Noche de San Juan, and More Movies!

On June 21, we celebrated La Noche de San Juan! It coincided with a huge full moon, which added to the magic of the night. We threw a little pool party and barbecue at home. Just a couple of friends and some yummy food and beer! At midnight, we plunged backwards 7 times into my tiny 8' wide pool. With a little coordination, we managed with just a few minor injuries :P We also played Apples to Apples!

La Noche de San Juan was long overdue. So are lots of over things I've done in my newest hiatus. Among them was finishing Season 3 of Downton Abbey! It was SPECTACULAR!! A smart and engaging TV series like this one is hard to come by right now. Everything about it just works so well! There's really nothing about it that I would change, except the date for the premier of Season 4! It's in December!! :(

Now time for another Movie Update. It seems the most I do lately is watch movies!!

First up, Despicable Me 2. This one was on my list! It was a lovely animated film! Just as good as the first one. The minions, of course, were the best part! I love the romance they added in, and how it developed. The humor was good for both children and adults. Every year it's more and more apparent who animated film are not just for kids! I, for one, am planning on watching animated films till the day I die!

This is another of those rare cases where I like the sequel better than the first movie. Wow, it feels like all movies this summer are sequels. Anyway, I liked the story and the action in this one a little better. I haven't seen the first one in a long time, so maybe I need a refresher. But it was very good! I saw it with my Mom!

And finally, The Wolverine, which was also on my list. And YES, THIS WAS SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE FIRST ONE! I was pleasantly surprised, although they told me it was better, I still had my doubts about it. There were parts which were still too slow for a Marvel film. But the fight scenes were good, and so was the acting. The after credits scene was surprising. Now to wait for the next X-Men.

On Books. Lots of Books.

Now that the movies are taken care of, it's time for a Book Update. This last year, I've read more aggressively than I ever thought I would. A total of 6 books since January! It may not sound as much, but it's a personal best! And I hope to continue like this. Anyway, here's what I've tackled during my long hiatus:

Not a novel, but a short story based on the Cthulhu and Sherlock Holmes mythos. It mixes the two verses together in a very clever way, and also throws in some references to other classic stories like Dracula and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I discovered Gaiman just recently, and I'm thoroughly hooked. This story also has a twist ending, which I didn't expect at all! It really helps to be familiar with both Cthulhu and Holmes in order to get into it.

I finished reading Blackout, by Connie Willis. Honestly, I've been reading this for almost a year, with several intermissions to read other things. But despite that, I really enjoyed this take on time travel/historical drama. This novel receives a lot of criticism because of the characters' actions, which often seem random and pointless. They mostly just go from place to place, never accomplishing anything and missing each other. But I think that this is the essence of what Willis is tries to tell us about history. The greatest of events are the result of lots of little coincidences that seem random at the best of times. That's just what history is. This is why I believe that Blackout deserves more praise and thought than it gets. I got the sequel (which apparently isn't actually a sequel) a few days ago. This one won the Nebula, so I'm really looking forward to it!

Now for the stuff I started to read during the hiatus. I like to read at least two books at a time. Otherwise I get bored and loose interest. At the moment, I have two. The Golem and the Jinni by Helen Wecker, and A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. Greatly enjoying them both!

She's Alive!! She's Alive!!!!! With a Movie Update!

Wow! Took a nice long hiatus. More than a moth without a single post! This does not mean, however, that I haven't been busy! I have lots of things to write about! I got a job. I started working on my visa. I even went on a trip! There will several posts to get up to date. First up is a Movie Update!

Pixar's Monsters University is the best animated movie I've seen in a very long time! I liked it better than Monsters Inc.! I guess I'm sensitive to the whole university and coming of age feel to the story. This is definitely a movie for college students! Dialogue was witty and the jokes were ageless! And the story was smart and greatly entertaining!

The best Superman movie in forever! A Superman I can believe! I loved the scenes in Krypton. I'd never seen the Kryptonian society and culture explored as deeply as this movie did. Henry Cavill was the perfect Clark, and Michael Shannon was the perfect Zod. Although the movie seemed rushed at certain moments, and slow at others, it was still very good. I REALLY hope they make the Justice League movie!!

 
Not Will Smith's best role. Not by a long shot. And as far as acting abilities go, Jaden Smith is not his father's son. The special effects and action scenes were good, and the futuristic interpretation was original, but the story was bland and the acting was.....blander. The thing I liked most was the allegory with Moby Dick. Earth had become the whale, and it the Smiths were the crew of the Pequod. Man versus nature, and all that. That was very beautiful. But the rest of the movie was hard to enjoy.

This movie was not what I expected. But it was so good! Suspense at it's finest, with incredible actors and a twist ending you never see coming. And it's not just the ending. There's a twist every half hour! And you're completely fooled to the very end. I always love a good crime drama, and this was particularly jaw-dropping one!

I don't know why this movie has such terrible reviews. Yes, Tonto steals the spotlight and overshadows the Ranger. Yes, Johnny Depp's performance was the same as it is in most of his other movies (though there are tiny little subtleties that allow me to forgive it). Yes, Johnny Depp is not Native American. Yes, the movie's mood is very different from the original series'. But it was still a very enjoyable film! The action, drama and humor are incredibly well balanced. The dialogue is very witty and the story is classic western goodness. Not the movie of the year, grant you. But I had a great time watching this. Beyond that, I watched with a dear friend of mine that I hadn't gone to the movies with in more than a year. So, it had some sentimental weight.

Pacific Rim....What can I possibly say about Pacific Rim. Well, no other sci fi movie has disappointed me as much as Pacific Rim since.....I don't know. This movie's worst crime is taking a very good and attractive idea and smothering it was an unbearably cheesy script, HORRIBLE acting, and forced humor. The only thing that saves this movie for me is the awesome battle scenes, the cool monsters, and the giant robots  (I just can't hate a giant robot). The cinematography and visual effects were also impressive. But I just can't get over the bad acting and the lame script.

Well, those are the hiatus movies. That took care of quite a few in the list! Next post will be a Book Update!

RPGs, Los Kioskos de Luquillo, and El Yunque!

I love how fast paced things are right now! This week has been intense, and I don't feel like slowing down!

The day after graduation, I started my Pathfinder campaign. It went tremendously well! I got to show off my acting and storytelling finesse, and all the players loved it. I have lots of ideas for the game. I think it'll be epic. On this session, the players met in the market square of the city of Enyalie. There they fought a pack of vampire spawns that attacked the market. Then they went to the Unseen Ones headquarters. Tassadar met with his father, and later they all met Prince Tyaro.

I can scratch two things off my List today! The crew from the Museum took a field trip to Luquillo to go to El Yunque. We also ate at the world famous Kioskos I'm going to miss those guys so much!

Anyway, the journey was arduous! We got to Luquillo late at night. Our first stop were the Kioskos. I had some of the best oysters I've ever tasted!! We played pool and danced a for a bit. We finally made it to the house, and I don't think I've ever seen that house so full of people! We were 10 people, and we were packed like a box of matches. The next day, we went to El Yunque, the most celebrated mountain in Puerto Rico. We started at the bottom at around 10:00am, we made it to the top at 3:14, and then back down at 5:00ish. I love climbing that mountain. I've gone dozens of times, but it's still magical. This time, I went to some part I'd never gone before! I rained quite a bit, but that is part of the rain forest experience. It felt really nice. We weren't able to make it to the waterfall, but that just gives me an excuse to go back before I leave!

After the great descent, we went to los Kioskos again! My favorite kiosk was closed the night before, but we got to go this time! I have an Alcapurria, an Arepa, and an Arepa stuffed with shrimp. It was heaven in my mouth. As a matter of fact, I've decided to to scratch the Kioskos off the list officially. I really want to go back!!!

Doctors, Honors, GRADUATION!!! and Vaca Brava

So many things have happened! On Monday I had to go to the allergy doctor. Not only did he give me not one, not two, but THREE shots, he also made me sit in that waiting room ALL morning on an empty stomach. He has to be one of the slowest doctors I've ever seen. And he wants to give me MORE shots. It was a very odd visit. He asked me what I'm allergic to. I told him: cat fur, dust mites, pollen, blah, blah, blah. He says: Oh, we should run some tests to see if you really are allergic to cat fur, dust mites, pollen, blah, blah, blah. Dude, I've lived in this body my whole life! I can faithfully guarantee that I'm allergic to all that stuff!!! That's why I came to see you! It seems I'll be seeing more of him during the summer. Hopefully, I'll come out of it with clear sinuses. 

As I said on the last post, the High Honor Students Recognition Ceremony (Reconocimiento de Altas Distinciones) was also on Monday. It was a very lovely evening, although the History Department faculty was sorely under represented. Only the director and his assistant were there. Lots of professors from other departments were present. And on top of that, they barely knew anything about the two History students being awarded with High Honors. I don't think he even knew my name before he read it. All the other professors gave a little summary of their students' achievements and performance. Oh, well. I still got my medal, though!!

Today was my GRADUATION! It was great! I still can't compute that I'm a college graduate. I have a degree!! Now, some highlights of the occasion. I had to stand in line for some 45 minutes in high heels! No matter, cause I met up with lots of friends while we waited. I was grouped with the other Summa Cum Laude from the School of Humanities. We were the only ones who had their names called out. Of course, the Dean misspelled my name (just as I thought he would). Once again, the faculty from the History department was minimal, but at least the director recognized me this time and shook my hand! The togas worn by the professors were really colorful and cool! 

The Tuna and the Choir performed during the intermissions. They were awesome. I really hope this wasn't the last time I got to see them! I The ceremony itself was of a pretty comfortable duration. There was no guest speaker, so that might have helped speed things along. Thank God it didn't last 4 hours like some others have!! The energy was really great. We cheered, and screamed, and sang. It was fun. I don't know why so many people decide not to go. 

I'm really happy I got to graduate with my friend Tinnytina! We've been through some great times during these past few years, and I'm glad I got to share today with her!! 

But the real stars of the evening, at least in my eyes, were my Mom and Dad. Without them guiding, encouraging, and inspiring me, I would never have accomplished half of the things I have until now. They are the wind beneath my wings, and I can only thank the Fates for giving me such incredible parents.

To finish off a great day, we went to Vaca Brava with Tinnytina's family to celebrate. Scratch that one off the list! Delicious food!! I finally got to try "El Tendedero", or the clothesline of meat!! And I had mofongo once again!! Heavenly mofongo balls! God, I'm going to miss mofongo!!!!!! I ate to the brink of bursting, and we had so much leftovers!!

Movies, Call of Cthulhu, and Downton Abbey S2 Done!

So, I finished Season 2 of Downton Abbey. It's so odd how much I like this series. It's nothing like the shows I usually watch. But the dialogue is clever, the acting is great, and the characters are very interesting. I think, unlike in the usual science fiction and detective/police shows I gravitate to, the slow pace of plots like Downton Abbey allows the viewer to get to know the characters much better. A single situation can last the entire episode! Looking forward to Season 3!

Also watched The Hangover III. I haven't seen The Hangover II, but I really liked it! Good ol' American humor. Some parts I didn't find funny at all. There are certain things that, for me at least, one shouldn't make jokes about or make fun of. But the rest was quite good. I'm told it was better than Part II. It was a friend's pre-birthday outing. We had tons of fun.

Today I saw Hyde Park on Hudson. Now, I love a good historical drama. They're actually my favorite genre. This one in particular I'm not sure how much I liked it. It wasn't what I was expecting. The acting was superb, as was the dialogue. My favorite characters were King George and Queen Elizabeth. They had great chemistry. However, Roosevelt was hard to care about, as was Daisy. They had barely any chemistry at all. And the whole multiple conceding mistresses thing was just ridiculous. I understand the point of the story: human flaws, secrets and seeing what one wants to see. I can't argue with historical facts, of course, but I found most characters unsympathetic. Still, it was an enjoyable film, if only for the dialogue and acting.

Finally, I read H.P. Lovecraft's Call of Cthulhu. I loved it! I really enjoyed the sort of detective feel to the story, the descriptions, the language. Most of all, I enjoyed the references to anthropology. The only part that left me a little disappointed was when the monster appeared. The way it was described made it seem much smaller that I thought it was going to be. And I'm not sure I understood how he was imprisoned again, if he was at all. But that makes it more fun, I guess. I'd never read anything by Lovecraft before, but I definitely will read more! I think I'll look more into the whole Cthulhu mythos.

On another note, today was my last day working at the museum (I think). It was a hard day!! Two art workshops at once, and both of them full! Not to mention some very difficult people who think they have run of the place. We had our hands full. I'm glad I don't need to work any more Sundays! Anyway, that part of my life might be over. I worked there for over two years. I'm sad to see it go, but I'm off to new things. I might be starting work at Sears soon!

Tomorrow there's an activity for students graduating with honors. They sent an engraved invitation and everything! Not sure what it's all about, but we'll see. Graduation is on Wednesday!

Masquerade Ball, Comic-Con, RPGs and Job Interviews

Well....first long absence, but most certainly not the last.

Quite a few things have happened since last time. Here's the summary.

Watched Downton Abbey all the way to S2 E7. Almost through with Season 2! It's becoming more and more like a soap opera every time! Still hooked.

Also watched Star Trek: Into Darkness with my Mom and lover boy. Loved it! Cumberbatch is a dream! It was kind of hard disassociating Khan from Sherlock, though. Need to watch the Star Trek OS episode where he first appears, and then Wrath of Khan. Will do that with Mom!

On another note, I've continued to go to the Pathfinder RPG group that I visited as part of my dissertation investigation. They integrated my character to the story. She's a half elf sorceress called Isabella. I love those guys! There's a real friendship blossoming there. Also started another game with my lover boy's buddies. There I'm a half elf ranger called Inriri. I'm planning on starting my own campaign soon, too! Writing up the original story for it.

I went to a masquerade ball with my lover boy last Friday. It was really fun! We danced like we've never danced before (really!). My feet were killing me by the end of the night! At one point, the lights went out. One of the guests was dressed as Pikachu, and they had him "charge" the stereo with Thunderbolt. That was rich.

This last Saturday we also went to Comic-Con. There were so many people! We had to stand in line for like an hour and 45 mins! Highlights? I had my first cosplay experience! I went as Death from the Sandman comics. Put on a ton of baby powder, black lipstick and eyeliner! It came out great, even if I do say so myself. Three people asked for my picture. It was really exciting!!

There lots of awesome costumes. The best I've ever seen in PR, actually. Two guys went as Transformers. They were incredible!

Lastly, I have a job interview at Sears tomorrow. Not exactly the kind of job I would prefer, but I would rather have something productive to do during the summer, and seeing as very few places would hire someone for just a couple of months, I have to make do with what's available.

That's all for now. Until next time!