A Lovely Day

Today has been a lovely day:

1. I slept late, again. :)

2. When I got up, a hot breakfast was waiting for me. Yay for my brother.

3. Thanksgiving is over, so I get to listen to Christmas music!

4. I rearranged my bookcases. That may sound odd, but I really enjoy rearranging my bookcases. Every time I take a book off the shelf, I remember how much I enjoyed it. It's kind of like looking through a favorite photo album. Except that I don't take pictures. Anyway...

5. I finished a book that I started a couple of days ago. It was a good one, one of those fun fantasies with lots of odd names.

6. I got a new car.

7. My brother's fiance (you know, Saxy) was here, and we're always thick as thieves when she's around.

8. Saxy and I saw Pride and Prejudice, the new movie, this afternoon. It was wonderful. I just love that Mr. Darcy. My sentimental heart just beats wildly at the thought that he and, oh, whatever her name is, will truly, honestly end up together. :)

So there you go. A great day. I'm about to go book shopping to, um, celebrate. And to buy books, of course. Can you think of a better day than this?

Yay for Harry!

*Spoiler Warning: If you don't want to hear my opinion on the new Harry Potter movie, read no further!*

Well, folks, I had a very fun adventure on Friday night. Going to see any movie on opening night is always an adventure, and this is especially true when said movie is a long-anticipated, huge blockbuster like Harry Potter. My boyfriend and I bought tickets a month ago, and we got to the movie theater 2 hours before the movie started.

And it was all worth it.

People, go see this movie! I know, the first 3 movies weren't really all that great...but trust me, this one is ten times better than any of the previous movies.

While I have always enjoyed the first 3 HP movies (I own all of them), I have always thought that it's a shame the movies don't capture the books the way they should. Sure, the movies have always been faithful to the events in the books, but they don't come close to capturing the essence of the books. The spirit of the story is the most important part, and I don't think they really portray it well at all. I think it is partially because they were so tied down to the books that the previous 3 movies haven't functioned all that well as films. They just move choppily from one event to another and don't flow well at all. HP IV is different in that it is the first of the movies to depart from the book and focus only on the most important events: the Triwizard Tournament, the developing relationships between the 3 main characters (and between Harry and Cho), and the return of Voldemort. Everything else is pretty much eliminated, which has disappointed many of the Potterheads, but I have to say I approve. With the focus narrowed in such a way, the movie can actually function as a cohesive whole: rather than jumping around so much, this film actually flows and doesn't come up against the same pacing problems. It's a substantial improvement.

Not only is the script better, but I think Mike Newell is the best director the franchise has had yet. This film, rather than being so focused on spectacle and the "cute" parts of the books, has a much more realistic feel to it. (For instance, I was quite happy to see that the Dursleys are left completely out of this installment. The Dursleys are a prime example of something that works fine in a novel but just doesn't work on the screen. They are delightfully comic in the books, but in the movies, though portrayed as described in the books, they come across as ridiculous and grossly overdone. Some things just won't work well and need to be left out!) Despite the fact that dragons, evil sorcerers, ghosts, flying horses, and other crazy creatures populate the movie, HP IV doesn't give off the same fairy tale aura as the first three. It's dark, scary, gritty, and ultimately a successful and serious film. Bravo!

As always, I very much enjoyed most of the actors. I have always liked the main trio of actors who play Harry, Hermione, and Ron. Daniel Radcliffe (Harry) is actually a better actor than I even gave him credit for; this film is much more demanding, and he rises to the occasion quite admirably. Emma Watson (Hermione) is great, too, but she looks like she's in college, not like she's 14. Rupert Grint (Ron) has always been my absolute favorite; he's adorable, and perfect for his role. I must say that his long hair is rather unappealing, but oh well. He's fourteen, so he's supposed to look awkward. Mad-Eye Moody was very well done, as were the three champions. My only problem with the casting is Dumbledore. I liked the original Dumbledore much better; and while Michael Gambon is probably a fine enough actor generally, he just isn't Dumbledore at all. Oh well. I suppose we can't expect perfection, can we?

I could probably ramble on for a while longer, but I think this is quite enough. Go see this movie, people. And when you do, call me. I'm dying to see it again!

Entirely Too Opinionated

I am taking American Government this semester, and one of the cool things about the course is that we study both the national government and the Texas state government. Recently, we finished studying the federal government and started reading the state government textbook. While I think the state government is the most interesting and most relevant part of the course, I must say that I really don't like this book. It is entirely too opinionated! Here are some non-factual statements I found in just the first two chapters:

• "Providing equal education funding for all students in Texas at a competitive level with other states is an urgent priority for today."
• "The education system must be improved..."
• "...the fact the Constitution is poorly written..." (Fact?! Where's your data? Prove it!)
• "A constitution should include only organic law, that is, it should organize responsible institutions of government. The Texas Constitution is poorly written."
• "The need for change is obvious..."

You know, I don't necessarily disagree with these opinions. Some of them I don't know enough about to evaluate (I've never read the Texas Constitution), and some I agree with, like the part about education. But I still have a problem with a government textbook that tries to tell me what to think. It is the job of a textbook to educate, to give a student the facts so that he can make up his own mind about whether or not things need to be changed, etc. If the writers want to express opinions, they should start a blog or something. (*wink*) I feel like they are insulting my intelligence and attempting to brainwash me or something! Hmmph.

Haha.

This post just reminded me of something from my childhood. Back when I was being homeschooled, my parents would play the "Fact and Opinion" game with me to help me learn to distinguish factual statements from opinion statements. There were all these cards with different statements on them and the answer on the back. My parents, or I should say my dad, taught me to be very vehement when I heard a non-factual statement. I'd yell out "OPINION!!!!" every time I came across one, feeling very smug that I'd called them out on their improvable statement. (In fact, within our family it's still a running joke. We often yell "OPINION!" at another family member if they start spouting off statements like, "Figure skating is stupid," etc.) So I guess, all these years later, I'm still playing the game. Haha, my parents raised me well. Good job, Dad. :)

* * *

Oh, and it seems I just got tagged by Jill. Okay, if you insist:

23rd post, 5th sentence: "I have nothing more to say on that subject." [That subject being the Astros' dismal loss to the Chicago White Sox in this year's World Series.]

So now I have to tag someone else. Okay, James, Karen, and Cassie! Find your 23rd post, 5th sentence and post it on your blog! Only if you want to, of course. (What do you wanna bet James doesn't respond? I'll double it...)

Attack of the Killer Hairball!

Good gravy!

I just cleaned out the drain in my shower...knowing that it must be getting clogged with hair, because it keeps draining slower and slower. Well, I grab a handy screwdriver and start digging around in the drain, but then the entire top part of the drain comes loose, so I pull it off and...out comes a 3-FOOT GIANT HAIRBALL!

Yeah, that's one of the more disgusting things I've seen this week. I was so shocked I yelled out. "Aaaaaaahhhh!" Saxy, who is over here tonight, was kind enough to come help me disentangle the drain from my stagnating tresses. She had a screwdriver, and I had a screwdriver, and neither one of us was willing to use our hands, so it was pretty tricky. It was kind of like trying to eat Lo Mein with chopsticks, only grosser.

Well, now I better go to bed since I have to work tomorrow. But I just know that I'm gonna dream about giant hairballs flying out of my drain and wrapping around my neck and strangling me! (Hey, maybe I could write a cheap horror flick...) Well, if I'm on Prozac next time you see me, you'll know why.

A Break, At Last

This weekend I finally managed to get away from it all! I went down to the Metroplex with my boyfriend to visit his family for their Reformation Day party. (And for those of you who are wondering, no, I did not hide this time.) It was such a fun and relaxing weekend; I needed it! I even skipped the Texas A&M at TTU football game (collective gasp)--and I didn't regret it at all. The Reformation Day party was Friday night, and then Saturday we didn't do much except run around in a new mall out there. Saturday night we went on a hayride and cooked out with people from their church. It was so much fun to ride outside on the hay; we were out in the country so I got a good look at the stars that night. Venus was particularly beautiful, and the Pleiades (also known as Subaru in Japanese) were clearly visible. It was lovely. Sunday was great, too. We went to church and then went to lunch, so we got to visit with everybody before hitting the road again and having a nice drive home. My boyfriend and I always have great trips together; I suppose that's because we never really run out of things to talk about, and if we do we can always turn up the radio loud and belt out a little Collective Soul or something. Six hours isn't really all that bad when you're having fun hanging out. The trip home did get a little interesting, though, when I had to drive. His car is a standard, and I don't really know how to drive a standard, but he was tired so I had to take the wheel. Once I got on the highway, of course, it was smooth sailing, but it was a little hairy there for a bit while I was getting there. Yeah, I killed it a couple of times. Hehe. Maybe someday I should let someone teach me to drive a standard, and actually practice. I've just been too lazy, I guess. But anyway, we got home safe and sound. This morning I had such a hard time getting out of bed and going back to the daily grind, but it's been a good and productive day. I am now prepared to press on until Thanksgiving...which isn't too far away! Yay!

Sunshine on my Shoulders

This autumn has been a really nice one for sunny days. My favorite days in the world are the days where you look up and see nothing but blue, not a cloud in sight. The last couple of weeks I've been treated to several days like that! Monday in particular was great because it was cloudy and overcast when I drove to school, but by the time my classes were over, it had all blown over and there was nothing but the vast blue bowl of sky overhead. It's such a gorgeous sight to see the trees and buildings on campus sharply etched against that flawless blue background. And not to mention my love affair with the Sun. I love the Sun; clouds can be somewhat interesting, but cloudy days make me grumpy and headachy. Sunshine makes me happy. I read a book once, by my favorite author Robin McKinley, called Sunshine. It is about a girl who loves to cook and loves the Sun (so naturally I identify strongly with it to begin with), but then it turns out that she derives a subtle sort of magic power from the Sun (for instance, she heals faster laying out in the Sun). This makes her a very effective foil for the vampire character she befriends later in the novel. It's a pretty creepy book, but it's overall just an adapted Beauty and the Beast story. Anyway, the point is, sometimes I feel like maybe I derive a little power from the Sun, too. :)

And now that I'm in astronomy class, I know a lot more about how the sun works. I understand H to He fusion, and radiative and convective energy transfer, and sunspots, and the solar wind, etc. I can also tell you that in five billion years it will exhaust its hydrogen supply, and then its outer layers will expand so far that it will swallow up Mercury, Venus, and Earth in its red giant stage. (Theoretically, of course.) This doesn't take away any of its poetic beauty for me. On the contrary, it just makes me more amazed and more appreciative of the amazing God who created such a wondrous star, and then placed it in a universe in which it is very mediocre. "The stars proclaim the work of His hands..."