Star Wars III - a different view

I came out of Star Wars III - Revenge of the Sith (it's hard to remember the right number... since it is the VIth movie made...) with a unique perspective. I saw 2 main reasons Anikin went to the Dark Side. First - very Oedipal. By working so very hard to make sure his nightmare of Padme dying does not come true, Anikin (pardon the spellings, please) just makes it happen. You can't run away from your fate.

And second - Are men really that afraid of childbirth? Ani is so afraid Padme is going to die in childbirth that he ends up totally evil? Guys - it's a very natural thing. Women have been doing it for eons - even before medicine! Even before hospitals. Even before Doctors!!! It's pretty much the only way to get here. Yes, sometimes women die - but it's not usually just because she's giving birth. There are usually complications. It's natures way of population control. Let's not mess with Mama Nature.

Congratulations

Well, I didn't hear any screams coming for San Diego, so by now our Mikey is a married man! Congratulations, Dawn and Mike. May you be as happy as my hubby and I. I wish you many, many years of wedded bliss.

Opus Review

This weekend we were in Denver at the Opus Festival. This is a con we stumbled upon 4 years ago in it's inaugural year, and it just keeps getting better. Opus is dedicated to expressing art, in whatever manner that means to you. Visual art. Costuming. Pottery. Music. Magick. Writing. Comics. Goth culture. Harry Potter. All live in beautiful harmony at Opus. I think that's why I love it so much. It has so much for everyone, and you get to learn about new ways.

Once again, we bid on the perfect painting for our friend Steve, and once again, it rose outside our price range. Maybe next year.

And as this was the last weekend (hopefully) I'll get to drink, I made sure I didn't want to for a while!

Oh - and if you get a chance to order the Chocolate Martini at Melting Pot - DO IT!!! That has to be the most delicious drink I have ever experienced. Must have to work on recreating those. Don't worry - Cheryl got the recipe.

More Happy Baby News

It is with extreme elation that I am able share... Alex's sister Bridget and her husband Sean are expecting! They have been trying for as long as we have, and I'm absolutely thrilled!!! The happy event is schedule for December 16, althought Bridget thinks it will be later than that by her calculations. (And we women know our bodies.) She also says only one baby (according to the picture.) So, it's up to Alex and I to continue the twin tradition.

Be Kind to the Pizza Dude

I was heading back from the gym this evening, when I happened to hear this essay on NPR. Go read the entire transcript. It's brilliant! Be Kind to the Pizza Delivery Dude, by Sarah Adams. Here's a snippet:

“In the big pizza wheel of life, sometimes you're the hot bubbly cheese and sometimes you’re the burnt crust. It's good to remember the fickle spinning of that wheel.”

I can't say much for the All Things Considered music that followed. A little to polka-ey for my taste.

Another Saturday

This one wasn't quite so weird. Alex went off to Faire rehearsal, so he could hear management's side of the shakeup. "Anna and George won't be with us this year." That's all they said. Hmmm... whatever. Personally, I wanted him to turn on the speakerphone so I could listen. But he said no, darn it!

I guess things don't change across several centuries. There is still political intrigue. There are still political coupes. There are still decisions to be made as to supporting the new regime, or saying no and dealing with the consequenses.

Alex still hasn't stated unequivicobly if he will be working court this year or not. I'm just trying to be supportive.

On other news, I'm trying a new diet. The 3-hour diet. You eat an appropriate searving of an appropriate meal or snack every 3 hours. No banned food like carbs or eating only certain foods like liquid diets or grapefruit. Easy in theory - I figured I'd be all aclimate overnight! Not so much! I never realized how whim-based my lifestyle is. I'm having a hard time setting boundries about mealtimes. But, I like the science and theory behind this one, so I'm giving it a shot until we get pregnant.

Speaking of which - I swear, every time I see a calendar, and it still says May, I'm a little shocked! It's it June yet? I want to get started already! This certainly is trying my patience.

Baby Update

MindbogglinglyHUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Steve and Melissa Green on the impending addition to their family. Preston Davis (for I'm quite certain it will be a boy) is scheduled to make his debut December 26. That means a Capricorn for those of you astrologically minded. That also means that Melissa will get to drink Champagne on New Years!!! Huzzah!

Movie Review, part Deu

Duo? Anyway. Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Read it about 5 years ago when friends mentioned it, and I wanted to know what all the talk was about. (Much the same reason I got into anything SciFi.) I remember thinking "this guy got paid to write this? it goes nowhere, it makes no sense. it's just stream-of-consciousness." And yet, I loved all 5 books of the Trilogy. What's not to love about a trilogy that isn't?

I wondered how they would make a movie out of a book without any real plot. I think they managed quite nicely, thank you. There were several points that I had forgotten about. The mice. Marvin. (How! could I forget Marvin!) Babblefish are yellow. Sorry - I could only find red ones, and didn't want to dye them and leave weird yellow smudges on our ears.

I give it 4 out of 5... couches? (Salon.. couch... maybe not.)
Go see it. And sing along with us at the end. The theme song is quite catchy.

Kingdom of Heaven

And now time for your movie reveiw...

Alex and I saw Kingdom of Heaven last night. Okay, let's get the obvious out of the way. Yes, Orlando Bloom is quite yummy in this film. Much better with 20 extra pounds and dark hair in my not-so-humble opinion. And equally as yummy was Liam Neeson. But then, I'm biased.

I loved this movie. Not the bloody war parts - I kind of blur out on those. I could appreciate the military strategy. The part I loved was the religious, ethical, and political statements. This movie was able to make very bold, positive statements about the state of affairs in the Middle East, (then and now) without really taking sides on who is right - Christian, Muslim, Jewish, et al. Wonderfully written. I want a copy of the script, as there are a couple of passages that I want to be able to quote verbatim. I wanted to stand up in the theater and applaud!

There was the stereotyped priests of the time: "Murdering an Infidel isn't murder. It is the path to Heaven." Scary. Very scary. And the movie is very hard on the Templars. (I've got to do some research on the Templars. They seem to get a bad wrap these days, and I don't have any idea if they deserve it. If you have any good reference materials, please suggest in the comments.)

The actor who played King Baldwin, covered head to toe, behind a metal mask, gained my admiration. Not an easy thing to do, convey a character without use of facial movement. I had to check the credits on IMDB before going to bed. Much to my surprise - Edward Norton! Not even included in the list of major players! I have to give him kudos.

I have heard some say that the producers should have waited for Russell Crowe to be available to play the part that Orlando Bloom took. I disagree. I think Orlando did a brilliant job. He's really coming into his own! I'm not sure Russell could have pulled off the uncertainty, the self-doubt that Orlando was able to portray. Everything I've ever seen Russell in has been a role of extreme confidence in his personal abilities. I don't know that Russell could pull off Humble, and Over His Head. (And I'm willing to be proven wrong in the future.)

So, 5 stars, 2 thumbs up, (gotta get a rating systems for this site). A must see!

Good morning

It's Saturday morning, and DH is off to Faire rehearsals. ...and it's weird.

I know this happens every year. But it's still weird. Normally, except for work, we are together all the time! We enjoy so many of the same things, that we are rarely apart. And now, I'm home all by myself on a Saturday morning. And it will be this way for the next 3 months. And it's still weird.

Off for a full day of birthday/Mother's day present shopping, (and puppy food), (oh, yeah, and wine), then to see HGTG, then to a dinner party. For the record - I wasn't totally responsible for the triple booking! It will be such fun to share Hitchikers Guide with friends! I'm interested to hear what Alex thinks of the movie - he never read the books. Musn't forget my towel! And, I'm bringing babblefish.

And it's still weird.

She's Baaaacccckkkk

We're back from StarFest. Ate more than I should, drank WAY more than I should, and got way too little sleep.

I love StarFest! And Claudia Christiansen is much prettier in person. What a charmer.

Next Stop: Opus.