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Going to England! Firefly! People still suck! John Gissing!
I finally bought my plane ticket, not because I found a great deal but because I realized my $500 dream fare was simply never going to come. I wonder how many things in my life get accomplished from me saying, "Fuck it, I'm tired of worrying about this"?
I opted for British Airways, who has a nonstop from Denver to London -- which I anticipate being so luxurious and stress-free that I'll wonder why I haven't always insisted on nonstop. (How can BA get there in 9 hours when all the other airlines need 15? MyFriendDeb figures everyone else has to pull over to let them through, since they have "British" in the title.) Apart from some shenanigans with my debit card not being good enough for their website, I'm pretty much good to go. Lucky thing, because it was only after buying it that I noticed that there's actually only two weeks before my travel dates. Two more weekends at the kennels, and I can already feel the countdown on my pressure valve. I'm hoping my last night of work before leaving goes significantly smoother than my last trip.
Jeffy has set about planning my entertainment with a vengeance. There's talk of hopping over to Ireland, Stonehenge, Buckingham and even Spamalot. MyFriendDeb had mentioned a Harry Potter tour that sounded appealing. Jeffy hadn't heard of it so I Googled. It turns out there are lots of Harry Potter tours, all of which are designed to siphon as much money from vacationing American pigdogs as possible. The cheapest one I found was $400. !!!!!!! That gets you a private taxicab that ferries you to all the shooting locations of inner London. Other packages go up to $2000+ and last several days, encompassing Scotland and a ride on the Hogwarts Express as well.
Extortionate. But would YOU want to be the one to tell your excited little darlings that it's too expensive? I figure I've got an advantage over the average tourist in knowing a native. Nothing can stop us from visiting some spots on our own. In fact, the Hogwarts library was filmed at Oxford, which is Jeffy's alma mater.
So in short, England is a go! I'll be sure to come back with proper documentation for my avid readers.
~*~
If I had bought my ticket first, I might not have gone on the massive internet shopping spree that I did just the day before. 300 is coming soon so I wanted that. But Amazon has a way of pricing everything tantalizingly close to, but often just below, the $25 mark that gets you free shipping. So to save $3 in shipping, I also ordered The Official Firefly Companion Volumes 1 and 2 for an additional $30. Don't judge me, I was planning to buy these eventually anyway.
While browsing, I stumbled across the DVD Done the Impossible, a fan-made documentary about how the intensely loyal fan base made the movie Serenity happen (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kavieshana, see me after class). It arrived Saturday and I made Tery watch a bit. I had hoped seeing people talking about their love for the show would push her over the edge into giving it a chance. And, well, done the impossible indeed...we just finished the pilot and she agreed to watch more (her tentative favorite is Kaylee). Will she be #6 in my conversion tally to the Browncoats? Only time will tell.
~*~
This weekend at the kennels had the usual amount of excitement. I come with two photos.
This is Baby Face the greyhound. I've heard that most retired greyhounds are affectionate, obedient and stoked to live a life not being forced to run constantly. Baby Face is the first greyhound I've dealt with, and all she wants is hugs, kisses, and love love love love love. I was happy to provide all of these as much as possible.
By contrast, here is Snuggles the cat:
Despite several attempts, mere camera phone technology is pitifully inadequate to capture the almost demonic malevolence emanating off this cat. Either Snuggles' extreme homicidal tendencies developed after it was too late to change his name (but really, don't all cats only deign to recognize the names we choose for them when it suits them?) or his owner has a deep-seated sense of irony. Just walking past the door of C ward was enough to incite his warning hissing and spitting, and actually opening the door of his kennel to clean the box or bowls got him speaking in tongues.
I was perfectly content to leave him be. Message received, loud and clear, little man. Except he had this habit of pooping in his blanket, and that I couldn't just walk by and ignore. I changed it once at terrific risk of loss of limb, not that I got the slightest bit of gratitude for my trouble. Then in the morning I noticed he had done it again. Well fuck me. That I left for the day crew to deal with.
Because the day crew is on my list again. Saturday night I came in to find for a second time, mind-blowingly, less than a month after my plea to everyone at the meeting, the back door wide open a full four hours after the last person had left. Because come closing time, the day crew happily starts their weekend and doesn't give a second thought to anyone or anything else because they are lazy, thoughtless and useless. If I sound a little harsh, think for a moment how you would feel walking into a hospital full of dark rooms where someone could easily lie in wait. The solution offered by the stupid cow of a medical director was for me to call for a police escort -- except I don't notice the unlocked door until I'm already inside, when it would already be far too late if someone got in.
As much as I'd love to unleash my fury on the guilty parties directly, Tery won't let me, so I'm forced to do it to her and hope she can sufficiently pass it along. But as much as I love Tery, she doesn't really do anger, not as effectively as me at least.
Two more weekends, two more weekends...
~*~
Finally, cut because I'm sure no one really cares all that much, :
In the greater scheme of movies, this isn't one to write home about. In the scheme of Alan Rickman movies, this is a feather in the cap, a diamond in the rough, a treasure to behold.
Matthew Barnes (played by Mike Binder, who is also writer and director) is an American businessman relocating to London with his wife (a sadly underused Janeane Garofalo) to handle a big merger for his company. Unbeknownst to him, he is also to replace John Gissing (Rickman), who is none too sanguine about being usurped and underhandedly sabotages his transition at every turn.
The movie has a vaguely Woody Allen/Blake Edwards feel about it, which isn't a bad thing. Some of the jokes are heavy-handed, some of the setups even moreso. The most painful moment is probably a speech given by Barnes to his wife (which seems to be Janeane's primary role in the movie, as a spectator to his histrionics) that seems completely superfluous and extemporaneous, yet is delivered with all the bombast of the Gettysburg Address (complete with hokey Revolutionary soundtrack). Janeane is left, along with the viewer, staring agape at this wholly unnecessary display.
It takes a while for Alan's presence to be known, but once it is, he steals every single scene (as usual). One of the funniest gags in the movie is based around Gissing forgetting his glasses and trying to give a business presentation while blind as a bat; given that he has his glasses at all other times in the movie, it seems highly unlikely that he would ever be caught without them, but who cares because the result had me laughing so hard I literally spit.
More of his extremely dry brand of humor can be seen in this clip:
(MyFriendDeb and I are particularly fond of him accepting the ice cube from Janeane and then chucking it aside in disgust.)
More business world hijinks ensue, which would probably bore the pants off me if Alan wasn't involved. But in the end it all comes together nicely, and the entire cast take part in a tapdancing class:
If this clip of Alan looking footloose and fancy-free isn't worth the purchase price alone, I don't know what is.
In summary, for Rickman fans this is a 5/5. For the rest of the world, 3/5.
I opted for British Airways, who has a nonstop from Denver to London -- which I anticipate being so luxurious and stress-free that I'll wonder why I haven't always insisted on nonstop. (How can BA get there in 9 hours when all the other airlines need 15? MyFriendDeb figures everyone else has to pull over to let them through, since they have "British" in the title.) Apart from some shenanigans with my debit card not being good enough for their website, I'm pretty much good to go. Lucky thing, because it was only after buying it that I noticed that there's actually only two weeks before my travel dates. Two more weekends at the kennels, and I can already feel the countdown on my pressure valve. I'm hoping my last night of work before leaving goes significantly smoother than my last trip.
Jeffy has set about planning my entertainment with a vengeance. There's talk of hopping over to Ireland, Stonehenge, Buckingham and even Spamalot. MyFriendDeb had mentioned a Harry Potter tour that sounded appealing. Jeffy hadn't heard of it so I Googled. It turns out there are lots of Harry Potter tours, all of which are designed to siphon as much money from vacationing American pigdogs as possible. The cheapest one I found was $400. !!!!!!! That gets you a private taxicab that ferries you to all the shooting locations of inner London. Other packages go up to $2000+ and last several days, encompassing Scotland and a ride on the Hogwarts Express as well.
Extortionate. But would YOU want to be the one to tell your excited little darlings that it's too expensive? I figure I've got an advantage over the average tourist in knowing a native. Nothing can stop us from visiting some spots on our own. In fact, the Hogwarts library was filmed at Oxford, which is Jeffy's alma mater.
So in short, England is a go! I'll be sure to come back with proper documentation for my avid readers.
~*~
If I had bought my ticket first, I might not have gone on the massive internet shopping spree that I did just the day before. 300 is coming soon so I wanted that. But Amazon has a way of pricing everything tantalizingly close to, but often just below, the $25 mark that gets you free shipping. So to save $3 in shipping, I also ordered The Official Firefly Companion Volumes 1 and 2 for an additional $30. Don't judge me, I was planning to buy these eventually anyway.
While browsing, I stumbled across the DVD Done the Impossible, a fan-made documentary about how the intensely loyal fan base made the movie Serenity happen (
kavieshana, see me after class). It arrived Saturday and I made Tery watch a bit. I had hoped seeing people talking about their love for the show would push her over the edge into giving it a chance. And, well, done the impossible indeed...we just finished the pilot and she agreed to watch more (her tentative favorite is Kaylee). Will she be #6 in my conversion tally to the Browncoats? Only time will tell.~*~
This weekend at the kennels had the usual amount of excitement. I come with two photos.
This is Baby Face the greyhound. I've heard that most retired greyhounds are affectionate, obedient and stoked to live a life not being forced to run constantly. Baby Face is the first greyhound I've dealt with, and all she wants is hugs, kisses, and love love love love love. I was happy to provide all of these as much as possible.
By contrast, here is Snuggles the cat:
Despite several attempts, mere camera phone technology is pitifully inadequate to capture the almost demonic malevolence emanating off this cat. Either Snuggles' extreme homicidal tendencies developed after it was too late to change his name (but really, don't all cats only deign to recognize the names we choose for them when it suits them?) or his owner has a deep-seated sense of irony. Just walking past the door of C ward was enough to incite his warning hissing and spitting, and actually opening the door of his kennel to clean the box or bowls got him speaking in tongues.
I was perfectly content to leave him be. Message received, loud and clear, little man. Except he had this habit of pooping in his blanket, and that I couldn't just walk by and ignore. I changed it once at terrific risk of loss of limb, not that I got the slightest bit of gratitude for my trouble. Then in the morning I noticed he had done it again. Well fuck me. That I left for the day crew to deal with.
Because the day crew is on my list again. Saturday night I came in to find for a second time, mind-blowingly, less than a month after my plea to everyone at the meeting, the back door wide open a full four hours after the last person had left. Because come closing time, the day crew happily starts their weekend and doesn't give a second thought to anyone or anything else because they are lazy, thoughtless and useless. If I sound a little harsh, think for a moment how you would feel walking into a hospital full of dark rooms where someone could easily lie in wait. The solution offered by the stupid cow of a medical director was for me to call for a police escort -- except I don't notice the unlocked door until I'm already inside, when it would already be far too late if someone got in.
As much as I'd love to unleash my fury on the guilty parties directly, Tery won't let me, so I'm forced to do it to her and hope she can sufficiently pass it along. But as much as I love Tery, she doesn't really do anger, not as effectively as me at least.
Two more weekends, two more weekends...
~*~
Finally, cut because I'm sure no one really cares all that much, :
In the greater scheme of movies, this isn't one to write home about. In the scheme of Alan Rickman movies, this is a feather in the cap, a diamond in the rough, a treasure to behold.
Matthew Barnes (played by Mike Binder, who is also writer and director) is an American businessman relocating to London with his wife (a sadly underused Janeane Garofalo) to handle a big merger for his company. Unbeknownst to him, he is also to replace John Gissing (Rickman), who is none too sanguine about being usurped and underhandedly sabotages his transition at every turn.
The movie has a vaguely Woody Allen/Blake Edwards feel about it, which isn't a bad thing. Some of the jokes are heavy-handed, some of the setups even moreso. The most painful moment is probably a speech given by Barnes to his wife (which seems to be Janeane's primary role in the movie, as a spectator to his histrionics) that seems completely superfluous and extemporaneous, yet is delivered with all the bombast of the Gettysburg Address (complete with hokey Revolutionary soundtrack). Janeane is left, along with the viewer, staring agape at this wholly unnecessary display.
It takes a while for Alan's presence to be known, but once it is, he steals every single scene (as usual). One of the funniest gags in the movie is based around Gissing forgetting his glasses and trying to give a business presentation while blind as a bat; given that he has his glasses at all other times in the movie, it seems highly unlikely that he would ever be caught without them, but who cares because the result had me laughing so hard I literally spit.
More of his extremely dry brand of humor can be seen in this clip:
(MyFriendDeb and I are particularly fond of him accepting the ice cube from Janeane and then chucking it aside in disgust.)
More business world hijinks ensue, which would probably bore the pants off me if Alan wasn't involved. But in the end it all comes together nicely, and the entire cast take part in a tapdancing class:
If this clip of Alan looking footloose and fancy-free isn't worth the purchase price alone, I don't know what is.
In summary, for Rickman fans this is a 5/5. For the rest of the world, 3/5.
She called me Snuggles once. ...Once.
Congratulations on getting your ticket! I am vicariously all excited about your trip. I can't wait to see our pictures and hear of all our adventures. It has been so long since we've seen Jeff - even longer for me! (So long in fact that he has been replaced in my head with ... that guy, whathisname?...Julian Sands. I think that's the guy.)
Doesn't British Airways have the commercials where everyone is floating. Isn't that what the guy in "2001" took to get to the moon?
I'm stuck in movie land.
Are you going to endure "Perfume" for Alan?
Re: She called me Snuggles once. ...Once.
We'll have a wonderful time there together, I'm sure of it. Sadly Jeffy hasn't been Julian Sands for awhile. Another victim in the ongoing epidemic of male pattern baldness. I'm not planning to mention anything at the airport.
Yes, BA has flights to the moon as well. Those British do everything better than us.
But of course I will see "Perfume." Even though Alan looks much better in the Snape wig than a powdered one.
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Sorry you weren't able to cheat the airline system. Make sure to eat lots and lots of complementary snack-bags.
Does "proper documentation" mean "a shitload of pictures"? Y/Y?
I'd rather see Cair Paravel than the Hogwarts Express, myself.
Detention?! All right, all right. I'll watch the documentary.
I'm not sure if I'll buy the John Gissing movie, even though those clips are very funny. I just don't know if it's something I'd watch over and over. Also, I hate Mike Binder as much as I love the other two.
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The website boasts of 3 in-flight meals, though I'm not sure that applies to red-eyes.
Y and Y. As much as I hate looking too much like a tourist, I'm bringing a camera and a camcorder.
I haven't heard about any Narnia tours. You'll have to be content with Stonehenge.
No, silly. I was going to offer you a copy. Those silly Firefly fans didn't write-protect the disc (though I think that was done deliberately in the spirit of never "stopping the signal") so if you give me your address I can shoot it on over to you.
Ditto John Gissing, or else how can you count yourself a Rickman fan? Though agreed, Mike Binder is extremely, extremely annoying.
I didn't even notice you were listening to the Decemberists!
Wouldn't they have at least one meal for red-eyes? (In my head, Ben Stein is saying, "What about itchy eyes? Dry eyes?")
I don't think having a camera in your hand says "tourist". Just be sure not to wear a shirt displaying the flag or name of the country you're visiting.
Like you need a tour? Climb the cliff yourself, ya bum!
Oh, well. That's much better than punishment. I'll e-mail that to you straight away.
But of course. A good friend sent me the song
No Union Jack apparel, check.
Where is Caer Paravel?
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And Done The Impossible is a spectacular documentary. Be sure to watch/listen to the interactive timeline. It's got lots of shiny stuff.
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I enjoyed it a lot and cried like a baby watching all the Browncoats when they talked about the show being canceled. I had to shut it off because Tery threatened to walk away entirely if I didn't stop crying.
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(mmmmm. Giles....)
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(Anonymous) 2007-08-02 08:36 pm (UTC)(link)no subject