Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Saw this last night. I liked it though can't say i loved it. The sea scenes were quite impressive. They used a replica ship called the Rose which i've seen in Tall Ship sailings and did some of the filming at sea and some of it in a large tank, probably also used scale models because if any of it was computerized it was very very good and non obtrusive. There were some parts that were slow but then i suppose life at sea often is if you aren't battling storms or other ships. Russell Crowe was good, My God he's got a lovely voice! :) All the crew loved their captain, yeah i got that. I expect that was probably a bit unrealistic but good for the movies none the less. Not a lot of plot, most of the movie was spent chasing this French Privateer ship but it took most of the 2 hours to find it, just when you thought they were going to give up. So a bit predictable as well but overall it was ok, nothing gripping though the battle scenes were well done.

(no subject)

All the Kennedy assassination restrospectives this past weekend have brought up an interesting point made by a local columnist, Glenn Walton. He says "Vietnam prefigured the precise mistakes that the present George Bush has made, reacting to a convulsive national tragedy by involving his country in foreign wars with little understanding of their consequences." In other words, Sept. 11 had the same shock and emotional impact that Kennedy's assassination did 40 years ago. The unthinkable happened and within a very short time after, President Johnson escalated the "advisors" in Vietnam into what turned into a full scale disastrous war. Is history repeating itself? More U.S. soldiers have now died keeping the peace than died during the recent war, which was a direct result of 9/11. Afghanistan was cowed so Bush moved on to Iraq to tame another hotbed of terrorism and dictatorship. This one isn't going to be tamed so quickly. Will they turn and retreat from Iraq as they finally had to in Viet Nam?

All i want for Christmas

TO: Santa Claus, North Pole, Canada, HOH OHO

Dear Santa... I've been a good girl this year, relatively speaking, with only one or two minor slip ups. Maybe being sick on holiday makes up for it though (the guilt and "pity" maneouver). Here's my wish list for Christmas should you be receptive to suggestions, just in case you're still looking for that one special something :)

• Latest book by Anne Marie MacDonald
  
• a milk frother (saw a battery operated on in Backyard and Veranda)
  
• microwave
  
• digital camera (ok, that's a long shot lol)
  
• Diana Gabaldon's new book about Lord John Grey
  
• if there is such a thing, a complete works of Jane Austen
  
• New book on the Impressionists, very large picture/coffee table book i saw in Coles
  
• Movie certificates
  
• DVD: Sense and Sensibility, Alien, Sunset Boulevard
  

See? I don't want much ;)

(no subject)

browncoweyes i have a bag of stuff for your school Santa's Workshop!

Got a book delivered from Amazon. Book is about 11x14xabout an inch thick including covers. Box is about 14 x 17 by 6 inches deep and filled with them air bags. Geez!