My new project

I read a lot. This always surprises fellow students, who, if they read at all, only read for class. I have to make it clear that I prioritize my reading, with pleasure coming first and schoolwork coming last, if at all.

I always see people keeping track of books they've read, and earlier this year, I decided to do the same. I wanted to know precisely how much I had read, but I also wanted to keep track of what. Occasionally, I read something, forget it, pick it up later and only realize halfway through that I know exactly what's going to happen. I kept one list for all of summer, but realized that when I read anthologies (which I am prone to, especially in the science fiction regions of the genre map), the entry would grow too long and the blog would be cumbersome to look at.

Solution? A weekly or bookly digest, depending on how much I'm reading. I think it's a nice plan.

A summary of the first three episodes of Rome.

I wrote this up for my friend a few weeks ago when we thought we'd be TV-less for two weeks and she resigned herself to watching the episodes of Rome I have on my computer. I only had the ones I hadn't watched yet, however, so I wrote her a...

Rome summary if you want it. It takes up the whole page.

Gaius Julius Caesar (the family is the Julii) and Pompey Magnus have been happily ruling Rome. However, Caesar has been off fighting the Gauls with Mark Anthony (Marc? Antony? Who cares…), played by Prince Edward from A Knight’s Tale. He’s Caesar’s second in command type. In charge of his enlisted men is Lucius Vorenus (some kind of non-commissioned officer, not a noble), a decent guy with a hard-on for THE REPUBLIC. Seriously, he totally says it in all caps. One of his problem soldiers is Titus Pullo, who has a hard-on for anything with boobs. He really just likes to fight and fuck, but he’s not evil, not even too bad, and pretty smart and observant.

While Caesar was off fighting, tensions were rising in the city between commoners and nobles, and between different pieces of the Senate. Some confusing shit goes down regarding the legality of Caesar’s governorship of conquered Gaul, and people get angry, Caesar decides to haul ass for Rome, Pompey is caught off guard and has to “strategically withdraw”, and the treasury gold is packed up to go with them. However, greed wins out with the soldiers transporting it, so it never gets to Pompey. Lucius and Pullo are out scouting when they find the gold train, scatter the soldiers, and ride hard back to Caesar to tell him the city is empty. Pullo later goes back to get the gold and rescue this captive girl tied to the back of the wagon.

Meanwhile, with the little people…
Atia is a righteous bitch, and Caesar’s niece. She likes to sleep around and use sex to get things she wants. She has two children by… I don’t even know who, Octavia and Octavian. Octavia is young, but was married until Atia had her divorced from her more common husband so she could be offered to Pompey to keep the bond between the Julii and Pompey’s family strong. Pompey refused her (in a really cold way, too) and then Atia had Octavia’s ex-hubby stabbed in an alley after Octavia went to him again. Octavian likes strategy, was at one point kidnapped by Gauls in association with Pompey’s main servant, and is pretty clever for a … 13 or 14 year old. He also thinks fondly of Lucius and Pullo because they were the ones that rescued him.

Servilia is Brutus’ mother, and she’s banging Caesar. Brutus is good friends with Caesar but left the city with Pompey’s group to hedge his bets. Servilia and Brutus’ family is called the Junii. I assume this means Brutus is Brutus Junius. [And I would be wrong.]

Lucius’ family is also pretty funky. When he gets back after 7 years in Gaul, his wife is holding a little baby and he calls her a whore in front of everyone. She coldly informs him it’s his grandson and that his first of 2 daughters had a baby. Turns out she’s lying, though, and his name-calling was justified. Lucius doesn’t know, but he wants to make things right with Niobe because he does love her. While he was in Gaul, he never raped while he pillaged. He’s also resigned from the army because he doesn’t like what Caesar is doing on principle. Like I said, he’s all about the Republic and rule by the people, and since Caesar is a noble, he feels lines are being crossed.

Aaaaaand, that’s hopefully a pretty good summary.

I didn't even realize that was only three episodes until I started putting this post together. Man, this show is dense!!!! (In a good way, of course.) I just finished the 8th episode and they've already gone to Egypt and passed a good year and a half. Or thereabouts, I guess.

body surfing has a whole new meaning

I just saw Wanted and witnessed the debut of innumerable ways to lay waste to a human body for the enjoyment of a summer audience, including the method I mentioned in the title. It was pretty appalling. There was some plot thrown in as well, mostly explained in mumbled exposition and really, really jumpy sequences.

Now, with all the bad out of the way, I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed watching it. In addition to the aforementioned innovations in fucking people up, there was an array of awesome stunt work which I assume was also pretty innovative. People stunts, vehicle stunts, all of that.

Angelina Jolie was gorgeous, James McAvoy played Edward Norton as Jack from Fight Club (and did a damn fine job, too), and Morgan Freeman said motherfucker. That was pretty awkward.

In short, I would certainly go to see it again for free, and with the right group of friends, I'd be willing to pay.

The Music of Battlestar Galactica: My first off-campus, paid-for-by-myself concert!

Tue 15 Apr – The Music of Battlestar Galactica

There's no music on Battlestar. It's all sound effects.

But what sound effects! Okay, if you weren't there, the joke is lost, but that's fine. Suffice to say, the documentary in between the sets was a big fun joke, with everyone on set and in the recording studio disavowing all knowledge of this guy called Bear. (Edward James Olmos: His name is Bear? Like a bear? grrrroar!)

Another thing they poked fun at was the drums, which are prominent in Bear McCreary's music, but they're used to such great effect, especially live! They really get down inside you and shake your bones around.

The music doesn't just physically twist you up, though, it effectively plays on your emotions, especially with such songs as Roslin and Adama or Something Dark is Coming. These are probably my two favorites from the concert and the season 2 CD I bought. I still love Passacaglia, but they didn't play it, and these two songs are excellent as well.

As far as venues go, The Roxy is pretty cool, but weirdly shaped and not the ideal place for this kind of performance. For a lot of these songs I would have liked to have the option to sit down and close my eyes, but it was standing room only. As far as performers go, they were all excellent and also very nice after the show, except for the woodwinds guy, who seemed a little stressed out. Brendan McCreary (Bt4), on hearing from his brother that I was a fellow Trojan, almost poked my eye out trying to throw me a fight on while sitting in front of me, which I thought was fun and cute. I also talked with one of the Oingo Boingo guys (at least, I'm pretty sure it was this guy) about being in USC's marching band and how we used to play one of their songs and how I wish we would again, and that was pretty exciting. Everyone signed my CD, and I took a picture with Bear. I also met Josh from TCF in the line, and we stood around together for the concert as well. He was the one who was nice enough to take the picture.

All in all, worth every penny I spent and more, since I didn't even have to pay parking. Something weird happened, and I just drove out the back. I'll take it!!

PS: Here's the set list:

Set 1:
A Distant Sadness
Precipice
Roslin and Adama
Wander, My Friends
Fight Night
Gina Escapes
Black Market

Set 2:
A Promise to Return
Baltar's Dream
Wayward Soldier
Something Dark is Coming
Dirty Hands
Lords of Kobol
Heeding the Call
All Along the Watchtower

Encore: (after an enthusiastic crowd response of "So say we all!")
Black Market

crissakes, woman!

I don't blog much, but since I'm not allowed to comment on this blog, I've got to explain in hopes it'll be seen.

Here's the deal with money versus a picture: only one person can win the money, and looking at the numbers of people that voted on that poll, my odds are even worse than they would be with my normal lousy luck. With the picture, everyone wins! And that's really it.

Irma's baby shower

This is a big milestone: one of my best friends is about to have her first baby. I don't know how this shower will go; I thought the friends were supposed to put it on, but Katie and I don't know what to do! Fortunately, the mothers of the parents are doing it.