Thing the first: Phin and I last night joined the ranks of the übergeeky, taking in a midnight showing of The Return of the King. Granted, we’re not nearly as obsessed as these guys, but I did feel like I should be wearing some sort of promotional swag (a satin jacket, perhaps? with the logo on the back? that would present an interesting fashion challenge). That said, and the presence of people in actual capes (!) at the movie theatre notwithstanding, I exhort each and every one of you to go and see it. It is excellent. The cinematography is stunning, the acting is consistently impressive, and the film on the whole manages to balance a certain heavy-handedness required of a huge epic story with a strong dose of humor and attention to the development of the individual characters. I’ve got to hand it to Peter Jackson for being the first director to really hold a trilogy of this scope together since… well, possibly ever. Now get a move on.
Thing the second: apologies in advance to those of you who are just getting used to the new site. I’m making some changes in the next few days. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Thing the third: encouragement sometimes comes from the most unexpected of sources. Normally, Fiction Bitch strikes terror into my very soul (link via Jeff), but catching up on her most recent decimations reviews – probably an ill-advised activity, since I’m experiencing a fairly serious bout of writer’s block – I found this nugget of wisdom: “Relax, and allow yourself to write whatever you want. Once you give yourself permission to not be clever, but to simply have fun with your writing, you regain your sense of play, and life returns to your writing. Try it; you may be surprised by the results.”. Best advice I’ve heard in a while. Thanks, lady.