« J'aime la magie » || "I love magic"

I saw Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix last night. I was pretty well pleased. I felt that this installment rang true to its book bound counterpart better than any of the others. Granted, I was upset going into the movie knowing that all the Quidditch (including Ron's debut as Keeper) had been cut from the film altogether, as well as the usual inconsistencies due to time allotment. But overall, it didn't detract from the storyline. I was very pleased however that the film retained some minor aspects that just gave the books their spark. For instance, I loved Hermione's line from the book regarding Ron having "the emotional range of a teaspoon". I was delighted when Emma Watson quipped the line in the film. There were numerous other instances of book-to-film direct adaptation. For me, these small trifles were what made the movie legit. So all in all, I was happy with the finished product.

Another honorable mention would be the soundtrack. It got horrible reviews on amazon.com, yet during the film, I recall being really drawn in by several of the scores. After obtaining a copy for myself, despite warnings from critics, I must confess that I don't quite know where they're coming from. The music is once again a different style, as it is once again a different composer. While the critics do lament that OotP composer Nicholas Hooper is a small improvement over Patrick Doyle's work for GoF, they nonetheless are slanderous in their critiques. Personally, I found Doyle's work a great degree different from John Williams obviously. But "Harry In Winter" spoke to me in a way that a musical score had not in a great while, thus compelling me to investigate the rest of the album. And now I listen to it frequently. Granted, it took a little more time to grow on me than Williams' scores ("Window to the Past" was a instant soul-seeker)
but in time, I came to enjoy it as well. Similarly, Hooper's music requires a little tweaking of the ear. But while Doyle's work had a flare of its own that reached beyond the gates of Hogwarts at times, Hooper's scores just sound like Harry Potter. There's no denying that. True, it takes a trained ear to appreciate the deep, more quieter, less abrasive style, but when you do, it fits the darker theme of the movie just fine.

Anywho, ow I eagerly (like so many others) await the release of the book. I plan to barricade myself in my room for a day and read. While it's sad than the series has come to an end, I can't help but feel a little relief. It's a weird personal quirk I have, but when I something that I really care about or love suddenly becomes a "craze" or the "it" thing (which has happened so many times) it gets to me. Suddenly the world is filled with lunatic people who claim to be "the biggest fans" and obsessed and stuff. Which is fine, but what I hate is that it somehow manifests this culture... that I can't really explain. It just annoys me. It's because I care too much about it to see it become that way.

In the meantime, I'm browsing every gaming outlet site for competitive prices on the OotP game for PS2. Although also receiving some harsh criticism, I've heard a lot of good things about it as well. I'm not one to take advice from the critics anyways. I expect I'll have my copy of the came before the weekend runs out...

Quelle chance! || What luck!

I still can't believe it. Everything that I've dreamed of is happening.

2 months ago while up at school, I fell in love with the Lion King Musical soundtrack. It got me through finals week. From there, it grew to something more.

The music moved me in a way I cannot explain. I decided from then on that I had to see this show for myself. Some day. Somehow.

That day, that how... has come. Two weeks after my discovery of this amazing masterpiece, I stumbled across a billboard. The Lion King Musical was coming to St. Louis!

It's fate. Or maybe just luck. I don't know-- I don't believe in either. But I don't care. The point is, this is my chance.

I've obsessed over it since then, off and on. I never thought my dad would approve of me spending so much money on such a thing. I was afraid he wouldn't understand. In fact, if I didn't have such a good paying job, he probably wouldn't have been so "understanding."

So it was on baited breath this evening that I asked him if I could use my credit card to order tickets. To my astonishment, no objection whatsoever.

After much leaping with joy, I purchased my tickets tonight. I'm so happy! I'm finally getting to see the remarkable show that has captivated millions... just as the movie and music have captured my heart and imagination.

I thought I was lucky enough with scoring tickets to TLK... but it gets better. Unbelievably better.

I've been toying a lot lately with the idea of studying abroad. In France. I never thought my parents would approve. My dad especially. I thought I'd casually throw it out as "something that might be cool one day" during the ride home from dinner.

Then my dad... was okay with it. Not just "okay", but all for it if I find a program that's as reasonable as my regular tuition (which isn't that uncommon). I was astonished. I still am. Part of me thinks I'm going to wake up tomorrow and none of today will really have happened.

But Oh My God! I might actually be going to France! Something I've wanted to do my whole life. Something I never thought would actually happen... might actually happen.

Like the Lion King, but a much larger scale.

Maybe I should press my dad more often. Who knows?

le couche-tard || night owl

Sorry, I haven't blogged in awhile. I've been busy... doing absolutely nothing. In all honesty, I haven't done anything exciting. I've just been pre-occupied with my own hobbies, I suppose. My website is back up and running again, as I've been devoting a lot of my freetime to tinkering with that. I've missed it. Summer gives me plenty of freetime, and the website gives me plenty to do with that freetime that would otherwise be spent bored. Not to mention, I've freed up even more time now that I've finished season 1 of Boston Legal. I owe a lot to that show. It makes me complete. And at the same time, I crave for more. I suppose that's life though... are we ever really satisfied? We can say we are, but there's always something...

Anways, I've finally had a breakthrough with job hunting I think. I had a series of interviews the other day with Wal-mart (glorious, no?) that went extraordinarily well. I have to go through their drug testing procedure tomorrow, which I don't foresee as being much of a deterrent. Then hopefully, I'll be working as of next week. It's actually a pretty sweet deal. Full-time position as an overnight cashier. Now I know those words scare people off, but let's think about this: 1. how many people come through at wal-mart at 3am? there's a reason they only have one register open. = easy pickins for me 2. hours that scare people off = more pay. we're talking 8.15 an hour. not bad. 3. that's a lot of hours + that's a lot of money = well, you do the math. it never was my favorite thing.

So all in all, things are taking a turn for the better. At that rate, my dad even said I'd make enough in a month's time to be able to quit early and have the last half of my summer off, but I've decided to see how this all plays out before I make any calls. Besides, the extra money wouldn't hurt, and there are a lot of things I need/want right now.

The hilarity of the situation is that I'm up until at least 2am and sometimes as much as 4am every night anyways. With this job, I'm getting paid to be up and about when I normally am anyways.

ces cadeaux || these gifts

I hate birthdays. Just mine. Everyone else's is fine. Well, ok, I don't absolutely loathe them, I suppose. I just don't like to make a big deal of them. I don't like to make a big deal out of myself.

However, I actually found myself looking forward to this one. My family was out of town all weekend and it would be just myself and my two best friends romping about and having free run of my house. What more can you ask for? Well, other things, but they would all just be icing on the no-pun-intended-cake. (Really, I didn't plan that out.)

So we kicked things off on Friday by seeing the news Pirates of the Caribbean movie. The movie was alright; I must admit, I was a tad disappointed. I had expected them to do more with the whole merging of the pirate lords deal, which really didn't amount to much. And I'm sorry, but the ending for Will and Elizabeth... I won't give anything away, but seriously? Seriously? I think my favorite was actually Barbosa. Sparrow was alright; but seemed off from his older self. Anyways, not a bad movie, but the first one still remains a far favorite.

But the best part of the movie was the viewing experience itself. My friends and I decided to sacrifice ourselves to our crappy cinema here in town in order to save a buck or two on tickets from the nicer theatre (not to mention, gas money) since it's in St. Louis. The screening room we were in was so hot, and since it had been cold and rainy all day long, I was wearing more than enough layers (as I always do). Halfway through the movie, Nick turns me and says, "Did you feel that?" I was about to answer "no" when I felt something wet smack against my neck. I instantly whirled around, expecting to see some jr. high punk with a straw full of spit wads. Nothing. I turned around only to have it happen twice more. A few minutes later, Nick and I deduced the source of our problem-- the ceiling was dripping directly onto the back of my seat and it was splashing on us. We lost it. I mean, we busted out into silent laughter. Heather, on my other side kept asking what was so funny, but we were too far gone to even answer. A minute or two later she whirls on me and whispers loudly, "Did you just spit on me?", assuming that was the reason why were laughing. This in turn, only suceeded in Nick and I laughing even harder. So I spent the movie getting the immersion experience; it rained on the screen... it rained on my head. But it was worth it, because it was rather hysterical when Heather offered me her umbrella during the movie. The looks I would have gotten...

On Sunday, we went to the zoo. Rain was in the forecast all day, so we were caught from time to time by showers. Still, it was enjoyable. At one point, a bunch of us had gathered under a pavillion to avoid the rain. As did a peacock. It snuck up on this lady and freaked the hell out of her. But it was great. I'd never been so close to a wild peacock before.

Afterwards, we dined at the Pasta House-- my favorite restaurant in the world! Really. Their lasagna is my love. I like eating there because it makes me feel classier than a McDonald's-eating poor college student. And I love lasagna.

The food was good, the waiters cute, and there was "the incident" as it will later come to be known. The three of us were deep in conversation about non-existant dreams of starring in a direct-to-video movie when I noticed the manager standing a foot away from the table watching us. He just kept staring and Heather kept talking. Nick noticed a man standing an inch away on him and hunched close to his salmon fillet. Our conversation hit a lull and the man pardoned himself for the "interuption" and asked how the food was. Of course, I had no idea what he had actually said... I just heard "mmfhgjdod". I'm thankful Heather understood him and gave an answer or else the awkward would have really been prolonged. Nick had no idea what the man had said either, and he was probably closest. After he left, we all had a nice good laugh. I was still chuckling 10 minutes later after everyone had moved on. It was just funny because it was so awkward and none of us knew what was going on.

The best part was the drive home. I'd been driving all day and was getting rather tired of the road, especially after having gotten horribly lost while trying to get back from the zoo and winding up in a completely different city. We had actually reached our own city limits around 9:30pm and were almost back into town. I was just driving as normal and noticed a car in the turn lane that wanted to turn in front of us in order to get to a neighborhood across our two lanes. I watched it as we got a bit closer, half-expecting them to pull out in front of me. I was also half-wondering if there had always been a turn line up this far. That's when I realized it. The car wasn't in a turn lane.... it was in our lane. Coming directly at us.

Instinct kicked in (I'm not sure, but I think it was before the shouting-- I know Heather screamed after I swerved the car over). Fortunately, there was no one in the other lane and I was able to act quick. But the hilarious part is the car kept going. I don't know if they even realized they were on the wrong side. Checking my mirror and seeing several cars coming behind us, I wished I had laid on the horn, but my thoughts had been focused on getting us out of the way. I don't how far the car kept going until they realized their rather critical error.

So it was a weekend of excitement to be sure. I've toasted to a grand new year with a bottle of Welch's red sparking grape juice-- hey, it makes me feel special. 2 more years....

So here's to another year of great times, great people, and God only knows what else. Because it's these things, these little "gifits" that make each year worth living to see the next one.

le raisonnement de la raison || the reasoning of the reason

I have never believed in luck, chance, fortune. Given my "luck" if you will, I shouldn't be expected to either. However, it is not through contempt that I harbor ill feelings against luck. In fact, it's not contemptuous at all. I just simply don't believe in it.

To be precise, I suppose more than luck, it's actually coincidence that I have no faith in. You see, it has always been my philosophy-- no, more than that really-- my whole mentaility, that never happens by chance or accident.

Now, I don't put stock in "fate" or "pre-determined actions" or anything like that, which sounds contradictary I realize. But that's not to say I don't believe in destiny. My take on that is that we are not fated to one thing or another without a choice, but rather that we all have a purpose or intended path that we are capable of taking upon ourselves, and the decision to do so lies within each of us. Therefore, even destiny lies within our ability and right to choose.

And as it has been said, it our choices, far more than our abilities, that make us who we are. Or will be. As long as we have that choice, even fate doesn't stand a chance against us.

It has always been my opinion-- at least for as long as I've been able-minded enough to have opinions on such matters (for me, the young age of 12 or so)-- that everything happens for a reason. There is no chance, no mere coincedence. These things were meant to happen, for reasons that we cannot always understand, and some of which we never will, and perhaps will never be meant to. But there is a reason for it all.

le weekend planifie || weekend plans

I can't wait for the weekend. This week is dragging so far... and it's only been Monday. I didn't even get up until 1 o'clock, but it still felt endless. Not bad-endless... just like, "I wish it were Wednesday or Thursday" kind of endless. See, my parents have their annual Memorial Day Weekend camping trip this weekend. Which means, I get the house to myself... for not only two and a half days, but more like 3 and a half days. (Thank you, war veterans-- with all due respect, of course.) Monday also happens to be -- by a stroke of... something-- a birthday. So I get to be home alone for an extended weekend of which my birthday is a part of. Totally sweet.

Friday night, my two best friends and I are planning on seeing Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, which looks totally sweet. I saw the preview last week when we saw Spiderman 3 and I decided then and there that this would be a great addition to our fun-filled weekend.

Sunday, we're going to the St. Louis Zoo, which I am most excited about. I love penguins. I love the zoo. And it'll be another great opportunity for photos.

That's all I've got planned really so far, but that's off to a great start for us, the people who never have anything planned in advance. I'm making sure not to waste this weekend of opportunities though.

I'm hoping for a great weekend. And a few opportunities to come. If not this weekend, I can wait. I've be waiting for awhile.

Je ne peux pas le croire ! || I can't believe my luck!

So, my friends and I were exploring a corner of downtown St. Louis last night, as we tend to do with ourselves when we get bored. Heather discovered a coffee shop she wanted to try (it was alright-- we could've done better, I think) Nonetheless, it was cool to out on the patio. Afterwards, we explored the area a bit, it being one of the nicer parts of the city.

Anyways, point of my story... on the way home, while defying death while merging into the required lanes and battling fellow commuters for rights to exit ramps, I saw it... a billboard proclaiming the triumphant return of 7-time Tony Award winner The Lion King Musical, coming to the St. Louis Fox Theatre in June.

Now, had I been the one driving, I would have veered off the ramp in excitement. Being a passenger, I merely started shouting and jumping up and down in my seat, squealing with delight.

This is crazy, because not two weeks ago, during finals week, I had downloaded the Lion King Original Cast Recording soudntrack. It has been on non-stop repeat on my iPod ever since (for those of you who have been reading my blog regularly thus far, you've seen the recently listened to tracks in the left panel-- you know what I'm talking about.) From then on, I decided that I MUST see this show, if it ever came my way.

And now, through some strange twist of fate... it IS! I can't believe my luck! Seriously, I just keep sitting here in complete and utter disbelief. And obsession. Oh yes, obsession.

I am such a huge Lion King fan, for one. I own all the movies, which I still watch several times each year. And the soundtracks are to die for. The musical soundtrack is just amazing, because most of the songs from the movies are taken from the stage.

I'm going to convince my parents to let me get tickets and go. I CAN'T miss this opportunity that I have been waiting for for four years!


I just can't wait... to see the Lion King Musical!