sarea | random catching up

The iPod arrived. It has menu buttons, and the scroll wheel thingy, which I like and is cool. However, I can't hear anything out of the left earphone, and I'm not sure whether it's because of the earphones or because of the unit -- and I can't test it, because the plug for the earphones is not the standard size that every other earphones use. So I've got an assistance ticket open. Thing is, even when it's fixed, I'm not sure I'm going to keep it. I was wavering about this ever since realizing that there are other options out there, because I have so many files already on my computer that are .wma. I don't like being limited to Apple's proprietary file formats. And now w/ the 'special' earphones, meaning if they ever break or I want to replace them, I have to buy them specially. Again, proprietary stuff turns me off. I'm 70% positive that when the unit is fully functioning, I'll sell it on eBay and use the money to buy a non-iPod MP3 player, that may not have the cool scroll wheel, but will let me play .wma files, is less expensive in general, will let me use any headphones I already own, and from what I've seen/read, has better sound quality. But first I have to resolve the issue w/ the left earphone.

So, I saw Kingdom of Heaven. I really enjoyed it. It was very much like Black Hawk Down in the way the story was told ... there wasn't so much a beginning, middle, and end, and the plot, such as it was, was second to the details, the history being told. All the performances were great. And can I just say that I much prefer David Thewlis in his KoH role than as Remus Lupin? By FAR.

Also, I finished Ender's Game. I loved it -- but not as much as I did when I was first reading it. I'm not sure where it started to wane, but at some point, it was no longer the story that I thought it was going to be. Only, I'm not even sure I can articulate what that is -- but I know it didn't happen. <g> Regardless, it was a fabulous book, and I'm not surprised that so many of you love it so well.

I have to say, I suspected fairly early on that Ender was not, in fact, playing games, but was instead actually fighting the real battles, but I was never absolutely certain until it was confirmed. The reason is because ... the time when I suspected it the most was when Petra had her moment of breaking down (since we'd been shown earlier that they kept the Stilson boy and Bonzo's deaths secret), and I thought -- uh oh, she's going to mysteriously disappear because she actually died. See, I had this view that while Ender could command his forces remotely, his sub-lieutenants could not; they'd have to be out there doing it. So when Petra was fine, I thought I was wrong.

The ending was okay. I'm generally not a big fan of giant leaps in time, particularly when they happen over the course of one chapter, and the final chapter, at that (it's one of the few issues I have with The Poisonwood Bible), but it didn't bother me too badly. I guess I was just wigged out at the idea of all Ender had accomplished by the time he was nine years old, and then for 15 years (or whatever) to pass, where he generally did nothing was, well, odd and a bit anticlimactic. He's so going to be on VH1's "Where Are They Now?"

I couldn't ship Ender with anyone, though initially it was Valentine. Mostly because they were very successful at isolating him, and I didn't see him form any particular attachment to any one person. The closest I can come is Alai. But even then ... I enjoy their friendship too much to insert romantic angst into it. Ender's just a loner.

But Peter ... Peter and Valentine ... I thought that dynamic was very interesting indeed. Peter reminds me of Draco; maybe that's why he fascinates me instead of fully repelling me as he should.

I've started Speaker for the Dead, but I'm not sure that I'll be speeding through that one the way I did with EG. I wasn't sure I'd be able to get into it at all, actually, with the way it begins. Like with so many sci-fi novels, I'm always like, "Huh? What? Who?" and it loses my interest pretty quickly. EG was not like that ... and now a few pages into SftD, I think I've grounded myself so I can actually go on.

I love the MTV Movie Awards. It's the fakest awards ever, but also the best. I mean, check out those nominations. It's so bad, it's good. Rachel McAdams for best actress! John Cho and Kal Penn for best musical performance!

Do you have a Jersey Mike's Sub place near you, but have never tried it? I love their roast beef. It's really yummy, you should try it.

I've been hankering recently for angsty-D/G-that-turns-out-well-at-the-end lately. If I ever feel like writing again, I may go for something like that. Or maybe I'll write yet another humor fic that's been on my mind awhile. It's hard to say.

That is, if I ever do anything but play WoW, again. Speaking of ... I am one bar away from lvl 56, which I think Essia has already reached. I can't believe how close we all are to 60. It seems like just yesterday we were encountering murlocs for the first time. *sniff* Now will come the massive money making for armor sets and epic mounts. I get exhausted just thinking about it. (Question: Only lvl 60s get epics, but what the hell do you need with an epic once you're that lvl? You're all in a hurry to ... go where, exactly? Not like you have quests to do.) Also, I have discovered that my true class is the mage. It took me forever to get around to trying, but I think I enjoy playing it the most, and it just feels right. I wish I'd known this when we began ... I wonder what it might have been like. I've played all but the rogue and druid now (though most not to very high levels), and from what I've experienced, this is the order I'd place them in, from most fun to least fun to play (excluding rogue and druid):

- Mage
- Hunter (except in PvP; then I'd put at bottom of list)
- Paladin
- Shaman
- Priest
- Warlock
- Warrior