All solved, very fast, despite no helpful theme and a wide range of movie eras and types.
Archive for Miscellany and Whatever
I watched the lunar eclipse
Not, y’know, for an hour. But for ten minutes, and then again for five, and so on, while going back inside to bake brownies and warm up.
I don’t believe I’ve ever done that before. I think it’s always been raining or four in the morning or something whenever the opportunity arose.
It was very beautiful. Words fail me. It was astonishing.
There’s no tradition in Wicca surrounding eclipses, but on a previous lunar eclipse I had a strong experience of Hecate.
Tuesday Trivia Answers
All answered within a couple of hours. Answers below the fold… » Read more..
Tuesday Trivia: Name That Character
A while back Deborah did a few quizzes in which she listed a series of roles, and you were asked to identify the actor who had played them all. This is sort of the inverse of that one: I list three actors, and you have to identify the character they all played (note: the same character doesn’t always have the same name). Some are probably easy; others, I think, not so much. There is no unifying theme to this quiz, unless someone happens to discern one, in which case there is and I meant it all along.
Update: All solved.
- Elliott Gould, George Sanders, James Garner
Solved by Melville (comment 2) and Hogan (comment 6) - Judi Dench, Michelle Pfeiffer, Anita Louise, Lindsay Duncan
Solved by Evn (comment 8 ) and Hazel (comment 9) - Keanu Reeves, Laurence Olivier, Dan O’Herlihy
Solved by Melville (comment 5) - Natasha Richardson, Elsa Lanchester, Jenny Agutter
Solved by Melville (comment 5) - James LeGros, Jon Finch, Toshiro Mifune, Charlton Heston
Solved by Melville (comment 2) - Yvonne de Carlo, Anne Bancroft, Debra Messing
Solved by Evn (comment 3) - John Malkovich, Tony Todd, Adam Baldwin
Solved by Hazel (comment 9)
Note: I’ll be in meetings for much of the day, beginning at 10:30 am PST, so if I’m not confirming your answers promptly, be patient.
I got tagged
Konagod tagged me.
1. Grab the nearest book (that is at least 123 pages long).
2. Open to p. 123.
3. Go down to the 5th sentence.
4. Type in the following 3 sentences.
5. Tag five people.
The substance of magical writing, ancient though it is, survives in a very modern technique—affirmations. Affirmations are used by people who follow all sorts of different paths—Christians, Pagans, agnostics, New Agers—and many people don’t realize that in structure, form, and history, affirmations are essentially an act of magic.
Affirmations are a spell of Air, using repetitive spoken or written language to imprint a magical goal onto the self, and/or to send energy in the form of a message out to a target.
Yes, I wrote it. It’s from The Way of Four Spellbook. I keep the books I’ve written in a little cubby just above the computer (handy for reference), so when a meme says “nearest,” unfortunately I am drawn to solipsism. Kona wanted an Ian Fleming book, but they’re all downstairs.
Answers to M Trivia
All solved in a single day!
Steve Gerber, R.I.P.
I’m sorry to have to link to this obituary of one of the great comic book writers of all time, Steve Gerber. Gerber, most famously the creator of Howard the Duck, wrote smart, sarcastic, witty comics (and later, cartoons) that still had a strong core story. He broke the fourth wall without being smarmy. He commented on his work within his work. He embraced the ridiculous without making the reader feel hoodwinked. He was truly one of a kind.
How well do you know the Internet?
Have fun with the stupid quiz while I drown in my overwhelming life:
Men’s Figure Skating: Holy Mother of God!
If you follow figure skating, you probably already know this. If you just watch the Olympics every four years, not so much. I follow the Nationals and such when I can, but not avidly. I love it but I make little time in my life for sports.
So the U.S. Figure Skating Nationals were this weekend. I watched part on Saturday and DVRed the rest. I watched the rest of Saturday (dance and women’s) on Sunday and Sunday (men’s) last night.
Holy shit.
The two top American male skaters were both in the last Winter Olympics, so if you’re an every-four-years fan, you may remember them; they are Johnny Weir and Evan Lysacek. They could not be more opposite. Weir is small, artsy, and fey. He performs complex choreography laden with symbolism, and wears weird sparkly costumes that are also symbolic. When he skates well, he has ease and grace and you feel centered just to watch him. Often enough, he skates poorly or inconsistently, like a brat, and he has called himself a “princess” and a “bitch.”
Lysacek is tall and masculine. His costumes are of the pants-and-shirt variety. Men’s skating is very gay, and Lysacek probably is as well (although, y’know, we haven’t dated) but he’s kind of a top. His skating is dramatic and forceful, with straightline footwork that feels like you’ve been attacked by a mad flamenco dancer. But in a good way. He’s a balls-to-the-wall skater who pulled out a fab long program in Turino after a round of IV fluids.
So naturally, NBC was playing up the rivalry between the two. And even though the reporters are dorky, the competition was thrilling and the skating quality was amazing.
And then something happened I’ve never seen: Something no one has ever seen.
Weir and Lysacek tied.
Tied.
Each earned exactly 244.77 points. Lysacek got the gold, because the rule book says that in a tie, the higher-scoring long program wins. I have no idea what happens if both individual skates tie!
Tied.
The two athletes were stunned. They didn’t know how to take it. And I, who disdain most sports, started screaming Oh! My! God! rather loudly.
Oh. My. God.
