(no subject)
Our heat went out for the third time in four weeks--the fourth time, really, if you count it working briefly after I hit its reset button earlier today and then dying again. This is definitely making me think more positively about moving this spring. Not only can I now not dance or do yoga today because the floor is ice cold, but I can't do laundry or dishes either, since there's no hot water.
Saw Avatar again yesterday, this time at the Imax theatre. I loved it even more. The aerial banshee scenes were just breathtaking on the huge screen. And the plot holes and often clunky dialogue didn't bother me that much this time around, probably because now I cared about the characters and could read more into their motivations. I did find myself thinking a lot about various PC criticisms I've read of the film, most of all that it repeats the great white hero saving the natives trope. And certainly that is something to keep in mind. But I think it is more a film about a man with no place to belong in his own world discovering a place where he could belong. Jake became a symbol to unite the Na'vi, but the Na'vi didn't blindly follow his lead, as he didn't actually assume leadership--in fact he was careful not to be seen as usurping Tsu'tey's leadership, apart from stealing his future wife (which is a big deal, but I'm sure it's not the first time that happened in Na'vi history, and since he died, end of issue). He provided technical and symbolic assistance to the Na'vi, but their actions were their own. They would have fought whether they had Jake's help or not. And the symbol that he became was their own as well. They didn't place that importance on him because he was the great star man from the sky, but because he went out and bonded with the Toruk, an achievement that was important in Na'vi terms and nobody else's. Why was Jake able to do that and not a Na'vi? Is that important? Maybe in choosing him, Eywa deliberately chose an outsider, because none of the tribes could then accuse another tribe of trying to become paramount. She is about balance, after all. (Thinking of my own academic background, I am reminded of the legends of how the Iroquois Confederacy was created out of the Five Nations--by an outsider with a vision, who was able to convince the Five Nations that they were stronger together than in isolation. My point being, it's not just white people who make these stories up, people around the world do.)
I am probably way overthinking this, well beyond what Cameron ever intended. But that's a sign of how much I enjoyed it.
Man I'm cold. It's 63 degrees in here (that would be 17 C) and still no sign of the repairman. I suppose I could do my cold water laundry, but I do not relish the thought of hanging it all up. Maybe I'll bake something...
edited to add: yay, furnace guy came and the heat is fixed! The transistor in the lighting mechanism had gone bad. He felt that the previous two repairmen were idiots for not noticing this. He also gave me a crash course in types of fuel and heating systems and boilers which will be very useful for apartment hunting and maybe someday home buying, and also showed me things to do to optimize this boiler's performance. Yay for competent helpful people!
.
Saw Avatar again yesterday, this time at the Imax theatre. I loved it even more. The aerial banshee scenes were just breathtaking on the huge screen. And the plot holes and often clunky dialogue didn't bother me that much this time around, probably because now I cared about the characters and could read more into their motivations. I did find myself thinking a lot about various PC criticisms I've read of the film, most of all that it repeats the great white hero saving the natives trope. And certainly that is something to keep in mind. But I think it is more a film about a man with no place to belong in his own world discovering a place where he could belong. Jake became a symbol to unite the Na'vi, but the Na'vi didn't blindly follow his lead, as he didn't actually assume leadership--in fact he was careful not to be seen as usurping Tsu'tey's leadership, apart from stealing his future wife (which is a big deal, but I'm sure it's not the first time that happened in Na'vi history, and since he died, end of issue). He provided technical and symbolic assistance to the Na'vi, but their actions were their own. They would have fought whether they had Jake's help or not. And the symbol that he became was their own as well. They didn't place that importance on him because he was the great star man from the sky, but because he went out and bonded with the Toruk, an achievement that was important in Na'vi terms and nobody else's. Why was Jake able to do that and not a Na'vi? Is that important? Maybe in choosing him, Eywa deliberately chose an outsider, because none of the tribes could then accuse another tribe of trying to become paramount. She is about balance, after all. (Thinking of my own academic background, I am reminded of the legends of how the Iroquois Confederacy was created out of the Five Nations--by an outsider with a vision, who was able to convince the Five Nations that they were stronger together than in isolation. My point being, it's not just white people who make these stories up, people around the world do.)
I am probably way overthinking this, well beyond what Cameron ever intended. But that's a sign of how much I enjoyed it.
Man I'm cold. It's 63 degrees in here (that would be 17 C) and still no sign of the repairman. I suppose I could do my cold water laundry, but I do not relish the thought of hanging it all up. Maybe I'll bake something...
edited to add: yay, furnace guy came and the heat is fixed! The transistor in the lighting mechanism had gone bad. He felt that the previous two repairmen were idiots for not noticing this. He also gave me a crash course in types of fuel and heating systems and boilers which will be very useful for apartment hunting and maybe someday home buying, and also showed me things to do to optimize this boiler's performance. Yay for competent helpful people!
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