Randomness from the Past Week

[quasigeostrophy]

aliciar went home today. I took her to the airport around 8am. I miss her already. It was a lovely week, spending time with her and computerchix. I even tried to disappear for a while on Saturday so the two of them could have some time, and I got a lot of reading done then. We watched a lot of movies on DVD (X2, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Extended), Lara Croft - Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, Dave, etc.) and VHS (Siesta and episodes of James Burke's The Day the Universe Changed) and just sort of hung out - very low-key and nice.

While Al was here, since Toni had to work quite a bit, she helped me catch up on several things around the house. Got a rack of shelves hung on the pantry door. Hung a picture of her and Toni, the lovely painting she gave me for Yule, a shadow box Toni's dad made for me for my mementos of the Death Valley century bike ride from 2002, and a new cabinet in the downstairs bathroom.

Yesterday, Al helped me log another room's books into our Readerware database. The only major chunk still to be catalogued is the library itself. And what a chunk that's going to be.

Didn't get back to see The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King as a group again, but oh well. Toni and I might try this weekend or later this week, and it might still be playing in Bristol when I visit Al there near the end of the month. Anyway, I'd been waiting to post a review until I saw it again, but I don't want to forget a couple of the things that stood out. I don't know if it's from reading too many of the Very Secret Diaries and the like or what, but I thought (and Toni and Al concurred) this one went waaaay beyond subtext in the implication of sexual relationships between the hobbits. The other item was sillier - in the Battle of the Pellenor Fields, when the Rohirrim first ride into the ranks of orcs, my first thought was: "This is why cavalry is almost always better than infantry." And then, not much later, there was a great establishing shot with the Rohirrim and orcs embroiled in chaos and the much taller oliphants were arriving on the field. My next thought dredged up a reference from Monty Python's Flying Circus, specifically the 'Archaeology Today' sketch wherein Michael Palin's character sees Sir Robert (John Cleese) get taller again after his assistant leaps up on his shoulders: "Eleven foot six - damn you!" :-)

Comments

[circumspectly.livejournal.com]

I thought (and Toni and Al concurred) this one went waaaay beyond subtext in the implication of sexual relationships between the hobbits

really? i guess i just don't see it at all...or i just don't "get" it. what made you think so? i'm just curious, yanno.

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

Hopefully, I'm remembering the right parts (this is why I need to see it again)... Wen Merry and Pippin are separated, it seemed to go a little farther than just close friendship; the way they all bounced around on Frodo's bed in Minas Tirith after he and Sam are rescued from Mt. Doom; and at the Grey Havens, when Frodo kisses Sam farewell, we thought he was going right in for a big ol' smooch on the lips.

Thinking about it, I can see where we may just be taking it too far, but, as I said in the original post, that could be because we have twisted senses of humour and couldn't stop thinking of stuff like the Very Secret Diaries during our first viewing of the film. :-)