Category: words mean things (Page 148 of 223)

Saw “Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring” yesterday afternoon. I waited to post about it, since last night the images were racing around in my head so much, I wanted to take a little time to digest everything. All I can say is, Peter Jackson and his amazing cast did a sort of magic of their own, making the book spring to life on the screen in a way that I haven’t seen before. There wasn’t a moment or a decision Jackson made that took me out of the world he had created. While hard-core fans are wetting themselves over this movie (and rightfully so), I think it would be enjoyable to a much wider audience than the subject matter would have you believe.

It’s worth contrasting this movie to the inert “Harry Potter,” which dutifully moves through the paces in order to cram as much of the recognizable plot into its 2-1/2 hour running time. The plot of LOTR, on the other hand, is definitely streamlined. But it has what “Potter” sorely lacks – real magic and soul. You feel this movie as much as watch it.

My friend Paul, who hasn’t read the books and is generally disdainful of anything fantasy-related, walked out of the three-hour LOTR and turned to me and said, “Now when is the next one coming out?” That’s about the best endorsement this picture could ever hope for.

A little Christmas tip: if someone opens your gift, and they repeat the name of it, most likely they don’t like it.

EXAMPLE: “Wow! Socks!” or “Gee! Competitive jigsaw puzzles! Thanks, Mom.”

You should also be mindful of this when you open your gifts, since other people may also know this trick. No need to thank me. Have a happy holiday.

The Xbox might more accurately be named Trojan Horse. Which of course does not dim my insane lust for the thing.

In one of those wonderful technology moments that sneak up and bite you in the ass, I have discovered that my formerly-expensive Rio 500 MP3 player doesn’t work with Windows 2000. I’ve been enjoying 2000 quite a bit, since it’s sooo much more stable than that house of cards called Windows 98. But this really chaps my hide. Now the thing is basically a useless little brick – at least for me.

Anyone want to buy a mint-condition Rio 500? It’s actually a nice little unit, USB connection, 64MB, nice display. I’ll let it go cheap.

After I wrote the previous post about Winona Ryder, I thought to myself, “Well, we’re certainly ‘back to normal’ here at words mean things.” How many bloggers had the initial reaction, after 9/11, that the things they were writing about “just didn’t matter anymore”? That blogging seemed pointless and self-indulgent? Well, I for one am glad to be posting something about Winona Ryder’s shoplifting. Not that I think stuff like Tom Green and Drew Barrymore’s divorce is the be-all end-all, but then again, I didn’t think so “before” either. I happen to find pop culture interesting and fun, and that’s what this site is about.

Blogging is life, whatever you write about, and that’s something to hold on to, no matter what happens. When we stop expressing ourselves, we might as well be dead.

So Winona Ryder shoplifted “socks, hair clips, a handbag and at least one garment, perhaps a scarf, worth a total of $4,760” from Saks Fifth Avenue.

Those must be some expensive socks.

The face you see in the mirror is the exact opposite of the one everyone else sees.

Do you tend to be late or on time? I am pathologically on time – even when I don’t try, I’m there five minutes before I’m supposed to be. My friends, on the other hand, are almost always late. This infuriates me. They always have an excuse – traffic, phone call, whatever. It’s always something. But if it’s so easy to be late, how can I always be on time? How can we live in such different universes?

The fact is that habitual lateness is a sign of narcissism. “If I’m late and everyone’s waiting for me, that makes me the most important person in the room.” Even if that’s not consciously what they are doing, it’s a big unconscious motivation. And the simple fact is, being late is rude. Even if it doesn’t matter to you that you’re late, probably the person waiting for you isn’t so thrilled about it. Just a thought.

Last week, they reran the “West Wing” where Mary Kay Place played the Surgeon General. She was fantastic, and seeing the show again made me want them to make another episode this season where she’s featured – which is possible, since the president didn’t accept her resignation over the marijuana flap. “West Wing” is one of the few ensemble shows that knows how to deal with (and choose) high-profile guest stars. I hope that continues.

Earlier this week I saw a friend of mine, and gave her a hug, as I do just about every time I see her. “You give the best hugs,” she said. That made my day. I don’t want to seem like Leo Buscaglia or anything, but I think people should hug more. And that’s all I have to say about that.