This is odd
(Cut and pasted from Opendiary.com.)
I feel strange writing here with my entries all gone. Perhaps it's a new beginning, if they can't be restored ... but it feels odd. Like ... something's missing, in more ways than one. Luckily I'd downloaded my diary through April of this year, so I won't be missing THAT much if the data can't be fixed.
The one thing that upsets me, though, is my last two visits to Portland were chronicled in the months that are missing. I remember, of course, but I wrote some good stuff in the wake of those visits. Here's hoping, at least ... but not a ton of optimism.
(Been mulling whether the DM was smart or stupid, PR-wise, to let us all on before the data was restored. Because everybody's having fits about the missing entries, and they'd HAVE fits if it was down for however long it takes to get the data restored.)
I've started on the South Beach diet since I last wrote here. It's gone well, actually, and I'm enjoying it a bit more than Atkins. I made some sandwich wraps in lettuce today (ham, turkey, tomato, onion, cilantro, avocado, worcestershire sauce, and a dab of ranch dressing, all wrapped in a leaf of lettuce) that kicked all kinds of ass. I had two for lunch and two for supper. :)
It's been an interesting movie-watching week. Last night Alex and I watched "The Passion of the Christ" on the phone together. It ... I don't know. I had an odd reaction. On one hand, it's a beautifully shot piece. There's no question it's a gorgeous movie, taking moments from many well-known religious paintings and bringing them to life. Doing it in Aramaic and Latin was an interesting choice, and I admire that.
Yet I'm oddly annoyed, because I thought Mel Gibson was playing the movie as true to the Scriptures. And call me crazy, but among other things, I *don't* remember vampire children chasing Judas around. Don't remember Satan tempting Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. COULD have happened, but ... *shrugs* It just was odd to be taken out of the movie by things that aren't necessarily biblical canon.
One moment I particularly liked, though, was when Satan was tempting Jesus in the garden and the snake slithered toward Jesus. Jesus stepped on it, and that was a nice visual reference to the verse in Genesis about He shall bruise his head and the other his heel. (Can't remember verbatim at present.)
I didn't think the movie was particularly accessible to someone who may not be that familiar with Scriptures. Most people, I know, have some awareness of the story of Jesus (whether they believe he is God or not), but at the same time, some of the reasoning behind the Jews wanting to kill him was not very well spelled out.
And as far as the violence goes ... eep. That was hard to watch. I couldn't watch when they nailed him to the cross. Couldn't couldn't. No. Was doing the whole "hands over face" thing.
But interesting movie, nonetheless. I wouldn't gripe if it won cinematography Oscars, or makeup, but if it's nominated for and wins Best Picture, I *don't* think it's quite that deserving.
I've been wanting to see "The Pillow Book" for some time, and in stopping at the grocery store today, I found a video of it for $5. So I nabbed it and watched it. That was ... one of the stranger, more beautiful movies I've seen in a long time. Dark, erotic and moving, in the end it becomes oddly life-affirming. It's a nifty movie, and not just because of multiple full-frontal shots of Ewan McGregor :)
Having a weird night. Earlier this week, I had ... I don't know if you'd call it a panic attack or what. But I was just sitting downstairs and got randomly scared out of my wits, profoundly uneasy. I ran around and shut all the windows and blinds, locked the doors, and was sitting at the computer with a knife and my bullwhip next to me. And the house felt so big and empty and quiet, I had the TV turned on loud purely for noise. A storm, which I usually love, had me dashing madly across the house in fear after a lightning bolt split the sky. I've been sleeping on the couch downstairs for the past few months, but that night had me sleeping upstairs in my bed with the bedroom door tightly shut.
I'm having a similar night tonight, but not as bad. It's just ... quiet. Scary. I don't like it. I do hear a little bit of thunder, but it's just weird. I'm tempted (and probably will, since it's nearing time I should at least be IN bed, if not sleeping) to go upstairs and hide under the blankets.
*sighs*
I feel strange writing here with my entries all gone. Perhaps it's a new beginning, if they can't be restored ... but it feels odd. Like ... something's missing, in more ways than one. Luckily I'd downloaded my diary through April of this year, so I won't be missing THAT much if the data can't be fixed.
The one thing that upsets me, though, is my last two visits to Portland were chronicled in the months that are missing. I remember, of course, but I wrote some good stuff in the wake of those visits. Here's hoping, at least ... but not a ton of optimism.
(Been mulling whether the DM was smart or stupid, PR-wise, to let us all on before the data was restored. Because everybody's having fits about the missing entries, and they'd HAVE fits if it was down for however long it takes to get the data restored.)
I've started on the South Beach diet since I last wrote here. It's gone well, actually, and I'm enjoying it a bit more than Atkins. I made some sandwich wraps in lettuce today (ham, turkey, tomato, onion, cilantro, avocado, worcestershire sauce, and a dab of ranch dressing, all wrapped in a leaf of lettuce) that kicked all kinds of ass. I had two for lunch and two for supper. :)
It's been an interesting movie-watching week. Last night Alex and I watched "The Passion of the Christ" on the phone together. It ... I don't know. I had an odd reaction. On one hand, it's a beautifully shot piece. There's no question it's a gorgeous movie, taking moments from many well-known religious paintings and bringing them to life. Doing it in Aramaic and Latin was an interesting choice, and I admire that.
Yet I'm oddly annoyed, because I thought Mel Gibson was playing the movie as true to the Scriptures. And call me crazy, but among other things, I *don't* remember vampire children chasing Judas around. Don't remember Satan tempting Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. COULD have happened, but ... *shrugs* It just was odd to be taken out of the movie by things that aren't necessarily biblical canon.
One moment I particularly liked, though, was when Satan was tempting Jesus in the garden and the snake slithered toward Jesus. Jesus stepped on it, and that was a nice visual reference to the verse in Genesis about He shall bruise his head and the other his heel. (Can't remember verbatim at present.)
I didn't think the movie was particularly accessible to someone who may not be that familiar with Scriptures. Most people, I know, have some awareness of the story of Jesus (whether they believe he is God or not), but at the same time, some of the reasoning behind the Jews wanting to kill him was not very well spelled out.
And as far as the violence goes ... eep. That was hard to watch. I couldn't watch when they nailed him to the cross. Couldn't couldn't. No. Was doing the whole "hands over face" thing.
But interesting movie, nonetheless. I wouldn't gripe if it won cinematography Oscars, or makeup, but if it's nominated for and wins Best Picture, I *don't* think it's quite that deserving.
I've been wanting to see "The Pillow Book" for some time, and in stopping at the grocery store today, I found a video of it for $5. So I nabbed it and watched it. That was ... one of the stranger, more beautiful movies I've seen in a long time. Dark, erotic and moving, in the end it becomes oddly life-affirming. It's a nifty movie, and not just because of multiple full-frontal shots of Ewan McGregor :)
Having a weird night. Earlier this week, I had ... I don't know if you'd call it a panic attack or what. But I was just sitting downstairs and got randomly scared out of my wits, profoundly uneasy. I ran around and shut all the windows and blinds, locked the doors, and was sitting at the computer with a knife and my bullwhip next to me. And the house felt so big and empty and quiet, I had the TV turned on loud purely for noise. A storm, which I usually love, had me dashing madly across the house in fear after a lightning bolt split the sky. I've been sleeping on the couch downstairs for the past few months, but that night had me sleeping upstairs in my bed with the bedroom door tightly shut.
I'm having a similar night tonight, but not as bad. It's just ... quiet. Scary. I don't like it. I do hear a little bit of thunder, but it's just weird. I'm tempted (and probably will, since it's nearing time I should at least be IN bed, if not sleeping) to go upstairs and hide under the blankets.
*sighs*