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Ramblings
Tuesday, December 31, 2002. 02:13 p.m.Elvish I'm on a Lord of the Rings kick right now. Bear with me, please. I'm tormenting myself waiting for The Two Towers (coming out JANURARY 11TH!!! Arrgh!) by watching the Extended Fellowship DVD and all the TTT trailers I've downloaded from the Internet. Anyway, here for your reading pleasure are some of the Elvish dialogue used in Fellowship of the Ring, as well as their translations. I amar prestar aen. (The world has changed.) Han mathon ne nen. (I feel it in the water.) Han mathon ne chae. (I feel it in the earth.) A han noston ned gwilith. (I smell it in the air.) This isn't Elvish technically, but it isn't Westron (English) either. It's the language of Mordor, which Gandalf "will not utter here." But I will. Muhahahahahaha! Ash nazg durbatulûk, (One Ring to rule them all,) ash nazg gimbatul (One Ring to find them.) Ash nazg thrataulûk (One Ring to bring them all,) agh burzim-ishi krimpatul! (and in the darkness bind them.) Frodo, Im Arwen. Telin le thaed. (Frodo, I am Arwen. I come to help you.) Lasto beth nîn, tolo dan na ngalad. (Hear my voice, come back to the light.) Arwen: Hon mabathon. Rochon ellint im. (I'll take him. I'm the faster rider.) Aragorn: Andelu i ven. (The road is very dangerous.) Arwen: Noro lim, Asfaloth! I don't have the translation for this, but I imagine it's something like, "Faster, you big, dumb horse!" or, "Faster, Asfaloth!" Whichever. That's all I've got right now. Oh, well. Added: This isn't from the movie, but the appendices of Lord of the Rings. Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd aimênu! (Axes of the Dwarves! The Dwarves are upon you!) - This was the battle cry of the Dwarves. Of John Keats, Hobbits and Elves That Aren't Supposed to Be There I was surfing through John Keats.com today, and found this short poem that, for some reason, just made me laugh. Check it out: Women, Wine and Snuff Give me women, wine and snuff Until I cry out «hold, enough!» You may do so sans objection Till the day of resurrection; For bless my beard they aye shall be My beloved Trinity. More John Keats: When I Have Fears When I have fears that I may cease to be Before my pen has glean’d my teeming brain, Before high piled books, in charact’ry, Hold like rich garners the full-ripen’d grain; When I behold, upon the night’s starr’d face, Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance, And think that I may never live to trace Their shadows, with the magic hand of chance; And when I feel, fair creature of an hour! That I shall never look upon thee more, Never have relish in the faery power Of unreflecting love! - then on the shore Of the wide world I stand alone, and think Till Love and Fame to nothingness do sink. I think I know now why "Women, Wine and Snuff" made me laugh. I'm half-watching the Lord of the Rings right now, and that poem reminds me of the Hobbits, who are self-admitted "drinkers, not thinkers." Hobbits and Filipinos seem to be a lot alike --- they're both very clannish, they take great pleasure in eating, drinking and smoking, they're not overfond of adventures (preferring the stability of everyday life), they're farmers and (oh, let's face it), they're typically short. This brings me to the song Merry, Pippin and Frodo sang in the Green Dragon, in a scene that was cut from the theatrical release but added in the Extended DVD version. Here it is: Hey-ho, to the bottle I go To heal my heart and drown my woe! Rain may fall and wind may blow But there'll still be many miles to go. Sweet is the sound of the pouring rain And the stream that falls from hill to plain. But better than rain or rippling brook Is a mug of beer inside this Took! This song was actually spliced from two songs in The Lord of the Rings. The first is a drinking song Sam and Pippin sang on their way to Crickhollow. Ho! Ho! Ho! to the bottle I go To heal my heart and drown my woe. Rain may fall and wind may blow, And many miles be still to go, But under a tall tree I will lie, And let the clouds go sailing by. The second is Bilbo's bath-song, sung by Pippin in Crickhollow. Sing hey! for the bath at close of day that washes the weary mud away! A loon is he that will not sing: O! Water Hot is a noble thing! O! Sweet is the sound of the ralling rain, and the brook that leaps from hill to plain; but better than rain or rippling streams is Water Hot that smokes and steams. O! Water cold we may pour at need down a thirsty throat and be glad indeed; but better is Beer, if drink we lack and Water Hot poured down the back. O! Water is fair that leaps on high in a fountain white beneath the sky; but never did fountain sound so sweet as splashing Hot Water with my feet! Clever touch, putting Tolkien's actual words (or something close to it) in the movie. This reminds me of December 23rd, when my friends came over to watch the extended version of Lord of the Rings and have our, ehem, (non) talent show. Whenever Liv Tyler (Arwen) came out, they'd actually boo. Now this to me seems unfair and mean. My personal opinion is that Liv Tyler made a pretty good Arwen. My only beef with it is that she (Arwen) isn't supposed to be there at all. I think this was my friends' beef as well, but it came off as though they were booing Liv herself. Meanies! 
At any rate, later days! Wayne's World It's half past midnight. I'm completely bored and completely unsleepy. To occupy myself, I've researched (and by that I mean looked them up in IMDB) several quotes from the movies Wayne's World and Wayne's World 2. So here they are, a list of quotes from said movies. I've included the ones I've already posted. Mike Myers (who co-wrote Wayne's World and its sequel) was a genius. Before Austin Powers, that is. Wayne Campbell: Wayne's World Let me bring you up to speed. My name is Wayne Campbell. I live in Aurora, Illinois, which is a suburb of Chicago --- excellent. I've had plenty of jo-jobs --- nothing I'd call a career. Let me put it this way: I have an extensive collection of nametags and hairnets. Okay, so I still live with my parents, which I admit is bogus and sad. However, I do have a cable access show, and I still know how to party! But what I'd really like is to do Wayne's World for a living. It might happen. Yeah, and monkeys might fly out of my butt! Garth, marriage is punishment for shoplifting in some countries! I say hurl. If you blow chunks and she comes back, she's yours. If you spew and she bolts, then it was never meant to be. Tiny: Wayne! How you doin'? Wayne: Hey, Tiny, who's playing today? Tiny: Jolly Green Giants and the Shitty Beatles. Wayne: The Shitty Beatles? Are they any good? Tiny: They suck! Wayne: So it's not just a clever name. I once thought I had mono for an entire year, but it turned out I was just really bored. Exsqueeze me? A baking powder? (He also said this in Wayne's World 2.) Cassandra: I don't believe I've ever had French champagne before. Benjamin: Oh, actually all champagne is French, it's named after the region. Otherwise it's sparkling white wine. Americans of course don't recognize the convention so it becomes that thing of calling all of their sparkling white champagne, even though by definition they're not. Wayne: Ah yes, it's a lot like "Star Trek: The Next Generation." In many ways it's superior but will never be as recognized as the original. Stacy (who's obssessed with Wayne and slightly psychotic): Aren't you gonna open your gift? Wayne: If it's a severed head, I'll be very upset. Wayne: Tell me, when the first show is over, will you still love me when I'm an incredibly humungoid giant star? Cassandra: Yeah. Wayne: Will you still love me when I'm in my hanging-out-with-Ravi-Shankar phase? Cassandra: Yeah. Wayne: Will you still love me when I'm in my carbohydrate sequined jumpsuit young girls in white cotton panties waking up in a pool of your own vomit bloated purple dead on a toilet phase? Cassandra: Yeah. Wayne: Okay, party. Bonus. Wayne's World 2 What I'd really like to do is something extraordinary. Something big. Something mega. Something copious. Something capacious. Something cajunga! But I'll probably end up working at Great America, mopping up hurl and lung butter. Garth Algar: Wayne's World Did you ever see that Twilight Zone where the guy signed a contract and they cut out his tongue and put it in a jar and it wouldn't die, it just grew and pulsated and gave birth to baby tongues? Pretty cool, huh? Ribbed for her pleasure. Ewww! Sometimes I wish I could boldly go where no man has gone before... but I'll probably stay in Aurora. Okay, first I'll access the secret military spy satellite that is in geosynchronous orbit over the Midwest. Then I'll ID the limo by the vanity plate "MR. BIGGG" and get his approximate position. Then I'll reposition the transmission dish on the remote truck to 17.32 degrees east, hit WESTAR 4 over the Atlantic, bounce the signal back into the aerosphere up to COMSAT 6, beam it back to SATCOM 2 transmitter number 137 and down on the dish on the back of Mr. Big's limo... It's almost too easy. Benjamin: So Garth, what do you think so far? Garth: It's like a new pair of underwear. At first it's constrictive, but after a while it becomes a part of you. We fear change. Wayne's World 2 Del Preston: Alright, ladies and gentlemen. It takes two people to run a concert: one back stage, and one out front. One man alone cannot do this. Wayne, you will run the backstage team. Milton, you are my liaison between Wayne's backstage team and Garth's front-stage team which includes myself in the booth. To the left and right of the stage are machine-gun pillboxes, M-60 Browning. Now these babies tend to heat up so shoot in 3 second bursts. In the event of capture I will personally distribute these cyanide capsules to be placed under the tongue like so. *places a capsule in his mouth* Any questions? Garth: Yes, I have a question. When did you turn into a nutbar? *Del sleeps hanging upside down from a steel bar* Garth: How can you sleep like that? Del: Listen, sonny Jim. Sleeping like this will add ten years to your life. I learned it from Keith Richards when I toured with the Stones. This may be the reason why Keith cannot be killed by conventional weapons. Honey Horne: So, would you like to have dinner one night? Garth: Oh, I like to have dinner every night. Honey: I bet you like to be in control... Garth: Yes, like when I was 17, my sister wanted to loan my Def Leppard. I said, "No way!" Honey: I'm goning to be frank. Garth: Okay. Can I still be Garth? Honey: Take me, Garth! Garth: Where? I'm low on gas and you need a jacket. Glen, Mikita's Manager, played by the fabulous Ed O'Neill of TV's Married... With Children: Wayne's World I'd never done a crazy thing in my life before that night. Why is it that if a man kills another man in battle it's called heroic, yet if he kills a man in the heat of passion it's called murder? Glen: Anything wrong, Davy? Davy: Yeah, I got paid today. Glen: Yeah, I know what that's like. Davy: No. You don't understand. They laid me off. I got one of these. Glen: Yeah, I know how that feels. Davy: Know what I'd like to do? Glen: Yeah, I know what you'd like to do. You'd like to find the guy who did it, rip his still beating heart out of his chest and hold it in front of his face so he can see how black it is before he dies. Davy: Actually, I was thinking of filing a grievance with the union. Glen: Well, the world's a twisted place. You know, if you stab a man in the dead of winter, steam will rise up from the wounds. Indians believed it was his soul escaping from his body. Wayne's World 2 So Wayne, I hear you're putting on some kind of concert. That's good. People need to be entertained, they need the distraction. I wish to God that someone would be able to block out the voices in my head for five minutes, the voices that scream, over and over again: "Why do they come to me to die? Why do they come to me to die?" Wayne and Garth: Wayne's World Garth (holding picture of Claudia Schiffer): Hey, is it okay if I put this down, I'm getting tired of holding it. Wayne: Yeah, that's what she said. (To Alice Cooper) We're not worthy! We're not worthy! Garth: Did you ever find Bugs Bunny attractive when he put on a dress and played a girl bunny? Wayne: No... no! Garth: Neither did I. I was just asking. Wayne's World 2 Garth: So, did Jim Morrison give you Del Preston's exact address? Wayne: Yeah, he said EXACTLY London, England. (To Aerosmith) We're not worthy! We're not worthy! Garth: Uh, Wayne, you know, I don't think you should mention that Jim Morrison thing anymore. It's just that people have started to talk, you know. They're saying things like, "Hey, there goes Garth and his friend Wayne... the psychopath." (FYI, Wayne dreampt that Jim Morrison of the Doors, who died in the early 70s, told him to put up a concert in Aurora.) Wayne: *mimes removing a knife from his back* I believe this knife is yours. Where are you going? Garth: Mikitas. Aren't you coming? Wayne: No, I'll just embarrass you. I'll just stay here and lick the cat's butt. Garth: Uh, okay. Wayne: Here we are, at Piccadilly Circus! Garth: Man, what a shitty circus. Wayne: Good call. There's no clowns or animals! What a ripoff! Wayne (to the camera): Oh, yeah. This year, Garth finally got pubes. Garth: You didn't tell them about my pubes, did you? Wayne: No, of course not. Others: Del Preston: Woodstock? That was quite a show, man. Garth: You were at Woodstock? Wayne: Excellent! What was it like? Del: It rained all morning, and then it cleared up in the afternoon. And that's it. I almost remembered something else, but it's gone. Wayne: Excuse me, what are you guys doing here in the middle of the street? Chicken-man: Well, I'm putting these chickens in crates, and stacking them right here. Jim's job is to make sure we always have plenty of watermelons. Wayne: Oh, so you're selling watermelons. Jim: No, no, sir. We just have to make sure we have plenty of them stacked at all times, just like with these here chickens. Garth: What do these guys do? Chicken-man: Well, their job is to walk back and forth with this big plate-glass window every couple of minutes. Garth: Weird. Wayne: Yeah, you've got to wonder if this is gonna pay off later on. Emotional Vampire I wrote a new piece of fan fic yesterday, mostly because I was bored and mostly because I was worried I wasn't exercising my creative skills enough --- and it turned out I was right. Emotional Vampire is really, honestly not the best writing I've ever turned out; it's disorganized, ununified and singularly lacking in theme. Strangely, it garnered more reviews than my other fan fics, probably because of its controversial topic / content (the Emma / Cyclops / Jean Grey triangle). It's strange because the other two fan fics, Goddess Weeping in particular, seems to me a better story in terms of technique and content. The only thing "wrong" about it was that it was a story about Storm and Forge, and their love story isn't a popular one (though it was one of the best love stories in the X-Men, for anyone who remembers it). This brings me to one conclusion: the writers at FanFiction.Net favor controversy over solid content. That's kind of sad, but I guess I knew that when I registered in that site. Anyway, here's the link: Emotional Vampire. Decide for yourself. Quotable Quote: When you grow up, your heart dies. (Ally Sheedy, The Breakfast Club) Post-Christmas --- What a Downer! Ugh and double ugh! Christmas is over! This must be what crackheads feel like coming down from a high. So what's left to look forward to, except New Year's (when my family doesn't do anything) and the beginning of classes! Yargh! Oh, but there is The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, showing here in the Philippines on January 2. And there's also Daredevil, which will probably come to the Philippines late February or March. After that (still a long way off, though), is X-Men 2, showing early May. But still... rckmshmckmmckm!!! That's my angry Muttley impression --- not a very good one, but there you go. Quotable Quote: "Merry Christmas! Out upon merry Christmas! What's Christmastime to you but a time for paying bills without money; a time for finding yourself a year older, and not an hour richer; a time for balancing your books, and having every item in 'em through a round dozen of months, presented dead against you? If I could work my will," said Scrooge indignantly, "every idiot who goes about with 'Merry Christmas' on his lips should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. He should!" (Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol) Edit: Yikes. Cranky much? And I'm not talking about Scrooge. After all, Christmas is more than a holiday. It has a larger significance with regards my faith, and more than my faith, my life. The problem is, it's really easy for me to lose sight of that. Damn, if forgetfulness isn't an A-1 pain in the tuckus. And Then There is Death I retook the "Which Member of the Endless Are You?" test, because the first one wasn't (and couldn't possibly have been) accurate --- I was PMSing when I took it. So here it is, the result of that same test, taken at a time when I was a little saner:  Which Member of the Endless Are You? Thank God I'm no longer Despair. At any rate, Death rocks.
Name pronunciation: ear-win Cool character. They didn't give a whole lot of information about Eowyn, though. She's pretty heroic, and had kind of an unhealthy obssession with Aragorn. But later she fell in love with and married Faramir, Boromir's brother. Go, girl! On Faramir: he is way, way hotter than Aragorn. He's different than most of the men of Gondor. He isn't warlike, for one, though he is a kick ass soldier and captain. He's a very peaceful kind of guy. He spent a lot of time under Gandalf's tutelage and probably loves him more than he loves his own father. His pop Denethor, who's nuttier than a fruitcake, plays favorites. He resents Faramir for his affection for Gandalf and favors Boromir, the elder brother, over him. And what happened to Boromir and Denethor? They became completely loony and died! Muhahaha!!! And they say it's always the quiet ones who go wiggy. But I digress. Eowyn. She's an incredibly passionate young woman who longs to fight in battle as Theoden and her brother Eomer do. I think she cares a great deal about Rohan, Theoden's kingdom, and her people. She certainly loves Theoden. If you don't want to be spoiled (and you will be spoiled --- marjorly), I suggest you turn away now, or read the book. Still sticking around? Okay, then. Don't say I didn't warn you. Basically, she dresses up like a man and goes to fight alongside her brother and king in the Pelennor Fields. She totally kicks ass, too, managing to help kill the Witch King (the head Nazgul). Quotable Quotes: ~ Eowyn, to the Witch King after he killed Theoden Hehe, and I'm most like her. Yay me! *does the happy Snoopy dance* Moving House... but not really. I've extracted all my Team Innocent ramblings and placed them in my former Interests page. Why? 1. Because they were taking up too much space. I thought relocating these particular ramblings would help cut down the length of my Ramblings page a bit. I was wrong. Even without my Team Innocent ramblings, this page is still pretty damn long. I never realized how nauseatingly long-winded I was. I wonder how my family and friends put up with it... 2. Because the Interests page was just sitting there gathering dust. It was just sad. I felt the need to put something in it so it wouldn't be quite so dismal. So go over there to check out my Team Innocent ramblings. Right now. I command you. Quotable Quotes: (Mike Myers, Wayne's World 1 and 2) It's That Time of Year Christmas is upon us! It's practically the only time of they year that I stop being such a damn grouch. Anyway, here for your reading pleasure, two very important Christmas texts. I'm saving the best (or better, since there are only two) for last. The Night Before Christmas, by Clement Clarke Moore 'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there; The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads; And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap, Had just settled down for a long winter's nap, When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash, Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash. The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below, When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer, With a little old driver, so lively and quick, I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick. More rapid than eagles his coursers they came, And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name; "Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen! To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall! Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!" As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky, So up to the house-top the coursers they flew, With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too. And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof The prancing and pawing of each little hoof. As I drew in my hand, and was turning around, Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound. He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot, And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot; A bundle of toys he had flung on his back, And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack. His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry! His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry! His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow, And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow; The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth, And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath; He had a broad face and a little round belly, That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly. He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf, And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself; A wink of his eye and a twist of his head, Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread; He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk, And laying his finger aside of his nose, And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose; He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, And away they all flew like the down of a thistle. But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight, "Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night." Luke 2: 1, 3-20 The Birth of Jesus In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. The Shepherds and the Angels And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. Quotable Quote: God bless us, everyone. (Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol) Snap Happy My mom bought a new scanner, so we've been scanning in our pictures all day long. In a poor attempt to get them organized, I've set up three photo web pages. Check 'em out. Going to Hell in a Handbag, Jr. - These are pictures of just me. Eek! Going to Hell in a Handbag III - Pictures of me and my friends. Beware! Going to Hell in a Handbag IV - Pictures of my family. Have a good laugh. Or not. I Was a Teenage Freak (but you already knew that) Lookit, lookit! I've finally given in to my old, old yearning to write X-Men fan fiction. And here's the link: FanFiction.Net Profile: Nytie. Be afraid, be very afraid. The first story, I Was a Teenage Freak, is my pretty pathetic attempt to write Ultimate X-Men fan fiction. I don't know what's happened (when the little gal inside my head starts typing away, the most unexpected things happen), but it now seems like a story based on a composite of the the styles of Ed McBain (87th Precinct police procedurals), Stephen King (particularly his novella, Low Men in Yellow Coats), Sandra Brown (particularly her novel, The Witness) and Erika Santiago. Happily, there is virtually no trace of Mark Millar (Ultimate X-Men). I hate what he's done to my Stormy. Hopefully this will give her some dimension, some humanity. Even if I'm the only one who gets to read it. There are only two chapters so far, so there's none of the Sandra Brown-ish stuff yet. So far it's just Ed McBain and a bit of Stephen King's Yellow Coats. You gotta love these men. The second, Goddess Weeping story is a Storm-Forge story that borders ever so slightly on maudlin. Don't worry, it doesn't end happily (Forge is dead at the very begining). I'm not so sick and twisted as to actually write happy stories. Brr. It's kind of a defiant response to the hundreds of RoLo stories out there. For the uninformed, RoLo shippers are sick, fanatical freaks who actually believe that Storm (OroRO) and Wolverine (LOgan) should be together! As in, romantically involved! Gag me with a spoon, quick! How delusional can some people be? Any more delusional than Storm-Forge shippers still praying for a miracle to get those two long-broken up characters back together? ;) Nineteen! Nineteen At Last! So why don't I care? Am I that indifferent that it took me six whole days after my actual birthday to write down this rambling? Sad, sad, sad. It's just another year of my life with nothing to be thankful for. It seems, really, like the year before, and the year before that, like this year has not made one bit of difference to the sum total wreck that is my life. I think I'll go outside and eat worms. Happy birthday!  Which Member of the Endless Are You? And just when I thought things couldn't get any worse. Lord, this is depressing. Move over, Charlie Brown. Funnily enough...  Which Peanuts Character Are You Quiz 
I should probably be scared now.  :: how jedi are you? :: "Excellent." - Montgomery Burns, The Simpsons Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets I saw the advanced screening last night. Yowza! Wow and double wow! It was incredible! It far surpassed Sorcerer's Stone, in the excitement factor, in the acting abilities of the cast (Kenneth Branaugh was just absolutely perfect as Lockhart and yes, Daniel Radcliffe can finally act!) and in the emotional load in the film. Harry, Ron and Hermione were great. I almost (note: almost) cried when they were reunited after you-know-what happened to you-know-which-of-them. Ron is goofy and I love him! And Harry is getting better looking everyday. It tore my heart seeing those two when they looked at Hermione after she was hit by you-know-what. It just now occurs to me that I would have a much easier time rambling if I could make sure everyone who might be reading this had read the book! Read it! Read, read, read! I command you! Moving on... Admittedly, this film is darker and not as comic as the first (although it did have one scene that topped any of the funny moments in Sorcerer's Stone coughpolyjuicecough), but I liked it all the more for its (mild) goriness. Tom Riddle was not at all a bad villain. The scene stealers were, to me at least, Kenneth Branaugh in his absolutely comical portrayal of Lockhart (he is every bit as annoying and pitiful as he was in the book) and Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy. I am in love with that guy! He's just so evil and nasty and mean-spirited. And hot. Let's not forget hot. Yes, he was sexy in a very strange, evil, intense way. An honorable mention as a scene stealer (again, for me) is Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy. He had a much bigger role here than in the first. Sure, his facial expressions were almost always just a sneer and a scowl, but he sneered and scowled very, very convincingly. Plus, he's a good-looking kid! The problem with him is that he might mature faster than the other kids (not surprising, in that he's a year or two older than them). Even in the movie, he'd grown taller, his voice was deeper, his shoulders broader and he seemed to have lost all his baby fat. The other kids seem to be growing up pretty fast as well, which I think should be perfectly understandable even by movie standards, because the characters (and actors) are at that age of growth spurts and body changes (too bad I've never had any of the former). Rupert Grint (Ron) and Daniel Radcliffe's voices had deepened, Rupert is a little taller (lucky stiff), and Emma Watson (Hermione) has lost most of her baby fat (again, lucky stiff. I'm still waiting ;)). It's convenient the way they're growing, though, because now Daniel and Emma are roughly the same height and Ron is taller than the two of them, as was described in the book. Speaking of the book, I can't wait for Prisoner of Azkaban! It's my favorite one thus far, though Goblet of Fire is more action-packed. I can't wait to find out who'll be playing Lupin and Sirius (I have crushes on both). They're such great characters, and the filmmakers better believe that if they mangle them in casting and directing, that I will send a very powerful contingent of assassins after their Hollywood tushies. That's it for now. Before I forget --- Dobby. I didn't like how he looked in the trailer, but in the actual movie it made more sense that he would be ugly and dirty. He is, after all, the wretched servant of the Malfoys. It wouldn't make sense to have him all cute and clean (like his picture in the book). The house-elf's lot is not an easy one. Okay, this is really it for now. Later days! Of Druids and Demon Knights Quotable Quote: Wouldn't it be easier if it all just... blew away? (Mike Wazowski, Monsters, Inc.) It's been a while since I've posted a ramble here. Fear not, figments of my imagination (for only figments of my imagination could be reading this)! I'm back! What, you may ask, brought on the weird title of this new rambling? Two things: the novel Mists of Avalon and the episode of Tales From the Crypt called "Demon Knight," which I watched last Friday. I finished Mists last week, and unlike the movie, it did blow me away. What an incredible book! What feeling! What emotions! What schmaltz! Kidding. I haven't been so carried away by the turbulent and intense emotions of fictional characters since Harry Potter. (Hey, puberty is tough.) Seriously, though, it's an amazing book. I recommend it to anyone, but especially to fantasy fiction fanatics (try saying that five times, really, really fast) who have no patience for Tolkien's love of description. I feel ya. Mists is more dialogue than description, and the language is easy to read (unlike Tolkien's language). I love the guy, but sometimes he uses too many archaic words. For example, did you know that an archaic meaning of the word "weird" is fate? Anyway, back to Mists. I guarantee (unless you've got a heart of stone) that you will fall in love, become enraged, cry, grieve and sympathize deeply with the characters. Even Gwenhwyfar (Guinevere), who was a flighty, annoying, self-righteous bubblehead half the time and a nasty bitch the other half, had her moments of depth. Funnily enough, though half the women in the book were in love with Lancelet, I much preferred Arthur over him. Sure, he was a cuckold who didn't do anything to stop his wife from cheating with his best friend, and sure he allowed Gwenhwyfar to make him a traitor to Avalon, but he was a great leader, a great friend who loved who he loved wholeheartedly. At the very least he never turned Morgaine away and made her feel unwanted (just the opposite, in fact, even when they became enemies), a grievance for which I will never forgive Lancelet. Never, never, never, never! Whew. Got carried away there for a sec.  At any rate, I love Morgaine. She was the best character in the book. She was kind, cruel, wise, foolish, ruthless, beautiful, tragic, triumphant, eager, resigned, loving, vengeful, motherly, cold, compassionate, faithful and faithless. Not only did Mists touch me emotionally, but I think I also came away from it with a deeper understanding and respect for pagan religion. I don't think I'd be at all surprised if after death I find out that all the gods people worshipped on earth was just one guy presenting himself in different ways to different people and having a good joke at our expense. There's comfort in that thought, that maybe mankind is more united than we think. Except for atheists, of course. Those guys are on their own. 
Moving on... Demon Knight is basically about this soul collector (Billy Zane, of all people), who's after a key (the last of seven keys that will open the gateways of hell or cause some other apocalyptic event --- I was too busy quailing to pay attention) that's in the possession of this guy named Brayker (William Sadler, the sheriff from Roswell). The Collector traps Brayker and all these other people in a shabby inn thing, and demons made from collected souls are everywhere trying to get them, trying to possess them. It's fairly cheesy when you look at it in a detached way, but when you're watching it (with the lights turned off) it's pretty dang scary. Anyway, there's a liquid inside the key that keeps the demons out when it's spread on door jambs and windowsills and other doorways and thresholds. The liquid turns out to be the blood of Christ, collected by a thief who was wandering around Calvary after Jesus was crucified. The blood in the key warded off the Collector who was there, and the thief became some kind of chosen one, keeping the key from falling into the clutches of the demons. The thief became sort of immortal, but during World War I he was killed by the creepy demon things that were attacking the people in the motel in real time. One of the men in his regiment (Brayker) killed all the demons. The thief spilled his blood into the key and passed his task on to Brayker. If you don't want to be spoiled, you better look away right now. Anyway, it's back to real time. The demons are making short work of the humans in the motel (in the grisly and gross Tales of the Crypt fashion of course), until a selfless sacrifice on the part of two of the people kills most of the demons. Only the Collector (Demon Knight) is left, and he kills Brayker. Yikes! Then Jada Pinkett's character leaps into action (natch), defeating the Collector by spitting a mixture of the blood of Jesus, Brayker and the thief in his face. You go, girl! Thus, Jada Pinkett becomes the new chosen one, protecting the key from the demons and looking back over her shoulder every other minute. Trite, yes? But it scared me so much that I had to work up the nerve to dash from my bedroom to the bathroom to take my midnight pee. That might not mean much, though, because I'm pretty easy to scare. Of Old and New Bitchy Lines My mom emailed this to me, along with the note: Dearest Erika, I think YOU invented this list! Oh, how well she knows me.
Things to say when stressed at work (or anywhere else!!): 1. Okay, okay! I take it back. Unfuck you!!! 2. You say I'm a bitch like its a bad thing. 3. Well, this day was a total waste of make-up. 4. Well, aren't we a bloody ray of sunshine? 5. Don't bother me, I'm living happily ever after. 6. Do I look like a fucking people person????? 7. This isn't an office. It's hell with fluorescent lighting. 8. I started out with nothing and I still have most of it left. 9. Therapy is expensive. Popping bubble plastic is cheap.You choose. 10. Practice random acts of intelligence and senseless acts of self control. 11. I'm not crazy. I've just been in a very bad mood for 18 years. 12. Sarcasm is just one more service I offer. 13. Do they ever shut up on your planet? 14. I'm not your type. I'm not inflatable. 15. Stress is when you wake up screaming and you realize you haven't gone to sleep yet. 16. Back off!! You're standing in my aura. 17. Don't worry. I forgot your name too. 18. I work 45 hours a week to be this poor. 19. Not all men are annoying. Some are dead. 20. Wait... I'm trying to imagine you with personality. 21. Chaos, panic and disorder... my work here is done. 22. Ambivalent? Well, yes and no. 23. You look like shit. Is that the style now? 24. Earth is full. Go home. 25. Awww, did I step on your poor, little bitty ego? 26. I'm not tense, just terribly, terribly alert! 27. A hard-on doesn't count as personal growth. 28. You are depriving some village of an idiot. 29. If assholes could fly, this place would be a fucking airport. 30. You realize that speaking to me before I've had my morning coffee is a VERY bad idea?! Of Death and Ben Jonson Tired! So very tired! So why am I troubling myself by writing another rambling? Well, the horrifying truth of it is that these ramblings have almost become part of my daily routine. And I'm nothing if not faithful to my daily routine. Some people call this faithfulness an obssession, but whatever. If you're wondering why this rambling is titled Death, it's because today I had to write my obituary, epitaph and last will and testament for Social Science, and it's almost all I've been thinking about it all afternoon. Anyway, moving on... Today I decided that my ramblings would make actual sense. Since I'm too tired to come up with anything meaningful or profound, I pass the baton to a guy who died almost four hundred years ago: the trés cool poet and playwright, Ben Jonson. Karolin's Song Though I am young, and cannot tell Either what Death or Love is well, Yet I have heard they both bear darts, And both do aim at humane hearts: And then again, I have been told, Love wounds with heat, as Death with cold; So that I fear they do but bring Extremes to touch, and mean one thing. As in a ruin we it call One thing to be blown up, or fall; Or to our end, like way may have, By a flash of lightning, or a wave: So Love's inflamèd shaft or brand, May kill as soon as Death's cold hand; Except Love's fires the virtue have To fright the frost out of the grave. Quote for the Day: (more Ben Jonson) To Fool, Or Knave Thy praise or dispraise is to me alike; One doth not stroke me, nor the other strike. The Mists of Avalon (The Movie Based on the Book Based on the Legend) I bought the VCD just before Goldmember and watched it when I got home afterwards. All I can say is while I wasn't blown away by it (the only movies that have ever done that for me are X-Men, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings, the special edition Star Wars movies and the first two Godfather movies), I was very, very impressed. All the TV movies I've ever seen were usually cheesy, with bad acting and bad writing. The Mists of Avalon was superbly acted. The language was beautiful (although Morgaine, Lancelot and Arthur calling each other "brother," "cousin," and "sister" was a bit overdone) and so were the sets, the music and the costumes. I liked how Camelot looked dark and twisted. I absolutely loved Julianna Margulies as Morgaine le Fay and Anjelica Huston as the Lady of the Lake. And I know this hardly needs to be said, but Michael Vartan was drool-worthy as Lancelot! 
The story, based on a book by Marion Zimmer Bradley, was a bit different from the popular Arthurian legend, although it was every bit as tragic, if not more so. One of the major differences was that in the book and the movie, Morgaine wasn't evil. She was a good guy here, a priestess of Avalon, thoroughly dedicated to her brother Arthur and in love with Lancelot. Another thing that I don't think was ever mentioned in Arthurian legend was the threesome among Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot. Eek! Samantha Mathis is one lucky gal. What makes this movie different from all the other Arthurian movies out there is that the story is told from the eyes of the pagan women who helped shape the future of Camelot. Anyway, I don't want to give away the farm, so just check out the movie website: The Mists of Avalon. And read the book! I will, as soon as I can get my hands on a copy. Fare thee well! :) Random Quote of the Day: Wherever I am, there's always Pooh, There's always Pooh and Me. Whatever I do, he wants to do, "Where are you going today?" says Pooh: "Well, that's very odd 'cos I was too. Let's go together," says Pooh, says he. "Let's go together," says Pooh. ~Excerpt from A.A. Milne's "Us Two" Of Shagadelic Shagadelicness I saw Austin Powers last night. I thought it was going to be a brainless, gross-out spoof-ish flick and I was right. But I liked it anyway. One of the most notable sequences there was the cameo-studded opening, where Tom Cruise played Austin Powers, Gwyneth Paltrow played Dixie Normous (reminds me of James Bonds' Pussy Galore  ), Kevin Spacey played Dr. Evil (kudos, Kevin Spacey) and Danny de Vito played Mini-Me (I could not stop laughing over this one). Oh, yes, and the cameo of Steven Spielberg as Steven Spielberg. Anyway, here's a list of the good and the bad things about the film.
The Good: "There are only two things I hate: people who are intolerant of other people's cultures and the Dutch." "Sorry, I don't speak freaky deaky Dutch." "Welcome to my underwater lair. It's long, hard, and full of sea men. No? Nothing? Tough sub." "All right, let me find my balls, for God's sakes! One, two... and three. Okay, I'm okay." The Bad: Quotable Quote: Everybody gotta die some time, Red. (Tom Berenger, Platoon) Moving on from morbid to, well, more morbid, I took a test to see if I'd survive a horror movie. Check out what it says:  Would you survive a horror movie? Find out @ She's Crafty You made it through the flick, but, um, it's not a pretty picture. You're the bloody heap in the corner who everyone thought was dead until you stumble into the hero's arms after the bad guy bites it (think Jamie Kennedy in Scream). You are a smart and fiesty person, but you're also a little reckless and you tend to put yourself in awkward positions --- without a good weapon. But even though you get sliced up a bit, you get to survive and that's all that matters. Who needs all those toes, ears, and arms you'll be missing by the end of the flick anyway? How sad is that? ;) Man, I am just Little Miss Personality Quiz today. Which Muppet am I?
Hehe, I saw this one coming a mile away. Last personality quiz for today, I swear. This is from the Hey Arnold! show on Nickelodeon.
Hmmm... thought I'd end up as Helga: poetic, repressed, temperamental, insecure and constipated. ;) I guess Rhonda's not so bad. Of Kings and Cabbages So here we go --- the historic first rambling. Today's topic: if the whole world is stupid and we live in the world, does that make us stupid as well? Also, how do we know we that we aren't actually aliens from another dimension and the lives we think we live everyday on Earth are only dreams? How do we know that we aren't actually awake when we think we're asleep? What if when we sleep we actually wake up in that other dimension (a dimension I will now call the Extraterrestrial Land of Milk and Honey) and live lives completely different from the ones we know on Earth? It sure would explain the pop music phenomenon plaguing the world. Only a truly sick alien mind would be able to conceive such a thing. Buh-bye, and be good to each other. Thought for the day: The insane on the brain stay mainly on the plane. Next time: Of Old and New Underwear! Don't miss it! |
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