Still hot if

[mrissa]

There was a commercial on the radio complaining about the heat, and then asking in a sly voice if you didn't wish you were lacking those extra pounds around the middle, so you could go out and frolic in the heat comfortably?

As a self-appointed representative of skinny people, let me assure all fat people reading this: if you're skinny, it's still hot. It's still damned hot. It's still humid. It is still, in fact, not comfortable. If you decide you would like to lose weight in a sensible and healthy fashion, that's your choice, but you will not -- please trust me here -- change the climate. You know how some people will joke about their own size that they have their own gravitational well or their own climate system? They're joking. And I've gotten overheated and swoony when friends more than twice my weight were a little perspirational but otherwise fine, so -- no. It's just not like that.

This commercial went on to suggest that you should come to their center so that you wouldn't have to do "exercise that might get you injured." I have heard weight-loss centers imply that their listeners dislike exercise before, but implying that it's dangerous is new on me. Blech, blech, blech.

I heard this commercial on the way to the PO (do I like currant jelly? I guess we'll find out) and the video store. One of the few things of importance that disappeared with Mark's computer's death was my list of movies people had recommended that I see. So now it consists of:
"Uncorked" (tanaise)
"Remains of the Day" (elisem)
"Miracle"
"School of Rock"
"Pirates of Penzance"
"Evita"

Want to add to it? That's what the comments section is for.

Well, one of the many things.

Comments

[wintersweet.livejournal.com]

I'm heavy enough that high-impact exercise would hurt my feet and knees, but really, any decent exercise place would accomodate that.

(Or that may just be congenital, for all I know--we'll see if it goes away once I start the sleep apnea treatment and [knock on wood] get enough energy to start exercising again.)

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Oh, sure, I'm not trying to indicate that no one could be hurt by any kind of exercise. Just that in general portraying it as dangerous is not a very responsible thing.

Good luck getting your sleep apnea treatment stuff taken care of. I know secondhand (but an immediate secondhand!) how harmful to your quality of life sleep disorders can be.

[baronlaw.livejournal.com]

"The Wind and the Lion", "The Ghost and the Darkness", "The Man Who Would be King", "The Quiet Man", "The Day the Earth Stood Still", "Kelley's Heroes", "Bridge on the River Kwai", "High Noon", "The Searchers", "Where Eagles Dare", "Heat of the Night", "French Connection", "Serpico", "Shoot to Kill"

Of course I have no idea if you've already seen any or all of those.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

"The Day the Earth Stood Still" and "French Connection," I have.

The former was fun, the latter not my cuppa. Can you give some indication of genre and violence level in each?

[baronlaw.livejournal.com]

"The Wind and the Lion", Barbary Coast "pirates" (arabs) and Teddy Roosevelt, not too much violence.
"The Ghost and the Darkness", Rogue Lion hunting, I believe there is a mauling or two.
"The Man Who Would be King", British ex military men in the victorian age searching for adventure, a rather graphic moment involving a beheading and several fight sequences. Filmed in the 70's starring Sean Connery.
"The Quiet Man", A retired boxer leaves America and tries to settle back into the small Irish town his family came from. The most violent scene involves a bar room brawl that is played for laughs more then anything else and that involve the whole town and a bit of rough handling for Catherine O'Hara.
"Kelley's Heroes", WW II "comedey, but a few fighting sequences nothing too graphic (Think John Wayne shot in the shoulder kinda violence)
"Bridge on the River Kwai", WWII drama, POW's are forced to build an impressive bridge and William Holden escapes only to be sent back to blow it up before it can be used against the allies.
"High Noon", Black and white western a classic tale, a climatic showdown.
"The Searchers", A very "harsh" western movie but not terribly graphic. A woman is kidnapped by indians and John Wayne spends years searching for her, when he finally catches up she is a young woman and more indian then settler by then. Considerd a true classic.
"Where Eagles Dare", WWII spy/double/triple cross movie, a bit violent
"Heat of the Night", Sidney Potier as a black detective investigating a murder in rural mississippi, another classic and not too violent.
"Serpico", Undercover "super" cop who makes all the crooked cops look bad about the same violence level as "French Connection", stars Al Pacino and was considered by many to be a defining role in his career, filmed in the late 70's and based on a true story.
"Shoot to Kill" Sidney Potier as an FBI agent, Tom Berenger as a mountain man hunt a deranged killer through mountain passes and other hardships. A little less violent then "French Connection".

Almost all of these are older movies and the violence is not terribly graphic, no slow motion gun fights or closeups of blood or anything. What genre's are you interested in? I love movies. :)

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

I have a hard time articulating genres apart from the obvious science fiction and fantasy movies. Some movies classified as "action" upset me, and others are lovely. Some movies classified as "drama" bore me, and others are lovely. Some movies classified as "comedy" annoy me, and others are lovely.

I think what I like is movies with smart characters who aren't being too horrible to each other. I have no interest in watching idiots careen around into each other (which category includes both "Dumb and Dumber" and most Meg Ryan movies, in my opinion), and nihilism bothers me.

[baronlaw.livejournal.com]

Nod, I too do not much care for what passes as comedy these days. "Dumb and Dumber" being a prime example of stupidity disguised as humor.

Have you every seen the "Thin Man" comedy/mysteries starring William Powell and Myrna Loy? Witty banter galore, old time B&W movies, very fun.

"12 angry men" is a brilliant courtroom drama.

"To Kill a Mockingbird" starring Gregory Peck is another courtroom/civil rights drama featuring smart characters.

"Roxanne" starring Steve Martin is a smart comedy. As is "LA Story" also featuring him.

You have seen "Real Genius" with Val Kilmer? Another smart comedy.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Seen "Real Genius?" I've been "Real Genius." Specifically, at various moments I've been Mitch, Chris, Laszlo, and especially especially Jordan.

I haven't seen "Thin Man," but the others I have.

[markgritter.livejournal.com]

I can try to find the old file if you have any clues as to what is in it. (And is it Word or text, etc.)

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

It was an e-mail. It's not that big a deal.

[dd-b.livejournal.com]

I weighed over 50 pounds less back in highschool/college, and as I remember it hated the heat just as much; certainly no less. (145 lbs at 6"2.5"; Hmm, I guess that makes it over *60* lbs less then.)

I have random and idiosyncratic taste in movies. Have you seen Strictly Ballroom? No violence that I recall; it's about competitive ballroom dancing in Australia (not a documentary; a story centered around that topic). First-rate.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

I have not seen "Strictly Ballroom." But it's on the list now, clearly marked DDB so I remember who to thank or blame.

[greykev.livejournal.com]

I'll second "strictly ballroom," though it had a very ?eighties? flavor to me.

[tanaise.livejournal.com]

Oh, you can blame me for that one too, cause I totally would have suggested it had I known you'd not yet seen it. There's a whole rash of Australian comedies that I can suggest as well--Cosi (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0115951/), Muriel's Wedding (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0110598/) (which is funny, but not exactly a comedy ultimately--not a sad day movie, unlike Strictly Ballroom which is the best ever.).

My favorite thing to do, and I haven't done this in *ages*, since I moved from boston, really, is to go through the Sundance movie shelves or alternative or indie or whatever the non big studio movies and just graze. I also have a fondness for romantic comedies and just plain comedies.
Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss(http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0137386/), with Jack from Will and Grace.
Kiss Me Guido (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0119465/).
Amelie (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0211915/).
Home Fries (my mom adores this movie) http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0119304/
Jack and Sarah (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0113448/)
Young Einstein (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0096486/) as well as Reckless Kelly and Mr. Accident, all very very good, and very very odd.

I really want to see Paperback Hero (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0180037/), but I've never found it in a video place.

BEING FAT AND MOVIES

[cooperati.livejournal.com]

once i was at work in oakland, near alameda, and i was complaining about the heat. my boss, a practical guy, said that it's because i was overweight. he backed it up that whales have blubber to insulate themselves from the cold, and that my added fat was like eskimo longjohns, just insulating heat. i wasn't floored by this logic, but it just clicked in me, and i know he had nothing to gain from sharing it other than filling me in on his piece of mind. the commercial advertisement you speak of sounds ridiculous in comparisson, eventhough it uses similar logic, yet pandering to the fears and dislikes of the public. personally, though i'm not that kind of person, now i'm more likely to go to that healthclub and "sprain" something, aiming for a nice post-frivolous lawsuit settlement.

as for movies, i won't get into old movies. everyone's already seen the old movies, and the old ones i haven't seen i'm not likely to go see, so i wouldn't expect anyone else to be convinced on my sayso. i mean, we've all been to the video store, right?

but as for new movies, Anchorman. will farrell's humor is so offkilter that i can like it without fearing it, like i do jim carry's movies or mike meyers movies. people repeat everything their character's say for years, and it really grates on my nerves.

-=T=-

[katharine-b.livejournal.com]

If you haven't seen it, I'd recommend A.I., the Kubrick-by-way-of-Spielberg film. It's not perfect, but it's beautiful and affecting and has a few moments that have stayed in my head ever since.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

But surely you're hotter if you spend the day carrying around a 50 lb sack of flour?

B

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Sure, and probably I'd be hotter and more tired if I spent a major hiking day carrying around a 10 pound sack of flour, even. But that doesn't mean I'd be cooler if I lost 10 pounds from my current weight. The opposite, in fact: I've been ten pounds lighter than this, and one of the things that happens is that I lose ability to regulate body temperature very much at all. Also I have much less energy to bounce around when there is 10# less of me. It's not a simple relationship at all.

[cooperati.livejournal.com]

easy one, from my own example. the first weight i always lose the easiest is water weight, and that decreases the volume of fluids in my body. with that, circulation decreases due to pressure loss, and the common mammal's ability to regulate body temperature is lessened. also, tolerance against stressors decreases, and our mental defenses are down, so we are much more sensitive to heat.

my dad flushes and swells up in the heat. my sister overheats and passes out, where i just lose my mind. i once became enraged over not being able to see an event at a rennaissance faire, and had to withdraw from the heat once i managed to reason that i was i had gotten too hot. i'd much rather save myself the option to embarass myself in public and take my sister's solution of passing out, if the choice were mine to make.

over the last 6 years i've gained 115 pounds. i am no hotter, in general, than when i was 215 lbs, six years ago. i am stronger though. not all that extra 115 lbs is fat.

-=T=-

movies exprompt

[aet.livejournal.com]

From the top of my head:
Kukushka (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0308476/) is a very interesting movie. Made me angry at times, the way how a woman is drawn as a natural force at times, while men are human, but very interesting. Do not miss it.

If you have any appetite for Soviet(socialist) nostalgia, try

- 27 Missing Kisses (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0246405/)
Brat (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0118767/)
Good bye, Lenin! (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0301357/)

I remember finding À la folie... pas du tout (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0291579/) quite amusing, but it may be just because I love looking at Audrey Tautou.

And what about Finnish movies? Have you seen, for example, Bad Boys (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0323551/) or Ambush (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0162625/)
(I have soft spot for the actor Peter Franzén, as you can see).