Wow. That’s all. Just “Wow”.
The Professor’s three hour interview turned into a five hour interview yesterday. The poor man was absolutely beat by the time he got home. I (and he) take it as a good sign that they kept him longer rather than rushing him out of there. The mock lecture went well, with The Prof handling all the screw-ball and “dumb student” questions they could toss at him. In fact, the mock lecture ended up being nearly 50% longer than it was supposed to run because the math department kept throwing questions his way. I’ve got a really good feeling about this for him.
I notice that I got a $23/week raise. Not sure when that happened (I think last week) but I know it sure as heck wasn’t retroactive to March 3rd the way it was supposed to be. I’d grumble, but I really don’t care at this point. I’ve pretty much decided I’m just hanging onto this job until I’m vested, and then I’m moving on to *something*, though I don’t know what. APHIS was courting me a little bit last week, and I have to admit that a couple of the positions they have available right now sound really good. I’m not sure about being on the government payroll though. It isn’t as though I need to decide right now, though. I’m keeping my options open, and waiting to see what happens with The Prof’s interview.
Clueless Wonder is sick. He has bad diarrhea, and he refused last night’s dinner. He wouldn’t even bother getting up for this morning’s breakfast, although when I kicked him out of bed he ate a few kibbles before coming to rest again on the back of the love seat, where he can look out the window and sunbathe. It’s got to be dietary indiscretion – I notice that *someone* ate the leaves off a marigold that was in a planter I got for Mother’s Day (don’t ask). I’m pretty sure that marigolds aren’t on my toxic plants list though. I’ll have to check that later.
Gads. I hope he didn’t get into The Prof’s leftover Indian food. He’ll be sick for days.
OK. The Big News. Attack of the Clones. This is the non-spoiler version, though if you are a purist you might still want to skip it until you see it. My enthusiasm might be contagious, and taint your own observations. hint: hit “refresh” to start scroll over again.
George Lucas reached his apogee with “Empire Strikes Back”, which I suspect was far more serious than anyone really expected the next installment to be. He slid downhill a little with “Return of the Jedi”.
George didn’t hit rock bottom though until “The Phantom Menace”. After seeing TPM several times, I was afraid that the “Star Wars” that I fell in love with back in the seventies was gone.
It isn’t gone, and don’t let any reviewer tell you otherwise. No, “Attack of the Clones” isn’t “A New Hope” or “Empire Strikes Back”. George Lucas still had the element of surprise on his side back then. Back then his movies were breaking new ground, going where no starship had gone before. The special effects were like nothing ever seen, the scope of his movies rivalled the scope of some of Cecil B. DeMille’s flicks, and he had larger than life heroes and villians, just like the good old days.
What got lost in Phantom Menace is perhaps found again in “Attack of the Clones”. The characters speak larger than life, the plot is larger than life, the special effects perhaps fail to stun as they once did, but they’re still pretty damned impressive. There are a few plot holes, there are some unanswered questions, and there are, regretfully, a few scenes with Jar Jar (blessedly few). But this one has a deliciously lovely evil arising, with loyalties you’ll question, plot twists you don’t see coming, a couple of awesome fight scenes, and a final 45 minutes that justifies Yoda’s place at the head of the Jedi Council.
Yes, there were still fanboys outside the theater arguing about lightsaber colors, and I have to admit that the final five minutes came out of nowhere for me. But we sure as hell find out where Leia got her moxy from, where Luke gets his petulance from, and where Yoda gets his attitude from.
Anything further is going to have to wait until I see it another three or four times.