the loss of the great adventure

went after school today with some of the film club kids to see indiana jones and the kingdom of the crystal skull. i was anxious when i read the title; i became concerned when i saw the early pics of the crystal skull; i cringed when i saw shia lebouf would be in the movie and threw up in my mouth a little when i heard he would be indy's son; but these were all rumours and i went into the regal theater in mason with the mindset of an eleven-year-old, the age i had seen the original film, seeking nothing more than two hours of adventure.

i should have known better.

the action lacked visceral impact, the gross-outs seemed half-hearted, the humor was forced and every character was simply a caricature. i had hoped to thrill to seeing indy on the big screen again. instead, it just made me sad. this picture, like its star, is a shell of his old self. the magic and wonder from the early films danced around the edges, but never came to fruition on the screen. and oh my the climax. please. lucas and spielberg's attempts to shoehorn '50s sci-fi into indy's universe failed spectacularly. i kept waiting for crow and servo to pop up in the corner.

more a disappointment than a bad movie, i guess, but still. pretty sure i won't be adding this one to my collection. i'll stick with the originals.

in other news....

five teaching days left. two exam days. one teacher work day. staying focused is becoming more and more difficult for everyone, myself included. not sure i like ending with mockingbird if only because i feel a bit rushed and there's so much good stuff in there i'm afraid they'll miss. but i guess that's why we reread books at different ages. or at least why we should. most of them seem to like it so far. now if i can just sustain the interest after the trial. we'll see.

senior picnic is tomorrow and they called today to ask if i could come out during my plan bell. will be good to see them off. this is a special class because i had some of them both sophomore and senior years. i'll have a slight chance to do that next year, though i'm only teaching two bells worth all year, compared to the six i did this year. makes me sad - i had hoped to do more. but with all the changes in organization, we weren't asked our preferences this year. not sure why my load went down, then, but nothing i can do at this point other than be patient and hope the opportunity comes later.

bought a couple cds this week - old 97's blame it on gravity and king's x xv. enjoying both of them immensely. it's odd - i've not actually listened to my old 97's cd - first time it was out of the wrapper i burned it to my hard drive/ipod and i have only listened to the mp3s. makes me question why i bother buying the hard copy anymore. maybe i'm reaching the point like i did with cassettes where i stop buying cds and only pick up digital copies. am thinking of hitting amazon and downloading a couple things i've been wanting. i'm a little afraid that once i start, i'll never go back. but it has to be better for the environment, right? or something like that.

heading up to northeast ohio/weirton this weekend. a movie party at steve's turned into a trip to weirton and a couple of nights in a hotel. don't ask. will then head over to bloomingdale ohio for shannon and paul's post-nuptial reception. didn't realize i needed to rsvp until last night (ooops) but contacted shannon's mom and it all worked out. makes me happy. of course, after all that driving, i'll probably feel a bit fuelish (sorry, i tried to stop myself but couldn't). and to think not long ago i was thinking $3.00 a gallon was too high. silly me.

started researching hdtvs - someone bought my miami voucher so i have a little extra cash - but will probably be responsible and pay down my one remaining credit card. i know i'll get a new tv sometime, but want to feel a little more settled before doing that. if i could get out of all my debt except for my eternal student loans and my house, i think i'd be much happier. we'll see what i can do. may check into finding a company to help me as i'm a bit wary of attempting the math myself. and attempting to get a lower rate.

ok, enough time here. probably won't post until after the weekend, though i will be taking my laptop with me, so if the hotel has free wifi, i might jump on. that's all for tonight.
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Now playing: Old 97's - The Fool
via FoxyTunes

snippets

exhausted. sick. bloated. emotionally drained. fuzzy from the dayquill.

finished my grading. wishing i could call in sick tomorrow. nose running. throat scratchy.

mason community band blowing in the background. ryan adams in my ears.

nine teaching days remain. ten total.

feeling numb about the end of beauty. will probably hit tomorrow.

seeing tom in june. with brian. floor seats, row r. cannot waits. err..wait.

great story to share. not now. notebook in my strike bag. grrr.

worried about summer. no plans. no ideas. what to do...

missing friends. disconnected. isolated. own fault.

reread microserfs. still great. i miss the old doug. sometimes.

lungs burning. hurts to stand and walk. usual post-show cold.

winebag = greatest party game ever.

intermission. need to be ready for lights. more this week.

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tunes: the dirtbombs - your love belongs under a rock