V for Vendetta

Being sick at the beginning of a long weekend is a grumpy sort of thing. But the neighbor was kind enough to take Jet for an evening. I wasn't feeling well enough, Thursday night, to go out, so John went out and rented V for Vendetta for us.

It was good, and held to the heart of the story. Just like outintexas said it would be.

Now, it is fair to say that I loved the original graphic novel. What it had to say about politics, about the danger of giving up personal rights for "safety" has always stuck with me. But the line that the original novel drew was so far away from my real life that my own lines of what to give up and what not to has been very fuzzy. The lines drawn in that book were well beyond where I have ever trod, and far more like the lines that were thoroughly violated in the stories I've known about China and how they work.

The movie, however, brought it closer to home. It's cleaner, prettier than Alan Moore probably would have liked. The situation not nearly as desperate for the individuals involved. There were actually folks that looked like clean, decent, middle-class Americans, rather than everyone being haunted, angry, or doing the dirtiest thing possible to make it all worse. It's not just be a whore or die, which was very much the picture in the original book.

The movie was more about people like me. About what they can give up if they believe their safety is involved. About holding the line for a kind of morality that is already under fire now. About the small decisions that lead to bigger consequences.

I can see why they simplified the plot, the characterization, and stuck to only two or maybe three points of view. Not the dozen or so in the novel. I see why they prettied up some parts of it like Evey's stay with Gordon. I also see why the ending was as Hollywoodized as it was, simplified to sharpen the message at the very last scene and missing, entirely, the plot ending of the book. Not a terrible thing, as it, really, kept true to what I'd thought of as the heart of the book with how Evey lost her fear, and how the Vendetta played out into the whole of the political arena. Plus the moral ambiguity of V, himself, was still, somewhat there. Not as clearly as in the books.

He was not quite as inhuman, in some sense. Which, I could see, as being more appealing and might sell the main message better.

The one thing I might not forgive is that they left out my favorite line, though they had done my favorite scene so closely. I really missed it when V is asking how Evey feels, and I expected my favorite line with a pause and a real delivery or something. "I felt like an angel." Should have been in there. Damnit. Or it was and Ms. Portman just mumbled it or something.

But the rest. I approve. I'll likely buy it retail just to support the darn thing so that they'll make more like it.

V for Vendetta

Being sick at the beginning of a long weekend is a grumpy sort of thing. But the neighbor was kind enough to take Jet for an evening. I wasn't feeling well enough, Thursday night, to go out, so John went out and rented V for Vendetta for us.

It was good, and held to the heart of the story. Just like outintexas said it would be.

Now, it is fair to say that I loved the original graphic novel. What it had to say about politics, about the danger of giving up personal rights for "safety" has always stuck with me. But the line that the original novel drew was so far away from my real life that my own lines of what to give up and what not to has been very fuzzy. The lines drawn in that book were well beyond where I have ever trod, and far more like the lines that were thoroughly violated in the stories I've known about China and how they work.

The movie, however, brought it closer to home. It's cleaner, prettier than Alan Moore probably would have liked. The situation not nearly as desperate for the individuals involved. There were actually folks that looked like clean, decent, middle-class Americans, rather than everyone being haunted, angry, or doing the dirtiest thing possible to make it all worse. It's not just be a whore or die, which was very much the picture in the original book.

The movie was more about people like me. About what they can give up if they believe their safety is involved. About holding the line for a kind of morality that is already under fire now. About the small decisions that lead to bigger consequences.

I can see why they simplified the plot, the characterization, and stuck to only two or maybe three points of view. Not the dozen or so in the novel. I see why they prettied up some parts of it like Evey's stay with Gordon. I also see why the ending was as Hollywoodized as it was, simplified to sharpen the message at the very last scene and missing, entirely, the plot ending of the book. Not a terrible thing, as it, really, kept true to what I'd thought of as the heart of the book with how Evey lost her fear, and how the Vendetta played out into the whole of the political arena. Plus the moral ambiguity of V, himself, was still, somewhat there. Not as clearly as in the books.

He was not quite as inhuman, in some sense. Which, I could see, as being more appealing and might sell the main message better.

The one thing I might not forgive is that they left out my favorite line, though they had done my favorite scene so closely. I really missed it when V is asking how Evey feels, and I expected my favorite line with a pause and a real delivery or something. "I felt like an angel." Should have been in there. Damnit. Or it was and Ms. Portman just mumbled it or something.

But the rest. I approve. I'll likely buy it retail just to support the darn thing so that they'll make more like it.

Party Weekend

Thursday was the movie, and Jet home late with his backpack and box lunch. With only 15 minutes to eat, he never gets much of it down, and so eats a huge breakfast and dinner on school days.

Friday was mostly sitting at home and watching TV, video games, and a Star Wars movie. I spun a lot while Jet and I just lazed around the house. John did four or so errands, and ended up with two sets of brewing recipes. He'd just bought a beer fridge from someone at work, which was good enough incentive to brew again.

The spinning was the result of a revelation I got when I opened the envelope containing the Crown Mountain Farm Sock Hop samples. I'd always thought the wear qualities of yarn had more to do with the material in the yarn. I've spun mohair, nylon, and silk into my yarns for solid wearing characteristics, and often stick to harder, harsher wools like Border Leister for heels and toes. I couldn't imagine merino being able to wear well. Until I saw and felt this yarn. I hadn't thought, up to that point, that the amount of spin could make such a difference. Wow.

Then I completely over-spun a two-ounce hank of Big Yellow Taxi. Took it all the way to where the singles would start to kink, and then tension plied it back on itself. The resulting yarn is like a high-tension spring. Nearly hard, but with that silky hand that only fine merino can have. Some spring in it, but I definitely took it too far for commercial yarn. I'm intending to make Jet a pair of socks in it as it's his favorite color and I can see the wear characteristics in action.

Saturday Jet got up at 5:30 so John was up and brewing by 6. The steam in the house helped clear my head. So I was completely up to seeing Bob and Mei in the evening. They came and we cooked lots of good Asian stuff, including some Thai-like green papaya salad and a big batch of garlic chive pockets with tofu and some turkey, I think. We made enough for us to all freeze and keep and some for leftovers as well. It was yummy to do and something neither of us would have done alone. Jet played and talked and got everyone to play Pop Belly Pigs, which was fun. And he enjoyed some of the chocolate dessert we all had.

Sunday was church and the later evening just made my head all stuffed up. I was worried that it had gotten into my lungs, but after a good, hard sing, I realize that there was no way I could sing if the cold had gone into my lungs. So that was good.

The whole afternoon was filled with a BBQ we through for, mostly, the folks on our block here in the neighborhood. We invited Cynthia and her family just 'cause they fit in well with the other families here. And it was a blast. We cooked a chicken that Dean defrosted, burgers that Tonya brought over, and hot dogs for the kids. There were a good dozen salads and four kinds of desserts. The kids had a blast on the climbing structure and through the yard. The parents enjoyed being able to just sit and talk for a while.

So, today, I'm tired of people. I was well enough this morning to go out for a walk with John and Jet, so we just went to Roosevelt Park in Longmont and looked at the roses. Then, when we got back home, the boys took off on their bike (the three-wheeler, as Jet calls it) to go back there and play in the kid pool there. Jet saw it and really, really wanted to go there instead of to our neighborhood pool. Since John told the neighbors we were likely to be going to the Botanical Garden in Denver, instead, no one here is expecting us. *grin* So I get my alone time and the boys get some real exercise in.

Party Weekend

Thursday was the movie, and Jet home late with his backpack and box lunch. With only 15 minutes to eat, he never gets much of it down, and so eats a huge breakfast and dinner on school days.

Friday was mostly sitting at home and watching TV, video games, and a Star Wars movie. I spun a lot while Jet and I just lazed around the house. John did four or so errands, and ended up with two sets of brewing recipes. He'd just bought a beer fridge from someone at work, which was good enough incentive to brew again.

The spinning was the result of a revelation I got when I opened the envelope containing the Crown Mountain Farm Sock Hop samples. I'd always thought the wear qualities of yarn had more to do with the material in the yarn. I've spun mohair, nylon, and silk into my yarns for solid wearing characteristics, and often stick to harder, harsher wools like Border Leister for heels and toes. I couldn't imagine merino being able to wear well. Until I saw and felt this yarn. I hadn't thought, up to that point, that the amount of spin could make such a difference. Wow.

Then I completely over-spun a two-ounce hank of Big Yellow Taxi. Took it all the way to where the singles would start to kink, and then tension plied it back on itself. The resulting yarn is like a high-tension spring. Nearly hard, but with that silky hand that only fine merino can have. Some spring in it, but I definitely took it too far for commercial yarn. I'm intending to make Jet a pair of socks in it as it's his favorite color and I can see the wear characteristics in action.

Saturday Jet got up at 5:30 so John was up and brewing by 6. The steam in the house helped clear my head. So I was completely up to seeing Bob and Mei in the evening. They came and we cooked lots of good Asian stuff, including some Thai-like green papaya salad and a big batch of garlic chive pockets with tofu and some turkey, I think. We made enough for us to all freeze and keep and some for leftovers as well. It was yummy to do and something neither of us would have done alone. Jet played and talked and got everyone to play Pop Belly Pigs, which was fun. And he enjoyed some of the chocolate dessert we all had.

Sunday was church and the later evening just made my head all stuffed up. I was worried that it had gotten into my lungs, but after a good, hard sing, I realize that there was no way I could sing if the cold had gone into my lungs. So that was good.

The whole afternoon was filled with a BBQ we through for, mostly, the folks on our block here in the neighborhood. We invited Cynthia and her family just 'cause they fit in well with the other families here. And it was a blast. We cooked a chicken that Dean defrosted, burgers that Tonya brought over, and hot dogs for the kids. There were a good dozen salads and four kinds of desserts. The kids had a blast on the climbing structure and through the yard. The parents enjoyed being able to just sit and talk for a while.

So, today, I'm tired of people. I was well enough this morning to go out for a walk with John and Jet, so we just went to Roosevelt Park in Longmont and looked at the roses. Then, when we got back home, the boys took off on their bike (the three-wheeler, as Jet calls it) to go back there and play in the kid pool there. Jet saw it and really, really wanted to go there instead of to our neighborhood pool. Since John told the neighbors we were likely to be going to the Botanical Garden in Denver, instead, no one here is expecting us. *grin* So I get my alone time and the boys get some real exercise in.