Thoughts DuJour

[sdelmonte]

'Twas the day after Christmas and all through the town,
all the shovels were stirring, as the snow had come down...

Now I am the last one who could be an expert about what is appropriate for Christmas, but I think that notions of a white Christmas seem decidedly silly, given the sheer travel troubles such an event entails. And of course, I was on the road for part of it. I love my in-laws dearly, and agree that a 35th anniversary is something to note, but why oh why did we have to celebrate it on December 25, in Passaic, NJ (where Batya has an aunt and uncle) during a snowstorm? Kudos, however, to the crews that got the roads cleared between when we got to Passaic and when we left.

While I was in Passaic, I did have a chance to use my family's DVD player, and pop in the FotR extended version disc. I don't know why I chose the cast commentary over Peter Jackson's thoughts, but I did enjoy the half of the film that I saw of it. This was the first DVD commentary I had ever heard, though, and I found it a little disconcerting that you hear so little of the film. Clearly, such commentaries care for the dedicated fan. I also wonder why Viggo Mortenson, alone of the fellowship actors, was not part of the commentary. Anyway, it's good to hear how much thought went into the performances.

God willing, we get to see more of such performances on Monday when we arrive back in Middle Earth with a party of 15 or so friends.

I worked, as usual, yesterday. It's the biggest day of the year for The Jewish Museum, as we bill ourselves as the ideal place to take your (Jewish) kids on December 25. We had good crowds, but the nasty weather - rain and then sleet predeced snow - kept the attendance down by over 25% from last year. A special thanks goes to the Godiva company, who donated 2,000 servings of hot cocoa mix to give out to those on line in the rotten weather. We've given out cocoa in the past, but never anything so good. What's more, becuase of the smaller-than-usual crowds, I got to take home a gallon of formerly hot chocolate milk and a can of dark chocolate truffle mix. Seanan, guess what have waiting for you for breakfast on Sunday morning if you like. As for me, I wonder if the formerly hot chocolate milk will make a good cold drink. (Our apartment is always too warm, so I drink lots of cold drinks in winter.)

Lastly for today's thoughts, we watched the totally creepy and engaging final-in-chronological-order episode of Firefly. Again, we mourn its premature end. But I found myself wondering why I recognized the name Jubal Early (who is a character that drops by, and I won't say more). A quick googlesearch revelas that the real Jubal Early was a Confedetate general of note. I wonder what Joss was up to in naming this character as such.

Have a good one, folks!

Comments

[dotsomething.livejournal.com]

Like many Christmas Carols, "White Christmas" suffers from a severe lack of any relation to reality. It simply doesn't take into account the inconvenience and suffering 90% of holiday goers go through if it snows on christmas. The whole thing is odder when you consider it hasn't snowed on Christmas in NYC since the 1960's. I'm sure in other parts of the country, white christmases are the norm--like Massachusetts, or Michigan.

Actually, White Christmas is one of the Christmas carols I like. There are several that make me twitch and cover my ears. Either they are just plain annoying or far too sappy.

[maedbh7.livejournal.com]

I find when listening to the commentary tracks, it helps to be doing something with your hands that requires you look at your hands. For me, that's tatting. For guys, maybe painting miniatures or whittling. Or tatting or something. This way, you don't have to get all the annoyance of seeing the film but not being able to hear it, and yet you can still look up if you hear something worth watching. It's like radio in that sense, but with the occasional visual apparition. I tatted about 20 snowflakes this year and heard all 4 comment tracks. The cast track is fine if you are into the actor gossip factor. The director track is cool if you want to know "Why?" My favorite is the post-production track, because Howard Shore explains how and why he created several of the different musical themes that run throughout the score. Fascinating stuff. -H..

[bigscary.livejournal.com]

I wonder what Joss was up to in naming this character as such.
I would guess what he was up to with the rest of the series. This is why I didn't watch Firefly past the first episode. Confederate apologetics don't sit well with me.

[sdelmonte]

Hey, BSD! Glad to see you lurking here.