Ginger's follies, foibles and fixations.
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| You Listen to Me, Mr. Kick-Ass Ginger's follies, foibles and fixations. |
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Saturday, November 16, 2002 First Date I went on my first New York date tonight! I'm pretty sure it was a date. He asked me out to dinner and a play, and I accepted. That's a date as far as I'm concerned, even though I gots me no nookie. No kiss either, but there was just a hint of a "should we or shouldn't we?" moment there. Maybe it was just me. Maybe he was fantasizing about the hunky guy in the play running around in his boxer-briefs (I sure was!) but we did agree that we should "do this again" sometime, so that's encouraging. Yeah, maybe it's lame (or at least boring reading) that things are progressing so snail-like, but we don't know each other that well, and it's a bit awkward. Oh sure, it's all massages and grab-ass backstage in the dark, but when it comes to meeting face-to-face and having to make conversation...it's just not that easy. Or he's gay. Either one. So that's a nice cap to what has been a pretty decent weekend after the Week From Hell. Nothing hellish happened, in particular, but I was stressed out, sleep-deprived and generally at wits end all week long. The funny thing is we got some really great news at work. Nothing that's set enough yet to reveal here--but I'll just say there's a possibility there will be some travelling in the near future, and I'm super-excited--and nervous that it will all fall through. Then Friday night, of course, was Harry Potter! Since I have no TV I've been relatively unaffected by the hype of movie trailers and practially forgot that it was coming out until the posters started showing up in the subway stations. I went with Nell (my perpetual HP companion), a friend from work, and her fiance and sister. It was a nice little group of us. Unfortunately, such a nice and chatty group that we didn't wander over to the theater until about 20 minutes before showtime. We asked the knot of people out front "Is this the line for Harry Potter?" and they said "What time?" We told them and they said it was already open. Whoops--turns out people had started lining up two hours or more before each showing to get good seats. We ended up in the second row on the side, craning our necks to see the huge screen. I got used to it, but I will certainly see it again from a better angle. So what's the verdict? Well...I liked it better than the first one, which was faithfully rendered but lifeless. This one has more spunk--probably because it didn't waste any time with exposition and focused on the action scenes in the book. Though, like the first one, the character development was still lacking. It was too long in some places -- an interminable walk through a forest with a party of spiders, and an extended and pointless soppy ending, to name two -- at the expense of some great characters. Kenneth Branagh's Gilderoy Lockhart, for example, is hardly more than a supporting role, though he's a joy to watch. What we miss in the film is the many opportunities the book gives us to thoroughly hate him, so his evenutal comeuppance is so satisfactory. Same with Dobby, the house-elf. In the film he just doesn't cause sufficient ruckus to make you want to break his kneecaps like you do in the book. And again, the movie version of Colin Creevy--while adorable--hardly makes an impression. But it's tricky. This book was a lot of people's least favorite, and I would guess that part of that is the plethora of thoroughly annoying characters--Lockhart, Dobby and Creevy in particular. In scene after scene, you just wish they'd GO AWAY and LEAVE HARRY ALONE -- which is, of course, exactly how Harry feels. By cutting their scenes you make your virtual visit to Hogwarts less like a toothache. But in diffusing Harry's misery, you miss the dramatic point of his alienation, and why he comes to be confused about where he belongs in the school. I guess this is why the film was frustrating (but still enjoyable!) to me. After two+ readings of The Chamber of Secrets, I've come to believe that this is one of the most--if not THE most--important book of the series so far. The delicate threads it lays down (Tom Riddle's backstory, Harry's connection with Gryffindor) I feel will become more important in the books to follow. Even if this series doesn't end up entirely on screen, I hate to see these themes get the short shrift now, especially because it is Harry's inner turmoil -- not battles with monsters -- that make the story so compelling. That said, I did enjoy the film's enthusiastic exploration of the creepier parts of the book. The voices in the walls and Tom Riddle's diary are wonderfully ominous, and it's thoroughly chilling when Harry first speaks Parseltongue. Moaning Myrtle and her run-down loo are letter-perfect (though she is, perhaps, a bit too pretty). Daniel Radcliffe (Harry) is developing as an actor, though he looks more bewildered when he should look frightened. On the other hand, it seems that the only direction poor, overaged Rupert Grint (Ron) got from Chris Columbus was "make the goofy scared face again!" With his voice changed and his teenage body filling out, this second year Ron seems to have lost the spunky courage he showed on that giant chessboard in the first film, and he's become a bit of a puss. I did like the cute hint of sexual tension developing between Ron & Hermione, though. I'm just a sucker for redheads. And as Hermione, Emma Watson is more perfect than ever (perhaps age-appropriate casting helps) and it's a shame she doesn't get as much to do in this film (ditto for His Hotness, Alan Rickman's Professor Snape!). That guy from The Patriot is a fabulously slick Lucius Malfoy, though there was more of him than the movie really needed. Oh, and this may be appropos of nothing, but I really missed the line from the book about the Mandrakes moving into one another's pots! posted by Ginger | 11:38 PM Friday, November 15, 2002 No Friday Five Today But I found this fabulous alternative -- and it's just perfect for this week!! The Motherfucking Friday Five 1. Fuckin A, it's Friday finally. Whatcha drinkin, cause we all know you are a slobbering lush. We were just bemoaning our lack of beer in the office today, but there is vodka in the fridge that nobody has touched yet. I will save my drinking for the pre-Harry Potter bar crawl before the 10:15pm showing tonight. I predict beer. Or gimlets. 2. Are ya gettin any this weekend? Who's the lucky bastard? Oh honey, I am TRYING!!!!! 3. Tell Heather you fucking love her in a creative way. Watch your tongue and be nice, or I will hunt you down and cut it out of your filthy mouth. I don't usually love strangers, but if I knew Heather, I am sure I would love the fucking strumpet! 4. Think these questions are fluff? Go fuck yourself. For the rest of you, what's the best fucking movie you've ever seen? [I mean, the best movie, not the best movie with fucking in it, unless you wanna share that too.] The best fucking movie I've ever seen: Harold and Maude (honorable mention: The Empire Strikes Back, my love for which increases exponentially the more I realize what fucking crap the "prequels" are) The best fucking movie with fucking in it: Wet Hot American Summer (although it should be noted that fucking is implied, if not actually shown, in Harold and Maude, so it might count for both categories.) 5. So what the fuck are you doing this weekend? Not fucking fucking, I can tell you that much. Look, I'm trying people, really I am! posted by Ginger | 5:00 PM Thursday, November 14, 2002 OK, this is just goofy, but... No complaints about the result:  Who is your Ideal Lord of the Rings (male) Mate? brought to you by Quizilla (as long as yummy Legolas is a close second...) posted by Ginger | 9:18 PM To Mike's comment, I would simply add: Holy fucking shit! posted by Ginger | 9:00 PM Happy Ramadan! Kudos to Matthew, a former Amazon co-worker and New Yorker now living in Cairo, for observing the Muslim holy month of Ramadan by taking part in the fast. So, no eating, drinking, smoking, sex (or any other "release" ifyaknowhadimean)--and not much of anything, really. The only part that really seems difficult is going without water in the middle of the desert, but that's faith for you. Matthew is not Muslim, but is doing a "when in Rome" thing, which seems a good enough reason to me. Go, man, go. But surprise surprise, guess what completely involuntary event nullifies the fast and demands that it be made up later? Menstruation! Or post-childbirth bleeding. So no matter how great your intentions and how many times you pray a day -- at some time during the month of Ramadan (they couldn't make it like, the three weeks of Ramadan, and at least let some women off the hook) MOST women are going to ride the red wave. So then it's up to the women to take purifying showers or whatever, THEN make up for the "missed" days with fasting on other days. Some might say this is being respectful of a woman's wonderful magical specialness, but I call bullshit. All it means is that a bunch of gals are going to have to fast whilst everyone else around them is busy spending their daylight hours eating, drinking, smoking and screwing. Not cool. On top of that it's not like the guys have to face any similar hazards. As long as the guys follow the rules and their intentions are good, they are guaranteed a smooth ride through Ramadan. Heck, even eating and drinking is okay--as long as you "forgot you were fasting." See, intention is everything--unless you're a chick. Of course. Sorry if I seem crabby... it's just that I'm forbidden from fasting right now. Where's the chocolate? posted by Ginger | 7:42 PM Sunday, November 10, 2002 I've Never Seen The Bachelor, But... ...reading Television Without Pity is way better anyway: Helene says that she might consider staying at home while her kids are really young. That's not as good as spraying Aaron with mace, but at least she's making it clear that she's going to be the one to decide whether or not she'll continue to work. posted by Ginger | 11:10 PM Saving Metro-Area Women from Bacardi & Cola Here comes Terrifica! (thanks for the tip, Keef!) posted by Ginger | 11:03 PM Powercell Time for my usual Sunday update, since I'll have the computer at work all week. That's my habit these days--it's so much easier to leave the thing at work instead of carting it back and forth every day. This weekend has been a whole lotta nothing, and that's my own fault. I took Friday off (as I am wont to do) and got basically nothing accomplished but laundry. That is more of an ordeal these days, since the dryers downstairs have been broken for three months, so I have to cart it all to the laundromat down the street. On the other hand, the laundromat is actually cheaper, so it's not so bad. I got some knitting done on another project I'd let go since I was making my sweater. A cute older Austrian woman saw me and said "Oh! Knitting! You knit like we do, not the English knitting." I explained that's the way I was taught. Then we smiled at each other, because there was nothing else to say. Then a man came in and sold me stockings for $2. Speaking of the black market (which, correct or no, is what I call any situation where someone is selling something by walking around hawking it--socks in the laundromat, batteries on the subway, etc.)--I had another uniquely New York moment on the subway this weekend. See, people sell batteries on the subway all the time. I never trusted them, but I talked to others who bought them and said they were legit. Sure enough, once I bought 2 AAAs for a buck and they powered my Palm Pilot just fine. So yesterday when a guy came on hawking TWO four-packs of AAs for $1, I thought--oh, what the hell. As he was also offering 24 (6 4-packs) for $2 and a whole box for $5, I should have known something was up, but bargains are a dime a dozen here. So I have him my buck and took the batteries, but as the guy scooted down the car I noticed that these weren't Duracells but "Powercells," and the thing on the side where you can test the charge was just painted on. In short, within 10 seconds I could tell that I just bought $1 of bogus batteries. What amazed me was how much trouble someone went through to make these batteries look real enough to buy the guy just enough time to get out of the train car. I mean, they were roughly the same weight as batteries, and were obviously manufactured to look like Duracells at first glance--they were even nicely shrink-wrapped. Considering how much it must cost to make these, are they really making much at $1 a pop? I guess they must be. The real kicker was when I looked at the bottom and they were totally flat--just brushed metal. I had to laugh. I even kept one of the packs, in case anyone ever wants to see what fake batteries look like. Hey! I could even post a photo here! Maybe later... Anyway, back to my happening Friday. I watched The Sopranos and ate half of my kitchen--that show always makes me hungry, all that talk of baked ziti and pasta fazool. Worse, I was invited to several parties Friday night and I just couldn't be bothered to go, which makes me officially a Boring Person. Sigh. Mike & Jean-Michele, I hope you had fun and many jello shots. Saturday we had rehearsal in the "morning" (noon) since we have a new Farmer Ben this weekend. The former Farmer had another job today that he couldn't get out of, so we had last year's Ben come back, and he was fab. Not nearly as great a singer though (and alas--no back rub!). With a new Carrot coming in next week, it seems that rehearsals for this show never end. Speaking of, today we had to say goodbye to our wonderfully talented Carrot, Sarah, who was always a joy to work with and never seemed put out that just after doing James Joyce, she was prancing around with glitter eyelashes and an enormous green headdress. We'll miss her. However, I'm sure our new Carrot, Stephanie, will be great. She's been stage-managing the show and is a real sweetheart. The crowds were okay too. We made a little money (it's always a little money) and as always everyone said they loved it. If we keep this pace (knock knock) we'll cover our costs, the actors will get paid, and we'll have a little left over to get our next show up and running. My illusions of making real money at children's theatre are fading fast, though. I don't want to think about having to find another job... I haven't gotten a chance to play much with my new digital camera (isn't it adorable???) but I've determined that it works, and I've already annoyed my cat several times with the flash. Another reason to clean my apartment: I can't take a photo in here without including a pile of mess. I have GOT to put up some shelves. Anyone handy in the area? Please HELP. And by the way, it's HOT! What's the deal? It's only sixty or so, but it's horribly humid--sticky and nasty and cloudy and dense-feeling and it's making me pimply and frizzy and grumpy and miserable and it's FUCKING NOVEMBER! Quit it already! It doesn't help that, of course, the radiators in my building are still on full-blast--so the windows are open and the fan is on and I'm still sweating. Blah! posted by Ginger | 9:35 PM A Little Inboxer Rebellion For Ya Get your "send" buttons ready... For all you caring folks out there.....My name is Billy Evans. I am a very sick little boy. My mother is typing this for me, because I can't. She is crying. The reason she is so sad is because I'm so sick. I was born without a body. It doesn't hurt, except when I try to breathe. The doctors gave me an artificial body. It is a burlap bag filled with leaves. The doctors said that was the best they could do on account of us having no money or insurance. I would like to have a body transplant, but we need more money. Mommy doesn't work because she said nobody hires crying people. I said, "Don't cry, Mommy," and she hugged my burlap bag. Mommy always gives me hugs, even though she's allergic to burlap and it makes her sneeze and chafes her real bad. I hope you will help me. You can help me if you forward this email to everyone you know. Forward it to people you don't know, too. Dr. Johansen said that for every person you forward this email to, Bill Gates will team up with AOL and send a nickel to NASA. With that funding, NASA will collect prayers from school children all over America and have the astronauts take them up into space so that the angels can hear them better. Then they will come back to earth and go to the Pope, and he will take up a collection in church and send all the money to the doctors. The doctors could help me get better then. Maybe one day I will be able to play baseball. Right now I can only be third base. Every time you forward this letter, the astronauts can take more prayers to the angels and my dream will be closer to coming true. Please help me. Mommy is so sad, and I want a body. I don't want my leaves to rot before I turn 10. If you don't forward this email, that's okay. Mommy says you're mean and heartless bastard who doesn't care about a poor little boy with only a head. She says that if you don't stew in the raw pit of your own guilt-ridden stomach, she hopes you die a long slow, horrible death and then burn forever in hell. What kind of cruel person are you that you can't take five minutes to forward this to all your friends so that they can feel guilt and shame about ignoring a poor, bodiless nine-year-old boy? Please help me. I try to be happy, but it's hard. I wish I had a kitty. I wish I could hold a kitty. I wish I could hold a kitty that wouldn't chew on me and try to bury its turds in the leaves of my burlap body. I wish that very much. Thank You, Billy "Smiles" Evans P.S. You can send money to the person who sent you this because that person is very trustworthy. posted by Ginger | 7:43 PM I Am a Very, Very Naughty Person Look at my new baby. Oof. Such a blow to the wallet... but so cuuuuute. posted by Ginger | 12:47 AM |
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