You Have Something On Your Face

I'm reading J.R. Ward's newest book, Covet. Despite all of my issues with the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, I find Ward endlessly readable. Affected dialogue patterns and her habit of turning nouns into verbs aside, her characters really appeal to my love of uber-protective alpha heroes.

I am having one tiny issue, however. One of the secondary characters (who, I suspect, is in line to become a primary character in a future book) has been described as having several face piercings. I'm only about eight chapters in, but I already know he has a ring in his lip. And it's been made clear this isn't the only place on his face that he's poked holes into.

I personally find face piercing a disgusting from of self-mutilation.

TSTL: Not Just for Heroines

I've been watching this season's TV darling, Glee. It's cute. The music is really fun (although I have yet to feel the urge to download any of the performances off iTunes so that phenomenon escapes me), and the characters are interesting. The show clearly sees itself as camp because most of the characters are so over-the-top cartoonish no one could be expected to take them seriously. Between the cheerleaders who ALWAYS wear their cheerleading uniforms to the bombastic bully of a cheer coach, Sue, and the germaphobe guidance counselor Emma, nuance is a concept that is ignored completely.

But I do have one fundamental problem with the show that is getting to the point where I'm thinking of bailing.

Warning: this post includes SPOILERS for Glee. Don't read after the cut if you don't want to read SPOILERS.

You've Got to Want It

I headed to Barnes & Noble today to pick up two new releases I've been waiting for, Meljean Brook's Demon Forged and Lynn Viehl's Shadowlight. I've ranted before about my feelings on B&N of late, but I have a membership that gives me 10% off all purchases. That pays for my tax plus a little bit more, so I'm financially motivated to deal with my issues.

Anyway, I headed to B&N thinking that it now being Thursday, for absolute sure the employees would have unpacked the Tuesday releases boxes, so the books should be on the shelves.

The Dying Art

Just discovered this article about the dying art of cursive writing. It's very apropos to the homework situation at my house because cursive writing is required for all of my son's work this year, short of math of course.

As I did back in my day, my kids were both taught cursive in 3rd grade. Our school requires that all non-number related work in 4th grade must be done in cursive. I think this is great since it forces the kids to practice and apply the cursive skills they learned the year before. It does cause some angst at our house because my son writes very carefully and very s-l-o-w-l-y when using cursive, so homework takes three times longer. I think it's also caused him extra stress at school when he's given an assignment and only a certain amount of to time work because he fears he won't be able to complete it. I keep telling him that a) with practice, the cursive writing will come faster and b) maybe he doesn't need to be so very careful after all.

Thing is, after 4th grade, cursive becomes optional.

Clash Of the Titans Redux

When I heard that they were remaking the 1981 movie Clash of the Titans, I was tickled pink. CotT '81 is maybe my favorite B movie of all time. Not only was it the first movie I can remember seeing sans parents (they let me and my brother go to the theater all by ourselves!), it was such an unapologetically corny, over the top love story. You just gotta love a classic Greek myth with all of its monsters and gods and damsels in distress. For crying out loud, Andromeda was actually chained to the rocks to be sacrificed to the Krakan! You can't satisfy my rescue-scenario fetish any better than that.

So they are remaking CotT, with Sam Worthington in the role of the dashing Perseus. I do like Worthington - my favorite part of Terminator Salvation, actually - but I have some reservations about him in this role. From the stills on IMDB, he's clearly a much swarthier, aggressive Perseus. A hardened warrior who looks used to battle. I do love me some warriors, especially in short skirts (see: Pitt, Brad, Troy and Butler, Gerard, 300). But it's definitely a departure from the original.

Harry Hamlin's Perseus, on the other hand, was not only a lot prettier than Worthington (that hair!), he played Perseus as kind of a reluctant hero. He grows up on an idyllic island and seems content to hang on Seriphos forever, combing the beach for new shells for his fledgling puca necklace business. It's only when the jealous Thetis plucks Perseus off the island and drops him in the middle of the festering drama unfolding in Joppa that Perseus picks up his sword (a magic sword!). And it's only love that is strong enough to motivate Perseus to seek out the Stygian Witches, capture the elusive Pegasus, fight the hideous Medusa, and...well, you've got to see the movie.

Still, even with this change to a more proactive hero, I'm giddy for March 26th to roll around. CotT '10 will, at the very least, provide a massive CGI upgrade from the cheesy claymation special effects of CotT '81. And we get Liam Neeson as Zeus. I know I probably won't have to wait in line opening night, but I'll be there.

Wonder if my brother might be available to go with me. For old times' sake.