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the_dala at 11:08am on 10/10/2005
the_dala at 11:08am on 10/10/2005Ahaha, VICTORY. After attempting to beat AOL into submission for an hour and a quarter, here I am. 'Here' being home -- it's fall break, ostensibly a generous opportunity to study for midterms (because studying at home ALWAYS goes smoothly) but really just a mini-vacation because none of the professors have gotten to the midterm point by fall break and so they all reschedule their exams for the following week. Thanks, guys!
Anyway. A hasty summary of my eventful break so far.
Friday: drove home in a driving rainstorm. Yeah, that was a hoot. Talked Dad into going to see "Serenity" with me by paying for both tickets, which really defeats the purpose of movie-going with a parental unit, but in the end it worked out because I totally converted him to the love. And oh, what a love it is. (Cannot remember the HTML for the cut with text, so SPOILERS FOLLOW IF YOU CLICK THE CUT.) It was just...I mean, everybody said it was good -- you lot said it was good -- but I was still completely blown away. It was astoundingly good. I never knew Joss had it in him, and I say this as a fan since the original BtVS movie. It was simple and stripped-down and old-school sci-fi-western-adventure-comedy-genius (Dad says it reminds him of the SW OT, and I agree). Every second thrilled me. And more moments moved me than I was expecting. Book's death was not a surprise, since he was already separated from the crew and it was executed in classic hero-motivating method, but Wash -- Wash...I sobbed through the remainder of the film, and grinned and giggled like a crazy person through my tears. It was painful, but it wasn't senseless, and Zoe afterwards seemed perfectly authentic to her character. My favorite thing in the whole movie was the small touch of the dinosaurs lining the cockpit.
Small asides: I wasn't much for Simon/Mal before, but holy god did they stand close to each other duringforeplay arguments. Sean Maher also completely failed to convince me of his heterosexuality when making out shirtless with Kaylee at the end. Speaking of which, was it just me or did Jewel Staite lose a lot of weight, and not in a good way? I love Kaylee, but she looked skeletal and a little wan throughout. Oh! And during the big showdown, one of the women -- I thought it was Kaylee, but it might have been Inara -- shouted to Jayne only it sounded like 'Dan.' "Serenity"'s equivalent of Mark Hamill calling "Carrie!" after the Battle of Yavin. Or maybe nobody else heard it and I imagined it.
Saturday I worked a few hours at the office, which will make up for the work I'm missing at the library today and tomorrow and the Wednesday of the concert. I managed to talk my mother into buying a six-pack of Smirnoff Twist Raspberry. I'm very proud.
Sunday Dad and I went downtown to visit the American Indian Museum for the first time. It's very good -- not a traditional design, but full of neat stuff and scads of information, and a perspective you won't find anywhere else. I wouldn't call it kid-friendly, though. Maybe older kids with a great deal of patience -- there is a LOT of info to absorb, and not many interactive exhibits. However, the food court alone is worth a visit. Like all Smithsonian food courts it's horribly overpriced, but this is the only one I don't resent, because it's all native foods. It's organized by region and there were so many unfamiliar things to try that I browsed for ten minutes before making a decision on a chicken tamal with peanut sauce, which was delicious. So yeah, the food is excellent if you're willing to shell out fifteen or twenty bucks for a meal you're not likely to encounter elsewhere, at least not in this area. I wanted to hit up the Air and Space because I figured the gray skies would keep the tourists away, but it was just as crowded as ever, so that was a bust. We wanted to sit down for coffee (and look for space ice cream) but the Arts and Industries was closed. Finally we settled for gelato at the new bar in the Natural History, but I couldn't find space ice cream in the main gift shops and I was too worn out to go through the bag-check line next door. I am still sad about this. Freeze-dried ice cream is my D.C. crack.
Over the three days, I finished my blanket and got yarn for an afghan for the living room. Well, the yarn was...sponsored, shall we say. My mother complained about having to pay for her own Christmas gift, but it's not like she's paying for the labor, or for the LOVE. Also, pictures from Cape May and the Renn Faire -- I'll bring them back to school and use my own scanner instead of this decrepit thing.
I'll probably work my way through the flist, but if you'd like to point me to anything of particular interest, feel free (including "Serenity" thoughts).
Anyway. A hasty summary of my eventful break so far.
Friday: drove home in a driving rainstorm. Yeah, that was a hoot. Talked Dad into going to see "Serenity" with me by paying for both tickets, which really defeats the purpose of movie-going with a parental unit, but in the end it worked out because I totally converted him to the love. And oh, what a love it is. (Cannot remember the HTML for the cut with text, so SPOILERS FOLLOW IF YOU CLICK THE CUT.) It was just...I mean, everybody said it was good -- you lot said it was good -- but I was still completely blown away. It was astoundingly good. I never knew Joss had it in him, and I say this as a fan since the original BtVS movie. It was simple and stripped-down and old-school sci-fi-western-adventure-comedy-genius (Dad says it reminds him of the SW OT, and I agree). Every second thrilled me. And more moments moved me than I was expecting. Book's death was not a surprise, since he was already separated from the crew and it was executed in classic hero-motivating method, but Wash -- Wash...I sobbed through the remainder of the film, and grinned and giggled like a crazy person through my tears. It was painful, but it wasn't senseless, and Zoe afterwards seemed perfectly authentic to her character. My favorite thing in the whole movie was the small touch of the dinosaurs lining the cockpit.
Small asides: I wasn't much for Simon/Mal before, but holy god did they stand close to each other during
Saturday I worked a few hours at the office, which will make up for the work I'm missing at the library today and tomorrow and the Wednesday of the concert. I managed to talk my mother into buying a six-pack of Smirnoff Twist Raspberry. I'm very proud.
Sunday Dad and I went downtown to visit the American Indian Museum for the first time. It's very good -- not a traditional design, but full of neat stuff and scads of information, and a perspective you won't find anywhere else. I wouldn't call it kid-friendly, though. Maybe older kids with a great deal of patience -- there is a LOT of info to absorb, and not many interactive exhibits. However, the food court alone is worth a visit. Like all Smithsonian food courts it's horribly overpriced, but this is the only one I don't resent, because it's all native foods. It's organized by region and there were so many unfamiliar things to try that I browsed for ten minutes before making a decision on a chicken tamal with peanut sauce, which was delicious. So yeah, the food is excellent if you're willing to shell out fifteen or twenty bucks for a meal you're not likely to encounter elsewhere, at least not in this area. I wanted to hit up the Air and Space because I figured the gray skies would keep the tourists away, but it was just as crowded as ever, so that was a bust. We wanted to sit down for coffee (and look for space ice cream) but the Arts and Industries was closed. Finally we settled for gelato at the new bar in the Natural History, but I couldn't find space ice cream in the main gift shops and I was too worn out to go through the bag-check line next door. I am still sad about this. Freeze-dried ice cream is my D.C. crack.
Over the three days, I finished my blanket and got yarn for an afghan for the living room. Well, the yarn was...sponsored, shall we say. My mother complained about having to pay for her own Christmas gift, but it's not like she's paying for the labor, or for the LOVE. Also, pictures from Cape May and the Renn Faire -- I'll bring them back to school and use my own scanner instead of this decrepit thing.
I'll probably work my way through the flist, but if you'd like to point me to anything of particular interest, feel free (including "Serenity" thoughts).
cheerful
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