Anyway, that was the morning. At 12:30pm I was sitting dead center at the theater with John and Bill Humphries ready for the first showing of The Two Towers. It was terrific. I did not want the movie to be over.

The writers took huge liberties with the adaption from book to film, but I don't honestly have a beef with any of it except the unnecessary fiction of arranging for Arwen and Aragorn to have a falling out and visually implying she was convinced to leave Middle Earth instead of waiting for him to win his crown. Even so, the scene with Elrond spelling out the reality of her future with a mortal should she cling to her vow was so stark and beautifully filmed that it was actually worth it just to show that aspect of her commitment which does come from the book. But it was completely unnecessary in terms of story. I can only suppose the writers wanted the audience to think Eowyn, the King of Rohan's daughter, might have a chance with Aragorn, attempting to inject extra dramatic tension. Instead, it's a red herring. Worse, it's padding. Unrequited love is universal. Our hearts will break for Eowyn no matter what reason is given. The book handled it so delicately.

Otherwise, the changes made a lot of dramatic sense and I was able to stay in the moment as well as could be expected from seeing several story deviations interwoven with the original plot. I did hope for more of the Fangorn Forest subplot. That was my favorite part of Book II, and in general this movie concentrated on Men and Elves (and Wizards) more than Hobbits so I saw less of the characters I was really interested in. And yet I imagine I'd be surprised if I saw the statistics for how much screentime Frodo and Sam got. It's just that the battles rather overwhelmed some of the smaller scale storytelling.

Really good battle scenes. Much tensing of shoulders and clutching of armrests. Stunningly good editing. I confess I finally warmed up to Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn, and Miranda Otto, the slender actress who played Eowyn, won me over completely. Their love scenes are so much more believable than those of Arwen and Aragorn. Sorry, Liv-fanciers, she's out of her league here.

I do not see the homoerotic tension between any of the characters that some others do. I'm not incapable of recognising it in film or literature, I recognise it in real life, but I don't see it in these movies. This may be because I believe love can be pure and intellectual, and because I think a person can feel strong emotion for another of their sex without it involving sexuality. Love doesn't have gender: it encompasses everything and everyone, just as grief does, or joy, or faith. Perhaps I am wilfully blind, but I think of the high ideals of a courtly age when I think of the relationships between the Fellowship of the Ring. That's what I read in the books. That's what I see onscreen.

Gollum's amazing. The cast is amazing. The stunning New Zealand scenery is absolutely essential to clarify the scope of what's at stake in these bitter wars and ruined lives. I have so much respect for Peter Jackson's vision with these movies. I plan to see this one again over the holidays.

Meanwhile, my friends are thrilling me by sending funny and appropriate graduation gifts. Tracy Benton made sure my new car is going to be properly customized by gifting me with a Tiki Air Freshener, which I am terrified to open in case it smells like coconut, and two Parking Space Goddesses to ensure good parking karma. I plan to install one of them this weekend.

Amelia sent the truly splendid figurine above, Scarecrow with his diploma, an incredibly apt and thoughtful gift. He now smiles intelligently at the room from the mantelpiece.

Steve Amaya sent me this true-to-life portrait as a touching tribute to my enormously inflated...brain. Nothin' says lovin' like some Photoshop retouchin'.

Work has been quiet, of course, but time doesn't drag by. I'm getting a few inquiries for next year's fares and packages, but mostly I'm trying to figure out where to stay in Poland. Yes, it's true, we really are going to Germany and Poland in May. After three years of doing genealogy research here and in Wisconsin John's finally ready to go to the Vaterland and look at the land his ancestors came from. Friedrich Wilhelm III, the King of Prussia, pissed off a bunch of his subjects in 1822 by deciding to merge the Lutheran and Reformed (Calvinist) churchs into one entity. Lots of Lutherans packed up and moved to Canada and the United States as a result, including John's relatives on both sides of his family. His people ended up in Wisconsin north of Milwaukee. They mostly came from what is now the very northwestern corner of Poland: Stettin, Kamien, and several smaller towns that no longer exist thanks to a couple of world wars. So that's where we're going for three or four nights. The rest of the time will be spent seeing Eastern and Southern Germany.

I just want you to know that the nicest hotel in Stettin (or rather Szczecin) is a Radisson. I got a room for 59 Euros a night. I can't decide if I'm pleased or frightened.

More big storms are moving in for the next few days. I'm looking forward to a nice five day vacation after tomorrow. We got a tree after the movie, and I'm going to decorate it Friday night while our favorite guest Alan Rosenthal looks on. I have one or two social plans, but mostly I'm going to Sim my officially enlarged brain out, eat fruitcake, teach myself to use the CD burner on my laptop, read some of my stash of new books, and listen to the rain on the windows.

Sounds like the perfect holiday to me.

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