"After 12 hours of full Internet access, Cuba would now like to close up again. Seriously. Right now. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!"
— John Rogers (@jonrog1) December 17, 2014
Gotta love the Kung Fu Monkey Master.
What’s on the agenda for the year’s Last Overhyped Shopping Weekend?
And just because I find it pleasant…
raven
What has been a great series is pretty weak today, Illinois vs Mizzou in St Louie! The weather looks sucky of for the rest of the week leading up to xmas. We wanted to drive up to Virginia on the parkway the 24th but it look like rain all day.
raven
looks
Keith G
@raven: Yesterday, all day rain caused many streets to become lakes here in Houston, but that is what comes from being 55 feet above sea level (and dropping).
Off to work. Fun times in the bakery/cafe business.
toschek
This is making me want to find another planet to live on. http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/dec/19/ferguson-prosecutor-witnesses-darren-wilson-michael-brown
Ferguson prosecutor knew some witnesses were lying but let them testify anyway because it would “show a more complete picture” of what happened, and he knew they were lying. Even admits he knew the famous witness 40 was lying. Don’t worry though, he won’t pursue criminal charges. He’s magnanimous that way … fog of war on drugs/poverty/black people and all that. /shrug
Mustang Bobby
Just spent twenty minutes merging all my Starbucks gift cards into one so now I can hang out with the hipsters and spandex-clad bicyclists at the local beanery while I’m on break. Too trendy am I.
I’ll pick up the Mustang this morning now that its major surgery is over, then head to Miami Lakes for tech, dress rehearsal, and opening night of my one-act at the New Theatre Miami 1-Acts Festival at the Main Street Theatre. I know my lines… but then I should… I wrote them.
raven
@Keith G: Our friends took of early yesterday morning to drive from Athens to the Easy and we were worried about them going into that storm.
raven
@Mustang Bobby: My friends that moved down there are huge bike people and coffee folks at that! If you see John and Gary say hi!
raven
@Mustang Bobby: The tranny was only a one day job?
toschek
How much more corrupt can you be?
Mustang Bobby
@raven: Started on Tuesday, finished yesterday at 4:00 p.m. Very cheerful service guy called while I was driving home. The next call was to the credit card company to warn them of the hit coming this morning when I pick up and pay.
Mustang Bobby
@raven: Have them drop me a note (via e-mail at BBWW) and I’ll make it happen.
raven
@Mustang Bobby: Ah, being on vacation has skewed time for me. I had the airbags on our Accord replaced under the massive recall and I was surprised how cheery they were at the dealer. I suppose they get paid for that by Honda so what’s not to like?
Alex S.
Cuba probably found 4chan.
raven
@Mustang Bobby: I sent them your info and blog. I think I mentioned that J teaches ecology at FIU.
Mustang Bobby
@raven: Sounds good; looking forward to hearing from them.
Mustang Bobby
@raven: They were equally happy to replace the airbag inflator in the Mustang a month ago, give it the 99-point check-over, pronounce everything groovy and send me on my way… only to return a month later with a ground-up tranny. Hmmm. I’m sure the guy was cheery to hear that he’d just made the dealership $4,000.
raven
@Mustang Bobby: I wonder what went in the transmission and if it was something that could be predicted? I bought an Accord wagon from Carmax and the sales guy really pushed the extended warranty. About 30 days before it expired the trans went and I saved a bundle. I always wonder if he knew? I sold it to friends 14 years ago and it still runs like a top.
Mustang Bobby
@raven: My understanding is that the shift sensor pack went bad which then told the transmission to shift when it shouldn’t and not shift when it should and it self-destructed. Electronics; feh. Had I gotten the extended warranty, it would have expired last March.
I pointed out to the service guy that my 26-year-old Pontiac with the 4-speed overdrive went 260,000 miles without any trouble, and I probably didn’t need to have the overhaul last year. I got a shrug.
stibbert
@toschek: I’m in full Bartleby mode. I’m so speechlessly appalled, I’m ashamed to be white.
tybee
so you live on high ground.
Raven
John Stewart on N Korea and Hollywood:Hollywood is just like North Korea. “Everyone’s always telling you how great you are,” he said. “There are billboards everywhere with your face on them, and no one eats.”
Raven
@tybee: Goin fishin?
NotMax
In the spirit of Chanukamas, guess it’s time again for this.
The montage of Xmas ads past accompanying this tune are not only lily white, several of them boggle the 21st century mind.
WereBear
Still playing with my Dragon.
No, it’s not a euphemism. I have the Dragon dictation software installed on my Mac. It may revolutionize my typing, in that I don’t want to anymore!
NotMax
@WereBear
“A keyboard. How quaint.”
khead
Decorating the tree. We put it up late this year because we were worried the 7 month old kitten would destroy it “Simon’s Cat” style. He’s been pretty good so far… it’s only been 24 hours though.
satby
@WereBear: You’re making that sound more enticing every time you mention it. I’m thinking of getting it for my sister with MS.
Baud
@NotMax:
You saying WereBear is on the verge of inventing transparent aluminum?
khead
@Baud:
How do you know she didn’t invent the thing?
NotMax
@Baud
Up until the moment a cat presses the Delete key.
(Just thought the clip was appropriate as it used a Mac.)
Mike E
@khead: It’s Xmas for the critters, too, ya know. Also.
OzarkHillbilly
It’s the weekend before X-mas. Must be time to make another poteca! It is the one X;mas tradition I have held onto from when I was a kid. My mother made a poteca every X-mas and Easter. With a ham and boiled eggs, that would be our breakfast. She only made them for those 2 holidays because it is an all day affair. The secret is in the dough: you have to pull it till it is so thin you can read a newspaper thru it.
OzarkHillbilly
@Mike E: Around here, everyday is X-mas for the critters.
Lavocat
I’m still waiting for “My Sharona”, sung in Yiddish. Or, better yet, “Good Girls Don’t”. Oy veh!
elmo
Saw the final “Hobbit” installment last night. Before I go further, let me say that Peter Jackson has my undying and undiminished appreciation and gratitude for putting my adolescent anchor (The Lord of the Rings) so beautifully on the big screen, no matter what liberties he took with the story. The visuals alone, and some of the inspired casting, and — well, never mind. I’m one of the people who has whole sections of the books committed to memory and I still loved his adaptations.
First installment of the Hobbit – YAY!
Second installment of the Hobbit – yay, and maybe the river scene went a little long but WHO CARES yay!
Third installment – Um. Yay? Was there more of Bilbo in there that I just missed, or was he a supporting character? Um. Hm. Visuals YAY! except maybe a couple of scenes that were just weird?
It’s not Jar Jar levels of disappointment, no, but I have been looking forward to this movie for more than three years, and I haz a bit of a sad.
Mike E
@OzarkHillbilly: Miss E informed me that she’s dog sitting her erstwhile litter mate whilst the owner goes on holiday… I’m doing all I can to not laff at her, she being in a house of 20 year old roommates, methinks she underestimates the power of a beagle on a vacation!
PsiFighter37
Cloudly, cold, and gloomy in NYC this morning – about right for the official start of winter. Had a pretty shit end to the work week, primarily because a few colleagues simply do not see the bigger picture and are so fucking narrow-minded. It’s quite aggravating because I’ve had to work with this person for several years now (he’s basically been there since I graduated), and he always seems to fulfill the worst expectations people have about him. I’ve tried giving him the benefit of the doubt, but I’m just really sick of it now. He can kiss my ass.
That aside, one last holiday party at a friend’s place later today (ugly sweater + potluck) before clearing the deck for New Year’s. I’m quite a bit behind on a bunch of stuff (whether it’s gift shopping for the family, getting my music playlist up to snuff, prepping food-wise). That said, a lot of the backup is because of the wedding, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
NotMax
@elmo
Rather than full-length features, shouldn’t the Hobbit flicks have been a series of (wait for it) – - - shorts?
WereBear
@NotMax: Oh yeah.
In fact, I think the major source of bad reviews of this thing is people thinking like Scotty in that clip. I just talk to it and it should do what I say!
Partners don’t do that. Dogs don’t do that. Employees don’t do that. Nothing, in fact, does that, except the Starship Enterprise.
And that’s not what you are getting.
MomSense
I just watched the President’s end of the year press conference and the looks on the faces of the boys in the front row when they realized they hadn’t been called on were priceless.
Mike E
@MomSense: INPEACH!!
Betty Cracker
@elmo: I haven’t seen the third installment yet, but it sounds like we agree 100% on the first two. I tend to agree with the critics on this one: Jackson overstretched the material. But like you said, he did such a fine job with LoTR that he can be forgiven for that mistake.
WereBear
@satby: I got it for a productivity boost in the writing department, and it’s been awesome that way.
Can’t speak to the giving commands to the computer part, but so far I’ve used it here on Balloon Juice, commented on a WordPress site, typed three pages into my Scrivener word processor, and typed a whole post on my Way of Cats blog.
If you use it for a fast draft, then go back and fix the fiddly bits, (and those are becoming less and less as I learn commands and teach it my voice,) it’s every bit as amazing as I had hoped.
And this is on the Mac! It’s supposed to be even more developed on a PC.
WereBear
@MomSense: I thought that was an awesome Jedi move.
Glidwrith
@NotMax: Am I bad for knowing exactly what line, movie and actor that is from without even clicking the link?
Violet
@WereBear: I love the simple voice recognition software on my phone and use it to text. One thing I’ve discovered is that when I have a cold or congestion it messes up more. Because it learns your voice, when you have a cold it doesn’t recognize you.
OzarkHillbilly
Absolutely stunning photo.
WereBear
@Violet: Good point! I’ve been using it so much I woke up a little hoarse. :)
kc
@toschek:
“I deliberately presented false testimony, and the media is acting like it’s some kind of big freaking deal …”
Violet
@WereBear: That’s funny. I find it really convenient for some things. Especially good for people who have issues typing. It is frustrating if you get a cold and then it doesn’t work as well because it doesn’t recognize your voice.
elmo
@Betty Cracker: Don’t let me advance-poison the well for you – I would see it again, today, tomorrow, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. FUN MOVIE, for sure. Just – um, is all. My wife and I were saying on the way home that Peter Jackson has joined George RR Martin and Stephen King in that rarefied pantheon of artists whose success has outstripped the ability of editors to restrain them.
And I take second seat to nobody in my love for the books. From memory:
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell; nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole, with nothing in it to sit down upon or to eat. It was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.
“It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube-shaped hall like a tunnel – a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with paneled walls, floors tiled and carpeted, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats (the hobbit was fond of visitors).
“The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the Hill – The Hill, for so everyone for miles around called it, and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side, then on the other. The best rooms were all on the left-hand side (going in), for those were the only ones to have windows – deep-set round windows looking over the garden and the meadows beyond, right down to the River.”
I’m sure I’ve mangled parts, and there’s more that I remember but it gets garbled. I haven’t read the book in over thirty years, but I read it and LOTR – more LOTR, honestly – so many, many times when I was between seven and thirteen, and they meant so damn much to me, that there are lots and lots of passages that are in my head like that.
WereBear
@Violet: Absolutely! It’s like when my arthritic thumbs are acting up — it’s not bad since I gave up gluten, but they do sometimes stiffen up, or complain when I use food tongs. And you get all frustrated… I’m just doing normal things!
We get used to things so fast, and then consider them “normal.”
zippity
Joined the local Y, and have my initial appt with a trainer this morning. I’m six months away from the big 5-0, and need to do something. I want to be in better shape at 50 then I was at 30. Now, I just need to make working out a habit. Something I’ve failed at time after time.
WereBear
@zippity: Is there any way to make it enjoyable? Because that’s key. Using willpower to make ourselves do something is not going to work. Because they have discovered “willpower” is a matter of brain chemistry.
And overworked brain chemistry just wears out.
elmo
@zippity: So have I, but I actually managed for quite a while before breaking an ankle and disrupting my schedule. What worked for me: I must work out EVERY DAY. Not every other day, not three days a week, but EVERY DAY Monday-Friday (weekends can be different).
Why every day? Because if I am allowed to skip a day, “today” is always the day I skip. It worked for almost a year, and I was running three miles a day by the end. Every day. Lost thirty pounds and gained lovely muscle in legs, core, and shoulders. Then I broke my ankle and “today” became once again the day I skip.
I am getting back into it now.
chopper
@zippity:
start running. it’s cheap and easy and you can run errands on foot.
chopper
@elmo:
today i’m recovering from a 13 mile run yesterday. i went from doing a few miles a day to doing double digits and it feels fucking great.
zippity
@elmo: Good advice! Lots of classes to choose from, and it’s only 4 blocks from my house-so I can’t make excuses.
Shalimar
McCulloch admits suborning perjury. “Thank God it was before a grand jury, the only proceeding I could do this at legally and not risk being disbarred”, he was probably thinking.
elmo
@chopper: Wow. Seriously.
When I was going every day, I had a goal: three miles in 40 minutes. Understand, this is from totally 100% sedentary and fat. When I started I was happy to get two miles inside 35 minutes, so you can see where the goal came from.
When I hit that goal, I was over the moon. I started having dreams of 5Ks, and then heck, why not try my hand at a baby triathlon? I’m a good swimmer! Then I had this awful sharp pain in my ankle on the treadmill one day, and kept going, because my shins always hurt anyway and the cure is to get through it. Pain didn’t go away, until I couldn’t even walk uphill anymore.
Oops. Stress fx. Fat chicks shouldn’t pound away at a 7-minute mile pace until they get stronger legs. And now I’m back where I started again, happy to get my 2 miles in a 30-minute runwalk.
Mike in NC
@MomSense: It was just a black guy hitting on white women. The horror!
zippity
@chopper: Unfortunately, I have a herniated disc in my back that means running is out-at least until I strengthen my core. Thanks for the advice, most of the really fit people I know are runners.
elmo
@zippity: One more unsolicited piece: Some is always better than none. Even if it’s just a walk/run around the block, always do SOMETHING because it maintains the habit and is better than NOTHING.
Me, I tend to let the perfect be the enemy of the good if I don’t ruthlessly discipline myself to stop it. “I don’t have time for my 40 minutes so I’ll skip.” NO. “Shoot, I only have time for 20 minutes oh well it’s better than nothing.” YES.
Tommy
@elmo: I used to run. I now walk. At least for me I never got any enjoyment running. None of what I read about. But walking, well that is another story. Clearly the situation for each individual is different. I have a low-calorie intake, therefore to stay fit and “lean and mean” I need less exercise. With that said, one of the best investments I’ve make to my health in the last decade was getting one of those “fitness bracelets.” Clearly you can be fit without one, but I was stunned by what I learned by using it.
mai naem mobile
Scott Simon is such Nice Polite Republican. The next time i hear about NPR being liberal I’m going to point to Cokie Roberts’ son running for some position in NC as a GOPr. Same goes for Juan Williams. And Scott Simon who seems to have turned into a neocon whackjob.
Botsplainer
@Keith G:
What is it about commercial bakeries that makes them over sweeten things like cookies? It overpowers the other flavors.
Iowa Old Lady
@elmo: PJ is super good at bringing Middle-earth to life. I haven’t seen the third Hobbit movie yet. We’re going Christmas Day. But like you, I love the LOTR movies with an undying love, so I’ll forgive a lot.
chopper
@elmo:
Besides, per mile walking burns almost as much fat as running. Once you start pushing your muscles they burn sugar to make up the difference. Not that running doesn’t have other advantages but walking is really good for you.
realbtl
Daughter and her partner are flying in about noon for our big family dinner/party this afternoon. Mac & cheese is made, just need to throw the ham in the oven. I usually BBQ the ham but it’s 34 and drizzling here in MT so I said screw it, stay warm and dry.
When I met my wife 24 years ago it quickly became apparent that trying to do Christmas on the 25th was a nightmare with our blended family so we now do it on the Sat before and send all of the kids off for their own celebration. The 25th will be my wife, dog and I and a giant chicken pot pie from Costco.
elmo
@chopper: Truth. For burning fat, it’s all about the distance. the reason I try to run as much as I can is to get more miles done in less time; for the increased cardio; and for the extra work that it does on the core muscles and shoulders, believe it or not – that little extra pumping motion actually did me some good when I was running regularly.
dmbeaster
@toschek: Translation – he needed to present the lies so that Wilson’s lies just became part of the muddle. What a douchebag.
Kryptik, A Man Without a Country
The tonedeafness of #ThankYouNYPD on display. As if we needed any more evidence of how many sociopaths there are with badges.
jurassicpork
Santa’s Drunk and Rudolph Just Shit on My Roof or Pottersville: It Ain’t Just the Movies Anymore. Because why shouldn’t Mr. Potter get his ass kicked once in a while?
Tommy
I am just happy my X-Mas shopping as been done for weeks and weeks. Best thing I ever did was set up a bookmark folder in my browser. Titled “Gift Ideas.” Throughout the course of the year when I saw something “cool” online that this or that person might like, I bookmarked it. When it became time to buy gifts this year the process was a lot faster/easier than in previous years.
Now off to open my Loot Crate that just arrived. I wonder what “geeky” stuff I got this month :).
raven
@Tommy: Illini-Mizzou this afternoon from the Checker Dome! oops, Scottrade Center!
Tommy
@raven: This may surprise you, not make sense. I can normally watch people play checkers, but basketball is a sport I have NO interest in. I think this is because, well I was good at every sport I ever played outside of basketball. Always being the shortest person around, often by a lot, therefore was a sport I never enjoyed playing.
Frankensteinbeck
@elmo:
I could not be more conflicted about the final Hobbit movie. A friend’s review was ‘I wanted little more from The Hobbit than dwarves and orcs and elves beating the shit out of each other and MAN was I satisfied.’ That… basically sums it up. This movie has the most fantastic fantasy battles I have ever seen. They go on and on and pour on the cool and the tense and the funny. They have tropes a’million, where orcs, like ninjas, get less deadly the more of them you have. Smaug appears briefly, but is wicked cool the entire time.
What it does not have any of is ‘The Hobbit’. It continues the previous movies’ problem of completely reversing Tolkien’s intent, and turns Thorin’s anti-violence death speech into an anti-greed message. Almost the entire movie is added material. It includes about two pages of the book, and maybe a chapter of the book that it completely changed but was the stuff happening at that time.
If you are sensitive to women’s portrayal in media, the movie is an unmitigated disaster. Female Character Created So There Can Be A Romantic Subplot graduates into also needing to be saved by men because she’s ineffectual. Galadriel kicks ASS, but they have to make it clear this only happens because she’s got a thing for Gandalf.
But god damn, are those battle scenes – at least half the movie – cool. WICKED cool. I have come to realize that Peter Jackson’s calling is to make Warhammer movies, not Tolkien movies.
zippity
@WereBear: You are totally right. I’m going to try some classes and have two friends that are already members that have offered to go with me. I’ve never made plans with others before-and hate dissapointing people, so that should help.
Mike J
@Tommy:
Same for me, but since I grew up in Memphis I had no choice. I believe you can sent to prison for failure to basketball there. That’s why I learned early how to hit 3s. Only thing that saved me from getting picked last in gym class.
jayboat
Finally found time to work through a few images I shot at the Grand Canyon in October.
It was my first trip and like everyone who’s ever been there, I was blown away. Only had a couple days- one would need a couple weeks to make even a tiny dent in the place.
Slideshow
Botsplainer
@jurassicpork:
Blegging again? Jesus, you’re pathetic.
Tommy
@Mike J: LOL. I was the guy with the basketball hoop in my neighbourhood. My next door neighbors were twins, 6’7. Guy behind me, national high school high jump champ (almost make the Olympics). Until a growth spurt late in high school where I grew all the way to 5’4 I was even much shorter. There might have been days, if not weeks every shot I took got rejected right back into my face. Across the yard. Into the next Zip Code :). I don’t like basketball …..
Oh your comment about 3s. I put a rule in place (it was my house) if I shot from the “grass” far away from the basket, they couldn’t block me. I got pretty good at doing that.
raven
@Tommy: basetball jones was short too
raven
@Mike J: Spud!
jayboat
@Tommy:
LOL- I can see how that would put a crimp in your NBA career.
Gravenstone
@Betty Cracker: Jackson may have overstretched the material (can’t say, haven’t seen any of them yet). But only because the studio explicitly asked him to. He had originally pitched two movies, but the bean counters had stars in their eyes and dollar signs in their heads when they suggested he do another trilogy.
Mike J
@raven: I wouldn’t say I ever became good, much less great, but I got up to the level of “not embarrassing.”
Tommy
@raven: Wait a second. You went Cheech & Chong on me? This album (well actually a cassette) played for many hours in my bedroom when my parents were not around.
tybee
@raven:
tyrone shoelaces was the “artist” as i recall
lurker dean
@jayboat: very nice jayboat, great light in your pics.
Elmo
@Frankensteinbeck:
::nodding::
Yes, yes, and yes exactly again.
raven
@tybee: Yup
Karen in GA
@jayboat: Beautiful.
raven
@Mike J: Shit, I was never very good but I played with a passion for 20+ years when injuries became too much to overcome.
raven
@jayboat: Awesome Dawg!
srv
The Obama slaps hippie energy
Saudi’s and Obama, crushing yer neuconomy.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@raven: Happy Birthday after to Mrs. Raven. What a fabulous gift she got, even if (especially since!) it took her a moment or ten to notice it. We will of course insist on photos once she plants it.
Happy watching.
max
@raven: I wonder what went in the transmission and if it was something that could be predicted? I bought an Accord wagon from Carmax and the sales guy really pushed the extended warranty. About 30 days before it expired the trans went and I saved a bundle. I always wonder if he knew?
Well, apparently, from ’90 to about ’05 (and maybe later), Honda was using a transmission with an internal filter for the Accords. The common problem was, is that filter would inevitably clog, and there was no bypass, so ATF fluid flow would plummet, the shifter packs would overheat (as they must in the absence of fluid cooling) and the whole thing would burn up and die. Apparently the fix was a 30k mile full fluid flush and a external transmission cooler to assist (for when the filter inevitably clogged). This was evidently a well-known problem summarized as ‘Honda makes bad transmissions’.
(As for the Mustang, a bum sensor should cause noticeable shifting issues and likely start throwing codes all over the place. Maybe a dying (but not dead) control module would start doing the wrong thing over and over long enough to cause transmission death.)
max
[‘Cold today.’]
lamh
Ruckus
@toschek:
Do you really want to know?
Howard Beale IV
The Mississippi AG gets bitchslapped by Google.
Turns out the MS AG is a MPAA whore.
Ruckus
@elmo:
Yes. Every day.
You don’t have to do the same routine every day but if you make a habit of working out every day, you miss it when you can’t. Just like dieting. If you give yourself an off day….. You have to change your habits to being consistent and get the new routine to be the old routine.
Tommy
Go Cuba. One of my best clients runs the IT department of 120 person law firm in Mami. Cuban American. Mario is my contact I work with. He was not born here, but his family and he got here. He and I talk stuff after wor,. I often ask what he wants. He is blunt on this topic.
He says what I say, normalized relations with the US. Period. End of conversation if you don’t think that. He wants as I do for Cuba to talk to the US. Or really the US to talk to Cuba.I got this little side project and not talked to him this week. I’ll pound out the project tomorrow.
Can’t wait to talk to him on this topic.
ruemara
@Ruckus: This is true. Not being able to workout as much as I used to because of my messed up windshield wiper has got me piffed.
Ruckus
@Mike J:
Not embarrassing is pretty good for anything outside of your strength(s). Especially if you play with people much better than you.
Gretchen
Zippity: my fitness plan is that I’m only allowed to read the comments on Balloon Juice when I’m on my elliptical. Really. I find a 100 comment thread and the time flies by. I make a goal of 3-4 elliptical per week, one yoga class – I found a warm, nurturing teacher I really enjoy – and one weight session. I’m worst at getting to weights because I haven’t figured out how to make it fun yet. Goals help, and finding something you enjoy so you’re not always trying to make today skip day.
raven
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): THX! One our her friends is having a party for her and another woman tonight so there is that.
VFX Lurker
@Frankensteinbeck:
As a woman who’s seen the latest HOBBIT twice so far, I would like to note that the original book has no female presence in it whatsoever. This film, co-authored by two women, offers Galadriel, Tauriel, and a slew of feisty Laketown women who show their mettle throughout the picture.
Gender-wise, this film has a lot more going for it than the source material.
SPOILER ALERT
I question why needing to be saved by others makes one ineffectual, as the heroes regularly save each other throughout these films. Gandalf rescued the dwarves and Bilbo from three trolls in the first film. The Rivendell elves then rescued the entire company of Thorin Oakenshield from warg riders. Still later, Thorin saves Bilbo from falling to his death, Bilbo saves Thorin from a warg rider, then the eagles save Thorin’s company from Azog and his warg riders. Gandalf brings Thorin back from the brink of death.
In the second film, Gandalf loses a fight against a superior foe, gets imprisoned and cannot save himself. Bilbo rescues the dwarves from spiders. Thorin saves Legolas from an orc attacker. Tauriel rescues Bard’s household from orc attackers, then she saves Kili from death by poison.
Why does outside assistance render a female character “ineffectual,” but not any of the male characters?
Tauriel’s story arc also does not end at the point that you mention. When her arc finally does end, it pulls the only tears I shed while watching these films.
I think we saw two different films. Yes, Galadriel kicked ass with an Elven Ring of Power and the Light of Elendil. Yes, she clearly cares about the younger Gandalf. However, I thought her role as guardian of Middle-Earth motivated her more than Gandalf. When they first reconnect each other, Galadriel and Gandalf do not speak words of love, but a communication more along the line of: “shit, Sauron’s back.”
END SPOILER ALERT
Anya
I have a question for the legal experts. Why isn’t what the Ferguson prosecutor did considered suborning perjury?
I’ll appreciate an answer.
raven
The Ragin Cajuns look to be on their way to bowl victory #1 of this season!
Elmo
@Anya:
To suborn perjury essentially requires that you tell the witness what to say. Not that you simply call a witness you know to be lying.
However, knowingly presenting false evidence IS a violation of every state’s ethical standards, and I fully support the petition to have him disbarred.
Kathleen
@zippity: You also might want to consider a running group and training for a specific event. I find on cold, dark Saturday mornings it’s the best way to get me up and out and doing decent mileage. They pick the route, provide water and supplements, and all I have to do is show up. I pay for it, but the perks and free race entries more than compensate for what I’ve paid,.and I enjoy meeting new people.
raven
@zippity: “Younger Next Year” is an interesting read on this topic/
Kathleen
@elmo: I totally agree. The biggest challenge for me is just “showing up” to do something. If you show up you’re 95% there. I posted about running groups before I read your comment about your back. Good luck with your goal of getting back to it, and congrats on making a positive step to make it happen.
raven
@Kathleen: It’s funny, I’ve always been a gym rat and the notion of being in some group to get me to the gym (now pool) is so foreign.
Amir Khalid
@Frankensteinbeck:
This is the Galadriel who is wife to Lord Celeborn and mother-in-law of Elrond, right?
J R in WV
@WereBear:
My wife was a union rep with many staff working with computers for 8-12 hour shifts. When they would get injured from repetitive motion damage, the company got them Dragon, and they would learn to speak a little differently for the computer to recognize breaks between words and such.
Then they would get nodes on their vocal chords! Additional physical damage, with little in the way of medical treatment to help.
So be careful using Dragon overly too much, ifn you value your voice atall.
zippity
@Gretchen: Thanks! I just got back from 2.5 hours with the trainer. I’m going to try out a couple of classes (yoga and a yoga/pilates/tai chi combo) to start. Classes twice a week, strength and cardio 3x and whatever I want on day 6. I’m not trying to lose much (maybe 10 lbs) but more getting in shape with more endurance and energy. Plus, I’ve been in a rut and way too much of a homebody. This us a start.
Frankensteinbeck
@Amir Khalid:
Eeyup.
@VFX Lurker:
I completely disagree. It is not merely that Tauriel needs help. As you say, needing help from your friends is standard, in this movie and in conflict scenes in general. In this movie, filled with people kicking ass, that’s *all* she does. Going up against the orc mini-boss, she has no effect against him whatsoever, less than her love interest Kili and of course far less than super-warrior Legolas. She is supposed to be herself an elf warrior, skilled at least in Legolas’s range, and her entire role in this movie is A) being tragically in love with Kili, and B) getting beaten up. Everything she does in both movies centers around Kili. A female character was added solely as an adjunct to him, and because a female character had to be added to have a romantic subplot. She has no identity or purpose without him.
As for Galadriel, did you see all the face-stroking and fawning over Gandalf? He has a lot of friends. Nobody else was holding their face inches from his and caressing him, or looking stricken at his condition. Combined with Tauriel, it could not be a more Hollywood ‘women exist solely in terms of their romantic attachment to men’ portrayal if it tried. At least she did get to be powerful and dynamic for a few seconds like everybody else.
Yes, I maintain my ‘If these things upset you, stay away’ warning.
Mnemosyne (iPad Mini)
For peeps who would like some accountability without having to hire an in-person trainer, I was very happy with my Fitocracy experience. I signed up for a group, but you can also hire someone to work with you one-on-one. They create a program for you that you can access through the app with all of the weights/reps/etc in there for you. If you sign up for a group, there are also group message boards where you can post to get encouragement or ask questions. You don’t need gym access (they offer various “body weight” and home equipment programs), and the prices are reasonable (about $40/month).
Mnemosyne (iPad Mini)
Sorry, forgot the link:
https://www.fitocracy.com
fidelio
@OzarkHillbilly: I’m sure it’s worth changing the kitchen tablecloth for. What’s your family’s preferred filling?
ruemara
@VFX Lurker: Spoiler alert if you’ve never read the book and the histories. But, you’re correct.
Kathleen
@raven: It was to me as well. I have always gone to the gym and run on my own, but now it’s difficult for me to get miles in for half or full marathons on my own. That is the reason I join the running groups and meet with them on Saturdays. Also, I hate weights so I go to a challenging muscle conditioning class once a week. I would never push myself with weights on my own.
different-church-lady
CUBA: “So the internet is nothing but ‘one weird trick’ and a bunch of pop-up ads? Can we just give it back?”
Bloix
Psalms 137 Im Eshkachech Yerushalayim
If I forget thee, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand forget her cunning.
Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth,
if I remember thee not;
if I set not Jerusalem above my chiefest joy.