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May. 21st, 2007 08:42 pmWell, I'm officially not going to Costume College this summer; I got my refund cheque in the mail today. I really wish I hadn't had to cancel, but it was a question of both time and money. With my 10 year secondary school reunion the last weekend of August, it was either take 2 trips in one month or spend a whole month out of Japan. Given my current situation, neither one was feasable -- if the two events had been two weeks apart, I would have managed, but they're not and I'm afraid secondary school reunion trumped Costume College. But I hope those who are going to Costume College will have a great time and I'll just have to drool enviously over your pictures. :)
Until I Find You (John Irving, 1035 pages): I bought and read A Prayer For Owen Meany while in Eastern Europe, so it only made sense that the second book I read by John Irving be a travel purchase, this one from the Zurich airport on my way back to Japan. Because one of my great travel-related fears is to be stuck somewhere, such as a plane, with nothing to read. I started it on the plane and it was my subway book for a few weeks, meaning I only read on the subway to and from work, which I why I didn't finish it faster. It was a great read, laugh-out-loud funny, especially during the first part of the book when the protagonist is a child with a child's (mis)understanding of the world. Part of the humour is in figuring out what is actually going on, as the young Jack Burns completely misinterprets many events, most of them related to sex, which his mother tries to shield him from in an often odd way. Other parts were achingly sad, some very moving and I was sad to see it end. Which is how books should make one feel, no?
The Girl Next Door: Not a great movie, but sweet and entertaining enough that I wasn't tempted to check the DVD display to see how much time was left. And while "Fuck her for me!" isn't as great a line as "My log does not judge." (though what could possibly top that, I ask you?) the delivery made it memorable.
The Gamers: I've been raving about (DM of the Rings) lately and this is pretty much the same idea, without the LotR connection. A D&D campaign acted out on screen, cutting between the actual gamers sitting around the table and their alter-egos in costume, running around trying to defeat the Shadow ("The Shadow!" *gasp*), complete with arguments about stats, rolls and The Rules ("There's nothing in the rules that says you can't do that, so I do it!"). Props to these guys, who made a hilarious movie with just a camera and some good editing.
Until I Find You (John Irving, 1035 pages): I bought and read A Prayer For Owen Meany while in Eastern Europe, so it only made sense that the second book I read by John Irving be a travel purchase, this one from the Zurich airport on my way back to Japan. Because one of my great travel-related fears is to be stuck somewhere, such as a plane, with nothing to read. I started it on the plane and it was my subway book for a few weeks, meaning I only read on the subway to and from work, which I why I didn't finish it faster. It was a great read, laugh-out-loud funny, especially during the first part of the book when the protagonist is a child with a child's (mis)understanding of the world. Part of the humour is in figuring out what is actually going on, as the young Jack Burns completely misinterprets many events, most of them related to sex, which his mother tries to shield him from in an often odd way. Other parts were achingly sad, some very moving and I was sad to see it end. Which is how books should make one feel, no?
The Girl Next Door: Not a great movie, but sweet and entertaining enough that I wasn't tempted to check the DVD display to see how much time was left. And while "Fuck her for me!" isn't as great a line as "My log does not judge." (though what could possibly top that, I ask you?) the delivery made it memorable.
The Gamers: I've been raving about (DM of the Rings) lately and this is pretty much the same idea, without the LotR connection. A D&D campaign acted out on screen, cutting between the actual gamers sitting around the table and their alter-egos in costume, running around trying to defeat the Shadow ("The Shadow!" *gasp*), complete with arguments about stats, rolls and The Rules ("There's nothing in the rules that says you can't do that, so I do it!"). Props to these guys, who made a hilarious movie with just a camera and some good editing.
