Now that I've seen at least 50 of AFI's Top 100 Movies of all Time, and because Sarah asked me about it, I thought I'd compile my own "Clarke's Top 100 Movies of all Time." These are just mine, so feel free to bash/disagree if you want. There's not a whole lot of "classics," because if I put some of 'em on there, it'd just be me being pretentious, so I'm going with what I really think. Also, if you're super bored, you can copy the list and put it in a reply and see which ones you've seen (this is a requirement for Sarah, so I can see how much work I have to do =) Anyway, here it is:

Clarke's Top 100 Movies of All Time
1. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
3. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
4. Almost Famous
5. Casablanca
6. Lost in Translation
7. Citizen Kane
8. Roman Holiday
9. Spirited Away
10. To Kill A Mockingbird
11. Jurassic Park
12. High Fidelity
13. The Royal Tenenbaums
14. Forrest Gump
15. Pulp Fiction
16. Pan's Labyrinth
17. The Godfather
18. Annie Hall
19. Brick
20. Saving Private Ryan
21. Jaws
22. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
23. Fight Club
24. The Shawshank Redemption
25. Serenity
26. When Harry Met Sally
27. From Russia With Love
28. Some Like it Hot
29. Rushmore
30. Good Will Hunting
31. Field of Dreams
32. Shakespeare in Love
33. Breakfast at Tiffany's
34. Sabrina (1954)
35. Toy Story
36. The Music Man
37. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
38. Dr. Srangelove
39. Sideways
40. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
41. Back to the Future
42. A Boy Named Charlie Brown
43. My Fair Lady
44. Young Frankenstein
45. Star Wars: A New Hope
46. Clerks
47. Children of Men
48. Volver
49. As Good As it Gets
50. The Graduate
51. How to Steal A Million
52. Mullholand Drive
53. Schindler's List
54. The Maltese Falcon
55. Gladiator
56. Manhattan
57. The Lion King
58. Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban
59. Uncle Buck
60. Dogma
61. Casino Royale
62. Castaway
63. Sleepless in Seattle
64. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
65. Spaceballs
66. American History X
67. Broken Flowers
68. Love and War
69. Match Point
70. The Emperor's New Groove
71. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
72. Plains, Trains and Automobiles
73. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
74. Say Anything...
75. Jerry Maguire
76. The Treasure of the Sierra Madres
77. Big Fish
78. Camelot
79. West Side Story
80. Caddyshack
81. Memento
82. Aladdin
83. Elizabethtown
84. Finding Forrester
85. King Kong (2005)
86. Finding Nemo
87. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
88. Election
89. Babel
90. Rounders
91. Love Actually
92. American Splendor
93. The Sword in the Stone
94. Golden Eye
95. Duck Soup
96. The Holiday
97. 21 Grams
98. I am Sam
99. Death Proof
100. Kingdom of Heaven

So yeah, there you go.

In other news, I made it into my Tolkien class (yes!) and every other one I wanted. Hopefully my last semester at college'll be a good one.

Finally, Georgia, you need to check out the soundtrack to the movie "I'm Not There" (the one about Bob Dylan). Actually, Sarah, since you're not a big fan of Dylan's voice, you may like it, too. I can get it to either of you right away, just let me know. Check out this tracklisting! http://music.barnesandnoble.com/search/product.asp?EAN=886971203820&delay=y&PV=y&z=y&cds2Pid=18835&linkid=1032356

So, I went to the Brett Denin/Ben Folds/John Mayer concert last night (first concert of the sumemr season) and it was a great show. 

Brett Denin, was good, sort of a more electric Jack Johnson. He played a short set, but he sounded pretty good. 

Ben Folds was more than a little quirky, but it was a great performance. He was bouncing around, throwing his stool at the piano, and was just all kinds of energetic. He did a truly hilarious cover of a Dr. Dre song, and he ended his set with a rocking version of the Postal Service's "Such Great Heights."

This is my fifth time seeing John Mayer, and I've seen him go through a several stages - the folk stage, the heavy blues stage - and tonight I finally saw him work both of them together into a spectacular show. He did the songs everyone wanted ("No Such Thing," "Waiting on the World to Change," and "Bigger Than My Body") and some just plain great songs: "The Heart of Life," "Vultures," "Clairity (which was prefeced by "Victoria," which is from his debut EP that I never thought he'd play), "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room," "Good Love is on the Way," and "Belief." He also did a wicked blues version of Ray Charles' "I Don't Need No Doctor." It was great at the end, because he came out and did three acoustic only songs: "Your Body is a Wonderland," "Who Do you Think I Am?" and a beautiful version of "Stop this Train," and finished off with a blistering version of "In Reapir." All in all, a great show. 

And I got to thinking, and made a couple little random lists, since I was bored today:

Top 10 songwriters I could be, if I could:
1. Bob Dylan
2. Van Morrison
3. Ryan Adams
4. John Mayer
5. Ben Gibbard (from Death Cab for Cutie)
6. Bruce Springsteen
7. Jackson Browne
8. Pete Townshend
9. Robbie Robertson (The Band)
10. Tom Waits

Top 10 songs I wish I had written
1. "Desolation Row" - Bob Dylan
2. "Into the Mystic" - Van Morrison
3. "Behind Blue Eyes" - The Who
4. "Atlantic CIty" - Bruce Springsteen
5. "The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down" - The Band
6. "The Pretender" - Jackson Browne
7. "Martha" - Tom Waits
8. "English Girls Approximately" - Ryan Adams
9. "My Sweet Lord"' - George Harriosn
10. "Georgia on My Mind" - Ray Charles

That title has nothing to do with what's in this post; it's just one of my favourite quotes from That '70s Show and I thought would grab people's attention. 

So, I thought I'd start it out with my thoughts what I'm reading/watching/listening to for anyone who cares:

So, other than that, I'm just feeling pretty old, since my brother is graduating from high school Friday. We had his graduation party yesterday, which was fun (I had to laugh at how back-handedly derogative his cakes were, with messages like "You Made It!") but really hammered in how old I feel. My crazy super Catholic grandmother is coming in Thursday for a few days, which is always interesting. This time she's bringing her boyfriend, and I'm really tempted to give her a hard time for sleeping with a man who she isn't married too, but that would require me thinking about my grandmother sleeping with someone, and that's all kinds of ::shudders:: so, not going to do that. 

Also, the Kohl's Sarah works at better get their arses in gear and let her know she has the time off so she can come visit, because if not, I'm just going to be listening to blues records for the next couple of weeks. 

Sorry I was so rambly, but I hope everyone's summer is starting out well!

Lifted from Sarah, and because she tagged me:

List seven songs you are into right now, no matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they're not any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying now. Post these instructions in your LiveJournal along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they're listening to.

1. It Makes No Difference - My Morning Jacket
2. I'm Gonna Find Another You - John Mayer
3. Can't Let Go - Landon Pigg
4. I Try - Ben Taylor 
5. Sail Away - Randy Newman
6. Walking After You - Foo Fighters
7. The Long and Winding Road - Ray Charles & The Count Baise Orchestra

1. Transatlanticism - Death Cab for Cutie
2. We're So Far Away - Mae
3. Something - The Beatles
4. I Found A Reason - Cat Power
5. God Only Knows - The Beach Boys
6. Good Night Elisabeth - Counting Crows
7. What A Difference A Day Made  - Jamie Cullum

Boredom at work strikes again, so here's another list for anyone who gives a damn about my tastes in music:

1. Runes Album (Led Zeppelin IV) - Led Zeppelin
2. Transatlanticism - Death Cab for Cutie
3. Blood on the Tracks - Bob Dylan
4. Acthung Baby - U2
5. Kind of Blue - Miles Daivs
6. Love is Hell - Ryan Adams
7. Who's Next - The Who
8. Before These Crowded Streets - Dave Matthews Band
10. Moondance - Van Morrison
11. In the Wee Small Hours - Frank Sinatra
12. Physical Graffiti - Led Zeppelin
13. Heavier Things - John Mayer
14. Getz/Gilberto - Stan Getz/Joao Gilberto
15. Rubber Soul - The Beatles
16. Blonde on Blone - Bob Dylan
17. (What's the Story) Morning Glory - Oasis
18. Pet Sounds - The Beach Boys
19. Crash - Dave Matthews Band
20. Blue Train - John Coltrane
21. Led Zeppelin II - Led Zeppelin
22. Plans - Death Cab for Cutie
23. Eat A Peach - The Allman Brothers
24. In Between Dreams - Jack Johnson
25. Abbey Road - The Beatles
26. Highway 61 Revisted - Bob Dylan
27. Music from Big Pink - The Band
28. Room for Squares - John Mayer
29. Z - My Morning Jacket
30. Songs for Swingin' Lovers - Frank Sinatra
31. Live at Leeds - The Who
32. The Photo Album - Death Cab for Cutie
33. Are You Experienced? - Jimi Hendrix
34. The Joshua Tree - U2
35. Disraeli Gears - Cream
36. Vs. - Pearl Jam
37. Pink Moon - Nick Drake 
38. August and Everything After - Counting Crows
39. Brushfire Fairytales - Jack Johnson
40. Miles of Aisles - Joni Mitchell
41. Twentysomething - Jamie Cullum
42. Under the Table and Dreaming - Dave Matthews Band
43. Linus and Lucy: The Music of Vince Guaraldi - George Winston
44. The Heart of Saturday Night - Tom Waits
45. Nasvhille Skyline - Bob Dylan
46. Led Zeppelin III - Led Zeppelin
47. Sufjan Stevens - Come on, Feel the Illionise!
48. Ryan Adams - Gold
49. White Ladder -David Gray
50. Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
51. Poetic Champions Compose - Van Morrison
52. The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan
53. Astral Weeks - Van Morrison
54. Morning View - Incubus
55. Harvest Moon - Neil Young
56. In A Silent Way - Miles Davis
57. Come Away With Me - Norah Jones
58. Tommy - The Who
59. Graceland - Paul Simon
60. Jackson City Nights - Ryan Adams
61. It's Time - Michael Buble
62. Yourself or Someone Like You - Matchbox Twenty  

Ah, another 12-hour work-day Saturday. I love how work can kill a day like Saturday, but today was actually not too bad - I worked with Steph, who is like one of the coolest girls this side of the Mossossopis. We were pretty dead, so we played like an hour long "Top 5" game. Here's some of the topics we covered: Top 5 Rainy Day Songs, Top 5 Disney Cartoon Movies, Top 5 Vacation Spots, Top 5 Spots We Haven't Been To, Top 5 Wedding Locations, Top 5 Guilty Pleasures, Top 5 Periods in History We'd Like to Live, Top 5 Favorite Historical Figures, Top 5 People in History We Would Be, Top 5 "Cheer Me Up" Movies, Top 5 Saddest Movies and Top 5 Live Albums. It was great - just like a scene out of "High Fidelity." If I work with her all Saturdays, it won't be so bad.

My Life is a Movie: THE SOUNDTRACK

Opening credits: They Call Me the Seeker - The Who

Waking up: I Can See Clearly Now - Jimmy Cliff

Average day: Lie in Our Graves - Dave Matthews Band

First date: Wonderwall - Oasis 

Falling in love: The Way You Look Tonight - Frank Sinatra

Fight Scene: Calm Like A Bomb - Rage Agains the Machine

Breaking up: Don't Think Twice, It's All Right - Bob Dylan

Getting back together: Please Do Not Let Me Go - Ryan Adams

Secret love: Transatlanticism - Death Cab for Cutie

Life's okay: Three Little Birds - Bob Marley

Mental breakdown: See You in the Shallows - Thrice  

Deep thought: So What - Miles Davis

Flashback: Linus and Lucy - Vince Guaraldi

Partying: Touch the Sky - Kanye West

Happy dance: Crooked Teeth - Death Cab for Cutie

Regretting: Where to Begin - My Morning Jacket

Long night alone: Aqueous Transmission - Incubus

Death scene: In Dreams - Howard Shore (from "The Fellowship of the Ring")

Ending Credits: Tie between "Into the Mystic" - Van Morrison or "io (This Time Around)" - Helen Stellar 

annnnnnnnnnnd 

7 Songs I'm Digging Right Now!!

1. Aqueous Transmission - Incubus
This fantastic song is so relaxing, everytime I listen to it, I just want to close my eyes and relax. The instrumentation is wonderful.

2. Goin' Against Your Mind - Built to Spill
This great, epic song - long, heavy with guitar and it really gets you moving. 

3. Please Do Not Let Me Go - Ryan Adams
I love all of Ryan's songs, but I love this one in particular. It's so beautiful and straight forward, with this twinge of melencholy. 

4. No Other Way - Jack Johnson 
One of Jack's quieter songs, but I can't argue with the lyrics and the whole vibe. I'm totally into relaxing, so this song just works. 

5. All At Once - The Fray
I went to high school with two of the guys from The Fray (and may be going to one of their weddings) and this is one of my favorite songs on the album. The chorus about "the right thing and the hardest thing are the same," is so true. 

6. You Never Give Me Your Money - The Beatles
One of the most underrated Beatles songs from "Abbey Road." The lyrics, as most things by the Beatles, kick ass, and...come on, it's the Beatles.

7. I Just Wasn't Made for These Times - The Beach Boys 
I sort of consider this my theme song these days. From one of my favorite albums ("Pet Sounds"), this song just feels...right. Listen and enjoy.

Well, while I'm still waiting for my beta to be done, I thought I'd do this, just to let everyone know I'm not dead or anything.
List 7 songs you're way into right now, no matter how much they suck, in no particular order. Then tag seven people who have to do it too.

1. 2000 Miles - Coldplay
2. Dream Girl - Dave Matthews Band
3. Another Kind of Green - John Mayer Trio
4. Vienna - The Fray
5. Wordless Chorus - My Morning Jacket
6. Let's Stay Together - Al Green
7. Marching Bands of Manhattan - Death Cab for Cutie