December 30, 2003

My New Year wish for me, for you and for us all!  The Sun, the Moon, the Stars, the Earth, all safe, secure and happy where they are supposed to be.

Now I have to figure out where to start!  It seems like so long since I last wrote.  So last week, Eric was sick for three days, unable to move out of the bed, fevers and sweats and body aches, oh my!  He finally stirred on Friday, but after 3 days of being too sick to smoke, he figured it was a sign from above to finally give it up, so he came out of being sick in the middle of withdrawal and just continued it on, which made for a luvvvverly weekend (not).  He's feeling better today, I think.  He and his partner (business partner, not lesbian life partner or anything) found out yesterday that they got a bid on a housing project.  It's not a ton of money, but it's steady for a few months at least and will start in February or March.  Now all we have to do is get through the Winter.  What is interesting is that he had just decided to back burner the business and get more aggressive about finding a job... ANY thing.  Almost immediately after making that decision, he finds out they got one of the bids they didn't expect to get and are set up for a few months in the future.  Talk about re-direction.

And talking about re-direction, Mercury will be out of retrograde and moving direct again on January 3rd, so we're alll most out of the bout of madness and miscommunication and things getting lost and messages not arriving and general discord.  I never used to give this very much credence, but damn if I can't now FEEL when Mercury is going backwards.  I'll see a trend, look it up and sure enough, we'll be in the middle of one.  It happens about three times a year for 3 and a half weeks each time. 

Delena met her birth father for the first time on Saturday and that went exceptionally well.  They had chatted on AIM for a month or so and get along great, so it wasn't awkward or stumbling.  They just started talking like they'd known one another forever.  We also went to see the new movie, "Peter Pan."  Wow!  What a fabulous flick!  I didn't have particularly high hopes.  I loved the movie "Hook" with Robin Williams, but the basic story of Peter Pan wasn't one that ever really interested me.  Having grown women play the boy Pan in stage productions (Mary Martin, Sandy Duncan) always left a bit of a creepy shiver up my spine for some reason.

This movie (click here for the official site) follows the book by J. M. Barrie almost to the letter.  At first, it seemed like it was starting to drag, but then it took off like a shot.  The special effects were fantastic, used to accentuate the movie rather than to define it.  The acting was superb, nearly all unknowns.  Vanessa Redgrave had a fringe part and the coveted role of Captain Hook was played in menacingly deliciousness by Jason Isaacs, aka "Malfoy's Father" in the Harry Potter movies. 

Have I mentioned rrroowwwllll?

He was evah so intimidating, not at all the nearly comical Hook played by Dustin Hoffman.  One of the most disturbing parts of the movie (although it wasn't disturbing in a "this movie has problems" way but more of a "this movie is freakin...twisted" good way) is watching Hook truly try to kill the very obviously young boy, Pan and finding him to be a worthy, and ultimately successful adversary.  (click the picture to the right)

The kids cast to portray Wendy and Peter are absolutely angelic and marvelous actors.  There is a burgeoning love between them that is absolutely palpable and adds a wonderful tension to their interaction, sweetening the movie completely.  I think this is the first experience I've had with a Peter Pan based story that I've really "gotten" the characters. 

The mermaids were far from Disney variety and were slimy, threatening fish people.

The parents Darling were, well, absolutely darling.  I didn't realize until the end credits rolled that Captain Hook and Mr Darling were both played by Jason Isaacs.  That opened a whole other can of Freudian things to think about, being a grown up like I am, you know. 

So that's my basking on "Peter Pan."  See it without hesitation.

I also caught the movie "Adaptation" on HBO and it was particularly odd.  I didn't care for the ending and I think I could have written it much better.  As far as I'm concerned, a critical connect was missed.  Still, a very good movie.

Tomorrow, I'll be around to tell you about giving my sons' room an enema yesterday!

For now, I have kids crying (yikes... need... vacation)

K