It's me again, and I'm back

What a weird time this is for me and my life. I've been pretty obsessed with all the happenings around me, and I can't help but wonder if that's my way of displacing self-obsession enough to be OK with it. I don't know the answer, but I do know that requesting it from the outside would be my most self-obsessed move yet.

Anyway, I regret not having posted here in a while, as this is my refuge and refuges deserve upkeep. Last month, I went on vacation and all of a sudden found myself with a pile of assignments. They were gratifying (especially my "Imagining a world without the Kardashians" piece for the Washington Post, as well as my column for MTV Hive), but time consuming. I never wanted fourfour to be at the bottom of my priorities list, but you can see how work you do for others has to take precedent over work you do for yourself (for one thing, I run no risk of not getting more work commissioned from myself).

I have more time now. I'm no longer with TVGuide.com. And that's that. I really look forward to using my time to focus on talking about exactly what I want to talk about. There are supercuts to be cut and old movies to be cut up (have you seen Whore, btw?). Also, there's an all-stars cycle of ANTM coming up that I will be covering in some capacity. I'm getting a little old to be spending 10 hours on a single recap, but then again, my process is my process for a reason. Everything is wide open, which is terrifying and exhilarating. It's kind of like being eaten by a shark, I guess.

Anyway, expect more posts here starting next week. In the meantime, here's a handful of things I observed in my time away:

- Miranda July's The Future was the most excruciating movie-going experience of the year, to me. I liked it even less when I realized that her claimed inspiration for having a cat figure so central to the plot and narrate the movie...

"There was this bizarre accident where a dog ran into a street and a car swerved to avoid him and hit a stray street cat and killed it," July said. "I wanted to redeem that cat."

...was already done by E.B. White with such better results:

Since E. B. White published "Death of a Pig" in 1948, an account of how he failed to save a sick pig (which had been bought in order to be fattened up and butchered), Charlotte’s Web can be seen as White attempting "to save his pig in retrospect."

Uninspired inspiration, if you ask me.

- Is it crazy or what that one of the biggest sleeper hits of the summer and the biggest moneymaker of Woody Allen's career, Midnight in Paris, is about literature? I thought people didn't read books anymore. Seriously, I am astounded by this.

- The Class Actress album is freaking genius. If I ever record an album, I want this act to produce mine and make me beautiful duets.

- There is a consignment shop in Maine called Outfits:

What else do you need to know about that?

- Also, I really liked this scribbled-out wall crusing that I saw at a rest stop in Massachusettes:

As long as you scribble inside the penis, no one will know what it is/means. Also, scribbling makes sketched testicles seem more realistic in that they look hairy now. These are important lessons.

I was going to close this out with a Winston video, but it came out so well that I'm saving that for its own post. See? I'm already planning for next week. BACK ON TRACK.

I will, however, leave you with my favorite picture I've taken of him in ages. If I record a grunge album, a cropped version of this will be the cover:

Comments

[Michael Jackson]

RICH, YOU'RE MY REFUGE IN TIMES OF TROUBLE AND WOE.

[Mikey]

Welcome back!

[chad]

we missed you!

okay, I missed you.

[famousamy]

WHEW...

Let us all breathe a collective sigh of relief!

SO glad you're back. I relate to no other "blogger" as well as I do to you. Your posts are like thoughts I just haven't discovered yet.

CREEPY, I KNOW. ;-)

[Val]

Ahhhhhh, and the world is right again :)

[staci]

Yay you're back! So excited for your ANTM all-stars recaps!

[Steven]

I wanna know what happened with TV Guide!

[Ky-L]

Ummmm If you do a super cut of "Whore" I will literally love you 1000% more!!!!! Glad you're back Rich!

Ps if you do super cut that movie you have to put in a gif with the calamari waving in front of her face. Thats not a request, but a command! "Looks like a dick!, Tastes like a dick! All I wanted was a slice of cherry pie with some ice cream on top!"

[wannabeontop]

Oh thank god.

I thought you were just done with us.

You have been missed.

[Chelsea]

I had been checking here probably 5x a day and when I saw the new post today, it just...it was awesome.

[Steele]

Aw, I hope your split with TV Guide wasn't anything traumatic and that you find another steady position soon! I'm excited for the fresh posts. :)

[White Chocolate]

Yay, Rich. You are the best, and I'll always keep neurotically checking your page for updates daily. Hope that this next chapter leads to world FourFour domination, or at least some awesome stuff.

[Mary Backstayge]

So happy you're back. My favorite pic of Winston yet, I think. I'm from MA and I'm so proud of that scribbled-on genitalia. Because you seem to be a bit of a perfectionist in your writing, I feel compelled to point out that you've got an extra "e" in Massachusetts. Unless that's the name of an all-girl group from the Motown era :0).

[carrie]

love love love the pic of winston

[LDuhon]

I've been missing your wit and wisdom. Thanks for being back.

[hungryandfrozen]

All I've got to say is "YAY" but I really mean it. Looking forward to it all.

Heh, "outfits". For a while, there was a sex shop below my flat called "SEX SHOP".

[Deborah K]

Your refuge is our refuge too.

So glad you're back....I neurotically checked every day along with so many others waiting for your return!

[virtual tours 360]

This is very interesting.LuxuryPix is Boulder Colorado’s local premiere real estate virtual tour provider,
supplying image based marketing solutions to make your business soar above the competition.
virtual tours 360
i am sure that you will find some useful information..

[Tt]

I like pickles.

[claire]

I totally meant to email you about the WaPo article on the Kardashians to let you know that my dad must subconsciously like your writing, because he read two whole paragraphs of it. Given my dad's general loathing of anything reality-tv-related, that is an accomplishment.

(I also read the article, and loved it. It was good to see something both fun and analytical amid the usual depression of the Outlook section)

[Tanya]

I am kinda glad you're no longer with TV Guide.com. That never seemed a good fit for you, or for us. And I didn't like us to be at the end of your list of things to do. We need you! I missed not checking in with you every day. I don't particularly care what you write about -- I just need to read your brand of snarkery.

Welcome back!

[RJ]

Strange fact about E.B. White & that Winston pic is christ-like. Glad to see you're back! :D

[TorrinPaige]

The only thing I have to say about the TVGuide gig is that I will miss the discussion of Game of Thrones between you and Hannah. I think half of my jollies were had by the simple thought of you sitting down to watch a show like GoT. The other half were had by your observations. Since you came at from such a fresh perspective, it was kind of fascinating. Anywhoodles, so happy you'll have a little time for yourself and us. Welcome back!

[anne van atta]

Oh so glad you're back, Rich! I really missed you.....

[dave]

just found you 2 weeks ago... (dancin' on air alumnus) :P
and have checked back daily.. wanting more!

soooo happy your back-