Of All the Things to Do with Legos...

Why didn't I think of this?

My favorite by far is the Job series. The lego sheep and camels are EXCELLENT!

And is it me, or is Job from the Star Wars set? And I think Satan might be Snape from the Lego HP set.

5 Random Things

In no particular order:

1. Harry, A History - This was a really nice look back at the past ten years of the Harry Potter fandom. I especially liked hearing Jo Rowling's point of view. Melissa Anelli, of Leaky fame, did an excellent job with this book. If you would like to borrow the book, let me know.

One thing that intrigued was a comment JKR made about Dumbledore losing Grindelwald, his former object of affection.

She explained that he just turned inward and remained isolated and academic the rest of this life. "Does that mean he as a one-hundred-fifty-year-old virgin? I don't know," she said softly, peering into her coffee cup as though he held an answer.

When I read this passage, the Sev/Lily fangirl in me quickly jumped to conclusions. Could Dumbledore's experience be similar to Snape's? It would seem possible given what we know of Snape from the books - especially since Dumbledore agrees to meet with Snape after Snape passed info onto Voldy...perhaps he saw in Snape a similar need to protect the one he loved?

Hmmm...I will have to think more about this. I would LOVE to ask JKR about how Lily and Snape felt AFTER they parted ways in fifth year towards each other. I can write my own conclusions, but I would love to know what she envisioned.

2. Lord of the Rings Directors Cut (a.k.a. "Deluxe Precious Edition")

Me wants it.

I borrowed the set of three DVDs from an HP meetup friend (super cool and generous). I am THOROUGHLY enjoying it - it has the full film, with effects and music added in, behind the scenes look at how the whole film came together, and commentaries by everyone involved (well, I didn't see the key grip's commentaries, but that is ok - really!).

There were many more songs in the original. Which is kinda cool because they are WAY shorter than in the book.

Small confession - I skipped the songs when reading the series. WHAT! They were a weensy bit boring to me...

Also, El Hubarino (LG) started watching it with me and I have to pause it every 20 minutes or so to explain the plot.

Maybe if he watches it a third time through, he will get the connections.

Then again, he did see it in the theatre the first time and could not remember if Frodo lives.

:|

Seriously - he asked me yesterday if Frodo lives -and he has seen these movies before!!!

The one thing the hubbster won't watch with me is all of the "Making of" features. I LOVE THESE - they make me want to become a movie craftsperson! I can paint things, and link plastic chain mail, and...hold a cord, or something.

3. Which brings be to TEACHING - I do love it despite above sentences. Teaching is never boring and you get better over time.

I applied to Seattle University, am accepted, and will soon begin studies to earn my professional certification (which is the same thing as a licence). It will take me a year and half to complete.

:|

So, I will be at my job for another year...I hope...

I mean...I hope I don't get the boot.

My principal seems ok with me lately, despite my goals meeting which ended ok, but I still had to call the hubbster in tears over it.

:(

Still, things are going ok NOW, and I have to focus on that.

4. I am making Christmas gifts - which is a lot of fun. My embroidered tea towels are getting MUCH better. I would post them here, but some of you might be getting them as gifts and I want them to be a surprise.

They are fun to make and the crocheted bags are coming along nicely too.

That is all - oh wait.

This just in -

5. Obama reads Twilight with his daughters.

Ew. Twilight is a piece of poo. Seriously - I have read excerpts because that is all I could stomach. In the words of Smegol, "It burns us!".

I am disappointed - but I guess nobody is perfect!

I used to call it the "Death Star"...

...but perhaps this is a better Walmart analogy.



See the website here.

HEE!!!

V for Violent

I have given up on watching the Pallisers. Not because it is boring or because the quality of the film, but because every time I start to watch it, Lance wants to settle down and get a brief synopsis of what has happened thus far.

I now know how Kate felt when I would sit in on her watching Buffy. My sincere apologies Kate.

A friend from the Harry Potter Meetup in Seattle lent me several films to enjoy. One of them was V for Vendetta. I really enjoy Natalie Portman - she is not only gorgeous, but also talented. She was also quite kind on Project Runway. She had one positive thing to say to each designer. Brooke Sheilds wasn't even that nice!

So, I had been looking forward to viewing V and sat down one night to watch it.

Overall, I really enjoyed it. It contains some very strong political messages that I do agree with.

There is a strong sense of rebellion in the film that I identify with.

On the whole, I am a pessimistic idealist. I remember discussing this with the hubbster once - that I want the world to act justly and fairly to all humans and creatures, but that I want policies put in place to ensure that those ideals are carried out. In my idealism, I also have a pessimism because I know that people do act justly.

Does that make sense? Well, the hubbster said that my pessimism about the world springs from an INCREDIBLY IDEALISTIC sense of how the world should work.

V for Vendetta brought to the surface of my mind all of the things that I would hate to see the world become. I am a Christian - I believe that Christ demonstrated the ultimate example of how humans should be have. But in V for Vendetta, Christianity is promoted as something totalitarian in nature. And I was very bothered that the symbol of the totalitarian government looked very much like the three bar Cross (minus the bottom bar). I was disturbed at the interpretation of what a Christian government's policies would be.

In its defense, the totalitarian government was supposed to be extreme, but why extreme Christianity? Why not extreme Buddhism? Or extreme Hinduism? Isn't the cast system of the Hindu religion also an extreme? I suppose Christianity is easy to take "shots" at because of the way SOME Christians have acted in the past.

I would hate for the world to become a place where one could not express oneself. It would be awful to hide away one's ideas.

But where does freedom begin and end? If I put parameters around what others can do, I also limit myself as well.

Hmmm...despite the anti-Christian sentiment I viewed in the film, I still enjoyed it because it made me think.

I will send this warning - the film was created by the same crew that did the Matrix trilogy, so it is VERY violent. I would crochet or do something else whenever someone was getting washed by a pressure hose, arrested in a most vicious manner, or becoming Swiss cheese via a volley of bullets.

But overall - it is worth watching.

WOOT!!!

I was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO incredibly happy today!

Barack Obama is our new President!!!

Yea!!!

All day yesterday my students pestered me about who I voted for, but I didn't tell them who I voted for because that would be 1) unprofessional, 2) odd. They even asked today and I would not tell them.

With an Obama victory, the hubbster and I will not be moving to Germany - something I declared we would do if McCain won (Germany is the leading center of renewable energy research, which the hubbster is passionate about).

When I came home, I lit a candle and prayed. I even started practicing some German phrases just in case. But my Mexican tongue has a difficult time with so many consonants.

When Obama won Pennsylvania, I CHEERED!!! I knew then I wouldn't have to learn how to say complicated words anymore!

And the hubbster yelled from the other part of the house that it was NOT a football match. And he had to say it once more when Obama won Ohio and Iowa.

It just makes me proud to be an American. I feel confident in a president who is intelligent, calm, polite, and compassionate. I think he is the most genuine politician I have witnessed campaign in my lifetime. I loved Clinton, but he was a bit of a circus. Obama has the intelligence of Clinton, but without the ickiness of scandal and deceit.

And Michelle Obama is pretty darn cool too. They just seem like a really nice family and it is wonderful to have them representing us on the world stage.

When Obama announced that his daughters "earned the new puppy", I asked Lance if I could have a new puppy if I was elected to public office.

He said "no".

:(

But, puppy or no puppy, I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO relieved that our country has a solid leader now.

I just hope GW doesn't try anything CRAZY before he leaves office...