It's almost summer...

[dwgm]

Various points, in no particular order...

1. The Annual Secret Pals Revealed Breakfast and The Retirement Dinner, both of which are my responsibility to coordinate (although I am not sure it's in my job description...) are now over and done, and very successfully, I might add. *breathes a deep sigh of relief*

2. Daughter, weemonkey6 went to see the new Batman movie last night (she liked it), and said she saw this, the trailer for 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'. Now, I ask you: does that man appear to have any relation to Captain Jack Sparrow? The movie looks weird and very entertaining. How I adore Tim Burton's strange visions. And all the varied and wonderful iterations of Johnny Depp.

3. Speaking of Tim Burton, FINALLY watched 'The Nightmare Before Christmas', and it was far better than I had been led to believe or had hoped. Oh, the cleverness!

4. Yes, there were several earthquakes this week (or over the last couple) that made the national news. I felt only one of them, and that because I was sitting very very still at my desk, working on the computer. Only one other person, out of the twenty or so in the office, felt it, besides me. Which is usually the case, with earthquakes -- we have dozens, maybe hundreds every week, but only rarely are they strong enough to notice.

*knocks on wood*

5. After seeing all the posts mentioning 'tags' and hearing from both dressagespirit and hereswith that their LJ themes had randomly disappeared or had been altered, I started fooling with S2 themes and came up with (I think) rather a pretty one, utilizing oiseaurobyn's beautiful picture of the coast down by San Diego (near Scripps) at sunset. Hope she doesn't mind me using it. *turns inquiring eye on oiseaurobyn*

6. Have been trying, without success, to write a drabble on this week's theme at Black Pearl Sails: 'Drink(s)'. However, in googling about for inspiring information to nudge the plot bunnies into action, I came across this interesting site on Pusser's Rum, which was the official rum issued to members of the Royal Navy until "Black Tot Day", July 31, 1970. Here are the traditional naval toasts-of-the-day (given by the youngest midshipman after a salute to the reigning monarch):

Monday: Our ships at sea.
Tuesday: Our men.
Wednesday: Ourselves.
Thursday: A bloody war and quick promotion.
Friday: A willing soul and sea room.
Saturday: Sweethearts and wives, may they never meet.
Sunday: Absent friends and those at sea.

And now, I believe I'll go 'splice the mainbrace', while I have a swim.

Comments

[erinya.livejournal.com]

I'm amused by Saturday's toast.

As for Willy Wonka...I so cannot wait. It's clear from watching the trailer that Johnny is having a great time being tremendously weird, as usual. Depp and Burton, there's no going wrong there...

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

I'm amused by Saturday's toast.

Oh, that nautical British humor!

Re: Depp and Burton -- they certainly seem to be on the same wavelength. Highly entertaining.

[lj_stowaway]

on #1: holy crap! No wonder you've been playing least-in-sight lately! You must be sooooo relieved to have that off your plate.

on #6: thanks for the link and the toasts crack me up!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

That Retirement Dinner in particular was keeping me up nights, I'll tell you. Maybe if I did that sort of big event more often I'd be calmer about it.

[cacopheny.livejournal.com]

Just so you know, yer new journal is *really* hard to read o.o I keep my text on "smaller", and it makes your lj impossible to read XD

But! I love you for giving me that link :D :: saw the trailer for another movie XD :: Ennit cooooool? ^^

I can't believe you've never seen Nightmare Before Christmas XD Well, now you have, and all is right with the world ^^

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

I changed the layout. Is it any better, now?

[cacopheny.livejournal.com]

Now it's got no layout at all... XD Just the normal. The clouds were pretty-- the text was just too small! :: laughs :: Not like I couldn't change the text size when I wanted to view your lj directly, or anything ^^

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

I decided not to have the theme on the comments page, so you wouldn't see it here. I changed the layout, but it's only visible on the journal itself, not on comments. Still has the pretty clouds, though.

[porridgebird.livejournal.com]

'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'. Now, I ask you: does that man appear to have any relation to Captain Jack Sparrow?

I am too cowardly to watch the trailer! The whole thing frightens me!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

He does look a leeeeetle scary...

[cacopheny.livejournal.com]

But he doesn't *act* scary. He acts... just wierd, and a little stupid, at times XD

[shyaway.livejournal.com]

Co-ordinating events like that is such a lot of work. Congratulations on their success!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is looking scarier and scarier. o_O I'm looking forward to it very much. Tim Burton is completely in tune with Roald Dahl's mind - I loved his James and the Giant Peach - and Depp and Burton is always a brilliant combination. If there are echoes of any other of Depp's characters in Willy Wonka, it's probably Ed Wood and Sands...

You Californians' stoicism in the face of earthquakes amazes me. We had a 4.8 one a few years ago and people panicked!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the congrats. It's fun planning these things, but a bit nerve-wracking, especially the retirement dinner, the culminating event of six people's careers.

Note to self: See James and the Giant Peach.

Re: earthquakes -- A 4.8 is nothing to sneeze at, if it's right near you. Doesn't do much damage, but it's very startling, to say the least. And some people do panic here -- if it had been any stronger last Wednesday, we would have had terrified parents calling the school. We were all particularly on edge for a couple of years after the '94 quake, which was really scary, and did a lot of damage.

[elessil.livejournal.com]

Huzzah for the Master&Commander toast!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Yes, of course O'Brien would have got it right. ;)

[hereswith.livejournal.com]

3. You hadn't seen it? Oh, I really like that movie, and it will be very interesting to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, though I'm not sure when it premieres over here.

5. So mine was not the only one behaving oddly, then, that's good to know... Nice new layout :-)

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

5. No, I expect it had something to do with the new tags thing. Glad you like the layout! Hope it's easy enough to read--I had a different one, and someone was saying it was difficult, so I spent a lot of time tweaking it last night.

[hereswith.livejournal.com]

It looks fine now, I can read it easily enough, at least :-)

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

I decided to override the theme on the comments page, 'cause this one is just easier to read. I like it on the journal, though.

[tiggothy.livejournal.com]

Cheers for the link, I hadn't seen that trailer...

but...

It's chocolate not candy! Grrrrrrrr! I thought he was sticking to the book *sulks*

;-)

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

I haven't read the book, so that's a moot point for me. It looks like an interesting movie, though.

[tiggothy.livejournal.com]

Well, it's years since I read the book, but my random irritation stems more from the fact that chocolate & sweeties (candy) are two distinctive food groups (the main food groups being: meat, cheese, chocolate, sweeties and alcohol)

;-)

Don't mind me, I'm just going mad...

[jackfan2.livejournal.com]

Now, I ask you: does that man appear to have any relation to Captain Jack Sparrow? The movie looks weird and very entertaining. How I adore Tim Burton's strange visions. And all the varied and wonderful iterations of Johnny Depp.

Wonka, from what I've seen, seems to be a cross between Jack Sparrow and Ed Wood! LOL... I'm really amped about CatCF though. Can't WAIT for July 15th. I'm going to have to see that one a couple of three or five times, I'm sure.

I grew up on the Gene Wilder version, as I'm fairly certain you did too. Have you heard all the smack-talk that Wilder has been saying in the press about Burton's remake? Wilder's been saying some dreadful things and wouldn't you know, Wilder's got a book out that he's on a promotional tour with. Seems like a horrible media stunt for him and he's just slipped several notches in my book for all this garbage.

OOh, this toast: Sweethearts and wives, may they never meet.
I just finished re-watching Master and Commander and that toast is one that Aubrey makes during dinner. A WONDERFUL sea-faring movie, that.

I'm eager for Peter Weir to do another of Jack Aubrey's adventures, same cast, I hope. I adore Paul Bettany and, I'm one of the few that will admit that I love Russell Crowe. He may have a horrible temper, but I just adore his acting. I want to see Cinderella Man soon.

I seem to remember there was supposed to be another two or three movies- a series, if you will, seeing as the books are several by O'Brian.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry to hear about Gene Wilder's comments. I hate that sort of thing.

Master and Commander was a great movie. I'm not fond of Russell Crowe myself, but I did think he made a great Aubrey, and I liked Paul Bettany very much as Matarin (is that the name?). I'm just now reading Master and Commander, but in this case, the movie stands on it's own merits. It would be great if they'd do another one, but I remember them saying what a trial it was to do the first--just like with PotC, the difficulties of filming on the ocean are very taxing.

[jackfan2.livejournal.com]

Ah, that's too bad. Given the logistics, the elements, unpredictability, I'm sure doing another on that scale probably will be unlikely.

With PotC they had some leeway in using special effects for the supernatural and doing shots on land. M&C was nearly all done at sea and location. Nothing was digitally created, as in PotC.

If they ever do get the nerve to do another, it'll probably be too far off into the future where there will be a different director, actors and all. I'm betting that if the first movie had garnered more Oscar attention, they'd've done another without as much hesitation.

Ah well.. at least we have PotC 2 coming out July of NEXT YEAR!! WHOOOOOOT!

[jackfan2.livejournal.com]

Oh, had to share this website with you:
http://www.victorianweb.org/history/zola1.html
Lots of good info on Victorian England and some toasts that were made. There are quite a few and they are categorized. Really cool.

Thought you were looking for something along these lines, though I know you're finished with your drabble to the subject of 'Drinks' I thought you'd still appreciate this site. I've only begun exploring its possibilities.

Cheers!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

That's a great site, Julie! Thank you so much for pointing it out. I'll bookmark it for future reference.

[hendercats.livejournal.com]

(okay, so I'm waaaaay behind)

1. Congrats on both events going so well!

2. Thank you for posting the trailer link (did you hear me squealing as I watched it the first time?)! Daughter (16) and I had gone to the Traveling Pants movie ('twas good) over the weekend and were disappointed that there was no CATCF trailer preceding it. Guess I could have looked for a link at IMDB, but sometimes the obvious completely eludes me....

does that man appear to have any relation to Captain Jack Sparrow?
Not one whit. As well it should be ... and therein lies the genius that is Johnny Depp. Did you notice what appears to be a nod to Edward Scissorhands? I am so looking forward to this movie *bounce, bounce* - looks like it will be weird and wild and perfect. And yes, I too saw the Gene Wilder version many times (always found that Charlie rather annoying), but really, who better to present Roald Dahl than Tim Burton?

4. Thought of you when I heard about the earthquakes (but realized I didn't really know where you were in relation...). Very glad to hear they did not cause undue problems for you.

6. Loved the toasts, especially Saturday's.

p.s. Happy summer!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

who better to present Roald Dahl than Tim Burton?

Yes! It's the perfect combination. Burton is so brilliantly weird. As is Depp, too, of course.

[xzombiexkittenx.livejournal.com]

Oh comecome now. Nightmare before...has been kicking about for nearly eleven years now. I used to sing it as a child. It's DISNEY! Burton and DISNEY! I hate all the hype that came out around it's 10th anniversary release and all the commencing sp00ky kidz who have stolen my childhood and turned it into a franchise, but props to the movie because goodgoddamn. It's a work of genius. I still can't believe you've only seen it now! Yay for getting in on the TB stop animation groooooove.

And I can't wait until CatCF come out in Il *dances*

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

I know: so very remiss of me. But now I actually OWN a copy--my Disneyland castmember niece gave it to me for my birthday. I already knew many of the songs (they are on the Disney Classics CD's, which I keep in my car), and I'd seen the artwork and knew some of the characters from the wonderful display at Disneyland--they decorate the Haunted Mansion with a 'Nightmare' theme during the holidays, and there's a contest among the Disney chefs to come up with new and wonderful 'Nightmare' themed dishes that they serve in the French Market -- very clever and delicious stuff!

I'm with you on CatCF! I'll be there on opening night. :)