This time last night I was sitting in a movie theater, watching the premiere of Superman Returns on an IMAX screen in 3D. It was pretty cool.

First off, let me just say that I think Brandon Routh is quite good looking, and it would be worth it to see the movie again just for him. Of course, I say that now, while Pirates 2 is still a week and a half away.

So, about the movie. I liked it, quite a bit. It was probably better than X3, if we're comparing superhero/comic book movies, on par with X2, possibly better than Spidey 2. Eh. Maybe not. I really liked Spidey 2.

I'm trying to remember what I said for the Fanboy Smackdown podcast, but as it's rather late and I've still got a few chapters of the new Anita Blake book to read, so you will just have to listen to the podcast and find out what we (me and the writing buddies who saw the show) chatted about.

It was a visually pleasing show to watch. Lots of interesting ideas and a fair bit of plot for a comic movie. I liked that they managed to make Superman seem human even in his super-ness. I didn't like how the CG artists couldn't quite figure out how to render the superCape, but perhaps that's just me and my odd aesthetics.

The 3D aspect of it was fun (especially the fact that all three trailers--that has to have been the shortest preview section I've ever watched--were in 3D too) but didn't really do much for me. Part of that could have been because we were sitting in the third row from the screen, hence much neck-craning went on. The price you pay, I guess.

Speaking of price, it's finally happened: I paid double digits for a movie ticket. I remember thinking back in 2003 when Pirates came out and I was in CA for Comic-Con. I saw Pirates out there, and paid 9.45 and was appalled. Well, these tix were $11. Sigh. Young, prices were reasonable, nostalgia, etc.

I'll gladly see it again, most likely with the 'rents, since that's the way things go. However, tonight was special, since my parents decided at the last minute that they wanted to see Aida at the Muny. We were actually planning on just sitting outside and listening to the music or seeing if there were any free seats. So we go to check out the free seat availability, and my mom asks an usher if there are any left. He calls this woman over, and she consults a fistful of tickets, they debate, gave us three tickets, two of which were in the same row, another that was just behind.

We start walking towards the free seats, then look at the tickets. Lo and behold they are actually in the paying section of the theater! Sweet! We got good, comp tickets, and it turned out that we could sit together anyway because no one claimed the seat next to my parents.

Aida was good; I wasn't expecting it to be spectacular, since I sort of mistrust anything that advertises itself as coming from Elton John. But it's good. I like the songs and I guess one day I'll get the soundtrack. It was pretty professional as Muny shows go; last year (I think...could have been before that, can't remember) we saw Beauty and the Beast there, and it wasn't nearly as good as it should have been. Yet another movie I'd like to see on Broadway. or at least at the Fox

So who wants to see Superman again before Pirates comes along and knocks it out of #1? *fangirl giggle* There are other things I'd like to chat about for Superman, but not now. It's definitely time for bed. If I'm ambitious, I'll remember what it is that I wanted to say. If I'm lucky, I'll see it again this weekend and have a better angle to present. Go see it and tell me what you think.

Posted by Jen at 11:54 PM | Permalink

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

MCAT scores came out today. No, I won't tell you what I got, except to say that I did better than last time.

But.

I don't feel great about them. I had hoped for a little more elevation in score. It's nice to see that what I studied the hardest did indeed show the greatest improvement. But I actually went down in something that I thought would have been easier due to the classes I was taking. At least my writing is better. Given my luck, the median score will go up with mine, and I'll be exactly mediocre...again.

I guess it's possible that I might get in with those scores. But then it's equally possible that I would do much better in physical therapy. Course, I would have to take the GRE again. Sigh.

On the upside, I'm definitely joining the Browncoats. (Watch out, long one.)

A friend (I guess he's still a friend, just a friend) finally got me to watch the tv show Firefly, which was created by Joss Whedon, of Buffy and Angel fame. I remember when it came out, and recall being a little turned off by the "space western" theme. Westerns aren't my thing. It also wasn't on air very long; Fox, being the strange entity that it is, cancelled it after 11 episodes. But it gained a cult following, and now I can see why.

It's a lot of fun, very clever and funny in a lot of parts. Unfortunately my first exposure to a lot of the actors in the show was when they made guest spots on Buffy or Angel, and I didn't like their characters, so I didn't particularly want to see them in anything else. But they won me over. It's pretty amazing, the story they were able to tell in so short a time. I do wish there was more.

But wait! There is more! There's a movie, Serenity, for which, serendipitously enough, I just had a Border's coupon. It was only $10. Whee! So back on the 10th, after some rather disappointing news, I took myself to Best Buy and bought the entire series of Firefly , the tv soundtrack...and a digital piano.

We now interrupt your journaling for a rather odd story.

I was pretty upset by the disappointing news, so I decided to pick up Firefly to make myself feel better. Best Buy had the cheapest retail price, so I went there. On a whim, I took at look at their digital pianos. I'd seen good reviews for one of them, and since I was not feeling so hot, decided to buy it too. *bank account cringes*

I figured I should check out Circuit City, just across the way, which sometimes has better prices, or Border's to see if they had Firefly for less. I trekked to those places, fruitlessly, and so headed back to Best Buy. By this time the weather, previously hot and sunny, turned grey and prepared to rain. If I hadn't taken the price check trip, this wouldn't have bothered me, but...

Back at the store, I asked someone to help me get the box up to the register (88-key pianos are quite large, you know?) and was waiting for an associate when the power went out. Now, it's odd enough when the power goes out in your home or whatnot, but in a big store like that it's so weird to go from bright glaring light to the little illumination of emergency lights. Apparently whenever the power's out at a store like this, all the computers reboot and upload things, which takes a pretty long time, and we had to wait until they finished. Slowly appliances came back on, tvs started showing their loops, and one by one, the lights came on. I would guess it was less than 10 minutes until power was restored, but it's quite eerie to be in a place that's normally so bright when it's just half-lit.

Of course I had to ask for help again, and when I finally got checked out and ready to head to the car, it decided to start pouring. Big fat drops, too. I managed to get the sturdy box into the car (not without trouble and much wet) and home, and no damage to either. However...

My car has a sunroof, installed by the previous owner. DO NOT get a sunroof installed in your car unless it comes factory-installed! They leak anyway, but third-party sunroofs are awful for it. Admittedly it might have gotten a little off kilter when that silly person rear-ended me three years ago, but this is insane. I think the rain has to be in a certain direction and coming down for a long enough time, but for two days after that torrential storm the front seats were soaked. Not a pleasant feeling to sit down on one of those! I can't figure out where the drain tubes are, either, so I can't check to see if they're clogged. Eventually the car dried out. All good, until the next storm.

Anyway, back to the story. I finished the last few episodes of Firefly on Saturday and watched Serenity later in the afternoon. I wish I hadn't had to watch it alone. It would have been better with the friend. Sigh. The day was good, overall, having brunch with Ross and picking up a MIDI interface and an Apple Jam Pack so my piano can connect to my computer and make symphonic melodies. Then it was home for Father's day. Good times. My finances don't like me, but I'm pretty content, considering the middling MCAT scores and being tired today from an early study.

Guess it's back to it. Thank goodness for heading to Champaign this weekend.

Oh, I have a new roommate. She's nice, but v. young. I might have to teach her a few things about living in an apartment, once I've gotten over paying the newly-raised rent. I'll try to be better about writing here. Sometimes it's just not something you can put into words.

I'm rather amazed you went this far. Leave me a comment to show you care, eh?

Posted by Jen at 10:42 AM | Permalink |

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

  California Baylor, Elizabethtown soundtrack
  rereading Prophesy, Elizabeth Haydon
file under: education , muses , music

Ever have those times when you just don't know what to do with yourself? Work has been utterly unfulfilling, and even though I'm in the middle of a good book, this is certainly a time when I wish I had someone to go out with on a saturday night.

I seem to have quite a few people saying 'we need to talk' lately. Never a good thing.

And though hope springs eternal, sometimes it gets pretty squashed. le sigh

Posted by Jen at 6:15 PM | Permalink

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

  Kushiel's Scion, Jaqueline Carey
file under: muses

I just spent an hour de-icing the freezers in the equipment room, which basically means I got to hit a lot of ice really hard with an ice scraper until it decided to spray everywhere and fall, with a rather satisfying thunk, to the floor. Fun in a sort of mindless, lean-as-far-from-the-projectile-ice-as-you-can way.

"I feel great now!" (I'm listening to RENT. Sue me if I quote too much.)

Who else is bored today?

Posted by Jen at 12:56 PM | Permalink

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

  Without You, RENT

file under: thoughts