Mare Egrets Moose
Lovely Christmas. Not too much excitement, just a lot of joy. The highlight of yesterday was my two-year old cousin running around for 20 minutes yelling "POWER RANGERS!" and zapping us repeatdly with what sounded like an imaginary spray bottle.

Now it's time for me to go back to excercising and figuring out what I'm going to do with the rest of my break/year/life.

Here are some links I bookmarked and then abandoned for future blogging over the past week:


- An author's semi-disturbing account of what can happen when an "adaptation" of your book is filmed. Her consolation is that nobody probably watched it.

- A more disturbing report on the Bolivian election. I'm glad they have their first indigenous presdident. I'm less glad "Yanke die" was part of his campaign slogan.

- Most disturbing of all: CrossTrain, the anti-Wholistic Fitness regime that basically prioritizes "fitness" over actual health. Frightening.

Narnia made me happy.
As a followup to my December 7 post about the then-upcoming Narnia film, I am relieved to report that TLTW&TW (or should I just call it LWW?) was delightful. I was not turned off by the Christian themes nor bored by a storyline and effects package that could not help but pale in comparison to LOTR. Instead, I felt myself transported into a children's world of Christmasy magic.

This is not as good a movie as LOTR, but technically it is arguably a better adaptation, with few deviations from the expected. It felt just like the book to me. Although the battle scene is extended onscreen from its brief mention in the book, this is counterbalanced by the added material near the beginning of the film which deepens the characterization of the four Pevensie children. Speaking of which, I was very impressed with the young actors here, especially Georgie Henley as the real protagonist, Lucy. And they looked remarkably like siblings! Unfortunately there is one scene late in the film which breaks the realism created by this careful casting, but the effect is important, as familial love and loyalty is as big a theme as any in this story.

Speaking of those big themes.
The Lion: Aslan. For one, absolutely gorgeous CG animation on this guy. He looked like a real lion (though I wish the other talking animals were as carefully rendered, and why oh why couldn't they have made the faun's ears move?). His infamous "Jesus" scenes had the exact same effect on me as they did ad a naive 9 year old reading the book - powerful, not preachy. You don't have to be a Christian to appreciate this story; it's enough to be a cat lover. And the overall plot of the movie doesn't really resemble anything in the Bible. In fact, the only time my secular/Buddhist friend and I exchanged smirking glances was when Father Christmas showed up to give the children their weapons. (Okay, a little context for the appalled uninitiated: under the false reign of the evil White Witch, there hasn't been Christmas in Narnia for 100 years despite perpetual winter.) The "War on Christmas," in Narnia if not on earth, is very real. "Long Live Aslan!" Father Christmas says before riding away, "...and, Merry Christmas!" [Cue Bill O'Reilly applause]. But this sequence is true to the book, and even five years ago it would not have provoked the same reaction. It is unfortunate for the film that it arrives in the year "Happy Holidays" has solidified its political connotations, making the movie seem more conservative than it perhaps intends to be.

The Witch: Perfect performance by Tilda Swinton. Like Galadriel's evil twin, she dominates her scenes with a chilling combination of regal bearing and barely suppressed madness. It is too bad she won't be appearing in the sequels.

The Wardrobe: What makes Narnia different from Tolkien is its grounding in the real world. TLTW&TW in particular is a story of magical discovery - ordinary British children stumbling upon an entirely new world, a pastiche of mythological creatures and "Deep Magic." What 9-year old doesn't want to be Lucy? And this is ultimately a childrens' movie in the best sense. The best part of the film are the scenes between Lucy and the faun, Mr. Tumnus, when she first crosses the threshold into Narnia. Here, the movie comes closest to capturing the childlike combination of wonder and belief. Some critics have complained that Narnia feels nowhere near as vast as Middle Earth, or that the talking beavers are too twee. To me, they are missing the point. This is meant to evoke a child's fantasy, and in the end, the movie succeeds because it remains more childlike than childish.

Some minor qualms:
1. I know I have just praised this film as fundamentally different from LOTR. Yet it is clear that this would not have been made without Jackson's trilogy as precedent, so I was surprised how many shots (I counted 4, excluding the battle) had been lifted directly from LOTR. At one point the Witch ends a scene by saying "We have work to do," in the same tone as Saruman once did. If this was all intended as an homage, it wasn't necessary.
2. I think I blame George Lucas in the '90s for the advent of overlong movie titles with colons. "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace" is unwieldy at 11 syllables. "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" is far worse (12, plus repetition). "Harry Potter and the Insert Occult Object Here" (9-12) is forgivable because the books have the same titles and the annoying colon is absent. But "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe" (17) takes the cake. We get it!! It's part of a series. This is not an academic thesis; it is a movie, for Aslan's sake. Stop with the colons.
3. Really. Could we get the fauns to move their ears next time?

Wrapping things up!
Finished my Archaeo paper-exam, took History and Stats...only Art History remains. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! And it's this:

Christmas and Christmas and Christmas again!
So much joy I don't know where to begin:
All of the houses in holiday lights,
Singing sweet carols on wintery nights;
Buying, adorning and smelling the tree,
Seeing my dear family (and Dylan so wee);
Stockings and garlands bells that go dong,
Seeing Narnia, Brokeback Mountain, and Kong;
Shopping for family and shopping for friends,
And getting my own gifts - the fun never ends!
Eggnog and cider, cookies and Yule,
And last but not least...NO MORE FINALS AND SCHOOL!

It was 25 years ago today...

I'm not afraid of death because I don't believe in it. It's just getting out of one car, and into another.
-John Lennon

The carols are playing in the rooms of the dorm
And hot mugs of cider are keeping us warm.
There's laughter and music and toil and druge
And all we've been eating is cookies and fudge.
While visions of finals swirl 'round in our brains
We dream of the day we'll be free from our pains.
Our classes are ending, we're wating for snow,
And two weeks drags by fast and rushes by slow.

-From last year's Reading Week blogging


I've gotten better at procrastinating and worse at writing this year, that's for sure. But I finished my Art History paper today. Unfortunately, I still have to study for a final for that class, so nothing's really "over." In that respect this finals period is less satisfying, if less stressful, than last fall. Four exams...ugh.

So The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe comes out on Friday. I will always have a special place in my heart for Narnia because reading C.S. Lewis is what made me want to write books. I still remember being in fourth grade and designing my first fantasy world (basically a carbon copy of Narnia, starring me and my brother). The story recieved a score of extreme makeovers every time I read a new inspiring series, but Narnia was the beginning. Even at that young age the anxiety of influence hung over me; I remember complaining to my mom that "Yavaquania" just didn't sound as good as "Narnia." But enough nostalgia. Just as every kid had a moment when they learned Santa Claus did not exist, every child at some point realizes that Aslan is Jesus. My housekeeper broke it to me. And though I have since reread my other elementary school staples -- Madeline L'Engle, Susan Cooper, Lloyd Alexander and the incomparable Tolkien -- I have not picked up Lewis in 10 years. I haven't realized this until now, but I think part of me just doesn't want to revist that world with the jaded eyes of an adult. My first trip through Narnia was unadulterated magic. Other than Aslan's story and the entirety of The Last Battle (which I found kind of wierd even at the time), I'd be hard pressed to name another allegorical component of the Chronicles. And I'd like to keep it that way.

Of course, some people seem to think LOTR is Christian too, though Tolkien himself vocally despised allegory (and hated Narnia for it despite his friendship with Lewis). When Yale Students For Christ screened TTT two years ago, I remember playing a facetious game with myself called "Where's Jesus?" Clearly Jesus was Gandalf, who essentially sacrificed himself and was resurrected. But no, Frodo was Jesus, carrying the burden and suffering for the sins of all. Wrong again; it was Aragorn, the King who Returns -- he even looks like him. That's what I love about LOTR - there IS no Jesus! But obviously someone thinks there is. Of course, these people also think Harry Potter is Satanic, so go figure.

But back to the point. Perhaps Lewis' Christianity is not something I should be offended by. After all, he himself was no more Christian than Tolkien. He was Anglican, like almost everybody in England, and doesn't belong in the Pat Robertson pile of scaries. I'll see the movie. I'll enjoy it. Because magic is magic and talking lions are awesome. And then I'll sit back and wait for Phillip Pullman, the anti-Lewis, to get his box-office dues in 2007, and let the real controversy begin.

Procrastination
It's actually winter. The leaves are gone from the tree outside my window, exposing the icy majesty of Harkness Tower. I'm supposed to be working, but the Christmas spirit is everywhere.

Things I may write about when I have time:

- Merry Christmas vs. Happy Holidays, and why I hate both sides of the debate.
- How excited I am to see Narnia and Peter Jackson's King Kong (I know Christmas without LOTR is unthinkable, but this combination may kind of help).
- How much I love Christmas!
- How sick I am of shipping stuff to Apple.

By the way, last reading week I posted a sanity test which I'm doing much better on this term than last year. But I seem to be horribly rusty at writing papers efficiently. Oh well. Back to work I go.

Don't worry, Dick: Hell is on the way.


Quite the tragedy: apparently Bush doesn't trust Cheney anymore. He's blaming the Veep and Rumsfeld for the lack of victory in Iraq.

(Wait -- I thought God was Bush's primary advisor on the war. And now he's blaming it on Cheney? Lame, W.)

But who's actually in charge here? (Hint: last I checked, it wasn't Bush.) To me this "distancing" kind of seems phony. Bush doesn't have the brains, the guts, or the morals to break away from Darth Cheney. It's quite possible they planned this together because they recognize that Cheney is even less popular than Bush, and by making it seem that Bush recognizes Cheney's badness, he might be able to win back a little credibility. All those Republicans who have finally come look upon the war and Cheney with suspicion would be relieved to see Bush "dump" Mr. Torture. It would confirm their original, hard-tested faith in the real goodness of the President. (Note that the story appears in a right-wing publication.) This may even explain why the VP had absolutely no shame about advocating torture, saying baseless things about "last throes," etc. Let's face it, Cheney's heart won't hold on much longer anyway. He could resign on health reasons in '06, and be replaced by someone like Rudy Giuliani or John McCain, who would give the GOP a much-needed injection of life -- and get himself a headstart on candidacy in 2008.

Too far fetched? I don't think so. It seems more likely to me that they negotiated this one than that Bush is really turning against Cheney. I think it's all for show, and tomorrow Cheney will be back doing Bush's homework for him again.

German archaeologist kidnapped in Iraq

It's a dangerous life.

Santa Claus is coming to town...and he's bringing me a jaguar


Apparently Santa existed in Guatemala and was bringing people gifts long before he ever knew that Jesus guy.

This little guy is the subject of my art history paper. That's not actually my thesis though. I'm not that confident.

The end of another month. Time is spinning wildly out of control. Soon I'll be 21 - yikes - and it'll be 2006.

Until then, work. Davenport has a beautiful Christmas tree in the dining hall and another one in the common room, as well as lights strung around the hedges. Joy :)

This is the first time in a while I've had high expectations going into finals season. I remember last fall I was swamped in papers by this time; this year I only have one left. A friend of mine, lamenting the brevity of Thanksgiving break over breakfast, said that she hoped next year to take all classes with no final exams, and just stay home after Thanksgiving break, skip the last week of class, and complete papers via email. Seven weeks of break!!! Wow. Tempting indeed. Alas, assuming I take Spanish I won't have such a luxury. Hmm...I may have discovered the secret to happiness.