The Golden Compass trailer

Check this out! So excited!

Cop eats pot brownies, Thinks he's dying. Idiot.

Dear Baby Jesus,

Why is the world filled with such stupidity? I mean, shouldn't a police officer have the most rudimentary knowledge of what drugs do to a person?

Sincerely,

Jalehlabad

Lost, I am your bitch again

Waaaaaaay back in February, I pondered whether or not I would continue to watch Lost. Well, last night's season finale proved that I am still Lost's bitch.

Stop reading now if you haven't seen last night's two hour extravaganza.

Wow. Just wow. First, a flash forward? Brilliant. But man, Jack is one messed up dude in the future (or should I say the present?).

Second, WHO IS IN THAT COFFIN? I have a few theories about this. I am thinking it's either Ben, Locke or Sawyer. All three of those dudes have very few ties to the world and I wouldn't be shocked if no one turned up when they died.

Third, CHARLIE! I knew they were going to kill him but I am so glad that they did it in such a heartfelt and beautiful way. Which leads me to....

Penny and the non-Penny boat. So, who's boat is it?!?!?! And, is Naomi evil like Ben implies? And my mind is blown. So, are the Others really the god guys if Jack wants to get back to the island so badly? I wonder if everyone is going to be forced to leave the island or if some will be able to stay behind.

Also, Sayyid killing the dude with his legs. Awesome and kind of hot. But I think Sayyid is hot in general.

I loved that Hurley saved the day with the Dharma van. I was a bit of a shocked to see Sawyer kill Tom but I can't say I am sad about it.

Anyway, I am sure there is so much more to say but my mind is so blown that I just can't. It's a shame that we have to wait until February to find out what happens next. Between this wait and the BSG wait I am actually looking forward to winter for the first time since forever.

GMYH inspires me

I don't know how many of you read Give Me Your Handrew or actually are GMYH but he's embarked on the intense task of listening to every cd he owns (and seeing as how I was there when he bought his cd racks [woo! IKEA!] I can tell you he has many cds). Then he tells you about it and stuff. I know. It's a pretty cool idea, I agree.

I started to think the other day that I am just over my cd collection. I can't ever seem to find anything I want to listen to. It may be that I have too many choices or that I am just bored or something. I can't even really describe it but I end up listening to the same 30 cds all day at work and it's getting old. I want to love my music again. Especially when I start to calculate how much money I have spent on cultivating said collection.

I think that having a cd collection of almost 500 cds is quite impressive (even if some of them are really horrible choices). So, GMYH, I am going to be yer little copycat. I can tell that we have some overlap but I think we will also diverge in interesting and funny ways.

Maybe this will get me outta my music funk. So, it will begin tomorrow or maybe when I come back from vacation.

Speaking of which, things are going to be post-lite after tomorrow as I am going on vaca Friday and all next week. So, I may post but my goal is to avoid the computer as much as possible whilst on vacation.

I, Claudius

When the HBO series Rome ended, I was not ready to stop watching made up history about the Roman Empire. I've been fascinated by Rome since my first day of Latin class in 1990. I found the stories of the gods and goddesses to be funny and interesting and so dramatic. I took mythology courses in both high school and college. I went out and read the works of Ovid and Livy on my own. I was entranced.

When I finally got to go to Rome, well it was everything I thought it would be. Standing in the Colosseum looking at the seats on former Roman senators (their names were still visible after all this time) made me realize how short our time is and how small our little world really is. But it also made me feel connected to those earlier Romans. I hope to go back again someday, especially to the Piazza Navonna for nutella gelato.

Anyway, digression aside, I decided to watch the 1970's BBC miniseries I, Claudius. I, Claudius is based upon the books of Robert Graves. Basically, the story picks up a few years after Rome ends. Octavian is the Emperor and still married to Livia.

I, Claudius is in many ways Rome's ancestor. I, Claudius has the intrigue, political machinations, and sex. I will say this, most of the violence in I, Claudius is implied unlike in Rome. Most of the actors in I, Claudius were unknown to me excepting John Hurt as Caligula and a very young (and not yet bald) Capt. Jean-Luc Picard as a Vorenus type character.

The sets on I, Claudius are really more play like than movie like. Often, that would take me outof the story because I would be thinking about Rome's luscious scenery and how real they made Rome (the city) look. It's clear that the budget for I, Claudius got spent on the wardrobe (which is really nicely done) and the acting. Although, a few of those women were too shrill for me.

Oh right, the plot. Heh. Well, basically we see the trials and tribulations through the lens of Claudius (fourth Emperor of Rome). Claudius is the last person one would assume would become Emperor as he stutters and has Tourette's like ticks and twitches. However, he uses this feeble facade to cultivate his mind and become a keen historian. His "feeble-mindedness" also allows him to be an observer but never a participant in all the really horrible things that happen in the palace. Also, ladies and gents, if you thought Atia and Servilia were some crazy bitches, well, you need to check out Livia in this miniseries. She makes those two look tame.

If you liked Rome or are interested in Roman "history" then you should most definitely check out I, Claudius.

Hope springs eternal

Today is graduation day at my university. As I was driving into work this morning I saw a plethora of students in their regalia. Some were walking with their families, others with friends, and some were walking alone to their commencement.

I really like graduation days. It seems to me to be a time full of hope, pride, and a general feeling of the world is someones oyster. I like to think that students were like me, filled with hope and fear and a deep desire to be done with my book learnin'. Plus, the regalia here is just kind of cool. In a week I am heading back to Cutesville, IN to see a pal graduate and I can only hope that her future is filled with wonderful things.

In other news, I went to a beer festival last week and I can't believe I didn't blog about it. Last weekend was the Heritage Festival. What can I say? I am a sucker for 50 different beers in four hours. Well, I didn't actually try all 50 beers but I did hit a good 20. Anyway, I thought the festival was good fun, even if it did smell a bit like manure. I guess that couldn't be helped due to the high levels of rainfall on the grass and so they felt the need to mulch over muddied areas. Anyway, I really like the Honey Beer by AB and the Pumpkin Beer was pretty good too.

What I learned from the Heritage Festival was an old lesson. Never give your real name to a drunk dude trying to hit on you. See, I used to hang out with this girl Rochelle a lot. When we would go to bars and boys would chat with us we would give them fake names. It's not like we were ever going to see these guys again, so who does it hurt. I usually went by something plain like Jenny or Julie or sometimes Ariel (after the Little Mermaid, yo). Rochelle usually went by this made up name we used to mock our friend DiRRty (see we sort of bastardized his name and came up with whole concept of if we could get him drunk enough to dress like a girl, what would his name be) and thus Rochelle became Shavona. I know. It's dumb but a lot of vodka went into that plan. Anyway, this guy who I gave my real name to became sort of a pain in the ass. He kept turning up and yelling some other name that he thought sounded like my name but was actually the word Jubilee. My friend Nadia and I were laughing so hard the first time we heard it but it became less funny to me the more it happened. So finally, I hid behind Squater and made my friends Nadia and Blake run fast and we were able to avoid him the rest of the evening. We then proceeded to drink more beer.

In other news, Squater and I did get our matching tattoo. Mine is on my right shoulder blade/back area. If I had a picture of it I would post it. Maybe I will take a picture once all the scabbing heals.

Harry Potter and the reading of books about him

Well, I finished rereading book six, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince the other day. I must say, it was really satisfying to reread the entire Harry Potter series again. I just love those books.

Although, upon this rereading, I think I have decided that books one and two are amongst my least favorite. I think it's because they seem to lack a bit of the darkness and complexity that the later books have. I did realize that HP and the Half-Blood Prince is probably my favorite book in the series. Harry finds happiness in love, you just know that Ron and Hermione are finally going to freaking kiss (hopefully in front of those awful muggles, the Dursley's), but mostly I love this book because of all the Voldemort insight it gives us. Fleshing him out as a person, learning how he ticks is critical. Of course, there is also the ultimate sadness in this book but well, these things tend to happen for a reason.

At any rate, I am even more excited to see what Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is all about. What will happen to Malfoy? And Snape? And will Harry get all the horcruxes? And who will DIE? Isn't it July 21 yet?

As a short aside, I am also intrigued to see how the movie version of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix turns out. There is so much that they will have to cut out. Anyway, unlike some people, I am very interested to see how Imelda Stanton handles the role of Dolores Umbridge.

Books Read in 2007:
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ~J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ~ J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ~ J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ~ J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ~ J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone ~ J.K. Rowling
The Good Men: A Novel of Heresy ~ Charmaine Craig
An Abundance of Katherines ~ John Green
The Count of Monte Cristo ~ Alexandre Dumas
Looking For Alaska ~ John Green
Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest ~ Stephen Ambrose
Drinking, Smoking, and Screwing: Great Writers on Good Times ~ edited by Sara Nikles
Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood ~ Ann Brashares

Bon Voyage

On Tuesday night, Gilmore Girls ended it's reign as my go to Tuesday show. I know that I said it was time for the show to end and it was. I know that much of my heart was hardened towards this show over the last season. I know that B-Mart and I have disagreed about the whole Pisstopher inclusion in this season. But on Tuesday night when I sat down to watch the final episode of Gilmore Girls forever and ever and ever, I just felt sad. A lot of people emailed me on Tuesday asking me if I was ready. I must admit that I wasn't ready for it to all end. However, I had no choice in the matter.

Like Rory's sadness about Logan, my crying jags came in waves. I loved the opener with Christiane Amanpour (My fellow half-Iranian! Holla!). When the credits kicked in the tears began. I haven't watched the credits of this show in a long time because often that Carole King song grates but on Tuesday it was perfect. Then the crying subsided until the Friday Night Dinner and the dawning realization that Rory would be leaving in THREE days. "After dinner drinks for sure." Sobs! Finally, I laughed a bit when Lorelai and Rory "reenacted" graduation in the diner. Rory graduated Summa cum Luke. Dirty and Heee! But then the tears returned when Luke asked for Sookie's help in throwing a surprise party for Rory. See, he does love his Gilmore Girls. I loved the Lane stuff and the townie non-sanctioned meeting.

The tears really came down hard when Rory returned home from Lane's house. Lorelai's "I need more time" line was so fitting. I need more Gilmore Girls. And then they kill me with Lorelai watching Rory sleep. My god, that Lauren Graham can act.

And then, the party. The Taylor stuff was a bit gross but also funny. The town birthed her. And then the tears came again when Rory made her short speech. I also loved the interaction between Lorelai and the Grandparents. They realize she is an awesome mom and she's going to keep doing Friday Night Dinners. OMG. MORE TEARS.

But then they go and save the best for almost last (to sort of quote that very bad Vanessa Williams song), Lorelai finds out that Luke planned the whole party and there is kissing between Luke and Lorelai. Sigh. I kind of got my wish.

The final scene of this episode almost exactly mirrors the final scene of the pilot episode. Rory and Lorelai are at Luke's. Lorelai is wearing the necklace (squee!) and flirting with Luke. The girls order their food and chat. And we are out.

Man, I didn't realize that this series finale would hit me so hard. In fact, I am not sure the realization will fully hit me until next fall when there really are no more Gilmore Girls episodes to watch.

At any rate, I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone involved with Gilmore Girls. It was a terrific show, even at it's worst, and it will me sorely missed by myself and many of my pals.

My own private bling bling

So, Bill likes to refer to his Xbox as his bling bling. I don't know why he does that but he does and I've always wondered. Bill, feel free to let us know the origins of that naming.

Anyway, back when I was getting my history master degree my friend DiRRty gave me his old Play Station 1 and one game as a Christmas present. You all might think to yourself what a crappy present. Alas, it was one of the greatest gifts of all time because that one game is actually a six in one game. Some of the games on this disc are Galaga, Pac Man (the original version), and Pole Position. I was in frakkin' heaven and so were the many people who trotted in and out of my apartment playing these games. While I lived in E-ville, I don't think that my play station was idle for more than a day or two, especially once Squater came to squat.

When I moved to Indiana to start SLIS, I don't know what happened but I never set up my play station. I don't know why. It's not like I wouldn't have played it. I guess I just spent so much time on the internet that I didn't really miss my galaga playing. And, can I just say, I dominate at galaga. The continued dismissal of my play station continued while I lived in Cutesville, IN.

However, Sunday night all this was rectified. Sqauter came down for a visit and we were bored in my apartment on Sunday. Squater queried about my play station and I said that I thought I lost a piece because I had tried to hook the play station up over Christmas but I couldn't do it. Well, he took one look and said I had all the pieces. So, he switched a few plugs around and we were in business.

That's right. Now instead of just having tv to entertain me, I have my play station back. And, can I just say, it's glorious. I played Galaga and Pole Position for the better part of the last night and really, I only stopped to watch Heroes. Man, it's going to be a fun summer.

Taking a break

I am going to be going away for a few days. I am taking some vacation time since Squatter is coming in town for a visit.

I don't have much to say anyway. I've been plowing through the Harry Potter series. I started book five last night. As usual when I read the Harry Potter series, I have many Harry Potter themed dreams. Sometimes I am me but at Hogwarts, sometimes I am Hermione, other times I am a Weasley. Anyway, I had another dream last night all about book four which makes sense as I had finished book four earlier in the evening. I do love having dreams about living at Hogwarts.

In other news, last night was the second to last episode of Gilmore Girls. I discussed a while back my desire to see this show end with some dignity. I still want that to happen. But I find myself much more sad about this show ending than I thought I would be. It's nothing on the level of my Everwood heartache but a sadness none-the-less. For the last seven years every Tuesday night I sat down to watch this show. That's a long time, my friends. But it is time for this show to end. I'm not getting my Lorelai and Luke wedding. I have to be content with what we get and I am trying to do that. I just wish we hadn't been led to believe that a season eight was going to happen. I would have liked them to actually plan for a series finale rather than say this one episode could be both. I am going to reserve my final judgment for next Tuesday. However, I am now able to enforce my self-imposed boycotting of CW for canceling Everwood.

So, here's my second to last GG breakdown (man, I haven't done this in a while).

The Great

The look between Lorelai and Rory when Rory got her diploma. It was so sweet and loving. Looks like they made it.

The Grandparents singing. I cringed more at that than Lorelai's tune last week. But it was sweet.

Rory choosing to be single. I think it's important for her to learn more about herself.

Kirk in a box. Of course, now I can't help but sing "it's my Kirk in a box." Ladies everywhere should be scared to open a box with a Kirk in it.

The Good

I liked all the townie interaction. Was it idiotic for the town to think they could go to the graduation? Yes, but it was also cute and sweet. Plus, Taylor in a wheelchair just makes me laugh.

I like the Liz/Luke interaction.

The Bad

Sigh. I wish Luke and Lorelai would get their shit together and just have a real conversation not in front of the whole frakkin' town.

Also, while I didn't think the Logan proposal was bad or Rory saying no was bad; I did not like the way they walked away from each other. I mean, no goodbye kiss? Really? That made me smad.

Only one more episode left.

Check out my daemon

For those of you who've read Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy you too can find out who your daemon is. I am so jazzed about the upcoming movie The Golden Compass. You should be too. And, go read the books if you haven't. They are fabulous.




Thanks, Babblecat.