December 28, 2001 - 9:17 p.m.
Seems like every University session takes longer and longer to get into the database. This one's a freakin' 28 tracks huge. Not that I'm complaining (much) mind you - all this interest in University is rather spiff. But, good Lord, it's a lot of typing!
Finished the updates on the website, much still to do in the database, but my mind is quickly going fried and I need a little break.
Zack's birthday cake is cooling on the rack downstairs. I get to decorate it tomorrow. First time without Mom in the room to call for immediate help. No pressure. It only took me 4 hours to figure out how to roll those parchment triangles into acceptable cones for icing...
Betty Crocker, I am not.
My housekeeping's pretty atrocious, too. It's been getting to me lately - up around my ears to be precise. How am I going to handle all this plus another child?
Mike forced me to go out the other night and see LoTR. Not about to go into a 3 hours movie without proper provisions, I got stuck in the concession line behind three teenage boys who couldn't make up their minds what they wanted. Missed all the previews, but got a nice aisle seat (essential when pregnant - particularly at a 3 hour movie) and began crunching popcorn with anticipation.
I liked it :) It was streamlined to a high gloss, yes, and the book is so so so much better (but you knew I'd say that) but I still liked it. I am a bit annoyed that Merry and Pippin were reduced to shire pranksters and that Radagast (though a very minor character) was cut entirely.
"Radagast the Brown," Saruman sneered. "Radagast the Simple. Radagast the Bird-Tamer. Radagast the Not Appearing in this Film!"
The only thing that got a direct wince out of me was the Horn of Gondor.
[HONK! HONK!]
Aragorn: It's the Horn of Gondor!
(Audience: The what?)
[HONK!]
[Cut to chief of the orcs driving an 18-wheeler]
It really does sound like a truck.
Bits of it look a little much like The Matrix - and, no, not just the scenes with Elrond. And bits are oversimplified for a shorter running time and an audience who isn't completely familiar with Tolkien. It's kind of like watching Franco Zeffirelli do Shakespeare - lots of lush scenery for the eye, but a reduction of the grandeur of the text.
The thing that really annoyed me, though, was the two couples sitting behind me making comments throughout the entire film. One of the women kept asking her s.o. things like "Why'd he do that?" and "What's the big deal about that ring?" One of the men kept cracking jokes. When he broke into song over a scene of dismemberment ("I go to pieces") I decided I'd had it and whipped around... and got even angrier.These people were certainly empty-nesters, maybe even grandparents. Easily 50, all four of them, and acting like adolescents.
I think they were a little astounded at being chastised by a little girl with a pony tail. They didn't apologize but neither did they say anything for the rest of the movie. Probably a good thing. You just don't provoke a pregnant woman on her night out...
