Pseduo-Christmas 2007 Pictures!

Gleetings Fellow Dukes and Duchesses!

As you may known, I have uploaded the pictures of this year's Pseduo Christmas celebration on to Facebook! And the photos are glorious indeed!

Here are a selection of some of my favourite pictures! If you want access to the album, email me or look on Facebook! And to the rest of you who took pictures, I can't wait to see the photos that you took!

~!Rubin

"Alternative Cinema" Marathon: Final Details

In case someone checks here...

Rubin should have given most people a call, because he'll be picking up most to head to my place. If you weren't part of the carpool, hopefully you get my e-mail, message, something.

The guess I was offering later tonight stands: 10 am arrival time.

My spreadsheet of preferences / votes has been finalized; your rankings, from the film you wanted to watch the most to least, got 5 points, decreasing by 1 until your last choice equaled 1 point. They were summed, and the resulting values have determined the play order of the movies, with the highest number getting 1st showing, and progressing down from there.

If you're curious, here's the play order:

OSAMA
CHILDREN OF HEAVEN
THE BUBBLE
BROKEN WINGS
LATE MARRIAGE

For interest's sake, here's the order if I don't include Desu's preferences (I was debating about this, because she'll only be present for the first film):

THE BUBBLE
OSAMA
CHILDREN OF HEAVEN
BROKEN WINGS
LATE MARRIAGE

In the end, I included it because it wasn't earth-shattering--the top 3 movies got enough points to remain in the top 3 despite Desu's votes, changing only the order. That, and also because her first choice was OSAMA, and since she'll only be here for 1 movie, I didn't think she should watch THE BUBBLE. The rest of you will still get to see these top 3 (or more or less as you prefer / arrive) anyway, and these were by far the most sought films in the poll. So I think everyone wins!

Here's to hoping they don't disappoint. I'm looking forward to it! :)

"Alternative Cinema" Marathon #2: The Middle East!

All--IF THIS IS TO HAPPEN, I WILL NEED YOUR COOPERATION ASAP!! The projected date is VERY SOON! So please read the post--ALL OF IT!

Alright...these past few days, I have been watching movies galore! Thanks in large part to Boxing Day and my endless love of foreign / independent / small films, I've been kept quite busy. I've really taken the opportunity of no school to catch up on everything I've ever wanted to watch--an ongoing list that gets constantly updated as I continually dig and search for more.

THE PLAN:
DECEMBER 30th (for owscorpio--come!!)
There's a set of movies chosen out, of which we'd probably watch 2-3 (unless people seriously want to go for ALL 5!!). YOU will notify ME of your preferences, INCLUDING the amount you wouldn't mind watching (1-5), BY E-MAIL. This is for privacy's sake. Not to single anyone out, but some people have strong opinions about films (okay, okay, it's you, OB!), so I don't want it done in the comments. I don't expect a flame war at all to erupt amongst you, but we'll probably all silently judge. ;) ("She wants to watch the kid's film??" or something--yes, one of them, to my understanding, is probably like rated G).

You aren't required to be here for all of them. Judging by how many we'd watch, I'd set a start time for the event, and schedule the movies accordingly to your private votes. You can trust in my total neutrality, because regardless of what happens or even if this event runs, I'll be watching each film anyway. I just thought, "Why not let friends join me?" :D

Come for the whole thing, or come when you want. :) Maybe this is too loose to work, but we'll see.

IF IT'S A LONG EVENT, I HOPE FOR FOOD HELP, PLEASE (POTLUCK)!

DETAILS:
The last big movie thing at my place centered around Oscar Nominees. Well, I've come to think that that's too limiting--I've since seen plenty of great other films not given much or any recognition at all. On a dining out today with family, I used some of the time to come up with a new batch of films I'd like to watch, because yes, I've run through those at my disposal already, new or otherwise.

It just so happened that two I recalled I've really wanted to watch came from the Middle East--"Broken Wings" (Israel) and "Osama" (Afghanistan). So, I decided to just use it as a theme. With the help of IMDB's movies by ratings and countries list (my greatest weapon in finding reputable alternative cinema), I've secured 3 other films. All are within the top 20 most-rated-by-users movies of their respective nations (filtering out what I've already seen and the bad, of course--for example, quite a lot could have rated movie A, but if its score was below 7, it was cut). Choices were also influenced by availability at rental places.

THE MOVIES:
Here are the five candidates...

BROKEN WINGS............(Israel)
CHILDREN OF HEAVEN....(Iran)
LATE MARRIAGE...........(Israel)
OSAMA.....................(Afghanistan/Iran) NOT about Mr. bin Laden!
THE BUBBLE..............(Israel)

Why so many Israeli or Iranian films? Because they are hands-down the most stable and able to produce films, with a more or less "modern" industry (moreso Israel). No intention of excluding or particularly picking some nations, just the way things are.

SOME of these films appear to be centered on issues, rather than just drama / comedy / whatever. That may either be a turn on or turn off for you, so here are my impressions (it's a split): OSAMA is definitely issues-heavy. THE BUBBLE seems moderately concerned with issues (one singular review I heard called it romantic comedy, which is throwing me for a loop, even when most don't, so I dunno). LATE MARRIAGE is on the fence--I don't know how much they explore tradition and arranged marriages, or whether it's just a setup. The remaining appear more about the drama (BROKEN WINGS) or the comedy / drama (CHILDREN OF HEAVEN).

If it matters to you, CHILDREN OF HEAVEN would likely be the G-rated movie. For all else, be aware that there may be sex, violence, and nudity. We'll see to what extent, won't we?

Now...SEND ME YOUR E-MAILS ASAP! Hope this works out! :) Or if you need it, here are some brief plot synopses for the movies. I DO NOT know how reputable these are:

BROKEN WINGS
"Broken Wings" is a poignant, slice-of-life drama about an Israeli family's coming to terms with the death of their father nine months earlier. The widow, Dafna, is a 43 year-old mother of four who works endless hours as a midwife at the local hospital, both to earn money to support her family as well as to avoid having to face the reality of the tragic loss she has suffered. For while she is a loving, devoted mother, she seems unable to provide the guidance and solace her children need in this time of incomprehensible grief and suffering. Thus, the children are left to cope more or less on their own as best they can - and this on top of all the problems young people face just doing the ordinary, day-to-day business of growing up.

CHILDREN OF HEAVEN
The Children Of Heaven follows the relationship between an impoverished brother and sister, Ali and Zahra, who are thrust into a difficult circumstance all revolving around a pair of sneakers. How they choose to solve their problem themselves, without telling their parents, is what makes the story so heart-warming and unique. What follows is a tender, moving tale of compassion, determination, and deep family love.

LATE MARRIAGE
Zaza is a 31-year old Israeli bachelor, handsome and intelligent, and his family wants to see him married. But tradition dictates that Zaza has to choose a young virgin. She must be beautiful and from a good family, preferably rich. Zaza's parents, Yasha and Lily drag Zaza to meet potential brides and their families. Zaza has no choice. He plays along with his family, advocates of the suffocating traditions of their Georgian Jewish heritage. But Zaza always manages to somehow get out of being engaged. What his parents don't know is that Zaza is already in love. Judith is sensuous, strong and intriguing. She's also a divorcée with a 6-year-old daughter. So Zaza has kept Judith a secret from his family. He will have to choose between respect of the strict confines of family and tradition, or the love of his life.

OSAMA
A 12-year-old Afghan girl and her mother lose their jobs when the Taliban closes the hospital where they work. The Taliban have also forbidden women to leave their houses without a male "legal companion." With her husband and brother dead, killed in battle, there is no one left to support the family. Without being able to leave the house, the mother is left with nowhere to turn. Feeling that she has no other choice, she disguises her daughter as a boy. Now called 'Osama,' the girl embarks on a terrifying and confusing journey as she tries to keep the Taliban from finding out her true identity. Inspired by a true story, Osama is the first entirely Afghan film shot since the fall of the Taliban.

THE BUBBLE
The movie follows a group of young friends in the city of Tel Aviv and is as much a love song to the city as it is an exploration of the claim that people in Tel Aviv are isolated from the rest of the country and the turmoil it's going through. The movie looks at young people's lives in Tel Aviv through the POVs of gays and straights, Jews and Arabs, men and women. It all begins when Noam, a young Israeli soldier, serves in the reserve forces and meets at a check point a Palestinian young man called Ashraf. Following an incident during which Noam misplaces his ID card at the check point, Ashraf shows up on the doorstep of the apartment that Noam shares with a gay man and a straight woman. How will the meeting affect all of their lives?

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

To my dearest Dukes and Duchesses, gods and goddesses, Merry Christmas to you on this wonerful day in the month of Emilium, the tenth (and last) month of the Mutualese calendar!

May this day be filled with much joy and celebration with family and friends, and may you find much harmony at this wonderful time of year.

May the great Mutualese gods and goddesses bless you and may the noble servant deities guide you!

Merry Christmas!

~!Rubin

Best gift EVAR! XD

First off, a hearty THANK YOU to Desu for hosting--this was a relatively hassle-free PC, and I must say that I thought it was a great success! Your place allowed for lots of space, comfort, and animals galore! Definitely exceeded all my expectations! :D

Now, to the topic of the post...I really must commend Twill and Nyx for the story--what a fantastic surprise!! I was honestly super excited to start reading it, and that's exactly what I did as soon as I got home! Bar none, I think this is the most creative, thoughtful, and just plain cool gift I've ever received! :)

The writing's hilarious, and I think you've got some very good observations and mannerisms for each of our characters! There were so many brilliant, little moments, tiny snatches of detail that really got a reaction from me (usually a hearty lol). Let me list a few, for my enthusiasm's sake:

-what a bystander would've done in a typical action hero to assist a hero, but no, I don't know that because I "prefer alternative cinema"
-the audience at Scorpio's performance--men with monocles!
-all of Rubin's sections--the Cups thing was ridiculously funny, and the random organic chemistry!
-OB clinging, starving, and exclaiming, "Spray away!" with the perfume called "Come Hither" (can't think of a better perfume title to relate to her)
-Desu's comments when she's experimenting with the origami were great, and little peaks into her family's dynamics were wonderful (the hoarding books, for example--that is so like most parents!)
-Nyx thinking of mauling a nature photographer!
-Starwing being the supernatural one--totally the one most tuned in with the mystical!
-Melody's characterization was spot on (especially the "Just kidding!")
-Kris's very random encounter and story with the rolling dude--so random and borderline absurd, perfect!
-Twill's gushing enthusiasm for superheroes, and Greek things!
-Cross's weird habits--checking in on her salad was genius!

And as a note--NO, I didn't know a lot of people in high school!! :P But yes, random people do comment on my name, haha.

Twill, I hope it wasn't modesty that prevented you from having your own glorious origins section! I was really looking forward to when you develop / discover your own powers, especially as the primary writer of the story! I'm glad Bei got fantastic segments, as co-creator and helper. :)

Can't say enough great things about this. Thanks for the laugh--it was all very heartwarming!

Tentatively, I am announcing--

that I'm able to drive to Desu's for PC.

The plan currently is that I'd be picking up Twill and Starwing.

Hopefully people will all be picked up by about 10:30 am. Then we head to Desu's!

I'd like one or both of my passengers to help look out for the landmarks and such as Desu provided, as soon as we take Crowchild North out of the city, to ensure we don't lose our way. This means that within the car, one copy of the directions and map would be fantastic! :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For the sake of simplicity, I (Rubin) am also taking this opportunity to announce that I will be picking up Scorpio, Obsidian and Nyx.

Hopefully I will have picked everyone up by 10:45AM and then we'll on our merry way to Duchess Nire's house on Hylia-Upon-the-Lake!

To people riding in my car: I already have maps and a copy of the directions, so just leave everything to me, buckle up, help me look for landmarks and not distract me.

See you Saturday morning!

~!Rubin

Yeah I'm busting loose, I'm letting go / Out on this open road

It's Independence Day out on this lost highway...

Hey hey!

So, since we seem to have a date picked out (the 22nd), I'm wondering if there are any ideas on time of day or who can or can't do the drive. The weather seems pretty good, and with any luck it'll stay clear through the weekend. Positive thinking ahoy!

Anyhow, thought I'd get something up for discussion :)

Alright, so. We can do the 21st, which is open all day, or we can do the 22nd, in which case, people would need to leave by 6:30-7 PM.

Directions to my house:
-Head out of the city on Crowchild-- that's west. Or North, according to the signs, but it's really west.

-Pass Crowfoot, pass Stoney Trail, all the way out of the city. Another few roads you'll pass for landmark's sake are 12 Mile Coulee Road, and Bearspaw Road. When you pass the Bearspaw Gas station (on the left) start looking out for Lochend Rd

-Turn right onto Lochend Rd, also known as secondary HWY 766

-it's about 9 KM down the road to the next turn. The best landmark is a huge valley. After the valley it's the first left onto Glendale Road.

-It's a typical winding country road; you go up the hill, and then you go back down on the other side, and from there, turn left onto TWP 264. Mine is the white house with brown trim right ahead.

Happy Birthday !!!!!!!!

Okay, this is actually 1 date late for our Russian Queen, but it's on time for Starwing girl. At least that's what I'm going to call her. Happy 20th Birthday you guys. My sad unsuccessful attempts to call you guys failed miserably. Miserably miserably. And I left a pretty message on your phone, but after I finished, I remembered that you can't even access your voicemail because you lost the password. Oh woe. And then I remembered you guys don't even check this blog. But I just felt like putting it out there. T-4 days of doom.