thewingedword

"Now Achilles was quite aware, for he had been told by his mother, that he might avoid death and return home, and live to a good old age, if he abstained from slaying Hector. Nevertheless he gave his life to revenge his friend, and dared to die, not only in his defense, but after he was dead. Wherefore the gods honoured him even above Alcestis, and sent him to the Islands of the Blest. 

These are my reasons for affirming that Love is the eldest and noblest and mightiest of the gods; and the chiefest author and giver of virtue in life, and of happiness after death."
 
- Plato

Saw Order of the Phoenix. I'm not going to bother reviewing a lot, because it's been done! I'm sure you've heard everything I had to say from ten thousand people, and anyways I am quite tired. Suffice to say that there were some things which bothered me, mainly having to do with shortened scenes and a lack of depth to the secondary characters. However, more intangible things like scene transitions and tension maintained throughout dialogue and the superb editing of the various mind-reading collages more than made up for the flaws. As a movie, it was both good and enjoyable, which are not always the same thing.


Books don't last long enough. I've finished all of the books I got from the library except Les Mis, and I read Fire from Heaven twice. It was very good, although I think I've read too much fanfiction, because Mary Renault's approach to the gay sex was so subtle that I missed it. Seriously. It was spring, and Aristotle sent everyone out to look at the animals mating, and Alexander and Hephaestion were watching a pregnant fox. There was a reference to some people having lost a bet, and then Alexander said "We need to have less sex, it's making me depressed," and Hephaestion said "What?" and I said What?! and had to re-read it two or three times to pin it down.

I wish I could make every fanfic author read that scene. I read too many fics with explicit references to body fluids and parts and noises and I just, I don't need to know. Realism can go too far.

Back to books; Brave New World was mildly disturbing. Then I read A Clockwork Orange and, god, that book is HIDEOUS. It's not badly written; in fact, it's interesting, and the author's use of an imagined future slang is fascinating. But the truths of the book, if I can phrase it that way, are ugly. It is a book written about an ugly character doing unimaginably disgusting deeds in a horrific world. The movie version was rated X and I am not surprised; there is thievery and murder and torture and a woman gang-raped to death, ten year old girls drugged and raped. The lead character's thoughts are filthy enough that I want to wash out my head after reading them. I'm kind of sickly fascinated with it, with the conclusions it draws and illustrates for the reader. I'm glad I read it once, but I don't think I shall again.

This is too disturbing. Clockwork Orange My Chem picspam time!

 


I feel much better now. This is why I ♥ my bands, they cheer me up by being ridiculously good-looking. Also with music. Yay!

I had the weirdest dream last night. I had finally figured out the second string on the guitar and I was all ready to tackle the third. I looked ahead, and all the notes on the third string were surrounded by little shifting oval-shaped auras, which contained the details of how *exactly* you had to strike the string and hold your fingers and angle the guitar &c. Shit, I thought to myself, I can't figure this out. What am I supposed to do for the next two weeks until my next guitar lesson?

But then I dreamed that Jon Walker from Panic! At the Disco was my boyfriend. SCORE. He was the best boyfriend ever, we played dorky rhyming games and dared each other to try exotic coffee-type drinks. Also he gave awesome hugs.

So today I went out shopping, failed to find a bathing suit, and instead got the last book in the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane. It's like 550 pages long and I flew through it in less than three hours, it was amazing and sad and happy and unresolved. Has anyone else read these books? I love them, they're part of my childhood and my growing-up-hood and I need to talk to someone about them. I'm trying to get my best friend to read them, but there are eight in the series, it will take some time.

I am going to go watch some Babylon 5. More interesting and media-rich post tomorrow.

I could say a lot about Lord of the Flies, but instead I'm just going to say this; it's a very odd book, and not in any way beautiful, but I respect the intricately plotted symbolism and layers of meaning.

I made a face like I swallowed a lemon when I typed that, seriously.


In other news, I found a layout that I may like better! It is green. I will try it out and if it works better than this one I shall keep it. The reason I don't have new icons is that I WANT band icons, but realized that I have approx. 10,000 My Chem ones and very few from other bands, so I have to go hunting! But now I think I'll go with more generic artsy-type icons and instead install a Panic! At the Disco moodtheme. Can you do custom moodthemes with sponsored accounts? I think so. We shall find out.


So tonight, I am going to see Pirates. THIS IS NEWS TO ME. I did not know this until about two hours ago, SO. But it should still be fun. Tomorrow I will be a lazy tv-watching book-reading girl, and Sunday, I don't know, I might GO TO A CONCERT!!! If there's nothing else to do, *shrugs fake-casually*. Monday I'm going to a party at the house of one of those incredibly useful people who're vague family friends, never pester you but always invite you to their AMAZING parties on their huge properties and let you ride four-wheelers and eat steak. Those sort of people. That will be nice.


I was reminded yet again of the intricacies of teenage communication when I shared my weekend plans with people and some girl was like "Oh, the Fall Out Boy concert? Huh," to which I smiled and nodded politely. This seems like a very simple exchange, but transcribed, it would read something like this:

Girl: Oh, that band for which my artistic scene kid soul has no respect. I mock your immaturity.
Kit: I mock your delusions of grandeur. I listen to music that makes me happy, which may explain why I'm so much less of a bitch than you are.

Oh, Drama. I miss you the most when you're gone.

Bugger. You have no idea how many times I've started this entry and lost it because I was stupid and started surfing for stuff on the Treaty for the Protection of Broadcasting Organizations, and then closed the window without thinking. Incidentally, thanks to Anne for the link to that, 'twas very helpful.

Erm... now that I think about it, there's not an awful lot to say. Went to the bookstore Friday and got Dante's Divine Comedy, Twelfth Night, and another copy of Silver on the Tree because I was seduced by the cover art. Which happens a lot more than it ought. I almost got Tale of the Body Thief because the cover matched the trilogy I already have, and had to forcibly remind myself that I actually didn't particularly like that book. Sigh.

(I liked Twelfth Night, but not nearly as much as Hamlet- all the aborted plans and changed minds got confusing quickly, and I wasn't entirely comfortable with what happened to Malvolio in the context of the play being a comedy.)

Also went shopping today and got a pair of deliciously long black jeans, as well as this gorgeous silver-and-freshwater-pearl pendant, which is so textured and three-dimensional that it looks like the silver grew around the pearl like coral. I have it on a sheer white ribbon around my neck right now, and it's heavy and comforting. I decided to keep my three-inch-heel lace-up boots, if only because everything else out there was stilletos, and I am simply not that stable. Even in a size 11, the base area-to-height ratio is so far off,  I'd be swaying like one of those crazy Japanese skyscrapers in an earthquake.

I'm trying to cut down on my sugar intake, on the basis that it's the only unhealthy thing I eat in large quantities. My body can't quite decide whether to be twitchy or lethargic, and my mood is... somewhat mercurial at the moment. Not exactly "Pixie Stix call to me from across the abyss!" yet, but I'm certainly testing some limits.

New icon time! (ETA: LJ is being bitchy and won't upload my Supernatural icon. War is declared.)

Have a Supernatural drabble that will be ready by Thursday for the new season.