“Utterly fanTABulous word, huh?”
I finished the 3rd Ngaio Marsh. About 30 pages in I picked my killer; the little old religious lady, Mrs. Wade. Around page 60, the head inspector says, well, if this was an Agatha Christie, it’d be Mrs. Wade. Huh – can you tell who I trained my detection skills on? I revised my guess and got it the second time. I’m on to The Book Thief now, which is totally brilliant so far. Its about death, books, and the holocaust. I really enjoy death as a character. Granted, this one hasn’t yelled “peachy keen!” yet, but he’s still pretty good.
My dad sent along 25 ways to tell you’re grown up. One is ‘sleeping on the couch hurts your back’. Nope – I can sleep anywhere, anytime, through pretty much anything. Another is ‘taking naps’ – but I associate that much more with college students (and kindergarteners) than adults. One is ‘eating a basket of chicken wings at 3am would upset, not settle, your stomach’. Well that’s just crazy-talk. Everyone knows the proper 3am food is Kanom Pak Kard from Mix Bowl.
One is ‘you go from 130 days of vacation to 14’. NOT YET!!!! NOOOO!!!
Silly stuff:
Conan O’Brien on why he’s ok of being left out of the writing of the Simpson’s movie; “Truth be told, I worry that the Simpsons-writing portion of my brain has been destroyed after 14 years of talking to Lindsay Lohan and that guy from One Tree Hill, so maybe it’s all for the best.”
20 ‘oh that guy‘s
On Comic-Con: Cannes has Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie on the Croisette. Sundance has Robert Redford on the slopes. And Comic-Con? It’s got Klingons in Renaissance costumes running around downtown San Diego. (have fun, Chris!)
Harry Potter related (just think – in a couple of days I’ll be back to actual travel posts!):
A film critic on spoilers and when they should be in a review. (Thanks, dad!)
They’ve added NEW live action ones: Potter puppet pals (the ticking one is funny, although none quite reach the greatness of ‘bother bother bother’)
There are some INSPIRED HP icons popping up. I particularly like: READ; if Goyle can do it, so can you. Also; Rocks fall, Everybody dies. And some comments on the book that I laughed over; “Anyone else notice how often Harry strips in this book? 7 of him take off their clothes in the beginning, he gets down to underwear to rescue the Sword in the Stone, er, Lake, and then is naked after being killed. Bring on Movie 7!” “Maybe Rowling went to see Equus and did some hasty insertion of nude scenes?”
And there’s a funny synopsis/ notes on the book over at: http://mightygodking.livejournal.com/345287.html
However, it occasionally dips from snark into meanness (particularly over ms. Rowling’s writing style), so I’m reposting my favorite bits here:
So – SPOILERS AHEAD. REALLY.
Page 52: Six naked Harry Potters. No. I’m serious. It’s almost like Rowling decided “oh, fuck the legions of kids. I’m writing this one for the grownup fans.”
Page 173: Harry inwardly complains that Hermione doesn’t need to remind him about the time Voldy tricked him into a trap using their mental connection. Given Harry’s amazing ability to fuck up as much as humanly possible, yes, Harry, I think you do.
Page 209: Also, they are rounding up Muggle-born wizards. And putting them in camps. In Cuba. Okay I made that last bit up.
Page 309: “MY PARENTS ARE DEAD!” Harry Potter is Batman!
Page 319: Hermione: “Godric’s Hollow, Godric Gryffindor, Godric’s sword; don’t you think Dumbledore would have expected you to make the connection?” No, I think Dumbledore would have hoped Harry would make the connection. He was not so wildly optimistic as to expect it.
Page 328: Harry thinks to himself about how once you die there isn’t anything and you’re just rotting in the ground. Hey, right-wing Christians who complain about these books popularizing witchcraft: Harry’s not just a horrible demonic sorcerer, he’s a horrible atheist demonic sorcerer!
Page 415: Ron is horribly enthused about having a super-wand. Hermione points out that it’s not how super the wand is, but how well you use it. LOOK, I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP, IT IS ALL THERE ON THE PAGE, PEOPLE!
Page 445: And Harry says “Voldemort” aloud, despite having been warned that it is magic and a big-ass signal to the people hunting them. Because he is a fucking idiot. [Ed: I believe this is point at which I shouted out “oh you stupid blighter!”]
Page 571: “Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Lost Diadem.” And Neville Longbottom finally shows up, with the crap thoroughly and comprehensively kicked out of him. Seems with Harry gone, he’s decided that someone has to be the guy who stands up to the forces of evil and injustice, and is getting the shit whaled out of him for doing it. Neville Longbottom is fucking hardcore.
Page 585: Ginny being all catty to keep Cho away from her man-meat. Because in the Potterverse, you always find your chosen soulmate during your teens. Why a woman who started out her writing career as a single mother would go with this theme is beyond me.
Page 587: The Ravenclaw password isn’t a catchphrase but rather takes the form of answering a riddle, which is a very nice touch. (Presumably the Hufflepuff method of entrance to their common room is desperately begging to be let in, or pretending that you’re as good as the other wizards are rather than being a lump of useless baggage.)
Page 709: Ah, because Voldy took Harry’s blood for his own new body, he “tethered [Harry] to life” and that’s why Harry isn’t all-dead, but rather just mostly-dead. This is a job for Miracle Max and an oversized pill coated with chocolate.
Page 736: Mrs. Weasley has a Ripley-in-Aliens moment and kicks the shit out of Bellatrix. Never underestimate the power of a Ripley-in-Aliens moment.
Mrs. Weasily is easily the best moment, quite possibly ever. I can’t think of it without breaking into a grin.
Music; what’s a girl to do – bat for lashes, just like heaven – the cure, silence is golden – Garbage (I want to hear the new remix CD!!!)
Tags: Travel
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