What the hell is it with people who complain about spoilers online? First off, I’ve never felt that knowing some detail or other before reading a book or seeing a movie has ever “spoiled” it for me. Bad directing, that’s spoiled movies for me. Plenty of movies. Bad acting? Sure! Bad writing? Oh, too many, believe me. But knowing ahead of time, that somehow usually doesn’t bother me. It certainly doesn’t “spoil” the experience of the film. Maybe it’s because the majority of films are so predictable anyway. I’m developing a sense that most films are made the way newspaper …
Month: May 2005
SAW
Tonight Lime and I stopped in at the DVD-room and watched a movie. I urged her for us to start in on the mammoth Lord of the Rings Extended Edition series, but she didn’t feel like it and ended up asking the woman who words there for a recommendation. The woman, who recommended the excellent Save The Green Planet to us a while back (read about that here), told us that SAW was an excellent film. So we took her word for it, though I had some misgivings. “Isn’t this a serial killer movie?” “No,” the girl replied to the …
It’s Obligatory
Because I’m such an SF fan, people expect me to have something to say about Star Wars. I mean, it’s the final episode, the series is over (let’s hope Lucas really means it), and a chapter on SF movie history is closed, right? Bullshit. Star Wars was fine and all, at first. It was a noble, heroic, knightly story with some Zen shit thrown in. Cool, weird little aliens and a mechanized monster of a villain. And yeah, a filial connection between the villain and the hero. You have your noble savage (the wookie), your WWII fighter pilot, your Sir …
Kevin’s Panties Woe
Some English Teachers have all the luck. Actually, I had a student once flash her chest at me. Not really flash, but she leaned forward and gave me a good view of what was going on down the front of her shirt (admittedly not much was going on) before sitting back with a big grin on her face. I remained calm, and said, “You still have to do the conversation exercise. Go!” Still, it beats fighting your hakwon director to get your passport back, wouldn’t you say?
Anyone Feeling Santa-Like?
If you are, then I assure you, I’ve been mostly nice. And look at these two t-shirts (this one and the first one on this page) that I’d love to have. If there’s no Santa out there, I may have to mug someone with a credit card.
Book #14: A Language Older Than Words
A Language Older Than Words, by Derrick Jensen. I have a hard time figuring out what to say about this book. If I’d read it when I was 20, I would have been all about the same things as Jensen, not because his message is immature or because I’ve “outgrown” some of the things he claims and believes, but simply because my particular experiences and beliefs suggest that some of his rage is misdirected, some of his conclusions are mistaken, and some of his indictments are too sweeping. The main thesis he offers is that Western Civilization is insane. If …
Old News About Andre Norton
Blog of Death had an entry in march for Andre Norton, who passed away earlier this year. I am a few months late, and have nothing much to add: I wasn’t a fan of her writing, personally, though I’d only tried a couple of novels at the time I decided that. But the woman did write a lot, and publish a lot, and she was a woman of SF, which get her kudos in my book.
Oh Give Me Interesting Enemies
This week’s Friday Five question comes from Mike, my neighbour and co-worker, who occasionally reads eclexys. Hi Mike! Here it is: If you were a superhero, what powers would your five worst super-villain enemies have? This isn’t such a hard question, since of course the powers that my enemies would have would be the worst, most annoying, obnoxious ones around: The Thumper’s power would be Instant Evangelical Conversion. All he would have to do would be to declaim Biblical verses in a praiseful voice, and anyone hearing him would be instantly (temporarily) swept away in an ecstatic religious frenzy, and …
Sick People
Well, here I am at home. Lime’s come over, and she has a nasty, nasty cough, and I finally convinced her to try my old remedy: inhaling steam from a hot bowl of water. Well, she convinced herself to do it this way: she put a green tea bag into it and informed me that the steam would be good for her skin. “IT’S GREEN TEA!” she declared from under the towel that was holding in all that good steam for her to inhale. Later, in a plaintive tone, “It’s like a sauna…” Skin aside, I’m hoping it also helps …
Not to complain… but…
Well, first there was that new round of tonsilitis. And then the foot injury that I got because of the other ootinjury I got, so that some tendon or something goes squish to the right every time I put weight on my right foot. Now that that hurts a little less, my back is killing me again. What the hell is that, the coda to the symphony or something? I’m annoyed. So, for now, more stretches and physio (which, at $3 a pop, is quite affordable here in Jeonju). And less updating my site. Sorry all. I’ll be back to …