Let the Fan Girl Rave!
Early this year, I wrote that Neil Gaiman was coming to the Philippines by quoting his blog
http://www.neilgaiman.com/journal/journal.asp. His trip has since been confirmed and there have been numerous posts in other blogs, and email groups have sprouted all over the place. He even posted this on his blog over the weekend:
"Hi Neil,I just thought you might want to mention to your fans in the Philippines that the bookstore chain that's holding your book signing in July has set up a mailing list where fans can get updates and news about the event. It's at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gaiman_fullybooked/. Can't wait for you to get here! Cheers,Tania Manila, Philippines"
"I'm looking forward to it as well. (Did you know that there were 1484 visitors to this site from the Philippines last month? Well, that or 2,557, depending on which counter you believe.) Consider it mentioned."
Check out Benjor's blog on
http://www.livejournal.com/users/escathe/ where he put up the poster he designed for Neil Gaiman's book signing tour in Manila. Benjor was also mentioned in a recent message from the "Gaiman in Manila" Group Moderator:
"Fully Booked is proud to bring you Neil Gaiman in Manila from July 9-11, 2005. Please refer to the poster on the Home page (designed by Benjor Catindig). As to Neil's definite schedule(i.e. book signings, contests, etc), it is still subject to change. Please be patient as details have yet to be re-confirmed."
It's an absolutely beautiful poster and I'm so proud of him!
I find it a bit off, though, that Fully Booked is not holding a special signing or some sort of "members only" activity for Full Booked Book Perks+ cardholders such as my sisters and myself (yes, a family of STAR WARS *and* Neil Gaiman fans, we are).
A couple of weeks ago, Fred asked me which 3 items I would bring to the book signing. If I only had my own copy of SANDMAN #1, that would definitely be on my list. I don't have a copy of ANGELS AND VISITATIONS either. Fred is bringing both of those. Having slipped off the Collector's high horse, I will content myself with STARDUST (which I LOVE and have read 5 times in the last 7 years) and SMOKE AND MIRRORS (pieces from which I have been reading almost every night for the past 4 or 5 years. He MUST sign on the pages of my favorite story, THE PRICE). If I am able to purchase a copy of ANANSI BOYS whilst visiting my Dad next month, perhaps I'll bring that, too. Otherwise, the 3rd item would have to be AMERICAN GODS or CORALINE (I obviously did not enjoy NEVERWHERE and GOOD OMENS as much, and I was disappointed with ENDLESS NIGHTS). Oh, wait, what about my copy of HARLEQUIN and the other children's books and my WARNING: CONTAINS LANGUAGE CDs and BLACK ORCHID and...? Grrr....
So after STAR WARS, there's LA VISA LOCA which opened last week (I haven't seen it but had the good fortune of reading the original Palanca Award-winning screenplay GOOD FRIDAY ARCHIPELAGO - fantastic!), Frank Miller's SIN CITY is opening this week, BATMAN BEGINS will be out in June, local bookstores will soon be selling Jeanette Winterson's "Lighthousekeeping" (finally!), and for my birthday - Neil Gaiman (man of my dreams!) is coming to town. How wonderful! Let the good times roll....
Children of the Force
Check out Gabby's STAR WARS EPISODE 3 review here:
http://thecuis.blogs.friendster.com/my_blog/2005/05/join_the_fray_s.htmlWe absolutely must get together and discuss. ALL OF US!
1) I agree with Gabby on CLONE WARS. It kicks ass! I need to get my own ORIGINAL copy.
2) I'm assuming R2-D2 doesn't fly in Episodes 4, 5 and 6 because Captain Antilles didn't do a good enough job taking care of the droids? Remember, Artoo and Threepio were rather battle worn or such when they were picked up by the Jawas. Threepio even has one silver leg. Not enough parts?
3) I can't tell what's worse - the fact that everyone in STAR WARS has a horrible memory or being frozen in carbonite makes you gain weight. Had it been Leia instead of Han up there in Bespin, she would never have fit in that metal bikini on Tatooine. Although...I sort of understand why Darth Vader and Obi-Wan don't recognise Threepio given that there are quite a number of protocol droids about. And since Obi-Wan didn't actually own R2-D2 (Artoo was Padme's), then it makes sense that he said "I don't remember owning a droid" in Episode 4. Then again...ok, Threepio gives their names. Obi-Wan should have recognised the names C3-PO and R2-D2. Anyway....
4) Shall we attribute the "slowness" of Darth Vader and Obi-Wan's battle in A NEW HOPE to age? But what of the Emperor? And Yoda?
5) Where DID Obi-Wan go? Wait...did Qui-Gon disappear, too? Or can Jedi turn into "space" if they learn how to communicate from the Netherworld? Obi-Wan did say that if Darth Vader struck him down, he would become more powerful....
6) Bad boys are better than mumbling lover boys who whisper sweet nothings in your ear =)
7) Love that opening shot, man! Reminded me of CLONE WARS.
8) Ewan McGregor really has moles on his forehead. I saw a couple of his other movies after Miggy pointed that out last week. I also checked out Alec Guiness' forehead in A NEW HOPE. No moles.
9) I'm the only idiot who didn't see the Millennium Falcon land on Coruscant! Is Lando Calrissian THAT old? Or did he buy or win the Millennium Falcon from someone else before losing it to Han Solo in Episode 3.75?
10) It was so cool seeing the young Tarkin! Did they hire the original actor's son or something?
11) Well, they did put Chewbacca in the movie and sent Yoda to Kashyyyk. Good question. It looked cute on screen, though.
12) CLONE WARS has a better soundtrack. However, notice how cleverly John Williams placed Leia's theme and Luke's theme towards the end? I loved it!
13) What were orders 1 to 65?
14) Shall we assume that General Grevious was once human like Darth Vader? He did have a physical heart under his armor. But, yeah, he didn't cough in CLONE WARS.
15) Arms AND legs. And it's almost always the same arm.
16) GHYSLAIN?
The End of an Era
Years ago, someone said our generation lacked a sense of closure simply because Marcos put an end to VOLTES V way before we knew what became of the Brothers Armstrong in outer space. Perhaps that's true. About three or four years ago, some of my High School friends and I FINALLY saw the end of VOLTES V when we chanced upon one friend's husband's VCD collection. We had closure. But there was still something else keeping a few of us from moving on the way "normal" people would. STAR WARS wasn't done yet.
No, you don't understand. I'm from a family of STAR WARS fans. My parents threw my sister and I a STAR WARS birthday party in 1978. My dad made kids cry when he donned his Darth Vader helmet and wielded his red lightsaber (the original 1977 replica, not the Everready Flashlight type). My Titos were dressed as Stormtroopers and C3-PO. I realised the world was not black and white but was actually gray when I first saw THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. The first time I saw a movie in a real cinema was at the premiere of RETURN OF THE JEDI in the Manila Film Centre. My sisters and I had most of the action figures housed in a little STAR WARS suitcase which we brought along to our family friends' houses every weekend for years(friends who had similar toys plus the Landspeeder and AT-AT, among others). We memorized the Original Trilogy from watching it over and over on BETAMAX! We know Greedo shot first. STAR WARS just wasn't part of our childhood. It WAS our childhood.
My ever-efficient administrative wonder of a sister secured a couple of tickets to the advanced screening of STAR WARS EPISODE 3: THE REVENGE OF THE SITH at the Alabang Town Centre a day before it opened worldwide. We enjoyed it! It's most definitely NOT the best of the 6 films (THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK forever!), but Good Lord, it’s so much better than the first two of the prequels, it answered quite a number of questions, and linked the prequels to the Original Trilogy beautifully. I still don't know why R2-D2 doesn’t seem to recognize Obi-Wan Kenobi in A NEW HOPE when only C3-PO’s memory was erased by Senator Organa, and why Obi-Wan doesn't remember the droids. And if Darth Vader was the Emperor’s apprentice, why did he appear to “report” to Grand Moff Tarkin? Why didn't Yoda seem to remember R2-D2 on Dagobah? (Perhaps when 900 years old I become, fail my memory will). I still don't know how Leia was able to describe Padme to Luke as "beautiful...but sad" in RETURN OF THE JEDI when Padme died after giving birth to the twins (unless she was describing her adoptive mother). But I finally appreciate the Prequel Trilogy a little more now than when I was a staunch Original Trilogy purist after the release of Episodes 1 and 2. I also think I appreciated Episode 3 more because I saw Gendy Tartakovsky’s STAR WARS: CLONE WARS on the Cartoon Network (excellent work! The Jedi are so much cooler and they kick ass big time in the cartoons more than in the movie). I'm no Lucas apologist, but I seem to understand his vision more. Suddenly, I don't know if I want my godchildren, nephew and niece to see STAR WARS in order or if they should watch it the way I did (4, 5, 6, 1, 2, CLONE WARS, 3). I can't decide if finding out Darth Vader is Luke's father will be more traumatizing for young ones than seeing Anakin turn to the dark side. Hmmm…maybe I’ll make them suffer the way we did. They must not know that Darth Vader is Luke’s father. Eew. I've never felt more "geeky" than I do right now....
Admittedly, many things could have been done better on SITH, particularly the writing and a bit of the acting. Granted, the Anakin-Padme is the worst love story ever written. What was with the "I'm so in love with you" exchange? No "kilig" factor there - especially after Princess Leia's "I love you" and Han Solo's "I know". The only thing as good or maybe even better than that is Celine's "You're going to miss that plane" and Jesse's "I know" in BEFORE SUNSET. Scott Garceau of The Philippine Star’s “Expat Files” hit the nail on the head when wrote that it would have been more interesting if they had a truly illicit love affair rather than just being secretly married. Even DAWSON’S CREEK was better written. But the twins had to be born, right?
The acting? The only good actors were Ian McDiarmand (evil personified!) and Ewan McGregor. Oh, and Frank Oz’s Yoda. Natalie Portman IS a good actress - in her other films. Who could ever forget her in THE PROFESSIONAL? Hayden Christiansen is an underrated actor who at times needs to be well-directed. He was great in LIFE AS A HOUSE where his character and portrayal were much closer to how I imagined Anakin Skywalker to be. I really felt for Obi-Wan and Yoda in SITH. Really, wasn’t it Obi-Wan’s heart (and pride!) that was broken here, and not Padme’s? Please…! There’s nothing like that kind of disappointment, that feeling of failure. Many of us are all too familiar with it.
But at the end of the day, was I the one who thought of STAR WARS? Did I come up with this space opera in 1977? No. If George Lucas had given me the helm to make the prequels, would I have done a better job? Probably not. So who am I to really complain about Episode 3? And who are all these detractors to say Lucas messed everything up? They didn’t think of STAR WARS and turn it into a movie either. We can always pretend that the prequels don’t exist. Just look at THE MATRIX. This was not the exact ending we were looking for. Move along.
So now what? No more LORD OF THE RINGS to look forward to every Christmas. No more real mystery behind Darth Vader. Just two more Harry Potter books and three movies to go, and he'll be all grown up as well. I’ve already given up on THE BATMAN franchise although Chris Nolan has given me hope. But the ultimate geek saga is complete. My childhood has been completed. When my new nephew/niece arrives, begin a new generation will.
Praise
Got this from Banana yesterday.
"Praise" by Harry Smart, from the collection "Fool's Pardon" (1995)
Praise be to God who pities wankers
and has mercy on miserable bastards.
Praise be to God who pours his blessing
on reactionary warheads and racists.
For he knows what he is doing; the healthy
have no need of a doctor, the sinless
have no need of forgiveness. But, you say,
They do not deserve it. That is the point;
That is the point. When you try to wade
across the estuary at low tide, but misjudge
the distance, the currents, the soft ground
and are caught by the flood in deep schtuck,.
then perhaps you will realise that God
is to be praised for delivering dickheads
from troubles they have made for themselves.
Praise be to God, who forgives sinners.
Let him who is without sin throw the first
headline. Let him who is without sin
build the gallows, prepare the noose,
say farewell to the convict with a kiss.
We Learn New Things Everyday
I know, I havne't posted my own thoughts on the subject, but I found this on
http://www.theforce.net.
Things We Learned from
RevengePosted By
Scott on May 22, 2005
While watching Revenge of the Sith, the staff from TFN and Rebelscum.com picked up a few important new items from the Star Wars Saga. Here they are for your reading pleasure:
Chewbacca is probably still picking sand out of his hair from the Battle of Kashyyyk when we see him in
A New Hope.
The Emperor isn't bald under his hood.
People from Naboo don't look like beach balls when pregnant with twins.
Despite murdering dozens of children, betraying your friends, and choking your wife, you can still have good in you.
While Stormtroopers may not be a great shot, Clone Troopers are!
Even cyborg generals can get Tuberculosis.
The Jedi's health insurance policy does not cover lost limbs, but the Sith plan has you covered.
Sith Happens
Before I post my review (reaction?), I thought this would help. I got it from my sister. We found it funny ;)
What's a Wookiee?
A guide to Episode III for non-geeks.
By Adam Rogers
Posted Wednesday, May 18, 2005, at 2:21 PM PT
http://www.slate.com/id/2119114/It's OK to admit it. You're going to see Star Wars: Episode III-Revenge of the Sith. The critics are united-it doesn't suck as bad as the other two prequels-and it is, after all, a cultural event. But now you're in trouble. Because unlike the geeks who are going to be at the first midnight show (who, me?), you are a perfectly normal person. At this point in George Lucas' attenuated narrative arc, you have precisely no idea what the hell is going on.
We're here to help. If you don't know Sith from Shinola, the following glossary of people, places, and things from the Star Wars universe will shed a little light. It'll have some spoilers in it, so if you want to be surprised by what happens in the movie ... well, you still might be, because I haven't seen it yet. But I read the Internet, and the Internet is to Star Wars nerds what the forest moon of Endor is to cute little merchandising opportunities (if you didn't get that reference, you really need this glossary). This list is by no means complete, but it does have the important bits.
Episode What?
The first Star Wars came out in 1977. It was later subtitled Episode IV-A New Hope. The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi comprised episodes V and VI. The new films are prequels, and the latest one, Episode III, is actually the final installment. At least, that's what George Lucas, the creator, claims; back in the day he said he had another trilogy in mind, taking place after the IV-V-VI trilogy. And then there are those rumored Star Wars TV shows....
Padmé Amidala
Natalie Portman. Queen of the planet Naboo and, for a time, its elected representative in the galactic Senate. Mother to Luke and Leia. In love with and secretly married to Anakin Skywalker (aka Darth Vader). Are you getting all this, or am I going too fast?
Anakin Skywalker
Hayden Christensen. A high-powered Jedi messiah, discovered on the planet Tatooine by Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), and Padmé. He's the father of Luke and Leia, and he becomes Darth Vader.
Droids
C-3P0 is the gold, mincing robot. R2-D2 is the one that looks like a trash can with legs. Anakin Skywalker built Threepio when he was a kid; Artoo was a semi-anonymous astromech droid on Queen Amidala's spaceship. Artoo is helpful and Threepio is an attempt at comic relief.
Advanced Lesson: The popularity of C-3PO and R2-D2 means that Lucas shoehorns them into most every scene, and this has created huge continuity problems. Why does Darth Vader seem not to recognize Threepio when they see each other again in Episode V, on the cloud city of Bespin? Why does Obi-Wan seem not to recognize either droid when he encounters them on Tatooine in Episode IV? And why does Artoo manifest new and wondrous powers throughout the prequel trilogy (he can fly!), when in Episode V, he can barely wrestle a candy bar out of Yoda's hands? Umm ... you don't want to know the answers to those questions. This glossary is satisfying your curiosity. Move along.
Accents
In the Star Wars universe, accents = evil unless you are Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Oh, come on. You know who Obi-Wan Kenobi is. What, are you kidding me?
The Force
Jedi use this magical energy for various superpowers-telepathy, telekinesis, precognition, and so on. Somewhere between episodes III and IV, using the Force turns into something to be embarrassed about in the increasingly technological Empire. Only losers say "may the Force be with you," and one of Darth Vader's officers describes his faith as a "sad devotion to an ancient religion." Vader chokes him.
The Galactic Republic
The politics of the series are vaguely Roman. The Republic, complete with senators, is in danger of being made over into a dictatorship by a powerful man, Palpatine, who wants to make himself emperor. The actual, physical Senate is a giant room filled with open-air flying saucers, where aliens from all over the galaxy yell at each other. Every world in the Republic sends a representative or five. Queen Amidala was a senator from the planet Naboo, as was the computer-generated shucker-and-jiver Jar Jar Binks. How do you get to be a senator? Nobody knows. Probably something to do with electronic voting.
Jar Jar Binks
Ahmed Best (voice). A member of an amphibious race that also lives on Naboo. Jar Jar gets caught up in the conflict in Episode I. His lame comedy bits and weirdly offensive personality make him the focus of fan disillusionment. All I can say is: He has an accent.
Jedi
These mystical samurai cops of the Republic keep the peace and do Senate wet work, like when Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn go to Naboo in Episode I to fight the Trade Federation, or negotiate with it, or whatever it is they're doing. Jedi wield the Force, and they're administered by Masters who sit in chairs (appropriately shaped for alien body types) in the penthouse of the Jedi headquarters on the city-planet Coruscant. Yoda is a Jedi Master, as is Mace Windu, played by Samuel L. Jackson, who swears his character will die like a man in Episode III. Jedi are supposed to be as free of desire and emotion as a Vulcan Buddhist. That's why Anakin's love of Padmé is not only painful to watch on screen, but also catastrophic.
The Sith
The revenge-takers in the eponymous Episode III are the evil counterparts of the Jedi, counting among their members Darth Vader, Darth Sidious, and Darth Maul (he of the double-bladed lightsaber in Episode I). They can often throw lightning from their fingertips, which makes any one of them a Darth and stormy knight. Sith always come in pairs, and they draw their power from the dark side of the Force, a wellspring of anger and hatred-aimed especially at the Jedi.
Palpatine
Ian McDiarmid. Palpatine is secretly Darth Sidious, who becomes the emperor. Hel-lo? Accent! As Sidious, he seems to be the prime mover behind the creation of a clone army. Apparently the idea is to spark galactic chaos so that he can become chancellor of the Senate, and eventually take over the whole show. Palpatine also spends inordinate amounts of time turning Anakin Skywalker from a petulant kid into Darth Vader.
Yoda
Frank Oz (voice). An extraordinarily powerful Jedi Master, originally played by a muppet in Episode V, Yoda packs a lot of Force into a teeny green body. In the prequels, he worries about the fall of the Republic before anyone else. After the Jedi pogrom, he hides out on the planet Dagobah, where he eventually trains Luke Skywalker to be a Jedi. He has difficulty with grammar, but no accent.
Trade Federation and Separatists
These are the bad guys from episodes I and II. The offensive Asian stereotype green dudes attacking Naboo? Trade Federation. The weird insect guys who set up the gladiator scene and the assembly line at the end of Episode II? Separatists. Count Dooku, Christopher Lee's evil Jedi whose lightsaber curves to the left? Separatist. They're the ones with the droid army.
Lightsabers
It might seem, on first consideration, that a weapon of limited range (about 3 feet) that burns through anything it touches (including the wielder) and > cauterizes every wound it makes (which definitely limits stopping power) would not be ideal. But Jedi love lightsabers nonetheless.
Advanced lesson: Possibly you get a new lightsaber when you switch sides. Jedi have blue blades; Sith blades are red. Luke's first lightsaber, which Obi Wan told him belonged to his father-Anakin/Vader-was sort of white. It remains to be seen whether Anakin really wanted Luke to have it or if that was another Obi-Wan fib. Oh, and Mace Windu's blade is purple. Sam Jackson makes purple look cool.
Bail Organa
What is Jimmy Smits doing in a Star Wars movie? He's the senator from Alderaan, fighting to defend the Republic. Princess Leia's last name is Organa, too-when Queen Padmé gives birth to her twins, Luke and Leia, the girl goes off with Bail to live on Alderaan. That planet, by Leia's account in Episode IV a "peaceful world" with no weapons, meets a bad end as the first after-market test group of the Death Star.
Stormtroopers
Many, many guys in useless white armor with famously bad aim. In Episode IV they're just average foot soldiers, and not above small talk. One even hits his head on a doorway. But in Episode II, we learn that they're all clones, built to defend the Republic against an equally large and equally computer-generated army of droids. Of course, both the droid army and the clones are actually pawns in Palpatine's grand scheme for domination of the galaxy.
Tatooine
"If there's a bright center to the universe, you're on the planet that it's farthest from." That's how Luke describes his desert farm-world to C-3P0 on first meeting. But let's look at the evidence: Anakin Skywalker was born there. He builds C-3P0 there and is a champion pod racer by age 10, or however old that kid was supposed to be in Episode I. Anakin returns to Tatooine to look for his mother and commits a genocidal war crime against the presumably native sandpeople in Episode II. And after Luke and Leia are born, Obi-Wan takes Luke back to Tatooine to hide out.
Advanced lesson: So, OK. Darth Vader spearheads the slaying of all the Jedi. Two get away. Yoda goes to the swamp world of Dagobah, and Obi-Wan goes to Tatooine. So, was Vader just not looking very hard? Was there never some ambitious young officer who suggested to him that maybe, just maybe, the "Ben Kenobi" on Tatooine might at least know the Obi-Wan Kenobi they were looking for? Or does that kind of initiative just get a guy Force-choked?
Wookiees
Chicks dig Chewbacca, the 7-foot-tall furry co-pilot of the Millennium Falcon, and Han Solo's best buddy. He's sooooo cute. Turns out he's from the planet Kashyyyk (the extra y is for yowling), which shows up in Episode III as the fierce Wookiee warriors battle ... whoever the bad guys are. Droids, probably. Hard to tell.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Fine. He's Ewan McGregor. But luckily he turns into Alec Guinness.
Can't Hardly Wait
ten ten ten tentenen tentenen....
Junk Food for Thought
Got this from a friend over email:
Here are a few things to think about that you probably have never thought about:
Can you cry under water?
How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?
If money doesn't grow on trees then why do banks have branches?
Since bread is square, then why is sandwich meat round?
Why do you have to "put your two cents in".. but it's only a "penny for your thoughts"? Where's that extra penny going to?
Once you're in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes you were buried in for eternity?
Why does a round pizza come in a square box?
What disease did cured ham actually have?
How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?
Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up like every two hours?
Why are you IN a movie, but you're ON TV?
Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?
How come we choose from just two people for President and fifty for Miss America?
Why do doctors leave the room while you change? They're going to see you naked anyway.
If a 911 operator has a heart attack, whom does he/she call?
Why is "bra" singular and "panties" plural?
Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet soup?
Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here, and drink whatever comes out!"
Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?
Why is there a light in the fridge and not in the freezer?
When your photo is taken for your driver's license, why do they tell you to smile? If you are stopped by the police and asked for your license, are you going to be smiling?
If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a stupid song about him?
If the professor on Gilligan's Island can make a radio out of a coconut, why can't he fix a hole in a boat?
Why do people point to their wrist when asking for the time, but don't point to their crotch when they ask where the bathroom is?
Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They're both dogs!
If Wyle E. Coyote had enough money to buy all that ACME crap, why didn't he just buy dinner?
If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?
If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?
Is Disney World the only people trap operated by a mouse?
Why do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?
Why did you just try singing the two songs above?
Why do they call it an asteroid when it's outside the hemisphere, but call it a hemorrhoid when it's in your butt?
I'm Melting....
I don't recall such sweltering heat...It's ridiculous! I went for a swim this morning, but even the water was warm (I hope it wasn't because of the kids who swam before I did). Two bottles of Gatorade, my official summer drink and answer to all my health problems and hang-overs, could not save me. Neither could a mug of vanilla ice cream with strawberries. It was the mall - yes, the mall! - that became my saving grace. And my downfall. The airconditioning beat the heat, but my wallet was knocked out. I know, shopping is not a real sport. It's a sin. Hey, I did my Mother's Day shopping. And it's my Mom's birthday this weekend, too, so I did some "good shopping".
After swimming, I realised that I really should get back into shape (isn't cylindrical a shape?). Even my sister said swimming still makes her feel better than walking or biking. But I admit it! I'm a weakling! Just 20 laps and I wanted to die. It was not a good day to be a Gator. But I got a nice tan. So there.
Last kwento before I shut down: when one of my best friends told me he'd leave me his left-over cigarettes, I didn't think he'd actually leave opened packs that were either half or three-quarters full. One pack had just one cigarette. And there was one cigar, too. He's funny.
