Yeah, Sir Ian! Had a great time at the brunch--met Cody and AC (AC was seated on the dais with the grand marshalls) but despite seeing Ian several times, I never managed to talk to him OR give him the wee scarvie I was carrying for him. I want to get out of here so the report will have to wait, but here's a photo to tide you over.

No Nick, at least not that we've seen. I'll keep looking of course.

Off to see more of the city, and the Dyke March tonight.

I'm having a tough time updating my web page, but check http://www.lilithofsherwood.com/Lij/pride/ and see if I don't manage to get a few up.

UPDATE: Woo hoo, I marched in the Dyke March! What a rush. Hundreds (thousands?) of women marching through the Castro. It was a feeling like nothing else.

OK, thanks to Viewing #30, I was *way* behind on packing and had to fly out on less than two hours of sleep. Despite nearly missing the plane due to the worst airport congestion I've ever seen, things went fairly smoothly after that. San Francisco is as beautiful as I remember and the weather is ideal, so of course I spent the afternoon shopping. The location of my hotel makes pretty much everything walking distance--the brunch is in this hotel tomorrow, and our grandstand seats for the parade are across the street.

There was a nice little crafts market in the plaza today. I found a great bracelet, some earrings, and an adorable pair of capris that don't seem to fit me at all... damn, since I wanted to wear them to the Dyke March tomorrow. The plaza was also full of the homeless--I wonder where they will have to go when the grandstand is set up? I've had a lot of luck with street fairs, since Wednesday I found a silk chiffon scarf in a batik print that I will wear tomorrow with my lavender georgette dress.

Market Street itself is awash with rainbow flags. It's all very bustling and festive. I'm dying to see it when it really starts to swing into gear tomorrow. Between the lack of sleep, the travel, the shopping, and the many phone calls and time on the internet, the hour got away from me and I missed the concert tonight. Damn! I hope it was only Sharon Gless there, and not Ian and Nick.




The plaza itself is lovely. I don't remember this section of Market Street at all.

I think I will crash soon. Meeting up with Shari and Cody in the morning. Hope to see Ellen on Sunday and Jo on Monday.

So, Ed Burns.

I've now seen "The Brothers McMullen," "She's the One," "Sidewalks of New York" and "Ash Wednesday." The last is definitely my favorite, and other than being set in New York and having Ed as the lead actor, it doesn't have nearly as much in common with the first three as they do with each other. (I have yet to see "No Looking Back," but it's on my rental list at netflix.)

What is similar besides the New York setting? Well, romance is key. At least two of them ("She's the One" and "Sidewalks of New York") can easily be called romantic comedies. I guess McMullen falls in there, too. The romantic entanglements of "Ash Wednesday" aren't particularly amusing, but they're important. And the romantic relationships are usually complex: the circular path of "Sidewalks," whereby the relationships all interconnect, or brothers seeing each other's ex-wives or girlfriends. And these guys definitely have relationship issues. There is a sudden realization among those in long term relationships, that they may no longer be attractive to the opposite sex, and will not sleep with anyone else other than their wives ever again. (This, of course, usually leads to an affair and subsequent divorce.) There's a fear of commitment among the younger ones (usually, Ed's characters) -- sometimes they even resist falling in love at all. There's a fear of falling for the "wrong" person. There is occasionally the impetuous one, who runs off with a new love--and this impulsiveness is usually rewarded. There's the feeling of having the entire family second-guessing each new love interest... common enough in close families, I imagine!

Brothers--that's a big commonality, too. Two or three brothers. Irish Catholic. Working class, New York. With a strong father figure (not necessarily a *good* one, but a strong one), and quite often a mother who goes missing (although Ed's own mother isn't apparently missing at all...). The houses used quite often resemble the one Ed grew up in on Long Island (the McMullen house *is* the one Ed grew up in).

Aside from thematic commonalities, there are also the people Ed likes to work with. Maxine Bahns, his girlfriend at the time of McMullen, is in both McMullen and "She's the One." Mike McGlone plays the younger brother in the same two movies. (Mind you, none of these people held a union card at the time of McMullen.) Rosario Dawson plays his love interest twice (and reminds me really strongly of Max). His brother, Brian, is a constant as both actor and associate producer, and Margot Bridger as producer seems to be a fixture now, too. (Nice lady--I met her at the Tribeca festival.) Obligatory Elijah reference: Photo at left is Ed and Lij from "Ash Wednesday." I hope Elijah becomes one of Ed's regulars, as I think they worked brilliantly together.

OK, I'm outta here before this turns into a masters thesis, but I'm sure I'll revisit it.

So little time, so much to do. Wanted to talk about all the Ed Burns films I've been watching. Will try to do that soon... So far, I still like "Ash Wednesday" the best, but "She's the One" is great (I've liked them all, just not equally).

Given that I will *never* get everything done in time for San Francisco, why am I spending 3 hours on Thursday night, just hours before I leave, seeing LOTR for the 30th time? Gee, I don't know (see hint at left). Bet you're surprised it isn't a photo of Elijah, huh? I'm sure by tomorrow, I'll put another one of him up.

Hmmm, interesting answers to Rings-Thing this week.

Suspect I would have had different results with a less slash-oriented group of writers!

Topic: Female readers of LOTR, especially feminist ones, take exception with the depiction of women in the books. What do you think about the way women are presented? Changes from the books to the film? Which female character do you enjoy most?

I have to preface this by saying that I am purposely not rereading the books until after I have seen each movie several times. So, except for FotR, this is from very distant memory.

As a young woman, I didn't particularly identify with women, so even though I became a fairly ardent feminist in my teens, I can't say that it was ever an issue with me and these books. I guess I just accepted that the role of women in high fantasy novels was as The Queen (either maternal or all-powerful) or The Princess (beautiful and desireable, but with little freedom of action). As best I can recall, Galadriel was my favorite character if I even had a favorite. I remember little of Arwen or Eowyn, and almost nothing of Rosie.

This has become more of an issue in the movie, of course, since it's not really possible to make a film of something like this without seeing it, at least to some degree, through modern eyes. For the most part, I've really admired the steps Peter Jackson has taken: consolidating several characters into Arwen has not only simplified the plot but given her more to do, and I have not found that those extra duties changed her beyond recognition. I also don't have a problem with her going to Helms Deep, as it is rumoured she will in TTT, as long as by doing so, Eowyn is not diminished nor is Arwen's essential nature changed. I think the "warrior" side we've seen of Arwen so far does not step over that line--it is that of a woman defending her own, as even the least warlike will do when necessary. Also, and this is just my own thought, Arwen has renounced her people to an extent by pledging herself to mortality and Aragorn, and therefore can be expected to take on more of a human attitude (more short-term and less big-picture) towards many issues, including the role of women.

I like what we've seen of Eowyn so far, albeit in small glimpses. Miranda Otto looks right--beautiful, but earthy and strong. I particularly like the little bit showing her swordfighting with Aragorn. I also like Rosie, who of course has had nothing to do but look pretty and pleasant, and has accomplished that.

I wish I could remember more clearly my feelings about Galadriel in the books, since I have *very* strong feelings about her in the movie. I think I took it on faith that she was all-powerful and all-knowing and would do the best for the Fellowship, but I definitely don't feel that way about her now. I think she has her own agenda that may or may not coincide with those of the others, and while it doesn't make me like her much, it makes her a much more interesting character. I'd be interested to know if this is something Peter saw in the books, whether it is his own interpretation, or whether he had nothing of the sort in mind and I am just reading this into it. I fully intend to go back and revisit some of my earlier treatises in this blog about Galadriel, and try to come up with my own little theory about what makes her tick.

Which female character do I *enjoy* most? I find Galadriel to be the most interesting so far, but I suspect that I will enjoy Eowyn the most (once I get a chance to really "see" her).

OK, so it's 2:18AM, I just finished uploading some new article scans (still not linked) and this week's Rings Thing question. I have to be up in about 4 hours... I suppose I could just type something quickly, since I don't have a whole lot to say on the subject, but I think I'd rather wait and do it from work in the morning. So, sorry for the delay--check back later.

This is a new one for me: Monday Mission 2.25 via PromoGuy.net

1. Do you wear glasses/contact lenses? If so would you consider going through Lasik surgery? (Or if you already have, please tell us about it) I normally wear glasses, and very occasionally, contacts. Theoretically I'd love to get Lasik, but I'm scared to death of it. As I inch closer and closer to bifocals, though, the surgery starts to become more palatable...

2. Did you ever have to wear braces? How are your teeth? (any cavities, any pulled teeth, root canals, etc.) Never wore braces. My teeth are abysmal--due to childhood antibiotics and many colas as an adult, I have almost no tooth enamel and my teeth are in very bad shape. Luckily, it's not very visible yet.

3. What (if any) recent movies have moved you emotionally? Which one and how so? "Lord of the Rings" moves me in *so* many ways. It got me back into fandom, the character relationships just don't end, and Boromir's death scene... wow. The other movies I'm into these days (I'm on a run of Ed Burns films, for example) tend to attract me more intellectually than emotionally.

4. I visited my dear Mema in the managed care facility Sunday and while she is doing well, I was sad for her. Living out your final days/years someplace like that seems so lonely to me. Would you rather live the remainder of your golden years in a rest home, or pass away before it came to that? I've lived the majority of my life alone, so ending it that way wouldn't be any big deal. But I'd definitely prefer to die before becoming bedridden or insensible to my surroundings.

5. Sometimes, but not nearly often enough, I will just stop and marvel at the amazing planet on which we live. The eco-system, life and death, nature, the perfect balance that keeps us alive, the universe, it can all be mind-boggling if you let your mind get carried away. What natural creation or phenomenon just flat-out leaves you with a sense of wonder? Living as I do, in the middle of a major city, I don't see a whole lot of natural creations! I love the sea (or for me here, Lake Michigan) about as much as I do anything in the world. For what I haven't seen personally but would love to marvel at, it's the New Zealand landscape (as seen in LOTR) and much of Australia (such as Ayers Rock).

6. Have you ever been in a fist fight or a situation where you had to get physically violent with someone else? How did that come about? Any consequences? Luckily, not for a very long while. However, while I was waiting (way too long, thank you, CTA) for a train this morning, I did get to experience a fistfight up-close-and-personal when one man asked another for a cigarette, prompting the second man to punch the first, with several punches ensuing, glass breaking, commuters scattering. Gotta love the city.

7. Many times I look back in hindsight and think of how I should have handled a situation. Are there any recent happenings that you wish you would have handled differently? What happened and what do you wish you'd done? ALL THE TIME. I spend more time second-guessing myself than I do living, generally. It's the largest single thing about myself that I wish I could change. It's hard to come up with any one recent thing that epitomizes this, though. Last one I remember mentioning to someone else was not speaking to an actor that I like at MediaWest. He is the costar of someone I used to be close to, and I made no attempt to meet him. Not sure why, and I really should have.

BONUS: How far away can you go, and still be dancing with me? As long as we can still make eye contact, we're still dancing together, even if it's from across the floor.

The MaggieFic Mary Sue Generator

My Mary Sue Name: Bella Russell-Snape
Eyecolor: Silver Topaz (oooh, I like that!)
Hair color: Ripe Bronze (weird--I'm just about to color it bronze!)
Signature scent: Lacy Lavender
Paranormal power: Sees the Future
Specialized Skill: Expert Pilot
Distinguishing mark: Pointed Ears (gosh, I hope that's elvish and not hobbit)
Newly revealed relationship to a major character: Spock's Ex-Spouse (OK, so I'm a *vulcan* elf)

I scanned in all the photos of Nick from Black Book, and added them to my articles section. Only this one really looks like the Nick I've seen on tv. Sure is cute, but gosh, could he be *any* skinnier?

Speaking of Serena, only a few days left until I leave for San Francisco to see him as Grand Marshall in the Pride Parade. I also have a ticket to the brunch the day before. Here's hoping for a good photo weekend!

Compatibility Test

Just found these again--I did them AGES ago. My best match was my favorite pitcher, Tom Glavine--woo hoo! I won't even post the abysmal numbers I came up with for the Hornblower boys. Of course, after I did the LOTR gang with me, I had to try them all with Elijah...


Tom Glavine Pitcher, Atlanta Braves
Physical 99%
Emotional 96%
Intellectual 99%
Overall 99%

Elijah Wood
Physical 68%
Emotional 70%
Intellectual 41% -- uh oh. Remind me not to talk philosophy with him, or anything
Overall: 60%

Orlando Bloom
Physical 20% -- Yikes. I guess I could be his shoulder to cry on?
Emotional 99%
Intellectual 41%
Total 54%

Ian McKellen
Physical 85% -- Ian is my best LOTR match. If I weren't female, I bet I'd have a perfect score!
Emotional 99%
Intellectual 99%
Total 95%

Sean Bean
Physical 77%
Emotional 22% -- eep again. Guess we have no empathy
Intellectual 72%
Total 57%

Viggo Mortenson
Physical 100%
Emotional 84%
Intellectual 84%
Total 90% -- you know, when I did this, I said "huh?" Then I met him...

Seth Green
Physical 99%
Emotional 84%
Intellectual 78%
Total 87%

Orlando’s compatibility with Elijah
Physical 85%
Emotional 62%
Intellectual 65%
Overall: 71%

Ian compatibility with Elijah
Physical 96%
Emotional 62%
Intellectual 50%
Total 70%

SeanB compatibility with Elijah
Physical 99%
Emotional 84%
Intellectual 92%
Total 92%

Lij compatibility with SeanA
Physical 33%
Emotional 11%
Intellectual 88%
Total 45%

Lij compatibility with Viggo
Physical 68%
Emotional 22%
Intellectual 14%
Total 35%

Despite the hot, humid weather, lack of sleep, and a migraine no doubt in response to the first two, I made it to Viewing #29 last night, accompanied by Heidi. The theatre was unexpectedly comfortable (I was expecting at least mildly hot) and we grabbed that front and center table, so all in all, things went well. A *lot* of smokers out last night--easily the majority of the audience--and it was a fairly rowdy crowd for a weeknight, but other than a little more commentary than I feel is optimum during Boromir's death scene, nothing we couldn't handle (and I *love* being able to cheer wildly when Aragorn lops off Lurtz's head--not to mention scream in glee when I see Gandalf the White in the teaser footage).

Also had a chance to show Heidi the photos of Nick in "Black Book" and the hobbit pile photo in the latest fanclub magazine, which I finally got yesterday. The fanclub has been repeatedly unable to get my address fixed--it apparently appears 3 different ways in three different spots in their records--but in answer to a rather curt e-mail from me yesterday, they indicate that all is now well. Fingers crossed. It would be nice if *something* in my life was fixed!

Yesterday had its ups and downs with respect to my upcoming (next weekend) trip to San Francisco, too. I got confirmation that Sir Ian was confirmed for the big brunch on Saturday, so since Cody had agreed to go with me if Ian was definite (at $75/ticket, it's a bit pricey to chance it otherwise), I went ahead and ordered two tickets. Got the e-mailed confirmation back right away--woo hoo, I'm going! They also say that photography is OK, so maybe I will have something closer than the hoped-for parade shots. Just when I was really starting to look forward to the trip, I heard from the friend with whom I am sharing hotel space, that she and her friend might not make it after all. Better make those alternate hotel arrangements today, and keep fingers crossed that this doesn't blow me out of the water entirely.

ooooh, I'm nearly an artist!

See my self-portrait here: http://www.youdraw.com/cgi-bin/solopic.pl?picnum=062890

I'm going to see LotR: FotR for the 29th time tonight. Go me!

Topic: What are your general thoughts about LotR fanfiction? What do you look for in fic and what do you avoid? Why? Who are your favourite authors, and what do you like about their work?

Since I've known for several days what this week's topic would be, you'd think I'd have an answer ready, wouldn't you? Nah--that would be too easy! If you're reading this early on Tuesday, I posted it in the middle of the night on Monday and am going to be WAY short on sleep to work BOTH jobs tomorrow, so I'll be adding to/correcting throughout Tuesday.

My general thoughts: I can't conceive of getting involved in a fandom without reading fanfic. Just doesn't happen. Hasn't happened in about 30 years. Not gonna happen. So, I fall in love with LOTR, I start looking for fanfic. End of story. Now what is there to write about? The battle between good and evil? Great wars? Unless you're really into those topics, what you are going to write about (and/or read) is relationships. That's true of me and most fanfic, really. If the interactions between the characters don't interest me, I'm outta there.

What do I look for? hmmm... Does this photo sum it up for you? Sure, I can read a story that doesn't center on Frodo, but it better be DAMN good. There's not a specific storyline or type of story I look for--can be anything from the standard "filling in the gaps" type of thing that tell us how relationships developed or a character progressed or an offstage event actually transpired, to fairly wildly non-canon stuff that doesn't actually fit in the timeline (as long as it says something to me about the characters). I get pretty quickly bored by stuff that is too dryly "historical"--not to fault the writers, since I did the same thing with Tolkien himself. 30 years ago, it was all about the books for me. Now, it's the movie, and I'm less likely to be interested in the "historical" characters who don't appear in the film.

What else do I avoid? Bad writing. If the plot interests me enough--i.e., it has to grab me IMMEDIATELY--I might overlook some bad writing, bad spelling, and/or bad grammar. But that's pretty rare. I am extremely sensitive to poor English skills (former English teacher alert!) and it takes a really incredible plotline to make me put up with bad writing of any sort. If I *do* like the story enough to keep it, I'm likely to correct it for my own purposes. If it's not badly written but just has many really poor word choices/mis-spellings/mistakes in grammar, I will probably drop the author a line and let him/her know how I feel--but I only do that if I *like* the story. Otherwise, I won't bother. And Mary Sue's. I'm postively *phobic* about Mary Sue's, to the point where I pretty much avoid any "original character" stuff at all for fear of running into one. Tolkien's world, not to mention Peter Jackson's, is full enough without us putting ourselves into it. IMHO, of course.

Favorite authors: I really put myself on the spot here, since I'm HORRIFIC with remember names off-the-cuff. Cassie Claire, of course: we're not worthy! WaxJism rulz, and her compadres are every bit as good--I'm really into Calico right now (you GO, girl) and buffett too (although these last three don't write "traditional" fanfic).VB is a goddess--I've liked her stuff in SO many fandoms. Lora and Lily write (in particular) Frodo stories that make me swoon with happiness--and Lora was the first to take up my chocolate/firelight/dawn challenge, too. Nancy (NakedFlame) has written several pieces that made a particular impact on me. I'm sure I'm leaving out way too many people whose work I love. Amy Fortuna, and AC. And most of the folks you'll find at Least Expected, the archive of the Tolkien Slash mailing list. And not to forget Dargie, who didn't write nearly enough fanfic in this fandom!

Hey, I'm accepted in the LOTR blogring. Now if only I can get the code inserted correctly... Templates are SO not my thing.

Yes, against all odds, I did indeed go to Viewing #28 tonight. Not sure how I'd handle being at a club on a Friday night, by myself, but I took my usual (front) row table, only on the right aisle rather than dead center, and had a table full of nice folks to my left, and well drinks were on special, so I was just *fine.* Nothing like pulling up a chair to put your feet on, and stretching out to watch your favorite movie with a vodka and a clove cigarette to make you feel truly decadent. AND I saw two things I hadn't noticed before: Gandalf tipping his hat to the villagers in Hobbiton (not sure how I had missed that), and someone in the foreground of the party scene, just as we're about to see Frodo dancing, who looks a lot like Merry. Have to check for him again next week.

Which LOTR Woman are you?

I guess I should post something about LOTR Viewing #27, since I expect to go to #28 tonight. However, given that I'm now going on my own (Shelagh can't make it) and it's a Friday night, we'll see if I have the nerve to sit by myself at The Vic! I'm a big girl. I can do it. Especially if I get there when the doors open and sit way down in the front...

Anyway, the crowd last Thursday night was MUCH less rowdy than the previous time I'd gone--no loud snickering at the slashy bits (although you could still *just* make out the occasional isolated giggle) or inappropriate laughter at all, although we still had the rousing cheers for the death of Lurtz. I have to say, MY group was probably the loudest one there last week!

Spent last night watching "The Brothers McMullen" -- on DVD. Twice. I got a trial membership in Netflix, which I'll probably keep for a couple of months, and immediately started in on the Ed Burns films. I was *so* taken with "Ash Wednesday" that I figured I had to see everything else he'd done. McMullen was the first in more ways than I knew--not just first movie (other than student films), as producer/director, but also as an actor, which was NOT where he originally intended his career to go. Watched the movie straight through the first time, then with the commentary turned on--which was, of course, Ed rambling on for about 90 minutes, practically nonstop. They really shouldn't make the guys do this, since most of the time one person (even the producer/director/writer/actor) cannot keep saying interesting things throughout the entire movie. Ed was no exception. I didn't get *really* bored, but if I had $1 for every time he said "low budget film"--I could MAKE a low budget film.

It was fun to find out a few things about the movie, like that the McMullen house was Ed's childhood home, which has since been sold, and is now memorialized for future generations by this movie; and Ed also points out the many continuity errors in the movie, which was shot over a period of 8 months, but in only 12 full shooting days plus 6 partial days. So hair changes length and color, clothes are reworn by different characters, the same few cars are used several times, etc. I liked the movie a lot, and the acting was better than I expected for all non-SAG actors. Haven't decided yet if I want to buy the DVD, but it was definitely worth seeing.

Friday Five

1. How often do you do laundry? Usually about every other week. More often if I'm working a lot of baseball games during that time, since I have only 4 uniforms.

2. What's in a typical wash load? Every piece of denim jeans and leggings I own (that fit), sheets and towels, assorted shirts, t-shirts, and uniforms.

3. Front or top loader? Powder or liquid detergent? If I go to laundromat, which I usually do, it's usually two of the smaller front-loaders unless I have extra sheets, blankets, rugs, or something. They just reopened the small laundry room in my building, which has two top loaders, but I really prefer the extra rinse cycle and less clothes-destruction of the top loaders (except when I'm either exceptionally lazy or just can't get away). For the laundromat, I usually take just enough powedered detergent in a tupperware container; if I'm just going out the back door and down the stairs, it's usually the heavier liquid stuff.

4. Do you use fabric softener in the rinse cycle? Always, without fail, at the laundromat. Varies some if I do laundry in the building, as there isn't an easy way to do it without hanging around. I sometimes substitute the sheets in that case.

5. Dryer or clothesline? Dryer for most stuff; delicates and most leggings go over the shower rod, and rugs and table runners go over the rail on the back stairs.

19

I act like I'm 19.
This test was brought to you by Mel - mostly.... Take it here.

Too young for Elijah, dammit!

I am truly passionate.

Find your soul type at kelly.moranweb.com.