Finished reading Sin City - Big Fat Kill last night, which is Dwight's story about the Old Town girls from the movie. I liked it a lot, although it was strange reading it and thinking of the movie images as source material when I know full well what came first.
That Yellow Bastard is next and I suspect I'll feel the same way reading it.
My birthday list is up on my livejournal. Here. So if you feel the need to shower me with presents you can have a look at things I desire to own. My birthday is now just over 6 weeks away.
Played Star Wars last night and got quite a good handle on my character, although I find it kind of strange to take a back seat. I am playing a terse charcter who is supposed to be leader...very odd choice I made there. I'm not talking as much as usual which is probably a good change.
Pokemon is humming along. Mostly last night I cleaned up the mess I made last time. Fought some trainers that I had avoided and upskilled some pokemon. I was a moonstone so I can evolve my skitty. The torchik Lee lent me is really very useful. He has a fire attack and a fighting attack and they're both really powerful and kick-ass.
My mightyena is falling behind a bit as I try to level up some of my weaker pokemon, especially my marril. I want a strong water pokemon damn it!
There's a Lee shaped hole in the apartment. I'm not actually missing him, I know he'll be back tomorrow and it's fine. It's just that he's conspicuous in his absence.
On Sunday while we were watching the movie I kept expecting to hear his keys in the door. Last night I was at a loss for what to watch, so watched the Care Bear Movie 2 again. A lightbulb has blown and I'm too short to change it. Even standing on a chair.
When I went to bed there was no noise except the noise I was making. The dark seemed darker. It's also disconcerting to not talk to another person from when I leave work to the next morning when I return to work. Another reason I don't think I could live alone.
On the upside I played dance mat for about 45 minutes and no one laughed at me. It was great fun even though my game (Stepmaster?) is kind of hard and I can't get to the second level a lot of the time.
I also did some scrapbooking and I have a yen to do more. I do more cleaning when Lee's not around too. I wonder what that's about?
(Pokemon rant:)
I beat the electric gym leader and got another badge and then I caught some more pokemon including a very scary lava turtle thing that I fear. I also accidentally missed a town because my pokemon were weak and I was desperately following the main road to get to a poke-centre. Will have to double back and visit the town inside the volcano.
My taillow evolved last night and should now be more kick-ass than ever. Must. Play. More. Pokemon.
Point of Fashion: The weather forcast said 18 degrees
Current Obsession: too many things to do
Let's all join in, you know the words "I need another weekend!"
Broken sleep sucks, but when combined with late nights I really lose my functionality. This morning I am in a strange daze. My ponytail is pulling on my head and my nose won't stop the sneezing. The pollen count must be skyrocketing because I've taken my meds plus extra last night!
Ginger Snaps is a really, really good movie. I like it a lot. It's hilarious with the parallel between getting your period and becoming a werewolf. ("There's a lot of blood, and hair where there wasn't before" "Oh yes, that's completely normal".) I liked it when Ginger grew a tail.
The movie was only scary for a minute at the start with the initial werewolf attack and at the end with the tension and the fear.
Hmmm.. want to see the sequels. Maybe own on DVD.
What else? No Wednesday night movie appreciation screening this week, as I have to collect Lee from the airport at 9pm, which means I'd leave at 8.30ish and there's no time for movies in between work and that.
Have watched all of Black Books now. Love it. My favourite episode is the one where Manny and Bernard write a children's book. Fantastic.
Last night while I took a break from pokemon, we watched Saved!.
I'd been looking forward to seeing it after a very favourable review in Empire, but I was a bit disappointed. Mandy Moore was fabulous as the really fanatical and bitchy girl, and I really liked the lead....and yet, it was kinda...blah.
It was really very funny in the first act, but then it kinda started to take itself seriously and I think it was having a serious religious message and I dunno. It actually really reminded me of But I'm a Cheerleader which has a similarly awesome premise but the movie itself just isn't quite good enough.
It could have been funnier is what I'm trying to say I think.
Macauly Culkin was actually quite likeable in it.
In Pokemon news, Lee managed to set up the emulators so we culd trade pokemon. My hope is that with the boosted XP that traded pokemon recieve I can make poochyena into a decent pokemon. I must look up what it evolves into cause it seems really suck. Lee says that normal type pokemon are always kinda suck, but I can't really remember if that's true.
I *heart* my skitty though!
Last night during the pretty-awful-not-helped-by-poor-quality copy of Raise Your Voice I ran around in the woods and fought my pokemon against wild ones until all the members of my party had levelled up a coupla times.
Then I went on to beat the second gym leader and get my second badge. My beautifly is really very powerful, and I love my skitty which can make pokemon of the opposite sex fall in love with it. Then they are paralysed by attraction and don't fight him. Now that he's levelled up to 12 his tackle attack is quite powerful.
If only I could stay home and sit on the couch and play pokemon all day.
My second pony arrived in the mail today. It's a better condition Sparkler, so I can transform the older one into a custom. I might make her into a fairy princess...
Oh and once again the couriers didn't manage to get me my package, so it's down to the depot at lunch time for my Chobits manga.
"furthermore the twenty four hours a day
they'll be spent in sweet content dreaming away
skies are grey skies are blue
mornin' noon and nighttime too
all I do the whole day through
is dream of you!"
I'm getting a dancemat today or tomorrow. This will be my fitness routine. Bear in mind for the first few weeks, until I get the hang of it I will be dancematting in private. Last night (in private) I danced along to the above song from Singin' in the Rain which is a very fast charleston showgirls number. I did it twice through and nearly died. Of course, when I blithely write "I did it twice through" I mean I aproximated their movements in a spazzy un-co way and had fun doing it.
Giffy, I'm sorry but I don't think I want to do that dance in front of other people!
What else? The dancemat is for plugging into the PC like Seraph has. We're getting a superlong USB cable so I can have it in the lounge. *grin*.
Last night I played roughly 3 hours playing pokemon. My pokemon are too weak to fight the second gym leader so I need to practise fighting them some more. I'll be doing that during the movie tonight I think.
This morning my first trademe pony in a long time was delivered to me. It's Heart Throb, a generation one pegasus with pink mane and tail and flying glitter hearts on her rear. I've wanted one ever since I started collecting again. I suspect she was one of the ones I envied my friends for owning as a child.
some links:
All you ever needed to know abut My Little Pony, and some stuff you didn't.
A catalog of the ponies. You can see heart throb in the first picture under "unicorns and pegusus"
It's not quite road rage I suffer from. It's more like a road grump inspired by other drivier's stupidity.
example: this morning, as on most mornings there was crazy parking all over my little side street. As I say this is normal because we have a kindergarten on our road and parents seem to need to park AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE to the entrance. Presumably they are afraid of making their children walk more than is absolutely necessary. Anyhoodles, they park over driveways and park people in and so on in their quest for kindy access. There's very little double parking because the road is too narrow. (Small mercies.)
This morning I hopped into my car and a lady who had parked over someone's driveway decided she wanted my park. Understandable. I can't fault her for that at all. What I fault her for is moving her car as soon as she saw I was in mine and then hovering RIGHT BEHIND me while waiting for my park. The nose of her car was in behind mine but her car's ass was sticking right out at an angle into the road. Her car wasn't small. This means I could see exactly nothing behind her. I had to pull out into the road blind because she couldn't wait. I stared at her for quite a while, but she didn't move to I just had to push my luck. As it turns out I am lucky today, no thanks to the kindy.
In other grumps, I've been thinking about politics. I can't help it even though I hate it. It's the main news story every day. I came to a revelation after reading a friend's blog and twingeing about her reason for voting. My revelation is this: I vote on ideals, not policies. I am in the minority.
Mostly I don't know much about NZ politics because I'm lazy and I can't be bothered finding stuff out. (Maybe I should start reading No Right Turn again?) This means that I just stick with the Green party because I believe in what they stand for. I only know what their main concerns are because I've seen a couple of their campaign signs while driving. I can't blame other people for voting for whoever will do best for them personally..those people are probably better informed than me!
Anyway. I didn't want to start a debate or anything. I just was surprised to realise the difference between why I vote for who I do and how most people vote. Neither way is right or wrong, just different.
And difference is the spice of life after all!
Meh. My weekend was full-on in a very inactive way.
Friday night I saw Millions which is a lovely heartwarming British kid's movie in the tradition of Billy Elliot but with no dancing. It was really very funny and the child lead actors were fantastic.
Saturday I went shopping and bought: owl buttons to repair my coat, hayfever meds from the Chinese medicine shop, time for my phone and baby's first pair of Fin pants! They are a charcoaly grey with a drawstring that ties on the left hip. Turns out I am an XS at Fin. I was surprised.
Then the lovely Rachel and Lee and I watched Christopher Guest mocumentaries all afternoon and evening. Alan joined us for dinner the later two.
On Sunday I went shopping with my mother and sister for wedding clothes for mother. I ended up buying my bridesmaid dress for my sister's wedding! I am relieved that it's taken care of and I know I like what I'm wearing! It's a lovely floaty pink dress from Pagani with beading all over the front, hankerchiefy pointy hem and is very slinky in the body fit. It is a size 8. Suspect am tiny elf.
Spent all of yesterday afternoon and evening editing "It's a Wonderful Library" with Hix and Norm. It was great fun re-visiting all that stuff and the footage I'd forgotten we had and watching freeze-frames of silly expressions the actors made. We made some executive (or directorial) decisions and messed around with the film. I think it makes a lot more sense now, which is fantastic.
Norm's going to do some more tweaking: sound fx, special fx, messing with shots, etc...so don't hold your breathe just yet for the director's cut.
It was a draining way to spend a Sunday and I now need a holiday. I think I'll go back to Rarotonga and stay a month or something.
ps. won another My Little Pony auction on trademe. Bad bad bad Jenni.
I've seen the librarian action figure because Star has one....but the whole catalog for action heroes is cool! Look at the selection! Think of the games you could play with Jane Austen, Sherlock Holmes, Rosie the Riveter, Jesus the Albino Bowler and Einstein!!
Imagine!
Then there's the whole Tim Burton range. Jenni wantsssssssss...
Remember a coupla weeks ago when I was talking about strong female leads in books?
I got a huge list from you guys and the library girls on lj and sent it around my workplace in case other librarians get similar enquiries. Today a new version of our kids library website went live and, well..
Check this out. Right in the middle is my list!
In other news I am a bad bad girl who bought a new pony *and* shoes on trademe. Am very bad.
Point of Fashion: Pieces of April style hand decoration
Current Obsession: Spending money
Last night's Singin' in the Rain turned into a double-bill with Chicago to follow up. This was fine except that Chicago is longer than I remembered and so it was quite late when we finished up.
Must remind Lee of my no-sugar after 7pm resolution. The hot chocolate he made me was stronger than those I make myself (and I make them plenty strong) and had *four* marshmallows in it. I can't resist these things when they're given to me!
Suffice to say hyped up on musicals and marshmallows I didn't get to sleep very fast last night.
I dreamed that Michelle had a pink heart-shaped cell phone and I wanted it.
I'd never seen this article until Rachel found it by googling my name...48 hour interview with hix, thought some other people might like to read it too.
This weekend should see us editing the thing, so Hix put up a list of all his entries on his experiences, which I spent some time reading last night. Then I dreamed about trying on wedding dresses as a Pre-Victorian street kid. Blame the book I'm reading for that persona. (Bloody Jack is very good, BTW.)
I'm hoping that we get to record some director's commentaries this week. I'm looking forward to that a lot.
Watched Wonder Boys last night. I liked it but Lee got bored. It's a movie to watch while doing something else, like flipping through bridal mags and cutting out the bits you want so you can pass them onto your sister. Lee set up a GameBoy emulator on the laptop and played on that. I am looking forward to playing pokemon again.
I'm taking the green Chinese herbal hayfever tablets recommended to me by Luke and Sam last week. They seem to be working but they smell quite strongly and it lingers on my fingers. I have a funny taste in my mouth too but that's pretty standard for hayfever meds.
This has been a Tuesday ramble.
two things you should check out, in no particular order and way out of date...(i.e. I am slack and should have linked to these earlier):
Dogblog has updated with some awesome commentary on the dogs.
Steve needs your help.
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and now? To the bath!
Love love love.
I loved Sin City a lot. I am pleased I had read the comics that I have read before I saw the movie. It meant I could appreciate how extremely faithful to the Marv story the movie was. It meant I could look forward to seeing Elijah Wood's Kevin, creepy and beautiful....
The other story I've read is Dwight's first one, so I knew the character and loved him but I didn't know that adventure.
Sin City is violent. The violence is so stylised by the black and white colour scheme that it's unreal. Sin City is a strange world where men are all tough guy heroes with a personal honour code and no aversion to killing. The women are all prostitutes with hearts of gold and incredible bodies.
Men protect women and the women pay them with their beauty and their bodies.
It's all so damned cool.
I want to take a bunch of high resolution stills from the movie and blow them up poster size and frame them and have them up on my wall. Marv and Goldie in bed. Marv in the driving rain on the bridge. Kevin in the doorway, his glasses reflecting the light. Nancy dancing. Becky walking down the road with a car keeping pace, her necklaces glowing white.
My only sadness? Carnivale's Ben plays That Yellow Bastard. He's an amazing actor but I want to think of him as a good guy!
This morning me and my sister went to see the Tiara lady we met at the Wallaceville House wedding show a zillion months ago. She works out of a room in her house in Papakowhai and has a very friendly burmese cat.
Sister-girl tried on a myriad of different tiaras and chose a rather theatrical/ballet style crown with loops of silver and diamantes and pearls. Lovely.
I am getting a custom made comb with clear and turquoise crystals and she's going to see if she can get pearl beads to match my necklace and add a few of those too. I'm not sure if I need earrings as well as a tiara and choker but she's going to have a look at what she can find and make something up. If I don't like it, I don't have to buy it!
She had so much lovely jewellery there, I was also tempted by a gold wire and pearl hair pin in the shape of a butterfly and there were some very sweet crystal flower pins too. It's hard to choose just one tiara when the whole range is gorgeous but I knew I wanted crystals and I prefer the security of the combs. Crown shape tiaras feel like they might slip off at any time!
My sister was very pleased to have something sorted for her wedding! She is getting custom made necklace and earrings to match the tiara so we'll both be hearing back from the tiara lady soon.
Next is wedding shoes: I have seen two pairs of shoes I like in town, and one in Porirua (although is probably in town too.) Two pairs are pink and the third is old gold. I am thinking about the pink ones. They are on sale for $70...
I bought some other shoes today which were on sale for $30. They are a black leather court with a kitten heel and a cut away butterfly on the toe. The cutaway reveals a butterfly print material underneath. They are from the super-cute Miss Sophie range and I love them very much.
I'll write up what I thought about Sin City soon, but not right now. I'm feeling far too wedding-girly-cutey to talk about Sin City right now.
I think I figured out why I've been having trouble sleeping. Last night as I was trying to drop off my heart was racing...I have *got* to stop stuffing myself with sugary snacks in the evenings!
So. From now on I am making a rule. No candy after 7pm. This of course does not apply to desserts at restaurants, icecreams at movies and hot chocolates.
Well, we'll see how it works out anyway.
I am completely obsessed with the candybar doll maker. I need help.
Marvin Redpost: Is he a girl? is a very gentle, humourous and well thought out children's chapter book dealing with gender issues. Marvin is told that if he kisses his own elbow he'll turn into a girl. Of course he tries to do it and succeeds eventually and then he starts thinking differently and appreciating different stuff. Is good and by Louis Sachar who wrote Holes.
Tonight: Sin City
Tomorrow: Sleeping In
Point of Fashion: L337 Librarian
Current Obsession: CANdyb4r DoLl M4k3r
Once again I find myself under attack from the pollen of the world.
I'm taking Claratyne and finding it less than effective. It made me a bit better on Saturday and Monday but today it's overwhelmed. There are just too many allergens in the atmosphere. I am a nose-blocked sneezing itchy eyes sleepy achey mass of hayfever.
Might mosey over to the chemist and see if they can't suggest something else. I got Claratyne because my Dad bought it on my behalf and it was on special.
Tonight is High Society night. I may sleep through it, although I like the movie so much I won't want to. So, once again I feel bleh.
At home I'm reading my new Fruits Basket mangas, at work (in lunchbreaks) I am reading through my pile of strong female lead books. At the moment it's the first one in the Magic Treehouse series which has a male and female pair as lead characters. The girl is definitely the braver of the two but the make is the main character and it's pretty much from his point of view. Not ideal in other words.
I feel like one of those waah-waah voice things that the adults always were in Peanuts cartoons.
I dreamed about a huge wolf trying to destroy my farm.
I watched some more epsiodes of Black Books. (I *heart* Bernard, he's such a child!)
I am reading Persepolis 2 which so far, is good.
It's sunny. It makes me want to sleep.
I've said it before, but I like to repeat things.
The weekend is too freaking short!
Friday was a good night out with lots and lots of people although I was so sleepy I was a hug slut. Total ho of hugging = me. I don't think anyone minded too much, probably just Lee feeling a little affronted that I was hugging who ever was closest at the time rather than saving the affection for him. C'est la vie. Who needs alchohol when you get sleep-dep hyper?
I had a nice weekend of visiting and being visited. It ended up going by quite quickly indeed. I did a lot of scrapbooking on Saturday and a certain extremely late birthday present is nearing completion. I spent money at the scrapbooking shop and spotlight and I went to Hix's birthday party and ate pods.
Pods are the food of the Gods
I love Pods
Mars Pods are good but Snickers Pods are teh awesome
On Sunday there was sleeping in and playing online and food shopping and being visited. Gloom is such a great card game. I'm not just saying that because I tied for first place. I nearly won!
Beanie was also played but I had bad beanie mojo or something. Must be out of practise.
I saw the first epsiode of Black Books and yes, it is very funny.
Today: I go to collect errant manga from the courier post depot because couriers are lame at trying to get stuff to me. Lame!
Yesterday at the library I talked to the mother of an 8 year old girl who wants to be a boy. When asked why she wants to be a boy, she replied that boys get to do all the 'cool stuff' they get to go on adventures, be pirates and action heroes and generally be cool.
In all the tv and movies and books this 8 year old has encountered she has found no girls doing this kind of thing. Her mum wanted to know if there were any books we could recommend that show girls being the action hero.
The books that came to mind first for me were The Paperbag Princess by Robert Munsch and The Ordinary Princess by M.M. Kaye because of the stereotype reversal and because Paperbag princess was my favourite book when I was a kid.
Then I thought of the obvious solution: Tamora Pierce books!
I especially recommended Alanna: the First Adventure because of the whole girl has to pretend to be boy to do these things and because it's a fantastic book. Hopefully the kid will get into it and read the whole series and I can put her onto First Test as well.
The only other ones I could think of were Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine and a bunch of Young Adult novels that would be beyond an 8 year old. I went ahead and told her mum about The Changeover by Margaret Mahy anyway because that's cool.
It was a worrying exchange though, her mum is a dedicated feminist and her heart was breaking because her daughter thinks that being a girl is boring and useless. It was much harder to think of good kid's movies that show a string female lead action hero. They'd already tried and rejected Spy Kids, Thunderbirds and a bunch of other stuff. I suggested Kim Possible but that's all I had.
My mother is visiting. This means I must clean the house. She always has this effect on me, and I wish I didn't care as much. I don't seem to mind my house being a dumpy pigsty when my friends come round and some of them are just as likely as my Mum to comment on it, but I dunno. Mum's house is always a shining tidy example of clean and I grew up with that.
My problem is really that I have no time between now and her showing up. Tonight we're going straight out after work to see the Tia Returned and likely I'm gonna want to sleep in tomorrow before Mum arrives at about 11am. Hmmm. Maybe if we don't stay out too late I can vacuum when I get home. Oh the excitement of me!
all the people that I know
the apartment down below
busy with their starring roles
in their own tragedies
Last night I did tidy the lounge and mostly cleared up the table. There is rubbish waiting to be removed to the rubbish room (can do this on the way out tonight) and Lee cleaned the kitchen some. I did all our washing including sheets (Not that Mum is likely to check those, that was purely for my benefit. I love clean sheets) so really it's just cleaning the floors and giving the bathroom a quick once-over.
Today at lunchtime I read the first book of Frank Miller's Sin City. It was awesome. I must now go and study pictures of the movie and see who everyone is being. I suspect Elijah Wood is playing a seriously freaky scary Mo-fo.
By contrast the CardCaptor Sakura manga that I own are heartwarming and lovely and squee! They're the second series so a lot of stuff is coming together and resolving and last night had a very lovely Toya/Yuki moment that made me cry in the anime and yep, made me cry last night too.
I've been doing what I'm told
I've been busy growing old
and the days are getting cold
but that's alright with me
I love this weather, crisp and clear and bright but I hate that I have to stay inside and I can't enjoy it. I also hate that my hayfever has come back. Tomorrow before the Mum arrives I'm going to nip to the chemist for some sweet sweet medicine. I'm thinking pills this time, can anyone reccommend anything fast acting and not side-affecty?
Sunlight sends you on your way
those restless thoughts that turn to yesterday
never be afraid of change
Call you on the phone
I hate to leave you on your own
I'm coming home today
~Bic Runga, Listening for the Weather
Pieces of April is a much better movie than any of us expected. It's witty, really funny, sad and heartwarming. I loved all the characters and the reactions and the solutions. I'm thinking that's a DVD purchase.
Ordered some new manga. Bad Jenni. Now I am waiting very impatiently for it to arrive.
I have nearly finished reading Girl with a Pearl Earring which is very very good. Compelling and arty and makes me think of the movie and want to watch it again.
Busy weekend ahead: Catch up with Tia on Friday night, Mother and Sister visiting for scrapbooking on Saturday, Hix's birthday party Saturday night. Thankfully Sunday is empty. It will be a very lazy day I predict.
On Sunday after playing a heap of Civ3 (I won by game purely on score at retirement year last night for those who have been following my game with baited breath) we saw two movies at the Embassy:
36, Quai des Ofevres which is the only *French* hardboiled cope drama I've seen. It was astoundingly well made, slick and crisp. The action scenes brutal but fast, the acting top notch. The story follows two rival cops who want the same promotion. One is a self-serving 'straight cop' who will bend the rules to get ahead. The other is a very effective cop who uses gangland style methods and is well liked by his team. It was sorta like LA Confidential except that the characters were many more shades of grey and it was set in present day France....
Then we sawBroken Flowers which is Jim Jarmusch's (Coffee and Cigarettes) new film. It was awesome. Bill Murray plays an aging bachelor who finds out via an anonymous letter that he has a son. He has five options for which girlfriend of 20 years ago it could be and goes to see them. Classic social comedy full of great characters, set pieces and awkward silences. I've never seen full frontal nudity used to such good comic effect as in this movie. 5 stars, 5 Babylons, ten out of ten. Can't wait to own the DVD!
Lee also liked it, so there you have it.
Busy weekend!
The Machinist is a very very good movie. Not much I can say about it without spoilers but I loved it and recommend it for people like me who enjoy mind-fuck films.
Animation Now! was its usual mixed-bag self. I kinda hated a couple of them, I loved a couple and the rest were enjoyable and forgettable. I found myself realising during the screening that I've seen so many animated short films now, and I remember only a few. The ones I really liked I remember and the ones that really disturb me. My favourite one on Saturday was called the Mysterious Geographical Explorations of Jasper Morello. You can see the art style here. It's all silhouette steampunk flying machine fun, looking forward to that becoming available on DVD.
Final Fantasy Live Game on Saturday was way fun. I felt pretty in my outfit although the body fishnet made my vinyl bustier a little...slippy-downy. The fights were great fun, three people from the party lining up in battle pose and then running foward, performing their attack and then rejoining the line in true FF style. Performing victory dances was also fun, although I think Giffy gets the most-appreciated prize for her one.
My other favourite parts were the scenes with one or two characters walking through and everyone else stayed in the same place and had one or two lines that they'd say if the player approached them. It was so fun being the person wandering around and being a person with one line. Especially since the line I got to repeat was quite ominous and cool.
more later. lunch now.