elanya

Not a bad weekend so far. Not amazing, but with many good points.

Firday, Hazel and I went out with our mother for dinner at the Preying Mantis (the beef and broccoli stir-fry is delicious but very filling!) and then to see Hidalgo, which Mom and I had both seen before but was new to Hazel. I like it. It's pretty much exactly what you should be expecting from a Horse Adventure Story. There are some very beautiful things in it too, like most of the jewellery, the gun they use to start the race, lady Davenport's peacock dress, and of couse, what you're all thinking about, I'm sure... the horses ;D Well, really, there are some very beautiful animals.

Anyway, moving along... I made plans to go to the King's Landing sugar bush event with the Robbins girls on Saturday, but the thing itself was very dissapointing. I even managed to cajole Hazel into coming out, but I think we were all let down. One of the main attractions was that there was going to be a big panckake breakfast being served, but when we got there, there must have been about a hundred people waiting in line. So instead, we decided to skip it (though we were starving! C bought some cookies to help tide us over), and go straight to the sugar bush display. I bought a ticket to get some maple candy made on the snow, and off we went.... just about fifty yards away from the main building, out in front of the print shop. Basically, the first 'historical' building you come to on site, for those of you who don't know anything about the place. They had some ladies set up with boiling cauldrons of syrup, and a little wooden shed they'd pulled out of somewhere so you coud get your picture taken in it or something. Not a single spigoted tree in sight. All they had was a bucket to show what they collected the sap in. They did have a table with snow to make candy, which was good, at lest. and then, a little further down, they had a couple barns open (again, the first ones you come to) so you could look at and pet some token animals. And that was it. No trecking out into the woods, or anything. They had some wagon rides, which again was just around the first loop, down to the barns, and back. This is a *huge* site. And probably the most dissapointing KL visit I've ever made. Maybe I should write them and complain.... I know it is not really all open yet, and it was only a 2$ entrance fee, but I'd rather have had a higher fee and a better experience, after the drive out and having to miss the breakfast because I didn't want to stand in line for an hour or more :p

Anyway, we dropped Kit off because she had stuff to get ready for later on in the day, and the rest of us three went to the market, where we did get food and snacks, and I got my cider (yay! best drink ever), then came back home an had tea and so on, chatted about games, and I subjected people to a few chapters of The Shadow Movie Serial, starring Victor Jory, from 1945.

No, I'm a pretty hardcore Shadow fan, but the first time we watched the serial, everyone involved agreed that in order to get thtough it we pretty much required alcohol, and I'm not a big drinker. And following all the rules we'd set last time, Hazel pretty much made it through a drink an epidode. Why did I make them watch it? I'm not sure. It was there, and I've been having Shadow cravings lately. I can't listen to my radio shows because we don't have a tape player, and though I could probably find them on the internet, I don't have speakers for my computer :/ Anyway, I like it in a kind of MST3K way, although really, it does sort of offend my Shadow sensibilities, since the character is only very loosely taken from the radio/magazine character. He doesn't even have the power to cloud men's minds, or say "The weed of crime bears bitter fruit!" what's with *that*!?

Anyway, after that forray into travesty, we decided to rent the Shadow movie. After we all had a nap, dinner, etc. Jodie and I wound up going to get it, and while we were out Joel called. I though he was going to come over, but he didn't :/ We waited for a while, thinking he was going to show before we started things, but after about an hour, I gave up, and Jodie and I watched the film. It's hella cheesy in parts, but I still really enjoy it. Alec Baldwin is a great Shadow! He looked *perfect* with his red scarf and billowy cloak, and coat, and his silver guns... And the effects were pretty good too, considering when it was made. I like the sort of blurry effect when he is 'invisible'and he punches people.

Anyway! This is getting really long. After that, I made Jodie watch Amadeus with me, another movie I quite like. I'd forgotten it was that *long* though, holy crap! We were both tired and it seemed interminable :o I still like Salieri though. "I am the king of all mediocraties, I am their patron saint! I absolve you, I absolve you all!"

This morning, I woke up around nine, faffed around on the net, then made myself a big breakfast... Cheese omlette, waffles (from the freezer), some bacon, and hot chocolate. Then I finished reading Sodomy and the Pirate Tradition, a book which though I see many flaws with was still a rewarding reading experience. When I'm done reading Rum, Sodomy and the Lash I think I'll try to write some kind of comparative book review. Now I'm writing this, and next I'm going to work on my taxes for an hour before Perseity. Arr!