Arrr, me hearties, yo ho... and all that

Last night I went with a bunch of people to the midnight showing of "Pirates 2." First of all, it was awesome. The movie runs a little bit long, but the battles are varied enough so it doesn't get repetitive. It includes such wonderful moments as a formerly-undead pirate, when asked about the one thing that troubles all men, replying, "the dichotomy between good and evil?" Keira Knightley finally stops being a total loser (it takes her a while, but by the end of the movie, I had faith that she might actually rise to cool status in Pirates 3), there are big gross undersea tentacled pirates (as if the undead crew in the last movie weren't icky enough), and last but definitely not least, the filmmakers finally acknowledge the undeniable sex appeal of a certain Capt. Jack.

I'm not going to spoil the ending, but I want to say that although 2:30 AM saw 5 theaters worth of discontented people (including what seemed like the entire high school population of the greater Lakeville area - I felt old) staggering tiredly back to their cars, I have enormous respect for the sense of humor of the people who made this movie. Because "Pirates 2" is a pirate movie of the truest kind - it gives you romance and swashbuckling and high-seas adventure, but at the last minute, it totally betrays everyone. And something about that made for a very satisfyingly unsatisfying ending.

Also Johnny Depp is in it. That could really have been my whole post right there.

Independence is Boring

So I have realized that, what with all of campus being closed for the past two days, the Fourth of July is a really boring holiday. The highlight of the past two days was the bike race around Northfield: there was a series of 45-minute races along a circular course that went down Division St. and around to Union and College St., with different heats for men and women and so forth. Apparently these were kind of a big deal, because there were a fair number of good cyclists there, and they must have come especially for the race, because I can't believe there are many serious bike riders in Northfield. And not only did we enjoy watching the races, but the fit 20-something men wandering around town were quite the attraction...

But anyway, if it weren't for my new status as an avid supporter of cycling, there is nothing to do when everyone is off work! The gym was closed, the stores were closed, the school won't even pay us if we work today (which didn't keep me from logging a few hours under a different day...)
And while fried cheese curds and mini donuts are very tasty, less appealing is the feeling in your stomach after you realize what you just put into your body and called "lunch."

But I'm going to head out in a minute to watch fireworks, so maybe there will be something redeeming about the 4th after all.


Side note: saw "The Devil Wears Prada" the other day. Meryl Streep is a goddess of film. The movie itself was totally entertaining in a completely mindless way, but I shudder to think what it would do to women who are less sure of their self-esteem. Even I left the theater feeling like my wardrobe was totally inadequate. But don't worry - this feeling lasted right up until the quick realization that I would much rather eat chocolate mousse in my PJ's than worry about spilling lettuce on my Chanel.
And besides, Manolo Blahnik probably doesn't even make size 11 shoes.