various trending artists have their songs and a film score is when a composer creates pieces of music specifically for the film. I'll have to consult my musical expert for clarification. And yes, I have a legit music expert. I'm special.

The Great Gatsby comes out in a week. Whether or not Baz Luhrmann bastardizes the book or not, it looks like it'll be pretty good. Great Gatsby's soundtrack comes out on the 7th. From what I've heard so far it isn't half bad. What I'm really looking forward to is the score. Besides Australia, Craig Armstrong has done Baz Luhrmann's other films. Who the hell knows when the actually score will be released. His scores are always released a year after the release of the film.

Craig Armstrong hasn't done a lot of big name films but he is good nonetheless. He has released a couple of his own albums which are pretty damn good. So in anticipation for the release of Great Gatsby and that Craig Armstrong is doing the score, I am featuring some of the songs he did for the past Luhrmann films.

O Verona

O Verona (Reprise)

Balcony Scene

Mercutio's Death

I've never actually seen Moulin Rouge in its entirety. I'm not really one for musicals. In any case, I forget the circumstance but I was sitting through with the credits running in the background and this came on. I love it.

Bolero (specifically played in closing credits)

I couldn't play Craig Armstrong without playing the one song he is most famous for. It has been used in A LOT of things. It was one of the very first songs that got me hooked to film scores. 

Escape

Why do you smile that way? l never know if you’re judging me, absolving me or mocking me.

It’s time for some serious vague-blogging and not so subtle analogies.

Let’s say you work on something for two months. You work on it every day because you want to. You don’t do it as a project or a task or because you have to or whatever. You do it because you genuinely want to. It quickly becomes a ride. Like all rides, they have to end. The big question in the back of your mind is “when will it end?” You try and not let the thought consume you because it just makes the ride not that enjoyable. Then SUDDENLY, sooner than later, that ride comes to a screeching halt… halted by the brick wall you saw coming down the track. Was the ride worth it? Was it not? Let’s see…you wasted your time AND money. But what’s money, right? You can make more. The time, though, that’s the real fucking bitch. You can’t get that back. In the grand scheme of things, two months is fucking nothing. Can you say it was wasted? If you work on something, every day, for two months straight and then you have nothing to show for it… would that be considered a waste? How can it not be?

The whole ride was amazing… well up until the brick wall part of course. It was the most enjoyment you've had in a very long time. You saw the brick wall coming. Part of you was stupid enough to believe that the ride would divert itself or maybe even better, break through the brick wall. The truth is that you aren't angry at the spent time with zero results, although the word “wasted” is the first thing that comes to mind. You can be angry at whatever or whomever all you want. That’s not going to fix anything. What you are really angry at is yourself. No matter how short or long the ride was you are angry at yourself for letting yourself get on that ride again. The sad part is that the ride isn't that different from the others. You fucking KNEW the risks getting on that ride. Red flags, bells and whistles were going off but you ignored them. You always ignore them. How can one be so fucking stupid? You do it OVER and OVER and OVER again. It’s because you want it SO fucking bad, nothing else matters. The risk is worth it. Is it, though? You are so god damn lonely that you take this serious gamble each time. Maybe the likely chance of getting hurt can be outweighed by the even greater reward of it actually working. You continue to think like this naïve child that this faint glimmer of hope and reality can actually exist. Seriously, when are you fucking going to learn? Will you ever learn? Probably not…

You need to stop getting on fucked up rides. You must attract the fucked up rides or the fucked up rides attract you. Probably both…

All you can do is just dust yourself off from the sudden end to the ride. You look for the next. Back to the drawing board. And now back to your regularly scheduled program, already in progress...

All of that aside and at the end of the day, you miss that person. You miss the friend you've come to know. Unfortunately now it's a push-pull scenario. At this point you would just be doing more harm than good. So then tally ho then, right? Fight the good fight and carry on.

You met me at a very strange time in my life

It's been a couple months, hasn't it? Whoops. My parents suckered me into helping them clean all the damn leaves off their lawn. After some hard eye rolling, I agreed. It's not like I can say no. Well when you are essentially walking around a yard for three hours, your mind wanders and you think about a lot of things. So I thought it would be a good chance to make another post before the year is out. I'm sure all three of you were wondering where I had gone off to. 

2012: The Year of Me

Once again we are rapidly coming down the home stretch to a fresh new year. I'd probably have to say that 2012 hasn't been a terribly thrilling year, but it was definitely a good one for me. Well that's not true (not being thrilling part)... I have been enjoying myself since the summer ended. I'll get to that.

For the better part of the year I was finishing school. With school done, my job has pretty much taken a front seat. In turn, responsibilities and opportunities just continue to grow at work. Professionally, it is extremely satisfying. It's hard to believe that is has already been about 2 1/2 years since I stopped waiting tables. Towards to the end of my serving career, I really fucking hated waiting tables and was freaking out because I was still doing it. So it really is rewarding to have that behind me and be where I am now. I really do have a lot to be thankful for.

Basically when I finished school (end of August) is when my year began. Work, School, sleep wasn't my schedule any longer. I've been able to travel, see friends and just enjoy myself with my new found free time. With more time for myself, I have been able to start working out again. Getting healthy and feeling good about yourself and your body has to be one of the top rewarding feelings in life. Getting on the scale and not have springs burst out of it, clothes fit again, surpassing previous workout struggles... they all just give you more drive and dedication.

One of the workout routines I have been doing is yoga. I did a little bit in the past and it was incredibly awkward. But like any new thing, stick with it and it starts to become easier. This time around I have been doing it a lot more. It is weird to say that I practice yoga. Let's get something straight, though. Me saying that I practice yoga is like an infant saying they can read, write and do arithmetic. It's seriously hard as balls. Not being flexible does not help. Once you get over the fact that you look like a fucking total moron trying to do these moves and remind yourself that no one else is around, you push on. Eventually you are able to hold these poses for 7 seconds instead one 1.5. I've noticed increased flexibility and development and in turn it benefits all your other workouts. I try to recommend it but yoga gets a lot of push back from guys. Understandably so, but some people act as if it questions their masculinity because they would even considering doing such an exercise. Think outside the box from time to time. There is no other workout that I've done so far where I am holding a position, not moving and profusely sweating. It's great.

What's the next big thing? Pay off student loan debt? Travel far away? Move out of the area? I don't know. That's what's great about it... Not knowing and trying to figure it out.

So a degree, a job that will help me open many doors in the future and working towards good health? I really can't complain. 2012 has been good to me.

Shenandoah

I really don't do this enough and I should. Besides a nice little kick in the pants of a workout, it's fun and offers a gorgeous view.

High School Reunion

Officially, the tens years since high school mark was in June. I've had some time for my mind to heal itself from being blown that it has been ten years and I'm almost 30. Jesus, just saying (typing) that gives me the chills... 30.

We had a high school reunion in the summer and it was complete and utter dog shit. So people were good enough to redo it again. It really was a good time. I got to see the usual great friends, friends I hadn't seen in a long time and meet brand new ones. It's always amazing, interesting, scary, sad, great, etc, how people's paths crisscross with yours. You just always wonder how long it will be for.

A Year in Review

If I don't become lazy again before the year ends, I want to do a little year in review. Things that stood out to me this year. I'll probably mainly mention movies that stood out to me this year. I'll see ya when I see ya.