I have a confession to make about what I suspect for many people is a childhood reading favorite. I have never read any of the Chronicles of Narnia books. Oh, I have a vague knowledge of the characters from the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. For example, I know the four British schoolchildren, Aslan the talking lion and the white witch. I also remember seeing a television production at some time or another, but I have yet to read any of the actual books themselves. It wasn't as though I never had access to the books, because I know that my brother was very fond of the series and spoke highly of it many times. Somehow I never found the time to spend some time with this world.
Despite an incomplete knowledge of Narnia, this did not stop me from seeing the latest movie version of Prince Caspian last night and generally speaking I enjoyed it. Both the costumes and the scenery in the film were perfect. I could not have imagined a better setting and or look for such a story. There were times when the computer generated centaurs made me wince, but overall, it was visually pleasing. I didn't have time to read all of the credits, but I was positive that none of the outdoor scenes were filmed in Britain, because glacial blue rivers do not exist there. Then when I did get my answer online, I was not shocked to see that New Zealand was the true setting for the magical kingdom.
Sadly, as much as I enjoyed the scenery of the movie, I felt almost nothing for any of the characters and wonder if I am alone in this view. As an adult, I knew long before the ending arrived that the four children would be victorious and am curious as to whether a younger viewer may not be as confident in such knowledge. Maybe there is enough of a story there to pull them along. I am uncertain if that is true or not. So with the ending being more of a given for me then anything else, I was hoping that I would come to appreciate the children more than I did. From my point of view, they just did what they did, because they felt that they had to do it. Suddenly four average British schoolchildren were seen as kings and queens wielding swords and bows. Part of me knows that this is standard stuff of fantasy, but at the same time, I felt as though I were being cheated. Maybe the learning curve for them happens in the first book so any explanation of that transformation would be seen as repetitious?
Finally, I have to wonder if the makers of the movie were trying to compete on some level with the Lord of Rings impact in terms of combat sequences. Both my wife and her friend felt the movie was mostly fighting with some talking animals mixed in here and there for comedic relief.
Still sweaty from a late morning bike ride and a casual walk around my subdivision where I took some photos, I feel good. Everything is beginning to turn green around here and there is a second showing this Saturday for my old condo. This showing is for someone who liked the place last year, but did not have an offer on their place then. Oh, dare I hope that an offer will be made on my place now? If I could sell the place now, then I could enjoy the summer without that being in the back of my mind all of the time.
Last night I had a wonderful geek moment and spread about three months worth of comic book across the floor of the office. Naturally as I sorted through them to make sure that they were in my database, I took some time to read more than a few of them again. Personal favorites include Fables, Legion of Super-Heroes, Red Sonja, Scalped and of course Superman. I am looking forward to James Robinson taking over the writing chores on Superman. His creation Starman years ago brought me much reading pleasure.
Two groups of Canadian geese seem to like the open field across from my place and I have no idea why. What I do know is that I hear them honking every morning.
On a much lighter note from the other day, I have to say that I am slowly warming up to the new companion on Doctor Who. Both Rose and Martha were strong characters that complimented David Tennant's Timelord quite nicely. Donna is more of a humorous approach and that takes some adjustment on my part. I can understand that the writers wanted to avoid another possible romantic entanglement, so they needed to set some distance between The Doctor and his latest companion, but why not go with a male companion then?
A nagging thought in the back of my mind. Unfinished business. Something that I can not escape. A monkey on my back. The elephant in the room. How can I properly describe how I feel about having to pay two mortgages, because my old condo will not sell? I do not think that any of those phrases quite capture how often I think about this problem. I am not physically suffering, but the financial burden is having a psychological effect on me that I do not enjoy. People tell me that the housing market is bad. My real estate people tell me that the market is bad. My family tells me that the market is bad. The news constantly tells me that the market is bad. Knowing this to be true makes me feel only a little better. I still do not like this feeling of helplessness.
Suddenly I have become the prisoner of strangers. Their whims and opinions affect my life. What they say has some importance to me. Will someone decide to purchase what I once called home? When? Why is it taking so long? Should I lower the price? Should I become a landlord and rent it out? If I chose the rent option, then at least someone else would be paying the mortgage for me. Decisions to make and options to explore. Will I be able to enjoy the summer with these thoughts in my head?
Having this burden is an anchor that drags the rest of my life to a crawl and I want it to go away as soon as possible. That is my wish. That is my desire. That is my hope. That is my plea.
Yesterday, I managed to obtain an interesting cross-section of songs to add to my collection. They ranged from Tori Amos to Snow Patrol with some Michelle Branch and Oasis also in the mix. I like both Tori and Snow Patrol, but did not get their most recent releases so I was happy to get these songs that had been out for a while. This is not unusual for me at all. I tend to linger when it comes to new music purchases. If I remember correctly, the last album that I purchased immediately upon release was Magic by Bruce Springsteen. I am not sure if I would call myself a completist, but I do own at least six of his discs so I guessed that I would like at least half of the songs on it. That was my hope when I bought it. Overall, I have to say that it is not his best effort, but I am not angry about buying it and know that I listen to it from time to time. In fact, at this moment it is in my car along with Girlfriend by Matthew Sweet, The Delays' Faded Seaside Glamour and the debut album Finally Woken by Jem. I try to rotate through my music collection as often as I can. I have not made the jump to an iPod and any other form of mp3 player for my car, but I like to keep a small handful of music discs inside my car at all times.
Jason Aaron with his writing on the Vertigo title Scalped has filled the void left by Y The Last Man as a must read for me every month. Of the eight issues that I own, I have yet to read a bad issue. Each and every installment of the story of life on an Indian reservation leaves me wanting more so I end up going to online auctions to complete the current run. I love the characters, I love the art and hope that it lasts as long as Y did or at least another couple of years.
