What’s quite awesome, you say? Many things. Firstly, The Golden Compass opens in theatres nationwide today. I’m so excited! We’re going to see it tomorrow at some point (because we’re lame and we didn’t go at midnight because we’re grown ups now and have ‘responsibilities’… tosh. We went to the midnight shows of Harry Potter and Star Wars… sigh. I suppose we really are grown ups). Probably mid-afternoon. I’ll post (and I’ll do something to hide the spoilers) a review of it after I’ve seen it. I love that book a lot (I’ve read it and its sequels a few times; I did use them for my thesis) and so I’m eager to see the visual adaptation. Given my interest in book-to-movie adaptations as a student (or, well, former student) of screenwriting, I’m always eager to see how they transform my favorite books to the screen. (The first two Harry Potters were duds — thanks in large part to the director — but The Golden Compass‘ co-screenwriter and director are one in the same. I’m excited.)
On to other awesome things: I’m drinking a Starbucks Gingerbread Latte. That’s always awesome.
I’ve lost about 4 pounds since starting to keep track of my weight and my exercise at WeightLossWars.com. I don’t compete in anything but I use their tools to keep track — and keeping track is a large part of it for me. If I see that graph of my weight I really feel motivated to keep working out and keep losing. That, and there’s the possibility of being held accountable by other people on the site. I like that part. If only some of my friends would join, friend me, and nag me! (Hint, hint. I’ll give you my username…)
Other awesome things (because there are many!): New Moon finally, FINALLY came in to the library today. I’ve been waiting for the sequel to Twilight since I finished Twilight and going from being #200-something on the library waiting list to being #24 took entirely too long. I refuse to buy books I haven’t read that I may not read again (well, okay, that’s not true but let’s pretend it is in this case) and I’ve been interested (more academically, really) to find out what happens to Bella. As I said in my last entry mentioning Twilight, I have a hard time connecting to Bella because she’s so entirely different from me and Meyer, to me, doesn’t do a terrifically good job in making her as, well, likable as she does with Edward, for instance. (As I say, to me.) (But he’s not my slice of pie, if you know what I mean. I can like fictitious vampires, but not the permanently teenaged, red-gold haired variety. I like mine tall, dark, and named Con if you get my drift *cough, Sunshine, cough*…speaking of McKinley’s Sunshine, I connect a lot better to Rae than I do to Bella, and Rae and I are entirely different people! I think it’s in the details and possibly the ages of the characters… I’m not sure. Maybe McKinley just consistently writes to me.) But back to New Moon! I’m going to start it today and I’ll likely finish it today (or, if it takes me that long because of the inevitable having to work out, shower, and get ready for tonight — more on that coming up — then it’ll take longer). Then… I have Eclipse. It’s sitting over there across the room. Book #3 in that trilogy. Tee hee.
Slightly off topic but not really: I’m a completionist but only sometimes, and that’s mainly the reason I need to finish these books by Meyer. They’re best sellers, fairly well received by critics, and I have to admit, I’m curious. But I’m not… really that into them. I’ve read books before that I’ve literally had seizures over not having the sequels to fast enough (pretty much all of Robin Hobb’s books… the first three of Elizabeth Haydon’s Symphony of Ages series, even a lot of Tamora Pierce’s books, etc.) but with this series, I really am more academically intrigued more than anything else. I want to read them like I’m going to have to discuss them in workshop soon — isn’t that an odd impulse? (I’ve never felt that way about any of those assigned course books in real life, too — odd, isn’t it?) But anyway!
Tonight! Apparently we’re going out with a bunch of former business majors from Carnegie Mellon to the German bar in our neighborhood, Heidelberg, that I absolutely love. However, this is a mixed blessing. It will be cool because it always is but I also dread it because the last major spike in my weight gain (thanks, WeightLossWars and your graphs) happened over my birthday weekend when I ate lots of cheese, drank lots of champagne, and proceeded to drink about a liter of good German beer. So I’m a little nervous about going because my impulse control when it comes to good German beer is pretty much nonexistent and I’m doing so well with the weight loss! I’m the lowest weight I’ve been since… since I can’t remember! Probably since the time I got sick after getting my wisdom teeth removed so I didn’t eat for like 8 days. (But then I gained it all back in a voracious carbs-and-protein-oh-my-God-I-missed-you! binge.) So, both awesome and not.
What a day, what a day. So far.
