My Chemical Romance - or Old but Happy

I'm so 80's is not even funny. Once in a while Ms. Lightshadow brings forth something that will push me through the threshold of the 21st century and compel me to listen... however this one comes from a different source altogether.
Kudos to Kendra for finding this on her own and spreading the cheer. Now I know how Lestat felt about his lovely Claudia. I feel old for not unearthing this on my own, yet so frigging proud, rock on you magnificent niece of mine- err- don't get any ideas about throwing auntie in the swamp, ok... :p

Mind the State of My Union Address

It's been a while since I wrote anything that truly mattered. I don't owe it to important sort of stuff, hence the very fitting title of this blog... However, there is something liberating about struggling to put words together when it really counts.

I am at a point in my life in which I do not wish to be. I am not depressed, I can deal with depression easily. The fact is that I am worried, and a little scared.

The truth is I am a control freak at heart. I never found this to be a point of contention in my personality, to anyone who has a bit of understanding of the wheels that make my family turn, it might even count to my advantage. (Some times it's fun to play wrangler to a bunch of wild Mustangs.) However, there is an aspect of life a person like me cannot face on her own terms, and that is related to health, or lack of thereof.

When I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis I was pissed at first. It all lasted about a week while I got over the words "chronic" and "illness". After that it was a matter of finding out what it was and how to take care of it in such a way that it would seem it never happened. Those who know me know I got my way.

However it has not been the same for my sister, and it is driving me crazy. I see her as her immune system goes haywire, having flare ups, muscle spasms, joint pain and stiffness as her physician changes and adjusts medications and it is tearing me apart.

Those who know me be assured that my faith and resolution is not faltering and neither is Lysania's, I've always trusted God before anything else and I am not questioning. I am simply trying to put stuff on paper as I usually do when things get tough for me, when I am at my wit's end and words fail me... this is in fact my prayer.

Let it there be a resolution and grant me the patience if it not a prompt one...

Ah, there is a quote, there always must be a quote and for the many times I didn't say more than a simple "there you go again, silly little sissy", I'll leave you with this:

"Bless you, my darling, and remember you are always in the heart - oh tucked so close there is no chance of escape - of your sister. " ~Katherine Mansfield

FANGIRL ATTACK!!! IRON MAN...NO SPOILERS

I could sit down and write a very organized review of what I honestly think is one of the best superhero movies... in fact, number 2 on my list. When it comes to superheroes, the more baggage, the better, that is why Batman rules and "Bat Begins" is holding on tight to it's crowning glory.

However, there is emotional baggage and then there is the Sunday edition of Behind the Music and Tony Stark is too much of a badass to be a good guy. This should have been titled Super Hero: Trial and Error.

By the way, this is filed under fangirl attack, so let me account for it:

One of the best things about growing up in the 80's is that I am well aware there used to be life before Brad Pitt. There he was in all his glory,incredibly talented and yes beautiful to watch. This guy made dangerous look likeable and vulnerable sexy, his name was, excuse me... IS Robert Downey Jr. and he frigging rocks.

With that out of the way, let me start. The fun thing about this movie is that it is the "anti" of it's kind. So I'll go there, to the things you will not find, and then I'll let you go and see it yourself.

You will not find the usual "Messianic Awareness".It happens to all superheroes, from happy go lucky Spiderman to brooding Bats', there is a long period of introspectivenes "the dark night of the soul element" it is usually triggered by the loss of a loved one and drives the would be hero to the point of madness before he puts on the tights and joins the crusade, completely embracing his mission-self sacrifice, if you will- out of love for humanity. In the case of Tony Stark, there is darkness alright,and it lingers. No matter how good he gets at what he does, it is never redeeming enough.There is a certain perverse joy, the man is having too much fun being who he is to completely turn into someone else.

You will not find Damsels in Distress-props to Gwyneth Paltrow for delivering a wonderful supporting character that happens to be female. Yes of course there is a degree of romance, but by God she is not swooning. If there is something Pepper Potts knows is that this is not a reliable guy, so her romantic expectations are a little more, errr... pragmatic. In a world were women are constantly making the wrong decisions, getting in trouble and then becoming a pain in the ass for the guy that has to recue them, she is a breath of fresh air.

There is no butler or secret accomplice that helps the guy put it all together. I guess being an MIT graduate at 17 will allow a man to stand on his own and put together his own gadgets (Although there is a computer with a British accent and the cutest mechanical arm/ fire extinguisher you will ever see- :p)

Bad guys without purpose. In fact the measure of a great villain in a superhero movie is that his plans and intentions make sense in the real world and Obadiah Stane makes sense as hell. There is no secret plan to take over the world, after all who would like to rule humanity when given the chance to deliver the weapons that will facilitate it's demise? Demand and supply, people are always in a rush to blow up one and other and wherever there is a grudge, someone will be willing to pay well to settle the score. Motive? Greed, simple and pure and that is brilliant.

Add to that dialogue with sense and wit and an ensemble mostly composed of guys and gals who have won Oscars or have been close to do so and it is not your run of the mill supes movie...LOVED IT

The quote...

"They say the best weapon is the one you never have to fire. I prefer the weapon you only need to fire once" - Tony Stark at the National Republican Convention- nah- moments before trying out a brand new toy...

The Little History Corner presents...

The Glory of HBO's ROME!!!!

I've spent the weekend incommunicada as far as the web is concerned, however I had the strange pleasure of catching up with quality TV I had lost within the last two years or so.

Yes, I'm kind of dizzy still, after all I just spent the weekend watching ROME Season I & II. Strange as it might be it pleased both the nerd and the pop culture aficionada in me.

Let's take something out of the way before I get all Virgil recounting the story. It is HBO... there will be gratuitous sex and drama on top of the drama. The biggest joke of it all will be the portrait of Atia, of whom historians know little except that she was perhaps a champion of virtue. Well, on this one Atia is a strange blend between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Paris Hilton...the course of action of the character, however, sets the story in such a way that for more than mere deja vu episodes, the Gaius-Julii of ancient Rome sort of parallel to another errr... more contemporary Italian family: The Corleone, but it is all a long, fun plot device that will guarantee the level of cunning, soft porn and plain vulgarity needed to capture the eye of the plebes...

All in all, it was an amazing, ambitious project with out doors filmed on location and painfully detailed reproduction ( the Forum alone is enough to take any one's breath away). The main characters are so well developed that you will be living and dying for them after the third installment or so. Ray Stevenson and Kevin McKidd portray Titus Pullo and Luscious Vorenus, a couple of soldiers actively serving with Julius Ceasar in the Legio XIII Gemina during the conquest of Gaul. It is trough their eyes that we get to know all characters both historical and fictional and the series of events that will lead to the inevitable downfall of the Republic and the rise of the the Emperors. While Luscious Vorenus is the paramount of soldierly duty, and carries most of the gravitas, Pullo will do his best to pair history and whoring for you all while being the nicest guy you will never want to cross.

As far as historic portrayal goes they got Caesar satisfyingly right and someone finally had the balls to present Mark Anthony as a bit of a man-whore that he was- although I must protest that Anthony is kept single for most of the series and involved with Atia of all characters, it is all forgiven by means of finally getting what Richard Burton couldn't give me: the quissentenial Roman soldier, fiercely loyal to Caesar to the point of entering a world of politics he completely despised... and the angst, oh the angst, and the passionate obsession are almost divine! Octavian as child is the taciturn yet resolute boy that you know will scheme his way to become a living god.

Anyhoo, whether if you are a nerd with a penchant for catching little historical facts, a purist who likes to fish for inaccuracies, an appreciative fan of ancient bacchanal rites or just someone who enjoys damn good TV, this one is a must.

Closing time

This is not exactly trivial, but it's worth recording. As of today at 5:00 PM, I am no longer employed. Nope, I didn't get fired, I quit of my own accord. And you might think I'm frigging crazy with all the mess with the economy and the recession thing in full swing, but there are times in which peace of mind is worth more than financial stability. I no longer felt morally compelled to work and there is no worse feeling than working just for money.. so I'll cut and dye my hair and will sacrifice the fun of looking like me for a while because I 'll need to channel my responsible adult and get down to business. Believe me, it feels great, liberating, like I need a fucking challenge and I'm willing to face it.
All my plans are still without change, including a fabulous I'll sleep when I'm dead tour of Disney World... wohoooooooo!!!!

And of course, there must be a quote, one to live by in situations like this... it comes from a poet who did the right thing and poets are good at being jobless, you know...
"The only business of the head in the world is to bow a ceaseless obeisance to the heart"-WB Yeats