(no subject)
I had a really great weekend this past week, which was welcomed after some stress I've been feeling lately from several different areas.
Friday night, even though I worked late, Genevieve, Michael, and I met Joe back here at my place to game for the first time in months. After loading up on food and myriad stimulants to keep us awake we gamed for six and a half hours bringing us to 5:30 in the morning. The sun was up and we all passed out soon afterward. It was _awesome_.
Four and a half hours later, for no reason whatsoever, my body decided it didn't want to sleep anymore. So I, Joe, and Michael (and eventually Genevieve) went downstairs and started trying to figure out Arkham Horror for several hours while I made us all breakfast. After running some errands (my computer's getting a bit loopy and I've been worried there might be something seriously wrong, so I needed to get an external hard drive to back everything up before I try to fix it or it simply crashes), Michael and I went to see Indiana Jones that night while Genevieve and George went to see a different movie, the plan being to meet up for dinner afterwards.
Now, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull... Rather than a full review, I will just bullet some points I think sum it up:
-- The first five minutes were clearly designed to give such high hopes that even the most skeptical would have the full force or depressive disappointment after the following hour and fifty five minutes.
-- George Lucas took the criticism of the prequels as a challenge.
-- Cinematography that gave the feel of a parody video or TV movie rather than a multi-million dollar blockbuster film.
-- Dialogue and timing that weren't even laughably bad. Sometimes some very Indy-style dialogue that was ruined my delivery and direction.
-- Gophers! Friendly, hilarious gophers that would pop up periodically when something dramatic would happen so we could all laugh at the cute, furry animal!
-- It should be noted to all screenwriters and directors that if you'd like to use magnetism as a part of a plot device, perhaps you should, at the very least, read the wiki pages on magnetism, lead, and gold. Just a thought. Or, you know, have common knowledge.
-- I never, in my life, thought that Cate Blanchet, in a uniform, with a Russian accent could be the opposite of hot. That is 90% of my melty fantasies all rolled up into one fetishy package and George Lucas and Steven Spielberg actually made it unappealing.
-- The warehouse? We recognized it. We did not need the arc to strip in front of us to rub in the reference.
-- Really, Harrison Ford? "Nucular"? Really?
-- When exactly did Indiana Jones have time to become a colonel in the U. S. military during WWII?
-- I'm pretty sure that regardless of how well you know Mayan, it takes more than less than a second to use that knowledge to translate a completely different language.
-- I know what crystal looks like. Most people, I would expect, do. And even if you don't, you _should_ know that it doesn't look like plastic stuffed with saran wrap. George and Steven should be notified.
-- This is hot. Add direction from George Lucas and Steven Spielberg and the hotness actually dissolves. Just like with Irina. >:(
-- Monkey Ewoks. Monkeys that taugh Shia LaBeouf to swing in the jungle like Tarzan and then help him beat up the bad Russians. George, must you always ruin things with furry animals? In this movie, twice?
-- Transdimensional beings, _not_ from space, but from the space between spaces. Oh yeah, you heard me.
I'm sure there was more. I know Michael and I have often erupted in complaints and banter back and forth since we saw it. But this is plenty to give you and idea at how worth your money it is to go see.
I remember little of dinner besides the frequent inserts of new or revisited complaints about the film from me and Michael, but having dinner with Genevieve and George was a good way to start cleansing.
But and even better way came the next day. In our continued effort to improve and fix some of the problems going on in our relationship (the three of us as a whole and all the individual ones), one step that we've needed is reconnection with Genevieve. She and Michael have gotten a better start at that than she and I have, but Sunday was an excellent way to kick it off. After lounging around for a while after we woke up, Genevieve told me to get dressed and get in the car. It became clear very quickly that Michael was not going to be joining us and so we went. She took me on a couple of quick errands and then we were driving up the parkway. I had _no_ idea where we were going until we actually walked _into_ the spa. She took me on a spa day!
We got to do a couple's whirlpool which was insanely relaxing, for a couple of reasons, and then got a full body couple's massage. Plus the place is just drenched in luxury. They have delicious lemonade, really nice robes (which you walk around in the whole time), comfy lounges, nice bathrooms, and huge showers that Genevieve and I took advantage of after our massages. Really, they just supply you with everything. It was one of the most relaxing things I've done in a really long time. She then took me out to lunch where we ate a load of food Michael hates, drank some really delicious fruity liquor, had a really nummy dessert, and watched zexy softball players. It was heavenly. (Also a great fix for the vileness that was Indiana Jones.)
The rest of the evening was spent pleasantly relaxing at home with Michael, playing Grand Theft Auto IV, having sex, and going to sleep nice and early.
Even so, we ended up sleeping in very late (we all clearly needed the sleep). Monday was another day of gaming for us. We picked George up and met Joe back at the house. We actually got through _most_ of a game of Arkham Horror. I think we were playing for a total of five hours and we still weren't actually near winning. It was fun, though, and I think we're finally getting the hang of it. It complicated, but that's what you get when you try to get the fel and spirit of an RPG into board game form. We all had dinner with my mom before Joe had to go to work, we played on round of Loaded Questions and then George headed home as well. Another relatively early night to bed and the end of a really excellent weekend.
And, short work week! I did find out, though, that unfortunately Pauline's dad is in the hospital and not doing very well. She's on a flight now to California and I'm going to keep things running for her while she's there. So it'll be an interesting week here (although hopefully manageable), and I wish her the best.
That's about all I got. I should really be getting back to work now.
Friday night, even though I worked late, Genevieve, Michael, and I met Joe back here at my place to game for the first time in months. After loading up on food and myriad stimulants to keep us awake we gamed for six and a half hours bringing us to 5:30 in the morning. The sun was up and we all passed out soon afterward. It was _awesome_.
Four and a half hours later, for no reason whatsoever, my body decided it didn't want to sleep anymore. So I, Joe, and Michael (and eventually Genevieve) went downstairs and started trying to figure out Arkham Horror for several hours while I made us all breakfast. After running some errands (my computer's getting a bit loopy and I've been worried there might be something seriously wrong, so I needed to get an external hard drive to back everything up before I try to fix it or it simply crashes), Michael and I went to see Indiana Jones that night while Genevieve and George went to see a different movie, the plan being to meet up for dinner afterwards.
Now, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull... Rather than a full review, I will just bullet some points I think sum it up:
-- The first five minutes were clearly designed to give such high hopes that even the most skeptical would have the full force or depressive disappointment after the following hour and fifty five minutes.
-- George Lucas took the criticism of the prequels as a challenge.
-- Cinematography that gave the feel of a parody video or TV movie rather than a multi-million dollar blockbuster film.
-- Dialogue and timing that weren't even laughably bad. Sometimes some very Indy-style dialogue that was ruined my delivery and direction.
-- Gophers! Friendly, hilarious gophers that would pop up periodically when something dramatic would happen so we could all laugh at the cute, furry animal!
-- It should be noted to all screenwriters and directors that if you'd like to use magnetism as a part of a plot device, perhaps you should, at the very least, read the wiki pages on magnetism, lead, and gold. Just a thought. Or, you know, have common knowledge.
-- I never, in my life, thought that Cate Blanchet, in a uniform, with a Russian accent could be the opposite of hot. That is 90% of my melty fantasies all rolled up into one fetishy package and George Lucas and Steven Spielberg actually made it unappealing.
-- The warehouse? We recognized it. We did not need the arc to strip in front of us to rub in the reference.
-- Really, Harrison Ford? "Nucular"? Really?
-- When exactly did Indiana Jones have time to become a colonel in the U. S. military during WWII?
-- I'm pretty sure that regardless of how well you know Mayan, it takes more than less than a second to use that knowledge to translate a completely different language.
-- I know what crystal looks like. Most people, I would expect, do. And even if you don't, you _should_ know that it doesn't look like plastic stuffed with saran wrap. George and Steven should be notified.
-- This is hot. Add direction from George Lucas and Steven Spielberg and the hotness actually dissolves. Just like with Irina. >:(
-- Monkey Ewoks. Monkeys that taugh Shia LaBeouf to swing in the jungle like Tarzan and then help him beat up the bad Russians. George, must you always ruin things with furry animals? In this movie, twice?
-- Transdimensional beings, _not_ from space, but from the space between spaces. Oh yeah, you heard me.
I'm sure there was more. I know Michael and I have often erupted in complaints and banter back and forth since we saw it. But this is plenty to give you and idea at how worth your money it is to go see.
I remember little of dinner besides the frequent inserts of new or revisited complaints about the film from me and Michael, but having dinner with Genevieve and George was a good way to start cleansing.
But and even better way came the next day. In our continued effort to improve and fix some of the problems going on in our relationship (the three of us as a whole and all the individual ones), one step that we've needed is reconnection with Genevieve. She and Michael have gotten a better start at that than she and I have, but Sunday was an excellent way to kick it off. After lounging around for a while after we woke up, Genevieve told me to get dressed and get in the car. It became clear very quickly that Michael was not going to be joining us and so we went. She took me on a couple of quick errands and then we were driving up the parkway. I had _no_ idea where we were going until we actually walked _into_ the spa. She took me on a spa day!
We got to do a couple's whirlpool which was insanely relaxing, for a couple of reasons, and then got a full body couple's massage. Plus the place is just drenched in luxury. They have delicious lemonade, really nice robes (which you walk around in the whole time), comfy lounges, nice bathrooms, and huge showers that Genevieve and I took advantage of after our massages. Really, they just supply you with everything. It was one of the most relaxing things I've done in a really long time. She then took me out to lunch where we ate a load of food Michael hates, drank some really delicious fruity liquor, had a really nummy dessert, and watched zexy softball players. It was heavenly. (Also a great fix for the vileness that was Indiana Jones.)
The rest of the evening was spent pleasantly relaxing at home with Michael, playing Grand Theft Auto IV, having sex, and going to sleep nice and early.
Even so, we ended up sleeping in very late (we all clearly needed the sleep). Monday was another day of gaming for us. We picked George up and met Joe back at the house. We actually got through _most_ of a game of Arkham Horror. I think we were playing for a total of five hours and we still weren't actually near winning. It was fun, though, and I think we're finally getting the hang of it. It complicated, but that's what you get when you try to get the fel and spirit of an RPG into board game form. We all had dinner with my mom before Joe had to go to work, we played on round of Loaded Questions and then George headed home as well. Another relatively early night to bed and the end of a really excellent weekend.
And, short work week! I did find out, though, that unfortunately Pauline's dad is in the hospital and not doing very well. She's on a flight now to California and I'm going to keep things running for her while she's there. So it'll be an interesting week here (although hopefully manageable), and I wish her the best.
That's about all I got. I should really be getting back to work now.