A Murderously Fun MMP

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
41

Here’s my review of HP5, from my LJ:

[spoiler]I thought the movie was…OK. As good as movies generally are, when they are smack dab in the middle of a series. Harry was extraordinarily whiny in the book so I was pleased to have a lot of that cut out of the movie…but they also cut out a lot of things I was looking forward to or thought were vital. In a way it makes me wonder if it isn’t narrowing down Book 7 a bit too much. Ah well, only a few more weeks before we find out.

I think they totally skimped out on the Order of the Phoenix. Tonks got very little screen time and even less dialogue but they sure made her a hottie. Same with Luna, although they gave her some good screen time. But I think they missed on showing how much the other kids made fun of her. And I really missed the part where Harry gives her newspaper the private interview.

I find the glasses thing of Harry’s to be positively charming - waking up and immediately reaching for glasses. It’s one of the few times I’ve seen a realistic depiction of full-time glasses wearing. Usually people just put them on in movies or TV to look good. Real glasses wearers - like myself and my SO - do reach for them first thing as soon as they awaken.

The Howler to Petunia should have been kept in.

They did what they could. The movie was what, two hours long? I think if they had made it even 2.5, it would have made a difference. They completely cut out Kreacher’s role, and made him just a weird, silly little elf, and they cut out Luna’s lovely comment about the dead being just on the other side of the veil. I thought that was important.

Other than that I am waiting for Book 7 and anxiously waiting for the next two movies, however last I checked imdb says they will not be done until 2010. Do you know how old Ron Harry and Hermoine will look by then?

We did like crazy Bellatrix, though. She did a good job.

They missed a lot of the jokes also. I certainly don’t think it was the best of the bunch. I still think that was the first one, which had a clear story arc, defined ending, and was the most eye-opening since it was all new to us. [/spoiler]

42

Good afternoon! Just now getting here! I had a busy and fun weekend, as usual, and my house is still a wreck. But that’s par for the course. I scored a ton of useful stuff for my brother (whose house burned, as you may recall) at a yard sale, AND bought my daughter a bike! Successful weekend all around.

43

**Taxi **-- aren’t kitties fun? (:smiley: and :rolleyes: – somehow these emotions aren’t mutually exclusive in this case)

**Mika **-- just wanted to say thanks for spoilering the HP5 stuff. since it’s only opening here this week, I/we haven’t seen it yet!
Also, I’ll take the opportunity to ask people discussing it further to keep the discussion in spoilers? Thanks!

**Rosie **–

I’m afraid you got it all wrong. **Queenie **isn’t supposed to offer me a beer; she’s supposed to flirt with me :wink: Of course, I suppose offering me a beer would be as good a start as any… :smiley: (hint, hint)
(Oh, and welcome aboard, Queen Bruin. So, how you doin’?)

**Dotty **-- how’s Noor doing today? I hope she’s doing much better!

44

Yay on the yard sale scores Ellen!

I’m back from lunch with ol’ y’all know who. We went a little early to the good Eyetalian place so’s we could be there before the hoardes descended. When we left there at about 12:30, the hoardes had indeed begun to descend. I told him I’d call whenever I got my dinner break which I guess will be sometime between seven to seven-thirty. Sniff No more weeknight “appreciation”.

Ok, off to goof around a bit before I get all work outfitted. I ain’t puttin’ on heavy cotton socks, jeans and steel toed shoes til I have to.

Later Y’all!

45

We still have Maddy’s crate. The 2 littlest figured out how to squeeze between the bars to get out.

VWife made an annex out of a box as a litterbox room, and bungied it to one end of the crate. It has 2 doors, and the box covered one. Kittens supposedly can’t climb cardboard, and they didn’t. Instead, the figured out how to reach up to the lowest bungee, and used that as a handhold.

We can’t put them in Freya’s crate, because 1) she’s using it; 2) all of them can squeeze out of that one; 3) Hi Opal.

46

I’m not sure I could work at a job that REQUIRED me to wear socks.

Toes gotta breathe, ya know?

47

Mika, my impression of HP:OoTP is that it was a live action Cliff’s Notes…

48

I have a general syllabus, but I was thrown into this job two days before the semester started, so this semester it’s mostly been a play-by-ear kinda thing. I plan to be better organized next semester. Er, hopefully.

Starving. Shall run home and get food, yay.

49

I just noticed that. EEK!
Noone Special, of course it’s not a problem.

Bobbio, how right you are.

Hey, I haven’t really looked in my e-mail since Thursday. Here are some of the spam titles I have:

Mega Dik (sounds like a transformer - more than meets the eyes!)
A mega powerful dik
Mega Size your unit (is that like supersize?)
Are you lonely (not after I get my mega dik!)
You must be the Real Man with “huge dignity” (bwahahaha)
Ladies will Love you

50

Okay, I think I’m breathing again. I just had the worst fear in the world course through me, and Alice can testify that I was beyond utterly freaked.

Why? We got a letter from the IRS in today’s mail, and just opening it can cause about the worst panic attack in the world in one who’s previously been audited (many years ago, came through with flying colors, worst experience of my frigging life thanks to the nasty soulless bitch running the audit).

As it turns out, this one isn’t an actual audit notice, just a notification that on our 2005 taxes, there’s a discrepancy between the number reported on our return and the number on Papa Tigs’ W2. Except when I pulled out our records, the numbers match. So I need to figure out what the heck is going on. If it involves this totally annoying stock swap Papa Tigs did that year (when his company stock was still private, so he sold some to buy a whole bunch more nice cheap options), I’m going to find a CPA, I think. I’ve done my own taxes every year since I was 16, and learned a whole lot about it in the process, but stock swaps? Are enough to drive me nuts. I well remember the 12 hours or so I spent tearing my hair out over that one since the info the IRS wants is in absolutely no recognizable form on the info from the broker. Could they do people like me a favor and standardize the way that info is reported, like they have W2s? Of course not, that would be too easy!

Aargh. Anyway, I think I’m breathing almost normally again. I went outside and played with puppies for a while to calm down. But I’m still not there yet. I hate, hate, HATE getting mail from the Evil Revenooers!!!

51

Did I miss the explanation as to why VWife brought home 7 little fuzzies? and where the heck are the obligatory squee pics?

52

Man, this day is just flying past. That’s not a complaint, by the way. I like it when things are kept busy, although I have a heavier load than normal due to vacations being taken leaving me with some extra things to do. But that’s okay. It ingratiates me with the bosses. :smiley:

Mika - Well, I suppose old age is preferable to not aging at all on account of being dead. I still don’t have to look forward to it, nor like the route it takes. :slight_smile: I can still to late nights as long as it’s on the weekend or holidays. Then I can sleep in to make up for it.

Mmm. Sleep.

I love spam headlines, too. Of all of the advancements made in the spam world to bypass filters and the like, you’d think someone would have latched on to the idea that, on the whole, spelling would probably increase the appearance of credibility. Then again, such a lack of common sense is why they’re spammers and not productive members of human society.

Busdude - Think Cuervo would do an instructional video? My beasts could do with some re-edumacation.

BBBobbio - I can say that MindWife could never do the foster thing. Not that we wouldn’t care for them very well – she’d just never let them leave. Still though, it’s a good thing she does. :slight_smile:

Rosie - She’s fostering for the local shelter. But I agree – we need pics. I mean, seven balls of less-than-month-old fluff? It’s a cute supernova!

53

Yeah, where are the pictures, BBBobbio? I need cute kitty pics to help bring my blood pressure back down to normal!

I have done my preliminary investigation on the IRS stuff. It appears that when we sold/swapped stock and a hefty chunk (like 40%) was withheld to pay taxes, the guy who audited our return looked simply at the original W2 number and failed to notice the 1099Bs that accompanied our return. Urgh. So it was THEIR mistake, not OUR mistake! Which is of course a moral victory, but we still have to convince THEM of that. Urgh again.

For some strange reason, I feel like going to bed and pulling the covers over my head for the rest of the day…

54

You’ll get yer durned squeeable pictures as soon as I find the f-ing camera.

55

Your camera’s doing what???

:eek:

56

Goodness. Cameras really can do anything these days.
The cats have not yet developed the height necessary for dishwashing, or opposable thumbs. I’m all tired today and have gotten less done than I planned. Oh, well. More fun for Mr. Lissar when gets home from work! I’ve only got two hours, and a long chore list.

57

‘Ullo, all. Sorry to be so late to the MMP (which was very nice, btw), but I’ve been a busy bee this mornin’. I cleaned the family room, the “fish” bathroom (so called because its theme is fish and seashore-y stuff), sorted Legos with #2 son, sorted and threw away and entire toy box, sorted and threw away markers, pens, pencils etc, did laundry, called the insurance company about a claim, unloaded the dishwasher, and made the cat a vet appt.

I am tired now. But it felt good to DO stuff again–I really do feel better. yay!

Mika– HP5 stuff here:

I mostly agree with you. I do wish it had been longer (and what is with this Nigel kid? WHY can’t that be Colin or Dennis Creevy or Lavendar Brown etc?)

But I am so happy to be watching a Harry movie that I don’t mind it all.

My brother is supposed to come visit tomorrow–that’ll be nice. He is still out of work. He used to work in publishing (textbooks).

sorry about the sick baby, Dotty-my pediatrician told me to not worry unless the baby was not him or herself. Sounds like she’s got spunk (which means she’s hydrated). Is she vomitting as well? Does the doc want a stool specimen? Good luck-and keep lots of diapers handy (I once treated a horrible diaper rash by literally hosing down my daughter after each BM with the handheld shower thingy).

Lisslar-see what you get to look forward to? (and re the vitamins–is it the iron in them, do you think? Have you mentioned this to your doc?)

58

Hi all!

I spent the weekend working like a dog on home-related stuff. You’d think the little woman would have let me continue my unbroken streak of uselessness, but nooooooooo.

That’s all I got, other than the fact that I’m busy as heck right now. Working at a university would be great if it weren’t for the students.

59

Was it Wittgenstein’s professor who used to climb trees and refuse to come down until the students went away? :smiley:
rigs, it’s because they’re huge pills, and I’ve got this awesome gag reflex going right now. If I break them up in little tiny pieces I can sometimes get some of 'em down, but then they taste absolutely horrible (see ‘gag reflex’). It’s not a winning situation. From what I’ve read, lots and lots of women have big problems swallowing prenatal vitamins.

What I should do is make little tiny coated prenatal supplements, with the instructions, ‘take two a day’ or something. I’d be a millionaire.
I want seven kittens. Okay, at least I want pics of the seven kittens.

60

Dotty, my daughter was forumla-fed and got a terrible case when she was about Noor’s age, maybe a little older. It is extremely frightening to have a baby who has not eaten. Dehydration is the problem, as you appear to be aware, so I think things will begin to look up! Best of luck to you and your little darling!

Mama Tigs, I believe you need a medicinal dose of Cute Overload. There are some foxes from July 13 that are not to be missed! The Disapproving Bunny and the Kitty in the Bowl are fabulous too. Go look. :slight_smile: