Sunday, July 22, 2007

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I'd love to write a full review, but the book came out two days ago and I'm not really one for spoiling things. But I can give you a breakdown of some vague highlights, at least.

Read time: Two sittings. First Sitting: approx. 235 pages, 2 hours. Second Sitting: Finished the book, 6 hours.

So points I liked, in all their vague glory: Snape and Neville. These two characters get to shine, albeit kindly briefly. This was Harry's book and efforts alone, really. Not the solid team effort that the last two books were. The ending...was foreseeable. It was good, mind you, but not terribly surprising. That might be the only complaint I really have with the book. Some of the major points felt a little telegraphed. But maybe I'm just good at predicting things based on previous evidence. Did anyone else feel this way, or am I the only one? *shrug* Well worth the $20 and ten minutes we paid at K-Mart to pick it up Saturday at midnight in the morning.

darth severus. heh.

Friday, July 20, 2007

Hannah Misses Snow

I couldn't think of a title. So sue me.

A lot has gone on since my last post. Heh. I'm all slow and can't blog anymore. Is ok. I've seen Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It was ok, but felt more like And Now Some Highlights from the Book... But it was good. The biggest thing I wanted to see but missed was Neville growing a spine and coming into his own. I really think it could have been about an hour longer so as to shove in a little more depth, but it was good. It was certainly MILES better than Eragon, which is only topped by Legend of Earthsea in horrible book raping.

We had a very brief visitor stay with us recently. One night recently, Hannah found a little kitten wandering around under cars and chased her around outside trying to keep her out from under the cars. Chris finally caught the thing. She was a little black thing with a small spot of white fur on her chin and the toes of three feet were white with one back leg nearly all white. So Chris named her Broga, which means "boot" in Gaelic. She was weak, so they took her to the vet. She had worms, and was a little dehydrated. They got some meds and a little kitten formula. Unfortunately, she was just too sick. She was doing ok for a day or two, but in the end, the dehydration was just a little too severe. She started to get weak and cool and they took her to the vet again. The vet said she was just too dehydrated. She passed away at the vet's office the following morning. Lani was, of course, torn up, and Chris was a little, too. His paternal instincts are starting to kick in, it seems. But it was like I told Chris: it was just her time. At least we made her comfy for her last couple of days. She was loved, well-fed, warm. It's still sad. Lani and Chris have been going to the local pet store daily for "fuzz therapy" since she passed. They're definitely thinking of getting another cat when they get moved into the new place, which should start this week upcoming.

And I'm going to be looking into it for my place, too. DT's never been a lone cat, Ebony's always been around. And cats being social-ish creatures, it's usually good to keep them in pairs or so. Or at least, we always have. And as much as I'd love a dog, I don't like small ones, I don't have a yard, and I can't afford one right now. Maybe soon, though. I'd love a Corgi.

Job front: no one seems to be hiring around my place in retail. Odd. But I have heard from Greensboro Day School's Director of Technology, and my interview should be scheduled for sometime next week. Yay!

let it snow?

Thursday, July 05, 2007

ZOMG :-O

Right. So. Transformers. Haaaa!!! So awesome!

Seriously. The film was fan service in a crystal glass on a silver platter next to plate full of bacon at a five star resort pool served by Chuck Norris. Beer-battered and deep-fried with a side of ranch dressing. Heh. It opened with Hasbro in big across the screen. And Peter Cullen coming on a voice-over intro. Optimus Prime! The real Optimus Prime!! Shia LaBeouf shined as Sam/Spike, he's grown as an actor since his Disney Days. And Bumblebee's car mode antics were hilarious. The only thing I didn't like was the movie didn't lend much characterization to the Decepticons. Oh, they were awesomely badass. Every one of them had their own version. Except maybe Frenzy, but he was hilarious anyway. I plan to see it again.

Hannah should be home tomorrow evening. Which means I need to bust my butt and clean the place up. Sigh. I've started a little bit. Tidied some things up in the kitchen and living room, but that whole zone of the apartment is a disaster area. And I don't have enough direct control over the room to clean it up all the way. But I can do my own room and the bathroom, at least. Bleh. I hate cleaning bathrooms. But...

Eh. It'll just be nice to have her "home" again. I've missed her.

my brown-eyed girl

Monday, July 02, 2007

So...

This weekend was good.

I've been eating far more fruits and veggies than I had before, which puts me right at recommended dosage. I've been (attempting) to cut back on the fatty/fried foods and meats with limited, but some success. Hannah even mentioned that it looked like I might have lost a little weight. I'm ok with that. I certainly feel a little better, though not being able to sleep well is cutting into the getting-in-shape-itude.

I got to see the North Carolina National Guard 440th Army Band (Chris and Hannah both being members) play on Sunday. It was an awesome show. I love live concerts like that. They played in a little town called King, which is about 15-20 minutes north of Winston-Salem on 52. It was a good crowd, and they were all the Good Old Fashioned American Rural Types. Y'know, heart-felt flag wavers and the like. So many people came up after the concert and thanked them for coming out to play and for serving the country. One number the concert band does is a suite that includes all the songs for all the branches of the military. The commanding officer of the unit introduced the song and thanked the crowd for allowing them to play, at which point an audience member called back "No, thank you!" after which there was an immediate standing ovation. Before they even played the song. It was a powerful moment. I still get moved even now just thinking about it. After the concert everybody went back to the hotel for general hanging out, and I met a few more of Hannah's unit buddies. They all seem to think really highly of me, which is awesome. I chuckle, too, because Asshat, her ex, is in the unit, too, so he gets to stew in his own juices while she gets to be happy with me and everyone likes me a whole lot more than they seem to like him. Bwahaha! One of the people I met last night apparently works for IBM.com Global Services. He seemed impressed by the way I carried myself and said to keep in touch with him, especially once I start going back to school. Networking, FTW!!!1

Today wasn't nearly as exciting. I got up a lot earlier than I would have otherwise preferred but Hannah and the rest had to get on the road to Fayetteville and Ft. Bragg. But I came home and took a nap, so it was ok in the end. I also went to Joann's and got the fabric I've been wanting for a cloak for CRF this fall. Me and The Sewing haven't seen each other since I was a freshman at East Rowan High School. Like ten years ago. So this could be very interesting. Very.

she wraps her cloak around her