Lincoln

Updated and reorganized my links (okay, the order makes perfect sense to me; I have stuff grouped). New people of note: anita, who has yet to put much on her page, but I'm sure it will be wonderful, and wix, who will soon be joining us in the sweet land o' liberty.

The Sleaziest People in the World

Are Myspace girl collectors. Honestly, if you are adding some chick that you don't even know because she's hot or is willing to get half-naked for the camera - STOP IT. You're no better than creepy guys hanging around a college campus.

I think I may have added a few inadvertently because I thought they were from echoingthesound. Or maybe the guys on echoingthesound are just creepy girl collectors (note: I am glad Tony has quit this nasty habit).

Stuff to talk about later

I'm exhausted, and I've just gotten home. Since I keep forgetting, I should mention:

*I finished the sixth Harry Potter book mid-afternoon yesterday (now technically the day before yesterday). I won't post any spoilers, of course, and will castrate anyone who even attempts to allude to any. With a butter knife.

*Now am currently reading Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land. I was kind of put off Heinlein, as my introduction to him was Glory Road. Then I read The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, and looooved it. This one was highly recommended, and so far I quite like it, but I'm only halfway through.

*Just got back from seeing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I quite liked it. A bit less sinister than the original movie, which to me is not a bad thing.

*I am STILL getting teased about the Gazelle. Yep.

Hoary Peter

Heheh. Well, we just got back from the Potter Party at Borders. It was an adventure, to say the least.

Let me first say that we did not follow any of the good advice given over at echoingthesound. We weren't sure for certain that we would go, and we wound out heading out the door around ten o'clock. We got to the Borders, registered, and received a card, number 566. Yes, meaning they started at one, and we were 566. Really, we should have gotten there at five pm, gotten an early card, left and come back, but live and learn.

So they start handing out the books at midnight. First batch called up was 1-50. Twenty minutes later, it's 50-75. A little later, it's 75-100. You can see how this was going.

The boyfriend was getting insufferably antsy, and the high concentration of squealy kids and (more) obnoxious teenagers dressed like schoolgirl sluts (for some reason) wasn't helping. But it got all the more interesting at around 1am, around number 200...when the power went out. And stayed out.

Turns out they're thinking it was some sort of vandalism, because yes, we were the ONLY place that lost power, in the area, in local Borders, whatever. And then, though the cash registers were running on battery backup, the credit cards wouldn't work. Hilarity ensues.

To make a looong story short, the crowd was actually pretty well-behaved, considering; as a bonus, the power went back up just as we were reaching the front of the line, so, though we had enough cash, we were able to use the card. We got our book at nearly exactly 2am. Soo...what am I doing?! I should get reading!

Moving quickly through the open plains

Sooo, I've returned from Tennessee. It was much fun; there were fireworks, swimming, the drive-in, good food, and relaxing times. Sucked that Julian wasn't there, and it sucked that the boyfriend couldn't go, but oh well. Still quite fun.

On Sunday, the night before I left, I awoke in the middle of the night. The wind was howling, so I checked the TV to make sure there weren't warnings (there weren't), then headed back to bed. I couldn't sleep, however, because I was having issues breathing, pressure in my chest, and my chest was sort of hurting. Also, every time I drifted off to sleep, it would feel like my heart skipped a beat. I didn't sleep that night, and the symptoms persisted through the week, though they got a bit better.

Today I went to the doctor. Turns out the problem was not cardiac at all, thankfully; instead, I had bruised the joint and the whole area of, I guess, my sternum. And since my doctor's a D.O., he was able to make some adjustments to my back and such right then and there. I've already been feeling better with each passing day, and I should be absolutely fine in another few.

Now...how did I manage to bruise myself and not notice, you ask? Well, my parents own a Gazelle, that goofy exercise thing you see on TV. I used it, and it was actually quite effective...evidently TOO effective. Yes, I got messed up due to a GAZELLE.

The boyfriend, who was very understanding while I was worried about my symptoms, now has joke fodder which I think will last though the weekend. Oh boy.

Science Fiction, Double Feature

In the fast few weeks I've seen both Batman Begins and War of the Worlds (well, and Mr. & Mrs. Smith, though that doesn't quite fit in - cute comedy though, go see it). Batman Begins was undoubtedly the best release of the summer, at the time of its release. The movie was pleasing to comic book purists and movie freaks alike, and was, at long last, an adult version of Batman - not for the five-year-old set. I felt absolutely certain that this was THE movie of the summer.

...Now, though, I'm not so sure.

Sure, Tom Cruise is a dick, and the boyfriend hates Dakota Fanning, but the movie looked intruiging, so I dragged him anyway. We came out with this face: O_O

It was, simply, awesome.

Sure, the science aspect of it leaves giant holes, and the last three minutes are rather hokey (I'm talking little details, not the actual ending of the film), but that all pales in comparison to the giant kick in the stomach that the film was. I spent most of it with my jaw dropped and my hand over my mouth. Independence Day, it ain't.

Now I'm wondering who I should recommend it to. To any adult, sure. To any little kid, absolutely not. But what of the preteen set? What of L.M? Granted, the movie is rated PG-13, but that's amazing. Sort of sad that a bit of nudity or a curse word garners an R, whereas "disturbing images and violence" is suitable for kids.

Someone asked me whether WOTW or Batman was better. Tough choice, actually. I think that WOTW was better, but Batman was more enjoyable. I can watch it, and still eat afterwards. I can watch it over and over and not feel disturbed.

...However, now that the initial shock of WOTW has passed, I want to watch it again.

Maybe I can handle a little more disturbance...