beyond the wide world's end

Pompeii was actually really good and as a trained classicist I have no idea how to deal with this. I'M SO CONFUSED. Also I think it might be more historically accurate than Gladiator? (I really hate Gladiator, though, so take that with a grain of salt.)

Lots of lingering on Kit Harington's glistening abs and some absolutely lovely brutal fighting. Also, more than one female character? Who interacted with each other? I think it might have actually passed Bechdel, but I could be wrong.

Obviously it starts in Britannia, because I'm pretty sure there's some unwritten rule that every sword-and-sandals book or movie must interact with Britannia at some point; there was a historical inaccuracy that pinged immediately because the Romans don't hang people in trees, that's a Germanic thing, and some other minor stuff (pretty sure that Milo wouldn't have been called the Celt. Or Milo, which I think is Greek), but it was a lot of fun and very flashy and surprisingly touching and I just have no idea how to deal with the fact that I liked it, because I was prepared to (a) hate it or (b) be bored stiff.

They did leave out what I always think of as the most horrific part of the eruption, which is funny, because it's actually the bit they quoted at the beginning -- the calm in the midst of the storm.

For a while I thought they'd gotten the emperor wrong, but I checked the dates, and it was Titus, not Domitian, who was emperor then.

( spoilers )

I'M JUST SO CONFUSED. Like, I'm not saying it's the most historically accurate movie about Rome ever put out, because HA HA NO, but...I was expecting it to be awful and horrendously inaccurate and it was neither. And I really enjoyed it. And I'm so confused about that.

I am back in the United States! I was, oh god, in transit for twenty-four hours again -- well, I was up for more than twenty-four hours, I was in transit for about twenty-two. OH JOY. A semi flipped over on I-90 eastbound, so the shuttles were delayed. We stopped to pick up the passengers that had been stranded in North Bend when they closed the Pass for about three hours to clear the road (the other shuttle took the Yakima-bound passengers, we took the Ellensburg-bound passengers), and then the girls sitting behind me started talking about how this was their worst travel experience ever, their trip took eight hours instead of two, which, okay, BUT...ladies, have I got some stories to tell you about terrible travel experiences. But at this point it was late enough that I was too exhausted to make poor conversational decisions, thankfully (it was about eleven pm, a.k.a., wow, it is like five in the morning in England).

...but I did eventually make it back home. Weirdly, this is the second time coming back from England that the shuttle has been delayed or cancelled and the five o'clock shuttle has had it much worse than the eight o'clock, which is what I've been taking because of when the BA flight from Heathrow gets in. My actual travel experience getting from Leicester to Seattle was relatively painless except for the nine and a half hour flight, but even that wasn't too bad. I mean, for a nine and a half hour flight that was delayed by about an hour. I read my book, started my other book, watched Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (verdict: violent, way incestuous which I'm obviously into, but I'm strongly side-eyeing the part where they have to violently murder all the (female) witches) and Rise of the Guardians (verdict: whoa, I loved it, which really surprised me because I didn't expect to. The last time I watched an animated movie on the plane it was Up and I kind of hated Up. But Rose of the Guardians did some things that I really loved and I want to see it again).

Presumably because I spent all of yesterday hauling my suitcase around England and America, I woke up this morning and my arms were killing me. Have been killing me all day, although less so now. I'm sure my wrist problems don't help (I was in mild agony at a couple points yesterday because I had no options for doing anything for them aside from some stretches and sitting there weeping), but given that the pain is not focused on my wrists and I put in that much effort, I feel fairly safe in saying it's not related.

I started reading The Fellowship of the Ring on the plane and, because I haven't reread LotR in over ten years, I forgot that I used to have the hugest fictional character crush on book!Merry. He was probably my third book crush (after Odysseus and Jack Clayton/Korak). That part at the beginning where the Sackville-Bagginses are all, "You're not a Baggins, you -- you're a Brandybuck!" to Frodo and Frodo says, "Did you hear that Merry? That was an insult, if you like." "It was a compliment," said Merry Brandybuck, "and so, of course, not true." MERRY <3 <3 <3 I haven't read these in so long, I forgot that Merry was actually the sensible caretaking one in the books. (I love the movies, but man, I can't see Dom Monaghan's Merry here at all, though I'm not that far into it, so we'll see.)

Er, and the main point of this post is: I am back at home! Home is weird. All the cars are wrong and on the wrong side of the road and I keep saying "pounds" instead of "dollars" and then getting frustrated.

(Oh, also my parents sold the car they told me they bought for me last year. "Honey, we bought you a car! Oh, you can't use it because your father is using it. Oh, you can use it. Oh, by the way, we traded in the Corolla for a Camry." "...so you told me you bought me a car (sort of as a graduation present) and now you no longer have said car. This is really making me rethink coming home for a year off because now I just want to stay in England (not because of the car thing).")

Today we went to the new Cabela's in Yakima and I walked in and kind of froze because walking into a Cabela's is sort of like walking into a giant cliche of American machismo, which is...kind of a big culture shock after having been in England for the past six months, can I just say.

It says something about the world, and about Hollywood, that I can watch a movie about Manly Men Doing Manly Things (In Roman Britain) and spend the whole movie going, "Oooh, there's a woman fighter -- HOLY SHIT THERE ARE TWO WOMEN FIGHTERS -- HOLY CRAP THERE ARE THREE WOMEN IN THIS MOVIE -- OH MY GOD THERE ARE FOUR WOMEN IN THIS MOVIE." (Actually, more than four, but the others are background characters.) Along with, "Holy crap, is that something vaguely resembling historical accuracy? Is this a Roman garrison that includes non-white characters? MORE THAN ONE? And it's not a big plot point?" ( spoiler )

Also, for some reason I kept thinking Michael Fassbender was Damian Lewis, so that was extremely weird. Although now I want to see Damian Lewis in a Roman period movie, so there's that.

So I saw Snow White & the Huntsman! And it was good. Very pretty, in a Guillermo del Toro sort of way. Kristen Stewart was totally fierce, it was awesome. So was Charlize Theron.

isweedan described it as a story where "Snow White is Caspian but with Jadis as the enemy," and I've seen Ravenna (the Evil Queen) described as a cross between Cate Blanchett's Galadriel and Tilda Swinton's White Witch, so I went in thinking of the story that way, but I came out thinking it could also work really well as genderswapped girl!Caspian with the Lady of the Green Kirtle showing up a generation early, since I got more LotGK off Ravenna than White Witch. I mean, if we're making Narnia comparisons. (And for that matter, Noah Huntley, who played fully-grown Peter in LWW, plays King Magnus, Snow White's dad.)

( spoilers )

We got The Bourne Legacy trailer before the movie, and my one real thought was: "This is either (a) how Hawkeye was recruited or (b) the AU where Clint has a similar backstory to Natasha. OR BOTH." And now I want all the crossovers despite the fact the movie hasn't even come out yet.

My smalltown movie theatre still has The Hunger Games, which I thought went out of theatres weeks ago. I kind of want to see it again; maybe I will. I do want to see The Avengers ago; my dad and I might go tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who celebrate it. I have a lot of things to be thankful for, one of which is that I won't be working retail tomorrow the way my friend Chicago is.

I am thankful for all of you, the people who live on the Internet and listen to me talk about my life, who listen to me tell stories, who talk to me about your lives and tell me your stories. Sometime this school year is my ten year anniversary in fandom and I am, as strikes me every few months, very, very grateful that I walked into this world and stayed here, because it changed my life for the better and I can never regret that.

Happy Thanksgiving.

*

I went to Chicago's house for Thanksgiving -- her mom came down and they invited me over (for pulled pork, not turkey). I made mini-pumpkin pies (in muffin tins) and dinner rolls and hand-whipped spiced whipped cream. I made everything from scratch, short of buying a pumpkin and roasting it, by hand since I don't have a hand-mixer or a food processor or a stand mixer (okay, I have a small, crappy food processor that I hardly ever use because of how small and crappy it is), and the thing I am proudest of is that damn whipped cream. BECAUSE I WHIPPED IT. BY HAND. WITH A WHISK.

And I don't even like whipped cream.

This is what I made, by the way. My dinner roll recipe is from Love Soup. (Yeah, I own a book called Love Soup that is full of (vegetarian) soup recipes and the only things I've made from it are the dinner rolls and the molasses oatmeal bread. But the dinner rolls are amazing.)

I've got leftovers galore; it's a good thing my roommates are gone because I've co-opted Alaska's shelf in the fridge. I've got leftover pie crust; I might pick up blackberries tomorrow from Whole Foods and make blackberry pie, or I might just stick it in the freezer until something comes up.

Also we watched Water for Elephants! Which is actually quite good, I really do recommend it. RPattz can act, y'all. Also, elephant.

Today I had an ineptshieldmaid and a cursor_mundi all day! It was fabulous, and also I ate out more than I have the rest of the time I've been in England put together, although I did just barely keep myself from buying anything that wasn't food. We also went to the Polar Museum. I have this thing about the Franklin Expedition, due to this exhibit in the Wax Museum in Victoria, so that was cool.

Yesterday, Harry Potter! It was also fabulous. ( cut for brief spoilers )

I just came back from an entire day without returning to Newnham House, and I returned to find the rest of my program watching a movie in the empty room next to mine. So I put my head in, to say hello, and they said they were watching Gladiator. MY FEELINGS TOWARDS GLADIATOR ARE A LITTLE INTENSE, so I said the first thing which popped into my head, which was, "I hate Gladiator, I'm next door and I was wondering what the hell was going on," and then left. I...probably should have added something else. Um. Oh well. But I really do hate Gladiator.

In other news, I have finally had scones with jam and clotted cream. I enjoyed it! And now I have found a tea shop I like very much. (Which is cheaper than some of the other options.)

...and now I am trying to find flights to New Orleans so I can, you know, return to school, and they appear to not exist for the actual day on which I need to arrive (August 28). Wait. Why am I finding them on the United site but not the Continental site, even though they're Continental flights? No, wait, I'm finding them, they're just more expensive so they're in weird places on the page. Damn. Jesus, the idea of getting another plane is making me vaguely nauseous, especially since they're all through IAH and that's a four hour flight. I WANT TO GO THROUGH DENVER. WHY ARE THERE NO FLIGHTS THROUGH DENVER? (Or no convenient ones, anyway.) I really don't understand why airline websites don't allow you to search by arrival day.

Grandma and her boyfriend came over today, and I was the only one home when they arrived, so I did the social thing, then made rolls (from scratch! with yeast!) for dinner, which took up most of the day. (The social thing, not the rolls.) Only I'd been sick this morning, so I was still feeling fragile for most of the day, so, eh.

*

Started a toe-up sock with the intent of using up leftover skeins of sock yarn, which, (a) at least I have conquered the toe-up sock (or at least that specific cast-on) but (b) the reason I don't knit plain socks is because I get really bored really fast. I've never knit a non-lace sock, you know? I need at least a minimum of some kind of pattern. Also, I don't have a scale, so I have no idea how much yarn I actually have leftover when I finish a pair of socks or a shawl. It seems like a decent amount, but hey, who knows? So, guessing.

I may just rip out the scrap sock, wind the skein of yarn I have earmarked for Dionysus, and cast on for that. At some point I guess I should figure out what the hell I want to do with all the balls of leftover sock yarn. (It really is almost exclusively sock yarn, too, since socks and shawls are all I knit, except for cotton washcloths.)

*

I have now finally seen The Terminator for the first time ever. With the commentary of my grandmother, her boyfriend, and my father...and, sadly, the fact I know the canon better than them, since I saw the entire run of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and also a lot of vids. (OH FANDOM.)

I totally want to rewatch T:SCC now. God, I loved that show. DAMN YOU FOX. *shakes fist* I can't believe you scrapped that for Dollhouse, of all the damned things. (Gods, that was a bad year, I think three of my favorite shows got cancelled all in the same year. I was convinced Fringe was going to follow. What was the other one, I can't remember. The Unit, T:SCC, and something else I was seriously in love with? Oh, Life. OH LIFE.)

*

I am kind of tired. And also at that point where I am (a) between knitting projects and (b) between books. And feeling aggrieved because I didn't get to go to the library this weekend.

*

(You know, I'm kind of ready to go back to Tulane (I miss having classes, okay), but I'm terrified of going to England. HI. RIGHT NOW I AM FEELING COMPLETELY READY TO SKIP OVER THE MONTH OF JULY AND GO STRAIGHT ON TO AUGUST. Only I haven't done any of the stuff I meant to do this summer. I haven't even made pasta dough, and that wasn't even on my list of scholarly things to do.)

My reaction to seeing Vanity Fair for the first time (also I haven't read the book) can best be summed up with "What the actual fuck?" and also "Oh my god, James Purefoy in uniform, I want to climb you like a tree," which I guess answers the question of whether I still find men attractive or not. But mostly "what the actual fucking fuck?"

(I don't watch any period films. Is that typical?)

Sadly I could mostly only recognize Reese Witherspoon and James Purefoy and kept getting confused about who the hell everyone else was because I wasn't as familiar with their faces, so that was also exciting. It was a case of "is this Amelia? Is this Jane? Have they invented another character? who is Professor Kirke playing in this movie? am I supposed to know this guy in uniform?" (My facial recognition skills, as good as ever.) Along with the ever popular, "So which king of England is this?" (One of the Georges, right? My dad and I finally agreed that we are Americans, we got a revolution right here that says we don't have to know that.)

No, seriously. What the fuck?

Academic fail: I just tried to start my Shakespeare paper with the words "Edmund Spenser." Yeah, no. (Not even in a relevant way, as in "Edmund Spenser's play Measure for Measure." AS IN I FORGOT SHAKESPEARE WROTE SHAKESPEARE.)

Although on that note, yes, I've seen the trailer for Anonymous, it makes me inordinately angry. As my Shakespeare professor says, "Well, the reason Edward de Vere couldn't have written Shakespeare is because he DIED in 1604, and Shakespeare kept publishing until 1616, and his work from that period is, you know, relevant to the period. So unless the zombie Earl of Oxford was writing poetry, it is HIGHLY UNLIKELY.



Anyway, here is the trailer, which of course raises the question of, "Huh, Roland Emmerich gave up destroying the world in order to make a movie about a bloke who totally was not Shakespeare?" (Or as I said last semester, when we read Christopher Marlowe so that we could compare the two, "He's a good writer and all, but I have read Shakespeare, and you, sir, are NO WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE.") Also, is it just me, or is it possible to read Edward de Vere/Queen Elizabeth in that trailer?

I have no excuse for the Spenser thing, though. *slinks off*

Warning: apparently I was a lot more tied to the book than I originally thought.

( Voyage of the Dawn Treader SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS )

BRING ON THE SILVER CHAIR. That one already has an action plot, surely you can't add in another one? Please don't try.

( ETA: a few further thoughts, also spoilery )