Some really kickin' Naruto cosplayers
Remember to register for Otakon online. Tomorrow's the last day you can do it.
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
Sunday, June 27, 2004
Something Nerdy This Way Comes
Went to see Harry Potter 3 with T. I've been suffering through driver's ed on weekday evenings (dear God, make it stop!!) so her driving amused me as I watched her attempt to eat, talk to me, and deal with her ringing cell phone at the same time. I love the MVA.
Great movie, though I do wish the actors had better enunciation, and the scripts wouldn't breeze through the important, expository dialogue. I found the part where Harry first confronts Sirius to be rather lacking in tension, but that isn't the climax of the movie, which is later. The movie has a wonderful, almost Gothic aesthetic that you don't get in the first two, as well as a slew of understated visual gags which will require repeatedly viewings to catch, but the CGI werewolf is rather disappointing. Camerawork emphasizing the mechanisms of clocks and pendulums, and Harry's reflection in mirrored surfaces expertly tie the movie together thematically, as does the uncanny ability to string scenes together organicaly through expertly-timed transitions, most notably irises and fades. The ending was well-done; thank God they decided not to go with that ponderous, ritualistic House Cup ceremony which always ends in everyone standing up and applauding to the swell of triumphal music, ala the end of Star Wars: A New Hope. I always thought that was a cop-out. Hermione, played by Emma Watson, is turning into a gorgeous young woman, with actual acting ability. Scenes are naturalistic, like someone just let the camera roll and forgot about it, and I really get a better feel of Hogwarts as a place, as well as Harry, Hermione, and Lupin as characters, though Sirius is kind of vanilla. Lupin, in his mentor relationship with Harry, is fantastic. I'd talked to Mary W (who would've gone with me to see Harry Potter, but is being shipped off to CTY in Lancaster), and she'd said that she found (and objected to) some slash friendly scenes in this movie, which I agree is a first. Yes, there are some slash-friendly scenes. Hurrah.
T is thinking about transferring to UMBC from College Park, and back from electrical engineering into computer engineering (she'd previously transferred from computer engineering into electrical). She thinks UMCP's academic environment isn't as good as UMBC's. It's considered a bigshot college already so it's not focused on helping individual students anymore, as opposed to UMBC which is trying to make a name for itself, she says, and that she prefers computer engineering as well as thinking many skills in that curiculum are necessary to survive as an engineer nowadays. I told her there is really absolutely nothing to do at UMBC, but she seemed undeterred. Well, at any rate, the dorms are much better at UMBC than UMCP, which I can attest to, and while I don't know about the quality of our computer engineering program I do know we throw fistfuls of money into it (shiny shiny!), so it must be decent.
Later went to Popeye's with T and Mehmet. Mehmet's growing his hair long so that he can donate it to charity. (For those of you who either don't know or have been hiding under a rock and are considering haircuts, many charities use donated hair to create wigs for cancer victims whose natural hair has fallen out due to chemotherapy.) I think this is very sweet of him. The ulterior motive is that whenever his dad complains to him to cut his hair, he at least has a noble excuse.
He and T are dressing up as Larva and Vampire Princess Miyu for Otakon. I'm in a hurry to get tickets, since online registration lasts only until June 30th (Wednesday!), and otherwise I'd have to get tickets at the door, which means winding queues that last for hours. I know I'm at least going with her, but if anyone wants to come with me you're more than welcome. This should be at least one summer activity that's going to work out; I have no driver for my trip to Gettysburg to watch the reenactments, which leaves me resorting to the Greyhound, and Andrew D bailed from my roleplaying camping trip at Little Bennett Regional Park, leaving me scrambling to see who has tents. Doug does, but not enough for six people or so, and Rob is uncertain as to whether he's coming. Organizing things is a mess.
Went to see Harry Potter 3 with T. I've been suffering through driver's ed on weekday evenings (dear God, make it stop!!) so her driving amused me as I watched her attempt to eat, talk to me, and deal with her ringing cell phone at the same time. I love the MVA.
Great movie, though I do wish the actors had better enunciation, and the scripts wouldn't breeze through the important, expository dialogue. I found the part where Harry first confronts Sirius to be rather lacking in tension, but that isn't the climax of the movie, which is later. The movie has a wonderful, almost Gothic aesthetic that you don't get in the first two, as well as a slew of understated visual gags which will require repeatedly viewings to catch, but the CGI werewolf is rather disappointing. Camerawork emphasizing the mechanisms of clocks and pendulums, and Harry's reflection in mirrored surfaces expertly tie the movie together thematically, as does the uncanny ability to string scenes together organicaly through expertly-timed transitions, most notably irises and fades. The ending was well-done; thank God they decided not to go with that ponderous, ritualistic House Cup ceremony which always ends in everyone standing up and applauding to the swell of triumphal music, ala the end of Star Wars: A New Hope. I always thought that was a cop-out. Hermione, played by Emma Watson, is turning into a gorgeous young woman, with actual acting ability. Scenes are naturalistic, like someone just let the camera roll and forgot about it, and I really get a better feel of Hogwarts as a place, as well as Harry, Hermione, and Lupin as characters, though Sirius is kind of vanilla. Lupin, in his mentor relationship with Harry, is fantastic. I'd talked to Mary W (who would've gone with me to see Harry Potter, but is being shipped off to CTY in Lancaster), and she'd said that she found (and objected to) some slash friendly scenes in this movie, which I agree is a first. Yes, there are some slash-friendly scenes. Hurrah.
T is thinking about transferring to UMBC from College Park, and back from electrical engineering into computer engineering (she'd previously transferred from computer engineering into electrical). She thinks UMCP's academic environment isn't as good as UMBC's. It's considered a bigshot college already so it's not focused on helping individual students anymore, as opposed to UMBC which is trying to make a name for itself, she says, and that she prefers computer engineering as well as thinking many skills in that curiculum are necessary to survive as an engineer nowadays. I told her there is really absolutely nothing to do at UMBC, but she seemed undeterred. Well, at any rate, the dorms are much better at UMBC than UMCP, which I can attest to, and while I don't know about the quality of our computer engineering program I do know we throw fistfuls of money into it (shiny shiny!), so it must be decent.
Later went to Popeye's with T and Mehmet. Mehmet's growing his hair long so that he can donate it to charity. (For those of you who either don't know or have been hiding under a rock and are considering haircuts, many charities use donated hair to create wigs for cancer victims whose natural hair has fallen out due to chemotherapy.) I think this is very sweet of him. The ulterior motive is that whenever his dad complains to him to cut his hair, he at least has a noble excuse.
He and T are dressing up as Larva and Vampire Princess Miyu for Otakon. I'm in a hurry to get tickets, since online registration lasts only until June 30th (Wednesday!), and otherwise I'd have to get tickets at the door, which means winding queues that last for hours. I know I'm at least going with her, but if anyone wants to come with me you're more than welcome. This should be at least one summer activity that's going to work out; I have no driver for my trip to Gettysburg to watch the reenactments, which leaves me resorting to the Greyhound, and Andrew D bailed from my roleplaying camping trip at Little Bennett Regional Park, leaving me scrambling to see who has tents. Doug does, but not enough for six people or so, and Rob is uncertain as to whether he's coming. Organizing things is a mess.
Iron Chef Human
Hannibal Lecter vs. Iron Chef Italian Masahiko Kobe
Courtesy of the famous filker Tom Smith. Sadly, only Andrew D's aunt knows who he is.
Hannibal Lecter vs. Iron Chef Italian Masahiko Kobe
Courtesy of the famous filker Tom Smith. Sadly, only Andrew D's aunt knows who he is.
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