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.
]]>For the second Wednesday in a row, I have had the pleasure of riding my bicycle on a new trail by my house and it feels good to be spending that much time outside again. This time I headed east instead of west and thanks to that change in direction, I have rode the entire length now. Knowing what to expect should decrease my time going forward each time I ride. Plus I am eager to see the trail get more green as we enter the month of May. At the moment the trees are just starting to bud so there is little shade and everything still looks very gray and dead. Three weeks from now I am certain that all of that will change.
I managed to exercise in some form fourteen days this month and I am pleased with that total. If I can increase my cycling to twice a week that will augment the three days a week that I spend on the elliptical machine at work to a total of five days a week where I am doing something physical. Between the two forms of exercise, I should have a solid regimen.
For
a while I have had this running joke with my wife. Whenever she asks me if I want to eat some ice
cream, I loudly reply in my best cartoon voice that I want some Chunky Monkey. This usually annoys her for a number of
reasons. First of all, we do not have
any Chunky Monkey ice cream in our freezer.
Secondly, I have never even tasted Chunky Monkey flavor ice cream. I just like shouting the name to get a rise
out of her. Now all of that has changed, because she bought me a small container of Chunky Monkey ice cream and I love it. This does not surprise me, because when I was young my menu item of choice at a local custard stand was a banana split. So ice cream that tastes like banana with chunks of fudge and walnuts mixed inside it is a sure win with me.
Thanks to online streaming sites, I managed to see three more episodes of Bleach this morning and with each new episode that I see, I become more and more impressed with the series. With all of the character development, it is easy to see why the series has lasted for eight seasons. Another strength is the ability to have a whole episode where neither of the two key characters make an appearance.
]]>Work welcomed me back last night with a quiet night and I used my down time to work on some personal projects. My primary goal was to do some serious research and planning on a trip to Russia. At this time I know that I want to see both Moscow and St. Petersburg and will probably due so with some kind of tour package, but any other details have yet to be determined.
From my casual reading, I have learned a few things that should make my journey a success. Foremost is that Russia is not nearly as dangerous as it is portrayed in the media. Yes, they have organized crime, but the Russian mafia will not be something that I have to fear when I am there. Most guides that I have read say that the average tourist will have no contact with said people and overall Russia is just as safe as most European countries.
Another detail that jumped out at me is the fact that I should not drink the water in Russia and once again I am comfortable with that statement. Purchasing and drinking bottled water is something that I do quite often when I am abroad. This is nothing out of the ordinary for me. As an ancillary, I have mentally prepared myself that the hotel accommodations might not be up to Western standards. This is something that I expected.
Finally, I am hoping to bring back some unique souvenirs from Russia. I want something that is distinctly Russian, be it an article of clothing or something written in Russian. For example, I am proud to own as many volumes of manga that I do that were purchased while I was there.
Speaking of things Japanese, I was able to watch the final two episodes of the anime series Full Metal Panic and I have to say that I liked it. I probably won't start watching the sequel, because I want to devote all of my viewing time to Bleach. With eight seasons, there is plenty of story for me to enjoy and I would rather not cloud the waters, but watching something else at the same time. To further my cause, I purchased about ten episode on eBay for my viewing pleasure. Even though all of the episodes can be streamed online, there are time when I prefer to see something in a larger format and at my leisure. I also enjoy the special features that come with the packaged discs.
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