MC Ferm

Switching it up

2011-03-10T11:37:00.001-08:00

I've made the decision to keep my fantasy baseball blog separate from this challenge blog, so I won't mix any of the posts. If you'd like to check out the other site the link is http://vultureone.blogspot.com

Thanks to everyone who's followed our progress!

Blood like my chardonnay: chilled

2010-11-15T08:31:00.000-08:00

I was reading "Early August" by Robert B Parker. The main character, Spenser, is reading a book throughout the novel. The book is "A Distant Mirror" by Barbara Tuchman. "A Distant Mirror" was used as the basis for all of the background in The Seventh Seal.

Recap and New Challenge

2010-11-09T12:49:00.000-08:00

Final count

Nils: 100, Nicole 83 in 363 days.

And in other news I've signed up for the 2011 MDI Marathon. It's scheduled to be held at 8AM on October 16th, 2011 so I have tons of time to train but I'm going for a finish under four and a half hours. I've never raced anything longer than 5 miles and never run longer than 16 at once (back in college) so this will be a good test. Instead of a h2h counter I'll be posting a training mileage counter which will start at 0 and then just add up until race day. Any guesses for the total mileage? I'm thinking it'll be close to 1500 over the course of the next 11 months as I'd like to start slowly (at around 15-20 miles/week) and then build up to more like 70-80 before I start to taper. This is all premature of course; I could probably start training in July of next year and be fine to finish it. I'm going to work on some other challenges in the meantime as well and I'll just pepper in training updates as I go.

Greece was awesome

2010-11-04T11:24:00.000-07:00

But now I need suggestions for a new challenge. Something epic but not completely retarded would be nice. I'm thinking either a marathon or trying to memorize pi to 100 decimal places or something.

Also

2010-10-18T20:29:00.000-07:00

This may be proof that Portland, Maine is indeed a finer city that Cleveland, Ohio...I mean it was almost too easy to get ahead in Cleveland...

Proud loser

2010-10-18T20:22:00.000-07:00

uuuhhhh so I threw in the towel, the summer became hectic and the viewings became less of a priority. I hold confident that I would have finished viewing groundhog's day 100 times had I kept the momentum from the start, but after the move, the new job, my cousin's wedding, and planning for the future, seeing Bill Murray shove angelfood cake in his mouth once more made me nauseous.
I'm proud and impressed with Nils for his accomplishments, all of them. He stuck to his guns and truly seemed to love the competition it's sad to see him bid farewell to a friend.

His prize? Crete. Nils and I depart on Wednesday for the island of Crete for 10 days...10 days of sun, warmth, and ocean breezes...something opposite both of the movies we've been strapped to for 100 days. I won't lie, I'm mildly disappointed I couldn't complete the challenge, and I'm sure Nils is mildly disappointed as well.

But there will be other challenges, competitions in the future...this I guarantee. I will also guarantee victory too (by myself that is).

100 - "So you know nothing?"

2010-10-18T20:15:00.000-07:00

"I am unknowing."

I lack the faculty to fully express my emotions right now. I have experienced something magical, birthed something metaphysical and have persevered to an incredible triumph. I have taken something common and forged it into something never before done on this world. I have been part of something truly great in the old sense of the world, and I will never forget this moment. 161 hours and 40 minutes, the equivalent of over six straight days of viewing, and now I have finished. Bengt, Max, Gunnar, Bibi, Nils, Ake, Anders, Maude, Inga, Erik, and most of all Ingmar, I thank you. I will forever more think of you as family, and I will visit you always.

99 down - "And will you now reveal your secrets to me?"

2010-10-18T18:15:00.001-07:00

I have no secrets.

Raval

2010-10-18T16:49:00.001-07:00

-just died for the 99th time. He's getting REALLY good at it.

98

2010-10-18T15:22:00.001-07:00

On to 99, and the promise of oblivion...

Aaand man is mortal

2010-10-18T12:45:00.000-07:00

I should have listened to Death. After 3 hours of sleep just almost fainted running an errand. Is this the end, or the beginning?

97.8

2010-10-18T07:46:00.000-07:00

Not my temperature, but instead where I finally called it quits last night. It's tough to say that I had any new insights because I was so tired and things were blurring a bit. One thing that's become increasingly frustrating though is the differences in the translations between copies. A simple line will be translated three or even four different ways depending on whether it's the dub, the Criterion subtitle, the Netflix dub or the Netflix subtitle. They're not even small differences either. Oh well...after tonight it'll all be moot. That's right. One night to rule them all.

97

2010-10-17T21:22:00.001-07:00

I've decided to drink my way through. Not the best plan for an ordinary Sunday night, but I fly to Greece Wednesday morning so I can afford to try and power through.

96

2010-10-17T19:36:00.001-07:00

Where am I?

95

2010-10-17T15:34:00.001-07:00

Had to take a nap. I think I'll go for 96 and then have dinner.

94

2010-10-17T13:14:00.000-07:00

Just made it through. S bored...

93

2010-10-17T10:02:00.001-07:00

Break for Pats football

92 down

2010-10-17T09:10:00.000-07:00

About 35min into #93. One thing I noticed in 92 was that Block doesn't respond to the return of Raval at the end of the film. Instead, he actually turns his head away once the dying seminarist's screams first become audible. I've got to think that Bergman has the knight react this way because, by this point in the film, he interprets any type of bad omen as the fulfillment of Death's promise to return and finish their game. He's resigned, beaten down by what he experienced during the death of the witch, and his subsequent conversation with Death there. When he hears Raval's screams, he doesn't need to react because he's already dead. His last-ditch attempt to cheat is not for him, but for Joff, Mia and Michael, and is the only charitable act he makes in the film.*

* Jons is the one that saves Joff. Jons is the one that saves the MG. Jons is the one that helps Plog against Skat. Jons is the one that wants to fight the soldiers to save the witch. It's some of the most telling irony in the film that the man who doesn't believe in God is the one that is constantly performing good deeds, while it's the man who desperately wants to be faithful that is so consumed by doubt that he's become paralyzed and unable to act. Bergman was a notable Atheist and it's been said that he based the character of Jons on his own beliefs. That's very evident throughout the film.

89, 90, 91

2010-10-17T06:19:00.001-07:00

Working on 92 right now. Short is my day, as Skat would say.

88

2010-10-14T09:29:00.000-07:00

Again barely made it through. It's going to require a serious effort to make it.

87

2010-10-12T06:00:00.001-07:00

Barely made it through this one. Right around Karin's introduction I was touch-and-go and had to do some jumping jacks to stay away. 13 left with 8 full days to go...it's going to be very very close.

Weekend of Doom. DOOM!

2010-10-11T13:19:00.000-07:00

83,84,85,86 done. I'm starting 87 right now and hopefully will be able to take a break before I power through at least one more today. I'm wondering if Bergman is watching me watch him work. I've also decided that I only need 7 people and 4 settings to recreate the entire film. I think I can cast it just from my friends in the area; the tricky part is finding a small village (I could get away with 3 buildings I think) that I could shoot some scenes in. I'd love to use a throwback town but I doubt that they'd let me film there. Any suggestions?

83

2010-10-07T11:54:00.000-07:00

Not finished yet, had to pause it at the 1:11 mark (right when Skat stabs himself with the false knife to escape Plog) so I could go to bed. According to Cole she watched all of her #83 yesterday morning so she's ahead by about half an hour. Hopefully I can finish 83 and get 84 in tonight but playoff baseball is REALLY hard to resist. Go Twins!

81 & 82

2010-10-06T07:16:00.001-07:00

I had a dream last night. Joff was talking to me in the voice of the witch. He said: "I'm beginning to see you."

I think I'm starting to get delirious again...

Trebekked

2010-10-05T13:36:00.000-07:00

I'm in serious Jeopardy here...only half-finished #81 this past weekend and now have more viewings than days remaining. Tonight I have to try and finish #81 and then squeeze in #82 to give myself a fighting chance. If I can get down to 10 or so left by the long Columbus Day weekend it'll be a victory. I have to power through.