Ficlet: The Fallacy of Loneliness
Aug. 19th, 2005 09:02 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lls_mutantWow.
I wrote a little ficlet last night called The Fallacy of Loneliness. Just a little, half-depressed bit about Sirius being at home during OotP and Remus coming home. I think the roots of it are pretty clear to anyone who reads my journal clearly. Hubby's in Sweden this week, which means I can't even talk to him on the phone because international cell calls are SO expensive. It was going to be a dark fic, and then right when I was done the first part, the doorbell rang. It turned out the be one of the women from the house I went to when I locked myself out. The lockout morning was the first time I'd ever met these people, and the woman who came over can only speak a very little English. But she came over and gave me a bag of homegrown tomatoes from their garden. How nice is that? I mean, really? When people do things like that- such a sweet and thoughtful gesture, even if it's a small one- how can you write dark fic? So the fic got a happy ending.
I'm surprised at the response, though, a bit. Pleasantly, but it was one of those that I just didn't put the work into or anything. It was nice- I've needed a smile. Between hubby being gone (he'll be back for a few hours on Saturday and that's it), and my last doctor's appointment (which actually was FINE in the scheme of things- the baby is fine and he's in the 50th percetile for weight, right where he should be, but I wasn't happy with the scale. Ick.), I really needed a nice little pick me up.
This weekend is going to be odd. Tonight I was going to go to the church musical, but it's sold out. Oops. Should have gotten my ticket earlier. I'm disappointed to miss it because so many of my kids do the musical each year, but there's not much I can do about it, sadly. (But they usually record it, so I can borrow the DVD from someone later.) It's Carousel anyway, which I don't really care for. But I would have liked to see the kids perform. Instead, I'm going to watch Keeping the Faith. It's one of my favorite movies and I've seen it like four or five times, but I want to write a review for it.
(Figure this will probably form a lot of my review, but hey. Honestly, I could write the review without watching it, but I need to get the stuff for the Quotes and Did You Notice sections, and besides, it's a great movie.)
I do remember seeing Keeping the Faith for the first time in theaters, and at first I was a little disapppointed. The trailers made it out to be a comedy, and it's not. It's a drama with funny elements to it. But once you're over that hurdle, it's such a good movie.
There's all sorts of stuff I can say about the plot and the acting that I'll save for the actual review, but what I really, really like in Keeping the Faith is how it explores both religion and interpersonal relationships. I like that people who are religious are portrayed as well, people here. Good people (which is often rare in Hollywood), but people. Not only the main characters of Jake and Brian (an excellent Ben Stiller and Edward Norton, by the way), but I like how they portrayed the older clergy as well. They could have made the older clergymen very one-note, and very hidebound and wrong. Especially since they were such bit parts. But what I loved was that they didn't.
So much of the theme of Keeping the Faith is about having faith not in God, but in other people. Jake and Brian both have an unshakeable faith in God, but they do have a hard time believing in people. And I like that the elder clergy in both their religions see that, and eventually demonstrate their own faith in the boys. The elder clergy guides them to make the decisions they need to make- but they don't pressure. (Well, Jake gets a little bit more, but there's a decent reason for that.) And how they relate to each other, and to Anna... it's all really so well done. And it's the kind of movie that leaves you with a smile on your face at the end.
The other thing I really like is how they deal with the Jake/Anna relationship. So often romantic relationships in movies are so formulaic. But even though Jake and Anna do the obligitory break-up midway through the movie, it's well done and believable. I mean, the break-up isn't over the "you LIED to me?" that most romantic comedies do, or something stupid. The problems that Jake and Anna face are problems couples actually face for real. Different religions, different priorities, and communication and commitment issues. The seeds for those problems are sown from the very beginning... but so are the seeds for their solutions. (spoiler here, but...) When Anna converts to Judaism, it's not a huge shock because we've already seen her frustrated with her life and feeling that her life is lacking SOMETHING. She calls it the "victory energy" at one point, and I think in that scene she's saying that she needs religion- not for Jake, or anything like that- but because SHE has these feelings and this is what's right for her. And while I'm sure her feelings for Jake might have contributed to it, I don't think that's at all the main reason why she does it.
Anyway, great flick. If you haven't seen it, do so. Besides, Edward Norton looks really, really cute in it.
Tomorrow I plan on cleaning all day, especially since my parents are coming next weekend. And I want hubby to actually come home to a clean house for once. (I'm a terrible housekeeper.) Sunday I've GOT to write. I have so much that's not done....
One final thing: to those of you who might someday want children. Do NOT tell any names you might be thinking of. You get so much freaking flack....
Okay. I like the name Toby- probably Tobias as a formal name, but we'll see. We've in no way decided on it, but I suspect that might be the baby's name. (It wouldn't surprise me if it's Tobias Joshua or Toby Joshua, because hubby really likes that combo, and if I can have Toby in any way, shape or form for the first name, I'm not going to put up too much of a fight on the middle. Besides, I love the name Joshua.) But man- they asked me at lunch the other day, and I told them we were thinking about Toby. Wow. What a reaction.
I didn't know it, but apparently Toby is a pretty offensive name to some people. I can understand it, to an extent. The guy who had the strongest reaction is black, and has watched the movie Roots several times. I've never seen Roots, but apparently there's a very powerful scene in it where a slave is being whipped and being forced to change his name from the African name he has to Toby. I've actually gotten this reaction from several people- and every single person who's had a violent recoil against the name Toby has been black and cited that scene in Roots. I guess it would be like naming your kid Damien after you've seen the Omen... or something even worse. I can't quite put my finger on it. But I can understand where they're coming from.
However. I have never seen Roots. I don't really want to. And my associations with Toby are: 1.) the guy I knew in college, who was a great guy, 2.) Toby Keith, the country singer, 3.) Tobey Maguire, Peter Parker himself, and 4.) Toby Zeigler, the Communications Director on West Wing. Four very, very different men, so I don't really think of it as an old man's name, or a kiddie name, or offensive. I like the name, and screw anyone who doesn't. It's not like we're naming our kid Adolf (or worse, Rudolph. Our last name is Hess.).
So when you have kids, don't tell people the names you're thinking. For some reason, they seem to think they have the right to argue. (Even my mother insists on telling me she hates the name. I asked her if she had a reason why (if she came up with something like it sounded bad with our last name or rhymed with something obscene, I'm all ears to those sorts of points), she said no. She just hates it. I told her tough, if we name the kid Toby, I'll bet you you LOVE the name by the end of a year, because your association with it will be with your grandson.) But world? BACK OFF. It's hard enough to get my husband to agree to a name, do you think I'm going to worry about anyone else???
Hope everyone has a great Friday!
I wrote a little ficlet last night called The Fallacy of Loneliness. Just a little, half-depressed bit about Sirius being at home during OotP and Remus coming home. I think the roots of it are pretty clear to anyone who reads my journal clearly. Hubby's in Sweden this week, which means I can't even talk to him on the phone because international cell calls are SO expensive. It was going to be a dark fic, and then right when I was done the first part, the doorbell rang. It turned out the be one of the women from the house I went to when I locked myself out. The lockout morning was the first time I'd ever met these people, and the woman who came over can only speak a very little English. But she came over and gave me a bag of homegrown tomatoes from their garden. How nice is that? I mean, really? When people do things like that- such a sweet and thoughtful gesture, even if it's a small one- how can you write dark fic? So the fic got a happy ending.
I'm surprised at the response, though, a bit. Pleasantly, but it was one of those that I just didn't put the work into or anything. It was nice- I've needed a smile. Between hubby being gone (he'll be back for a few hours on Saturday and that's it), and my last doctor's appointment (which actually was FINE in the scheme of things- the baby is fine and he's in the 50th percetile for weight, right where he should be, but I wasn't happy with the scale. Ick.), I really needed a nice little pick me up.
This weekend is going to be odd. Tonight I was going to go to the church musical, but it's sold out. Oops. Should have gotten my ticket earlier. I'm disappointed to miss it because so many of my kids do the musical each year, but there's not much I can do about it, sadly. (But they usually record it, so I can borrow the DVD from someone later.) It's Carousel anyway, which I don't really care for. But I would have liked to see the kids perform. Instead, I'm going to watch Keeping the Faith. It's one of my favorite movies and I've seen it like four or five times, but I want to write a review for it.
(Figure this will probably form a lot of my review, but hey. Honestly, I could write the review without watching it, but I need to get the stuff for the Quotes and Did You Notice sections, and besides, it's a great movie.)
I do remember seeing Keeping the Faith for the first time in theaters, and at first I was a little disapppointed. The trailers made it out to be a comedy, and it's not. It's a drama with funny elements to it. But once you're over that hurdle, it's such a good movie.
There's all sorts of stuff I can say about the plot and the acting that I'll save for the actual review, but what I really, really like in Keeping the Faith is how it explores both religion and interpersonal relationships. I like that people who are religious are portrayed as well, people here. Good people (which is often rare in Hollywood), but people. Not only the main characters of Jake and Brian (an excellent Ben Stiller and Edward Norton, by the way), but I like how they portrayed the older clergy as well. They could have made the older clergymen very one-note, and very hidebound and wrong. Especially since they were such bit parts. But what I loved was that they didn't.
So much of the theme of Keeping the Faith is about having faith not in God, but in other people. Jake and Brian both have an unshakeable faith in God, but they do have a hard time believing in people. And I like that the elder clergy in both their religions see that, and eventually demonstrate their own faith in the boys. The elder clergy guides them to make the decisions they need to make- but they don't pressure. (Well, Jake gets a little bit more, but there's a decent reason for that.) And how they relate to each other, and to Anna... it's all really so well done. And it's the kind of movie that leaves you with a smile on your face at the end.
The other thing I really like is how they deal with the Jake/Anna relationship. So often romantic relationships in movies are so formulaic. But even though Jake and Anna do the obligitory break-up midway through the movie, it's well done and believable. I mean, the break-up isn't over the "you LIED to me?" that most romantic comedies do, or something stupid. The problems that Jake and Anna face are problems couples actually face for real. Different religions, different priorities, and communication and commitment issues. The seeds for those problems are sown from the very beginning... but so are the seeds for their solutions. (spoiler here, but...) When Anna converts to Judaism, it's not a huge shock because we've already seen her frustrated with her life and feeling that her life is lacking SOMETHING. She calls it the "victory energy" at one point, and I think in that scene she's saying that she needs religion- not for Jake, or anything like that- but because SHE has these feelings and this is what's right for her. And while I'm sure her feelings for Jake might have contributed to it, I don't think that's at all the main reason why she does it.
Anyway, great flick. If you haven't seen it, do so. Besides, Edward Norton looks really, really cute in it.
Tomorrow I plan on cleaning all day, especially since my parents are coming next weekend. And I want hubby to actually come home to a clean house for once. (I'm a terrible housekeeper.) Sunday I've GOT to write. I have so much that's not done....
One final thing: to those of you who might someday want children. Do NOT tell any names you might be thinking of. You get so much freaking flack....
Okay. I like the name Toby- probably Tobias as a formal name, but we'll see. We've in no way decided on it, but I suspect that might be the baby's name. (It wouldn't surprise me if it's Tobias Joshua or Toby Joshua, because hubby really likes that combo, and if I can have Toby in any way, shape or form for the first name, I'm not going to put up too much of a fight on the middle. Besides, I love the name Joshua.) But man- they asked me at lunch the other day, and I told them we were thinking about Toby. Wow. What a reaction.
I didn't know it, but apparently Toby is a pretty offensive name to some people. I can understand it, to an extent. The guy who had the strongest reaction is black, and has watched the movie Roots several times. I've never seen Roots, but apparently there's a very powerful scene in it where a slave is being whipped and being forced to change his name from the African name he has to Toby. I've actually gotten this reaction from several people- and every single person who's had a violent recoil against the name Toby has been black and cited that scene in Roots. I guess it would be like naming your kid Damien after you've seen the Omen... or something even worse. I can't quite put my finger on it. But I can understand where they're coming from.
However. I have never seen Roots. I don't really want to. And my associations with Toby are: 1.) the guy I knew in college, who was a great guy, 2.) Toby Keith, the country singer, 3.) Tobey Maguire, Peter Parker himself, and 4.) Toby Zeigler, the Communications Director on West Wing. Four very, very different men, so I don't really think of it as an old man's name, or a kiddie name, or offensive. I like the name, and screw anyone who doesn't. It's not like we're naming our kid Adolf (or worse, Rudolph. Our last name is Hess.).
So when you have kids, don't tell people the names you're thinking. For some reason, they seem to think they have the right to argue. (Even my mother insists on telling me she hates the name. I asked her if she had a reason why (if she came up with something like it sounded bad with our last name or rhymed with something obscene, I'm all ears to those sorts of points), she said no. She just hates it. I told her tough, if we name the kid Toby, I'll bet you you LOVE the name by the end of a year, because your association with it will be with your grandson.) But world? BACK OFF. It's hard enough to get my husband to agree to a name, do you think I'm going to worry about anyone else???
Hope everyone has a great Friday!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-08-19 06:17 pm (UTC)Heh. Our kid has two Ph.D. fuel scientist parents, who both love reading, fantasy (although hubby tends towards seriel killer novels and other more mainstream stuff), were both in the marching band, and did "geek sports". He will probably be taught to play with boffer weapons at a young age as well- as soon as I believe he's ready for it. And TV? Good luck, kid. He can watch Sesame Street, select videos, and anything on the History or Discovery channel that we think is age appropriate. He will be fully encouraged at all times to just be himself- if he likes what's in style and popular, great. If he doesn't, that's perfectly acceptable too. But he will also likely be very, vrey short. I am 5'4", and the tallest woman in my family. Hubby's 5'7", and not short for his family (the tallest men are his brothers who are 5'9"). Anyone putting dreams of basketball in my son's head had better think again ;) But yeah- with parents like us, geekdom is inevitable!
And that's really cool that your grandpa would have liked your chem. My grandfather was similar- he wanted three doctors (any sort of doctors) in the family. He was okay with them marrying in (since he only had 7 grandkids). Wouldn't you know he got it?
no subject
Date: 2005-08-19 07:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-19 07:50 pm (UTC)Boffer weaposn are AWESOME. They're light PVC piping that you cut to the length you want- broadsword, short sword, staff, whatever. Then you put foam pipe insulation around the "blade" or whatever is going to hit the other person. Add on a guard (also fashioned from the foam), and then wrap the entire blade in duct tape. Hilts usually are wrapped in electrical tape. They're sort of like Nerf weapons. SO much fun. We played with them all the time in college. But with kids, they have to be old enough to understand when you can use them and how hard you can hit with them, so they do have to be kind of old.
I got a lot of books, too. My mom's a teacher, and she really emphasized reading. Only problem with me was I was TOO much of a bookworm! I'm the only kid I know whose parents told her to stop reading and come watch TV with the rest of the family. (Usually, the compromise was I could read as the family watched TV as long as I was in the same room.) Hubby also was a big reader, especially since his family was not very well off and libraries are good things. He actually couldn't afford to see the Star Wars movies, so he read the novelizations and then pretended that he had seen them. And both of us are still huge readers- and my mom already gave our baby two books :) (Goodnight Moon and... I forget the other one. But a classic baby book.)
And thanks- I really hope we will be!