Today was Staff Appreciation Day, so the University closed the offices for 3 hours for free food and "entertainment." Not one to miss out on an opportunity to get paid for not being at work, I played Bingo.

I won a damned fanny pack, which is just my luck. Couldn't have won the TV, or even the Ole Miss football jersey. OH no. Had to win the fanny pack. The worst part is that another woman called Bingo at the same time I did, although I technically shouted it first. Since there were two winners, the mediators said that one could have the fanny pack and the other could choose something from the crap-gift table. I immediately volunteered to take my chances with the table, but damn if that other woman didn't march over there and pick something up. I'm left, jaw gaping, with a damn Horseshoe Casino acid washed black denim fanny pack being thrust at me.

There was also a woman sitting at our table who would NOT quit whining. It was hard to hear the numbers being announced because the room was somewhat large, but instead of asking nicely for a number to be repeated, she would squeal and whine about how she couldn't here, and at one point she literally screamed "Shut Up!" to the room at large. I think adults are worse-behaved than children.

It's all good though. I got paid to goof off AND a free tacky-assed fanny pack. Hot diggity.   ¶ 5/16/2003 04:00:00 PM

  I have more or less been avoiding this all day, largely due to the Gigantic Oppressive Tired that stems from my own error in thinking that I can still do things that I wouldn't have thought twice about in college. Like, say, heading up to Memphis on a weeknight to see late-ish movie, from which I don't return home until 3:30 a.m., and expect to drag my sorry, not-in-college-anymore ass to work at 8:00 the same morning.

But then, it was The Matrix Reloaded, so I couldn't resist. Although the movie is supposed to come out today, several theaters were showing it starting at 10:00 last night. Dunno why that is, but then I haven't bothered to really look for an answer, either. Anyway. Very little sleep, arrived at work just in time for a meeting I didn't know we were having, blah blah blah.

The point - because I actually have one - The Matrix Reloaded was a big 'ol fat disappointment. Of all the movies I have gotten excited about in recent past, TMR was the one flick that it never occurred to me might suck. How could it?

Well, for starters, I was bored for most of the movie. Not get up and walk out bored, but if I'd actually had to pee or something, getting up and going to the bathroom wouldn't have bothered me all that much. The plot, while very cool and thematically appropriate, was handed down from the big screen on platters filled with soliloquy and monologue and not much else. The action... well, some of it kicked mucho ass. A lot of it was garish, overdone, and kind of lame. In a sequence where Neo is fighting several Agent Smiths (that happens to last beyond several forevers) switches back and forth between live action stunts and total CGI, and it's incredibly obvious. I was cringing in my seat because all the CGI people, Neo included, looked like Toht right before his face completely melts off. I was just waiting for Trinity to show up - "DON'T LOOK AT IT, NEO!" Wait... actually, that would have been cooler. The Neo fight-scenes seemed over-choreographed, too. Rather than fluidity of movement and a good ass-kickin, it looked terribly rehearsed (which, of course it was, but you aren't supposed to notice that, right?).

All in all, I felt like the movie should have been about an hour and 50 minutes instead of two and a half. Cut down on the action, because overdoing something makes it lose it's dramatic effect. And the crapstaticity that was the "dialogue" (in quotes because "di" usually implies MORE THAN ONE PERSON TALKING) needs to be canned, big time, and replaced with something a little more clever. I know we're talking about Big Philosophical Things, but we got it the first time, didn't we? Not to mention that I want to be shown in addition to being told. Neo and Trinity are in love, yes? They don't act like it unless it says specifically in the script "Neo and Trinity kiss," or whatever. It seriously felt like I was watching an extended documentary explaining the plot in vast detail, with some action scenes thrown in for good measure... and then got jipped on the actual movie.

The worst part of all is that I promised the little sis that I was coming up to take her to this movie on Saturday (she has exams and couldn't go during the week), but the idea of sitting through it again does the filling with the dread thing. Not really looking forward to that, much. I'm going to call her tonight and beg her to let me take her to see X2 instead.   ¶ 5/15/2003 04:41:00 PM

  10 Thoughts passing through my head, in order:

1. I have pineapple stuck in my teeth, and no floss. Why?

2. I wish it would quit raining.

3. Buffy got Angel-kisses last night. And Angel was looking quite the Hot in new lawyer garb. Lucky ho.

4. I need to get my tires rotated and my oil changed, but I can't be bothered to.

5. Why is it that I can be bothered to run out to Wal-mart because Alicia said that Drive Me Crazy was in the $5 DVD bin, but not to do something vitally important like getting my oil changed?

6. It's ok though, because they also had Deeply in the bin. Georgeous movie. And now it's mine! Mwu hahaha.

7. I should be working.

8. This is probably the lamest post in all the history of posting ever.

9. Nah.

10.That piece of pineapple is making me NUTS.   ¶ 5/14/2003 11:09:00 AM

  Courtney's family was in town for the weekend for the graduation ceremonies (she graduates in August). Her mother and step-dad currently live in Saudi Arabia (he's a dentist for Aramco). While Gay has only been there for about 3 years, David has apparently lived there for something like 12.

You know you've been living in the desert too long when you ask if it's ok to put tap water into the iron, or "if I should distilled." Probably a good thing he's retiring and they're moving (among other reasons. I mean, seriously.)

It was a nice weekend, though. Court's mom and I are very close, and she has been something of a mentor to me over the years. Since she's moved off into the desert, I don't get to see her too much.

Also got to see various and sundry other members of the Courtney Clan, who I also quite like. Another pair of friends who I hadn't seen in a year dropped down for the ceremony, one of whom was being hooded (whoo! Dr. Pete!). Got to have a nice visit with them on Saturday evening.

Yay, visits. Always nice to see people that you don't. Only now, I'm fucking exhausted.   ¶ 5/12/2003 10:30:00 AM