recently we netflixed "favela rising" and "enron: the smartest guys in the room". both documentaries were good but in different ways. i didn't know too much about either subject. each film narrowed in on individuals which helped to give the human touch to the story. what a contrast to go from people trying to better their lives in the slums of rio de janeiro to the wealthy corporate executives who fucked up big time! both films have the potential to have a political edge to them. the slum story takes place far away for me but it is inspiring. it makes you want to take action in your own backyard. the music was a driving force behind the story and the film's soundtrack. i have a fondness for latin percussion and brasilian in particular which really kept me glued to the film. especially nice was to hear chico science! the corporate story disgusted my ethical core. it makes you want reform those in power or the manner of responsibility and accountability. part of the enron doings did touch my backyard. they fucked up california with rolling power blackouts. at the time i just wasn't really aware of the goings on. it's still amazing to think about how much a corporation's death fucks over people for years, of how penetrating the impact is, especially a company as large and far reaching as enron was. of special note in the documentary to pay attention to if you are a californian is the connection between enron, politics, and california's current governor, the former bodybuilder. it's a brief point the film does not linger on much but before the downfall of enron there was a secret meeting that took place in california of which the notes at that meeting have still not surfaced. schwarzenegger was one that attended even though he had nothing to do with energy or politics at the time. long story short, one governor fucks up california (pete wilson's dirty dealings such as deregulation in 1996), his successor takes blame and is booted out of office early (remember gray davis? 1999-2003), and in comes mr. schwarzenegger out of nowhere (2003-?). now i'm not going to get into all of this because politics to me really is about choosing the lesser evil but...shit still pisses me off!

a lot of this enron stuff took place during what i still call my zombie phase (1998-2000) as i remember very little from that period though i neither touched drug nor drink. those were the years that i was not in school and i find that when i am learning something in a classroom, my brain is more active in all areas of my life. (i enrolled again for latel 2001-early 2004.) i need something which helps me to mark time. even now i feel this desire to enroll in a local community college class to keep my brain alive. but to go back to the documentaries, well i'm just in this period where i'm very interested in documentaries as a way i suppose to get an overview of all the goings on in the world. i am trying to get my feet back on solid ground and trying to find the jumping board for the next stage of my life. i don't think any of these documentaries will guide me as to where i will jump or what i will jump into, but it will make me more aware as i spring into position. plus, it still bugs me that so many students voted for mr. s so that his signature would be on their diploma. fuck you stupid students. now his fucking signature is on my diploma!