Monday, May 17, 2004
Flabbergasted.
Today I learned that this weekend is the May long weekend. Up until now, I suppose on some level I was aware of this, but it didn't really sink in until my manager brought it up this morning in casual conversation.
What happened to the first half of May? Really, where did it go? Next thing I know, it will be June, and after that, August! As much as I dislike the expression "time flies when you're having fun", it just keeps on being true. Argh.
This weekend was better than most. With the exception of about 2 hours and 45 minutes, all my time was well spent. The time that wasn't was spent watching Troy. Now don't get me wrong. It is not the worst movie Hollywood has churned out. In fact, it even does an okay job of interpreting and re-enacting the Iliad. Yes, there are a few blunders, ie. the Trojan war lasted for more than a week, Menelaus doesn't die, the gods are supposedly present and taking active roles, tie-dye blue probably wasn't as in fashion as the movie suggests. By and large, however, there were more hits than misses when it comes to historical accuracy, such as the weapons being made of bronze, the fighters using swords only after breaking their spears, stirrup-less horsemanship, etc. I especially liked the way Achilles was portrayed, as he was just as arrogant and egotistical in the film as I remember him being in the story, but still fanatically obsessed with being remembered. The fact that he was an invulnerable demi-god was addressed not by making him unstoppable with superpowers or anything, but just by having him be a freaking unbelievable fighter (the "Achilles leap" is AWESOME!). Where the movie falters is not with the action or grandeur or battles or scope, but with dialogue, and really any place where that other stuff isn't. Other than the Priam and Achilles scene, which they got pretty much bang on, everything anyone said seemed wooden, stilted, laced with accents that have no place in context, or just plain horrendous, and the volume of it all makes the film seem too long. To top it all off, there was much spent talking about how war should be avoided to save lives and such, which is slightly against the flavour of Greek epic.
In summary: to say that Troy is greek for dreck is a slight overstatement, as is attempting to spoon out ones eyes after leaving the theater. The movie is passable, but in no way stellar, and if viewed, should be seen with commentary from friends.
Fencing was unusually amusing, for a Sunday practise. The phrase "don't antagonize sleeping bears, especially if you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup" could not have been more applicable. Needless to say, the comments from the peanut gallery (where I had a front row seat) were liberally layed on thick. We were much amused.
I also managed to address the whole "me being tired" beef I've had for the past few days. Got home from practise yesterday, played some City of Heroes, and at about 7:30 decided that I have had enough and went to bed. Sure, I seemed to wake up almost every two hours for some reason or another, but for the most part, much rest was had, and I should be good to go for the rest of the week.
Now enough about me. Here's some stuff from around the internet I want to offer my opinion on.
(Wired) Old news bit about music. They do have a point. And now, there's even stories going around the news circuit about how RIAA is cooking the books to make their losses of profit seem even more dire than they really are. Makes you wonder what they won't do. I do know that fighting back could be a lot of fun though. Anyone up for this? C'mon... guerilla music activism could be great! I'll understand if there aren't any takers.
(from Harrm) Ouch. Not much more to say on that one... just ouch.
(BoingBoing) Is this broken? Neat little site with some good intentions. Yes indeedy.
So I'm really really hungry right now. I have had a very long day at work (yes, there was another time-gap between the "offer my opinion on" and the links) and really REALLY want to eat my food. Unfortunately it must sit for another few minutes to cool slightly so I don't injure myself grievously whilst eating. Other than the unbelievable gnawing in my gut, I'm just peachy, if a little beat. Like I said, long day. So yeah. Food. G'bye. ¶ 5:55 p.m.
Today I learned that this weekend is the May long weekend. Up until now, I suppose on some level I was aware of this, but it didn't really sink in until my manager brought it up this morning in casual conversation.
What happened to the first half of May? Really, where did it go? Next thing I know, it will be June, and after that, August! As much as I dislike the expression "time flies when you're having fun", it just keeps on being true. Argh.
This weekend was better than most. With the exception of about 2 hours and 45 minutes, all my time was well spent. The time that wasn't was spent watching Troy. Now don't get me wrong. It is not the worst movie Hollywood has churned out. In fact, it even does an okay job of interpreting and re-enacting the Iliad. Yes, there are a few blunders, ie. the Trojan war lasted for more than a week, Menelaus doesn't die, the gods are supposedly present and taking active roles, tie-dye blue probably wasn't as in fashion as the movie suggests. By and large, however, there were more hits than misses when it comes to historical accuracy, such as the weapons being made of bronze, the fighters using swords only after breaking their spears, stirrup-less horsemanship, etc. I especially liked the way Achilles was portrayed, as he was just as arrogant and egotistical in the film as I remember him being in the story, but still fanatically obsessed with being remembered. The fact that he was an invulnerable demi-god was addressed not by making him unstoppable with superpowers or anything, but just by having him be a freaking unbelievable fighter (the "Achilles leap" is AWESOME!). Where the movie falters is not with the action or grandeur or battles or scope, but with dialogue, and really any place where that other stuff isn't. Other than the Priam and Achilles scene, which they got pretty much bang on, everything anyone said seemed wooden, stilted, laced with accents that have no place in context, or just plain horrendous, and the volume of it all makes the film seem too long. To top it all off, there was much spent talking about how war should be avoided to save lives and such, which is slightly against the flavour of Greek epic.
In summary: to say that Troy is greek for dreck is a slight overstatement, as is attempting to spoon out ones eyes after leaving the theater. The movie is passable, but in no way stellar, and if viewed, should be seen with commentary from friends.
Fencing was unusually amusing, for a Sunday practise. The phrase "don't antagonize sleeping bears, especially if you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup" could not have been more applicable. Needless to say, the comments from the peanut gallery (where I had a front row seat) were liberally layed on thick. We were much amused.
I also managed to address the whole "me being tired" beef I've had for the past few days. Got home from practise yesterday, played some City of Heroes, and at about 7:30 decided that I have had enough and went to bed. Sure, I seemed to wake up almost every two hours for some reason or another, but for the most part, much rest was had, and I should be good to go for the rest of the week.
Now enough about me. Here's some stuff from around the internet I want to offer my opinion on.
(Wired) Old news bit about music. They do have a point. And now, there's even stories going around the news circuit about how RIAA is cooking the books to make their losses of profit seem even more dire than they really are. Makes you wonder what they won't do. I do know that fighting back could be a lot of fun though. Anyone up for this? C'mon... guerilla music activism could be great! I'll understand if there aren't any takers.
(from Harrm) Ouch. Not much more to say on that one... just ouch.
(BoingBoing) Is this broken? Neat little site with some good intentions. Yes indeedy.
So I'm really really hungry right now. I have had a very long day at work (yes, there was another time-gap between the "offer my opinion on" and the links) and really REALLY want to eat my food. Unfortunately it must sit for another few minutes to cool slightly so I don't injure myself grievously whilst eating. Other than the unbelievable gnawing in my gut, I'm just peachy, if a little beat. Like I said, long day. So yeah. Food. G'bye. ¶ 5:55 p.m.
