Countdown to (Potential!) AWESOMENESS!

Putting aside my prickliness and various complaints about jerks on the internets: LESS THAN ONE HOUR UNTIL GAME OF THRONES!!!!!

Sorsha and my Gentleman Caller are coming over to flail with me! Well. More likely, Sorsha and I will flail with glee while GC and my mom roll their eyes.

It's gonna be GREAT.

Do you have Game of Thrones plans?

YAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!

So, I'm sitting at my desk this morning, sipping my coffee, listening to NPR, and organizing the day's events and I get a text from my most amiable geeky companion Sorsha: "JULY 12TH RELEASE FOR A DANCE WITH DRAGONS!!!!!!11!!!!!!!!!!!!1111!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" And then there were more texts and later, when I got home, tweets from Dan Mac and others and the entire internet was like, wall-to-wall GEORGE R. R. MARTIN. It was AWESOME.

I'm so excited! I did this and then this and then this is what my office looked like all day today. (Instead of Doctor Who geeks, picture me doing a happy dance and a lot of confused social service workers. Good times.) And I know, I don't deserve to be excited. I only just read A Game of Thrones and am only halfway through A Clash of Kings. I haven't SUFFERED like the rest of you. I am aware of my privilege, ok? But my wait for the last two books will be just as long as yours now. WE WILL PINE TOGETHER.

OH MY GOD, YOU GUYS. I just went looking for the new trailer for the miniseries that went live during the Academy Awards and found a NEW NEW TRAILER! Holy shit, you guys! It's like today is GEEK CHRISTMAS. The Wall! A glimpse of the Others! MORE JAIME. Um. Soooo...Robb? Kind of hot, yeah?

I can't waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaait!!!

Mini Review of Book-In-Progress: "A Game of Thrones"

Sorsha has been after me for months in her gentle way (No, really. She doesn't pressure. She knows better. Almost no one manipulates me better than her) to start reading the first book in A Song of Ice and Fire series, A Game of Thrones.

I've had the damn book for over a year. I bought it at a used book store when she first started talking about it and I'd heard about the series from my fellow geeks online. Mostly, they were bitching about the next book not being out. And then Neil Gaiman told them to shut up about it and that was fun. So, I picked up the book, took one look at all the characters with the crazy names and put it back down. I'd look at it longingly on occasion, but went on to other things. But I really wanted to get it read before the HBO miniseries with the AWESOME cast came on. In April. I think I've got time. But you know. Time gets away from you. And then there was this preview.

Yeah. I need to get on that.

So, I started it this week. DETERMINED.

After numerous texts to Sorsha (And pouncing on her at work), visits to the IMDB page (Sometimes it helps if I can get mental pictures of the characters in my mind) and the Wikipedia page (Careful there if you're spoiler-averse) and I've mostly got my brain wrapped around the thirty or so primary and secondary characters and the "rules" of the world they live in.

And it's so fucking awesome. It's like a really mean, dirty (Both in sexual terms and like, grime) Middle Earth. Everyone is complex and layered and morally ambiguous. My favorite character is still Daenerys, nicknamed Dany, a thirteen-year-old deposed princess married off by her asshole brother to a warlord so he (The asshole brother) can build his army and get his throne back. She's terrified (And who wouldn't be?) but eventually comes to like her scary husband (Jason Momoa is playing him in the mini, if that tells you anything) and, more importantly, realizes that she needs to toughen the fuck up if she's going to survive. And she DOES and it's AWESOME. Also, that picture of her from IMDB immediately made me think of the Jungle Queen from The Maxx. 90s nostalgia!

So, reading continues and I need to order the next three books off of Amazon. WOOOO!!!

P.S. Three guesses as to why I used the Flowers in the Attic tag. Hee.

A Conversation With the Guy at Target Concerning My Chemical Romance

Today was the release date for the new My Chemical Romance CD, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. Of course I went out on my lunch break and bought it. And very happily danced my way back to work. Yes, I can dance and drive at the same time. I'm special that way. VERY. SPECIAL.

Now, if you clicked that Target link -- and I doubt you did -- you'll see that it says that the CD is available online but not in stores. Since today was the release date, this confused me. And I'd be damned if I'd waste precious minutes of my lunch break on a failed visit to Target. So, I called the store.

I knew I would regret this.

The Target near my work is not a good Target. It's poorly stocked and staffed. I routinely want to slap people in the makeup aisles. But, whatever, it's two seconds away from my work; it's convenient. So, this happened:

Target Guy: Hellothankyouforcallingtargetthisiselectronicshowmayihelpyou.

Me: Hi! Do you have My Chemical Romance's new CD in stock today?

Target Guy: ...What is it called?

Me: Danger Days.

Target Guy: [dubiously] What's the name of the band?

Me: [sigh] My Chemical Romance.

Target Guy: [suspiciously] And what's the name of the CD again?

Me: Danger. Days.

Target Guys: Danger Days...Danger Days...huh. And what genre of music is that?

Me: Rock.

Target Guy: ...Huh. Yeah, we have it. It's $8.99.

Me: Cool! Thanks!

fin.

I enjoyed how he clearly had no idea what I was talking about and thought I was just making shit up. Which is not outside the realm of possibility, but not today. Whatever, he probably just has better taste in music than I do. WHATEVER, DON'T JUDGE ME.

IT'S REALLY AWESOME! :DDDDDDDDD

Movie Review: "Repo! The Genetic Opera"

So. It's probably well-known 'round these parts that I develop these single-minded obsessions about movies, books, tv shows, bands and then devour them and drive everyone around me crazy nattering on and on about them.

Yeah. Sorry about that. Whatever. Look, I'm annoying, but I'm self-aware. At least I don't do drugs, right? RIGHT?!

Anyway, Pong has been spamming me for weeks with clips from some movie he wants me to watch. And I've been sort of ignoring him because I'm a bitch, whatever. But he IMs me a clip one night and says, "Look! It's Giles from Buffy singing!" and I'm like, "*sigh* Fiiiiiiiiiine. I'll watch it" and it was the song "Night Surgeon" from the movie Repo! The Genetic Opera.

WHERE HAS THIS MOVIE BEEN ALL MY LIFE?

Honestly, I can't figure out why I hadn't heard of it until now! It's a HORROR MOVIE MUSICAL starring Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, only my favorite show EVER. Let me say that again: A HORROR MOVIE MUSICAL. I love horror movies! I love musicals! I turned Sorcha on to it because I knew it was her kind of thing. Actually, I watched the movie when I was home sick with a really bad cold. I lost my voice and this didn't stop me. I stalked Sorcha at work (we work together) and handed her a note that said, "Repo! The Genetic Opera. Seen it?" and that was all it took!

So, Repo! is a total cult film sent in a Blade Runner-esque future where massive organ failures have decimated the human race. A company, GeneCo, offers organ transplants but if you miss too many payment, they send a Repo Man to take back their property. Probably killing you dead. One of our main characters is a young girl named Shilo (Yes, that is the little girl from Spy Kids). Her father, played by Giles, is the aforementioned Repo Man, but she doesn't know this, of course. Shilo is sheltered due to a vague but apparently life-threatening illness but yearns to escape. There's an awesome drug dealer, GraveRobber, who is my new movie boyfriend, I don't care HOW grody he might be. Paris Hilton plays a spoiled, plastic-surgery addicted tramp. And she's really good in the role, make of that what you will... Sarah Brightman of Phantom of the Opera fame plays a blind opera singer. And it all comes to a wonderfully bloody conclusion!

So, yeah, eclectic cast. And it's GORY. DELIGHTFULLY GORY. I LOVE IT SO. And funny! And LUDICROUS. And hilariously goth and aware of its own ridiculousness but fully embracing it. The music is rockin', I downloaded the soundtrack and listen to it constantly. Heh. So, I appreciate it on a camp level but I also love it unironically. I enjoy what I see as the film's criticism of large corporations and the need for healthcare reform. I am moved by Shilo's feminist awakening in her realization that she needs to make her own way in the world and her overprotective father is keeping her down. The lyrics of her last song in the film "Genetic Emancipation" almost bring me to tears: "I've mistaken for destiny/but the truth is my legacy is not up to my genes/Though the imprint is deep in me/It will always be up to me." *sob*

So, yeah. Good stuff. Highly recommended!

Mini-Television Review: "Treme"

I watched Treme, the new David Simon show about post-Katrina New Orleans. IT WAS MOST EXCELLENT. I was pretty sure it would be, of course, since Simon did The Wire and that's the best show in the history of ever.

It's got a great cast: John Goodman, Kim Dickens, Khandi Alexander, Melissa Leo, Steve Zahn and from The Wire, Wendell Pierce (Bunk) and my favorite, Clarke Peters (Freamon). And! AND! If you saw Spike Lee's documentary, When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts (And if you haven't, you SHOULD. It's a fantastic film. I am not a huge Lee fan but this is superb), remember that awesome lady, Phyllis Montana-LeBlanc? She's in the show! I was THRILLED to discover that when I was listening to an NPR interview last week.

Anyway, I really, really liked it and can't wait to see more. Great music! Snappy dialogue! Sad in an understated way that brought tears to my eyes! As you can tell from all the exclamation points, I am very excited about this show.

The Olympics: 2010 and 2008

Ok, I am a lifelong sports hater. Hate. Hate. HATE. I am actively hostile to sports*, all sporting events and most fans when they try to talk to me about sports. Sports fans are almost as bad as fans of The Family Guy for how much they try to talk to you, the uninterested party, about their favored topic. (Sorry, guys. I dislike The Family Guy. No, I don't think it's offensive. I just don't find it funny. You can describe scenes from it, many have tried: Mame, Beau, BW, Homer, my friend from work Vett...it just doesn't work for me. That's not quite true. It'll SOUND funny to me when you tell me about it, but then I go to watch it and...Zzzzzzz...)

BUT I LOVE THE OLYMPICS. Particularly the Winter Olympics! Figure skating! Speed skating! Skiing! Snowboarding! Sports I don't understand like curling and bobsledding (EGT and I can't comprehend how this is a sport. Is it a sport of...leaning?) and...skeleton? What the hell is skeleton? BOB COSTAS. I don't have a crush on him but I do enjoy him!

Speaking of crushes...do you know who I DO have a crush on? That mean Russian figure skater. Evgeni Plushenko! The meaner and crankier he is, the more I adore him. Do yourself a favor...go to Youtube and type in his name and "sex bomb." You won't regret it. (Sorsha sure didn't!) Or maybe you will but it's HILARIOUS. I won't link to it because the discovery is half the joy. He sort of reminds me of Maureen in one of my very favorite guilty pleasure movies, Center Stage. "I am the best goddamn dancer in the American Ballet Academy! Who the hell are you? Nobody!" HA.

I've always loved the Olympics, but this year, especially while watching the Opening Ceremonies, I was reminded of the last time I watched the Olympics. It was (...obviously) in 2008 when Conan was first born. He came home from the hospital the first time right around the Summer Games. I'd come out for a few days to visit and help out and see everyone. We had a whole system. Conan had to get several medications at different intervals, something like every 4 and 6 hours. Andie would do his evening meds and then go to bed. Sid and I would stay up until 2 am or so and do that round of medication. Then Andie would get up and do the next round. (And when I say "Sid and I," I mean, "I would HOLD the baby and Sid would actually dose and administer the medication." He's no fool, ok.) And while Sid and I would sit up late, we'd watch the Olympics! We'd trade Conan back and forth, cuddling him and talking to him. We watched Michael Phelps kick Olympic ass and make history. I...might have had a teeeeny crush on him around the time of those games. Whatever, who didn't? It was a scary time because Conan was on a heart monitor that sounded like a smoke detector to alert his parents to his heart rate. But it was a sweet time, too. Because Conan was home where he belonged, with his family and we were so, so grateful.

This year, when I call Sid and Andie to talk about the Games, I hear Mothra and Conan in the background yelling at each other. Running around. Breaking things. Andie says things like, "Mothra! Don't put that up your nose!" and "Conan! STOP CLIMBING THAT."

*This does not include going to actual baseball games. I like to go to baseball games. It's fun. But watching it on tv is...not fun. For me.

Happy Holidays, Y'all!

I hope all our readers who haven't fled out of disinterest had a wonderful holiday season! If you did flee out of disinterest, well, you aren't reading this anyway, so who cares?

Things I've been doing lately:

• Baking many, many cookies, especially snickerdoodles. Snickerdoodles are the BEST.
  
• Watching lots of British televison, particularly North and South (No, not the awful Civil War one. The U.K. one with the delectable Richard Armitage. If you like swoony period dramas, this is TOTALLY for you!) and MI-5, a twisty spy show. Which will soon star the delectable Richard Armitage but I'm not up to his season yet. But I can console myself with Matthew MacFadyen and Rupert Penry-J0nes.
  
• Reading The Hunger Games trilogy. Like dystopian science fiction aimed at young adult readers? No? Read this anyway. You won't be sorry.
  
• Reading The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire. Just like with The Hunger Games, it's a trilogy of which the first two books are available. AWESOME.
  
• Listening to Adam Lambert and Lady GaGa. I KNOW. When did I turn into like, a 14-year-old raver? Or whatever the kids are calling it these days. I don't even know!
• Just saw Sherlock Holmes. Loved it to little pieces. Mark Strong: super hot or superDUPER hot?

Things have been busy, but fun. Mostly, with some noteable exceptions. I promise, one of my New Year's resolutions will be to blog more often! Also, Mame has some big news and I'm sure she'll be about to share it!

A Most Important Query.

My fellow bloggers/readers, please help settle a disagreement between Sorsha and myself. What is the funniest movie ever: Airplane! or Spaceballs?

Now, I understand you may have another movie that is not one of the two aformentioned films that you (incorrectly!) deem Funniest. Movie. Ever. I ask that you please refrain from choosing one of those. I will put up a post for that later, I promise. For now, I want to settle the Airplane! vs. Spaceballs Death Match. Thank you for your time.

If you read this blog, please ring in with your vote. This is perhaps the first major disagreement that Sorsha and I have had! Oh, and I won't mention just yet who prefers which movie as I don't want to inappropriately influence your vote. (Though if you know me reasonably well, you probably already know where my loyalty lies!)

Mini-Review: "Twilight Saga: New Moon"

When the credits rolled, I curled up in a ball in my seat and laughed until I cried. Twilight Saga: New Moon* is the best comedy of the year! Well done! I haven't laughed so hard in years!

*What a pretentious title, you douchebags.

Big News, Ya'll

It's been 17 long months, but I am so excited to say that Beau and I (and Glow Bug) are moving out! It's been quite the adventure, but Lord and Lady have bought some townhouses, and Beau and I are moving in to one of them while we save up some extra money for a down payment on an even bigger house than we had planned.
Why do you need a bigger house, Mame? Oh yeah, 'cuz I'm pregnant :-) So uber excited! Just like with Glow Bug I didn't even realize I was preggo until I started to get all weepy for no reason. And, just like with Glow Bug, my morning sickness reserves itself for only one day a week (Thursdays with G.B., Tuesdays with this one).
I've been staying in a lot more and getting caught up on my shows. I've been kicking myself because I missed the last season of The Office, but I got to watch Jim and Pam's wedding! I cried like the fat, pregnant lady I am the entire time. There was the perfect amount of cringe-worthy-ness, coupled with a wedding fit for the insanity that is Michael Scott's office.
Is it weird that I'm announcing such life changing events alongside a television show? huh. Whatev.

Yet Another Catch-Up Post

Hi everyone! Mame and I have been fairly busy lately! She's trying to buy a house and not lose her damn mind, both of which are full time jobs. I've been trying to be supportive by finding new and interesting ways to call her a whore on her voicemail. Don't you wish I was your best friend? I bet you do!

I've been travelling all over the place! Well, up and down the east coast. Sort of. Mom and I went to my baby cousin Brianna's baby shower at the beginning of the month. Ah, family. That's all I really need to say about that, isn't it? Also, I will never again set foot in a church with a house band. Ok? Ok.

Then I spent an AWESOME weekend in Boston, visiting EGT and Dr. Smarty-Pants. The planets aligned and allowed for all the Email Girls to converge in the city for a brief window of time. There was like, fairy dust and shit. So, The World Traveller, Chicklet and Agent Mascara joined us and a good time was had by all. And I really mean it! We had a BLAST. There was boozing, cake-eating, Criminal Minds, Doctor Who and Blackpool-watching (EGT: "The scene where David Tennant sings 'Should I Stay' is the best scene ever committed to film." Email Girls: "AGREED."). Action figures of the Master and the Tenth Doctor went to the prom together. It was very touching. Cardboard!David Tennant ate some cake. Season 4 of Doctor Who was compared to lupus. Dr. Smarty-Pants made commemorative buttons that we all wore with pride. In other news, we are giant dorks, but we have fun. Agent Mascara and I were loosed, unsupervised, in Boston, where we did not get lost or trip over something and then die. If you know Agent Mascara or me, you know this was quite the accomplishment. We were quite proud.

Next, I'm heading to Pittsburgh to visit Sid, Andie, Mothra and Conan, who is now ONE YEAR OLD. WOOOOO!!!! I'll also meet up with Dr. Fabulous.

My life is rather full just now and I'm feeling quite content!

Also, enjoy these brief reviews of the following media I've consumed recently:

• District 9: I'm not as in love with it as everyone else seemed to be. It was interesting and smart, which is a nice change for a summer movie. But the depiction of the Nigerian drug lords made me rather uncomfortable, especially in a film that is ostensibly about racism. Hmm. It is nice to see an indie film rake in the bank. However, please do not make a sequel. PLEASE.
  
• The Time Traveler's Wife: No, seriously. Read the book.
• The Inglorious Bastards: I refuse to misspell the title. Anyway...OH MY GOD! LOVED IT! Quentin Tarantino is one of my very favorite filmmakers and I adored this movie. I'd see it again immediately. Also, Eli Roth? Call me. You are hot.
• Into The Wild (book): Very good book. Didn't do much to change my opinion of Christopher McCandless, but I don't really want to speak ill of the dead. I actually enjoyed Jon Krakauer's digressions and I seem to be in the minority about that. You should probably go read it and Into Thin Air, also by Krakauer. Now I want to see the film version. Has anyone else checked it out and can give it a yay or nay?
• And I Don't Want To Live This Life: Ok, it's a biography of Nancy Spungen, girlfriend of Sid Vicious who was murdered by him in 1978. My grandmother used to have quite the selection of pulpy trash novels from the 1970s and I read this one when I was 12 or 13. I'd never even heard of the Sex Pistols when I first read it, so I decided to snag it from the library and give it another go. The book is written by her mother and while I'm not sure I'm buying everything she's selling, it's appalling how Spungen is still vilified. Um, everyone in the punk scene was an asshole, not just her. That's the POINT of the punk scene. I'd recommend it if you are interested in that particular scene or era.
• Being Human: a Brit import about a werewolf, a ghost and a vampire sharing a flat and struggling with their various supernatural issues. It sounds sort of stupid, but it's very funny and cute and smartly written. And let me introduce you to Mitchell, the vampire and my new boyfriend. Behold. He often wears fingerless gloves. For some reason, I find this insanely hot.
• System Of A Down: Um. Where have I been? These guys are awesome and, as usual, I am the last to know. See, what happens, if you're me, is that you watch a documentary on the Armenian Genocide (Don't ask.) and they're all over it! They you're frantically downloading their music and moping over the fact that you will never seem them perform live. GRRR.
  
• Mad Men: Are you still not watching it? Get on that, would you? "I'm Peggy Olson and I want to smoke some marijuana." HA!

HEE! This post was repeatedly kicked back by Blogger for having too many tags!

"It's been awhile..."

Sorry I've been MIA as of late; I've been in a foul mood recently and nobody wants to read my rants about my in-laws, et. al.

But, finally, some good news!! Beau and I, after selling our house back in June, have put an offer on a house here in WV!! After some negotiating, we came to an agreement! If all goes well, we're looking at moving in around October!

Also I've rented "The State" from Netflix and have never been so happy; my favorite show on DVD and a light at the end of the tunnel. It's a very good day....

So. Um. Wow, Where Does The Time Go?

Oh, I'll TELL you where it goes...it goes into Facebook, the world's biggest time suck ever. Seriously, if there is an American Gods-ish Facebook god, I am keeping it very well-fed. I blame Mame for this. Apparently, everyone I've ever met in my life is on there. Good times.

Hmmm...what's been going on around here? Made it back from vacation with the family on the Outer Banks. Hey, did you know that the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel is 23 miles long? A little PSA from me to you. So that when you are driving across it, you won't look around to see your car entirely surrounded by water with no end in sight and ask your mother, "Uh...how long IS this thing*?" to have her airily say, "Oh, 20 miles?" You're welcome! Actually, it was sort of fun, like driving a roller coaster.

It's very pretty on the Outer Banks. A bit buggy this year. Everyone from the island seemed extremely apologetic about that fact. I was all, "Whatev, I'm from Jersey, as least these mosquitos doesn't give you mutant superpowers, AMIRITE?!"

I got a large proportion of my family watching True Blood. My mom brought her season 1 DVDs down and I hectored Bri into watching them because Bri, as she would say, "loves that hot vampire shit." Yeah, I don't want to know either. She loved it: predictable. Not so predictable? My uncles Claudius and Jazz and teenage cousin *** (Because I am TOTALLY blanking on a nome de blog for him right now. Someone help me out with that?) were all into it too. Heh.

We watched lots of movies too. The uncles were appalled that I'd never seen The Big Lebowski and set to remedy that straightaway. I liked it; it was very amusing and confounding. I'm not prepared to start a RELIGION around it the way some people seem to be, but it was fun. I brought The Midnight Meat Train with me, thinking it would be fun to watch with Uncle Jazz because he's a big horror movie buff like me. He'd already seen it but consented to watching it again with me and Bri. AHAHAHAHAHAHA! That movie is HILARIOUS. It's not good, but it's not terrible either. It's plenty gory and has some good kills and wacky camera angles. Bradley Cooper is SMOKIN' HOT as always. I recommend it but only if you are a hardcore horror fan. The story is ridiculous and the characters do things that make no sense and the ending -- AHAHAHAHAHA! Then we watched Slither, which Homer has been after me since forever to watch. It was pretty great. I love Nathan Fillion.

I've been going to the movies quite a bit this summer. It's one of my favorite things to do and there's been a pretty good selection this year. I've seen:

• Public Enemies with Sorcha. It was good times, Johnny Depp was MADE for that kind of period dress. See? The movie itself is overlong, but good. LOTS of gunfire. SO MANY BULLETS. Christian Bale was hot too, once you get past the fact that his character is named "Melvin Purvis." Was there ever an unsexier name? I think not.
  
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: It's a good movie and I liked it. I don't have a whole lot to say about it like I don't have a whole lot to say about the book. The book is sort of a place-holder and so is the movie. I will say that I continue to be sort of confused by the pacing of these movies. They leave out SO MUCH, which is understandable since the books are a million pages long. But then they make up stuff that wasn't in the books when they could just...use stuff that they left out. I don't know? And sometimes stuff they leave in doesn't seem nearly as important as what they leave out. Like, the whole Ron/Lavendar subplot goes on for WAY too long. I mean, yeah, it's amusing and gives Rupert Grint a chance to be goofy and Dumbledore a funny line, but really? And the half-blood prince thing is barely covered? Ok.
  
• (500) Days of Summer; I was totally psyched for this the first time I saw the preview. I adore Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel. I love quirky romances. They played a couple in Manic, a film I adore and I was pleased to see them play one again. I love The Smiths. (Although, really. Who doesn't?) THEN, I FOUND OUT. SPENCER REID IS IN IT, YOU GUYS. DONE. It's a really cute movie, you should go see it. SPENCER REID!!! Ahem.
• The Hurt Locker: the best movie I've seen all year. Honestly, I can't imagine another movie being better. I DEMAND Academy Award nominations for Kathryn Bigelow, Anthony Mackie and most of all, Jeremy Renner. One one hand, it's an intense, suspenseful action movie where lots of shit gets blown up and hot men are being stoic and competent. (Seriously, Ralph Fiennes has a cameo and I've never seen him look hotter.) On the other hand, it's this heart-breaking look at the effects of war and its costs. These soldiers are in life-threatening situations at every moment. They literally have to kill or be killed. A split-second hesitation or minor misreading of a situation could cost them or their fellow soldiers their lives. Your son/daughter/brother/sister/whatever wants to join the military? Make them watch this movie first. The last ten minutes felt like a kick to the stomach.

*That's what she said!

Summer Movie Round-Up

I've been inspired by the lovely, ginger and only occasionally rude Sorcha's driveby post of summer movie reviews. This has been a great summer for movies! I've seen a million already!

• Star Trek: LOVED IT. I was never a huge fan of the television show, I liked The Next Generation but that was it. More of a Battlestar Galactica girl over here, you know? But this is a terrific movie. Awesome cast, great script, fun storyline. The "twist" they use to differentiate this iteration of films from the original series is nothing short of brilliant. If this ends up being Leonard Nimoy's final appearance as Spock, I think that's ok. It's a lovely, intelligent, dignified performance. (I know people were bummed about Shatner not having a role in the new film, but seriously. I don't see him showing up and being dignified. Do you?) I plan to drag Mame and BW to see it this weekend even though neither of them like sci fi. Also, I wept through the first 10 minutes. For the next movie, however? MORE SIMON PEGG. ALWAYS MORE SIMON PEGG.
  
• X-Men Origins: Wolverine: A decent movie. Good action sequences, fun performances from everyone. I didn't expect a whole lot and was pleasantly surprised. I loved Ryan Reynolds, but then I ALWAYS love his smartass schtick. And Hugh Jackman is truly a humanitarian. These are troubled times and the only way he can help is by removing his shirt. And he does. A lot. And the slightest provocation. And the world is a better place for it. Thanks, Hugh!
• Terminator Salvation: Loved it. Saw it twice. Apparently, I'm the only one, but that's ok. Christian Bale was pretty great and a total BAD ASS. And I loved Bryce Dallas Howard's steely Earth mama routine. And helloooo Sam Worthington. I didn't think anyone was allowed to be hotter than Christian Bale but I stand corrected! And I adored Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reese and that's no small feat. Kyle Reese was my first love and I am VERY protective of him. And Yelchin was pretty great in Star Trek as well. Good for him! (My epic Terminator post is still in the works, I promise!)
  
• Drag Me To Hell: HA! This was a ton of fun. It was pure, old school Sam Raimi and I loved every second. It was completely disgusting and hilarious and made me jump out of my seat and screech more times that I can count.
  
• Up: I think I've made my thoughts on this movie clear. The most wonderful movie ever.
• The Hangover: SO. GODDAMN. FUNNY. Zach Galifinakis is practically a national treasure* and Bradley Cooper needs to show up to decorate every movie. Mame, BW and I have been quoting this movie at each other for weeks now.
  
• Away We Go: Lovely, lovely movie. Funny and sweet and full of great performances. I want you all to know that Mame cried. (Mame! The dad with all the adopted kids was played by the same guy who played Lawyer Ted on Six Feet Under. That's where we knew him from!)

What movies have you seen so far this summer?

*Why isn't "Between Two Ferns" a real show? I'd watch it every week! Though Mame will be amused to know that I still found the one with Michael Cera too uncomfortable to watch a second time. I tried! I couldn't do it! STOP TICKLING HIM.

Waiting For Godot. Or Mame. You Know. Whoever Shows Up First.

Mame will be here in Jersey tomorrow! Yaay! She called me earlier today to ask me an iPod-related question and to let me know that she and Glowbug are on their way. So I'm waiting for her. In an empty room. Sitting on the floor, flicking the light on and off. With an old rotary phone sitting next to me. (I'm Fatal Attraction AND Audition. Why am I still single?) I WON'T BE IGNORED, MAME.

Ok, I'm kidding. I'm really knitting and watching Wendy and Lucy and sipping the Victorian Rose tea that EGT sent me. I'm still working on my stripey scarf. Since I have crafting ADD, I started another scarf, a grey one, but I ripped it apart when I hopelessly lost count of my knitting and purling. That is Very Bad and makes things ugly. In other news, I am 85 years old.

That's the truth. But I think the other story is more interesting. Don't you?

Mini Movie Review: Up

Go see Up. Go see it tomorrow or better yet, tonight. Find a small child or an elderly person and take them. It is a most excellent movie for children and the elderly. It is also a most excellent movie for people who have pulses. If you don't have a pulse, well, sorry about that.

Seriously, it is the best movie EVER. It made me laugh and cry. I cried 15 times, at least. I am a huge baby*. Up is the kind of movie that exhilarates you and reminds you of why movies are made in the first place**.

*Why do I cry at EVERYTHING lately? Is this something that happens when you turn 30?

**I want a talking dog. One who tells stupid jokes about squirrels. The talking dogs were my favorite. And I am not generally a talking animal kind of person. Up melted my cynical, hates-talking-animals-and-joy heart. It's just THAT good.

Books, Books and More Books!

I am currently swarmed with books. And that is just the way I like it! I have, after 25 years of borrowing from the library, just recently figured out how to go online and renew and reserve books. Yes, I really am that stupid. So, every week of so, I get a phone call from the robot at the library telling me that they have my book. Yaaay!

Books I have from the library:

• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies -- I have been waiting for this book for at least a month. I'm SO excited! Two of my favorite things: Jane Austen and zombies! Also, ninjas! Excerpt: It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession brains must be in want of more brains. HA!
  
• Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer and The Climb by Anatoli Boukreev, dueling accounts of the same disastrous expedition to Mt. Everest. I've started Into Thin Air and it's very good. I know nothing about Mt. Everest or climbing it, so I'm learning all sorts of things.
  
• Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry, a novel about terrorism and zombism. Uncle V, you should probably check this one out!
• Coraline by Neil Gaiman since I loved the movie so much. And I just sort of adore Neil Gaiman generally.
• Stargazer by Claudia Gray. It's a teen-y vampire series, MUCH better than Twilight, not that that is a ringing endorsement or anything. If you like that sort of thing, I recommend this series.

My lovely co-blogger Mame sent me a delightful care package for my birthday! (A month and a half late, inspiring this conversation:
Mame: I just mailed your birthday package!
Bea: Ha ha ha, dude, why didn't you just wait to bring it with you when you come out in June?
Mame: Because then it would be TWO months late and that's just tacky.) She sent me The Friday Night Knitting Club, The Little House Guidebook (!!!) and How To Survive A Horror Movie (Useful!).

And THEN, the faithful EGT mailed me The Complete Sherlock Holmes after I'd mentioned in an email that the trailer for the new Holmes movie made me curious about other Holmes stories. Since I'd only read The Hound of the Baskervilles and that was in high school. Yaaay!

Comic-wise, I've got Maus I & II on deck and the next installments in Gerard Way's Umbrella Academy series.

And THEN, my email girls and I were tossing around the idea of doing a Harry Potter re-read this summer.

Most excellent!

Things That Are Awesome: The Wire: Season 4

My brother BW and I are currently embroiled in season 4 of The Wire. IT'S SO GOOD, YOU GUYS. I think this one might be my favorite so far. Each season has focused on different aspects of the drug trade. Season 1 was mostly about the cops and the dealers and their various machinations. (Here, have this video of one of my very favorite S.1 scenes as D'Angelo Barkesdale lays out the game.) Season 2 featured, you know, more drugs but also the stevedores at the harbor and how their jobs are falling off and life sucks for everyone. (At one point, I said to BW, "Um. Will I *CARE* about Polish dockworkers at some point?" Cue to 10 episodes later when I'm weeping over Polish dockworkers.) Season 3 was more drugs and the mayoral campaign. (Season 3 was probably my least favorite season so far. But that's like choosing my least favorite kind of chocolate. No such thing!)

But, oh, Season 4, with your focus on the crumbling school districts of Baltimore. YOU ARE BREAKING MY HEART. BW assures me that I'll be weeping by the end. Gee, can't wait!

Seriously, everyone should watch this show. Volstaag, you would totally like it. Dan Mac, are you still watching?

Confidential to the email girls: Ring, ring!

Well I've Done It

Follow the link to view my novel. It's not complete, but it's long enough for me to keep ahead of you. I DARE YOU. Wow, that got creepy.
Leave feedback and find any errors (they are the main reasons I've done this). Love to all!!


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