I saw the last Star Wars movie tonight. If I had to vote I’d say it was the best of the prequels, but still couldn’t compare with the originals (the sequels)…except maybe for the last 5 minutes. When Anakin donned Vader’s helmet for the first time…WOW. I caught my breath and relived 1977. I was 5 when the first movie came out and I’ve been a Star Wars junkie ever since. Yes, I was a member of the fan club. Yes, I owned all the action figures. Yes, I owned all the vehicles and planets. Yes, I was adept with my plastic light saber. Yes, I wanted to be a Jedi. Yes, in reverse sentences started to speak I did (a la Yoda for those of you who live under a rock).
You know the best thing about a movie like this? The audience. There are so many crazy, obsessed, spirited fans out there. I love being in a theater full of people who are so excited about the experience that they burst into spontaneous applause throughout the movie. I love that people came dressed as their favorite characters (I didn’t go quite that far) and had light saber fights while waiting on line to get a ticket or seat. I love that people actually camped out for DAYS before the opening of the movie to ensure they would be at the very first showing. I have a friend who actually flew out to California to see the movie with a buddy of his with whom he’s seen all of the movies on opening day. You don’t find that kind of passion for movies these days. The last one I can think of was Lord of the Rings. And even that was different. Rings had a literary following long before the movies came out. People were uber-passionate about Middle-Earth and all the great characters therein. It was almost a spiritual experience to watch those moves with a theater full of Tolkein enthusiasts.
So, yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve updated…and really I’ve no excuse but sheer procrastination. It gets worse with time. The longer I go without updating the more overwhelmed I feel when I contemplate doing it. Vicious cycle, eh? Anyway, so a quick update: Joe and I sold our house and bought a new place about 45 minutes south of the city. The process of buying, while anxiety-ridden, was at least fun. The process of selling…not so much. Fortunately our Realtor and friend Robbie L. held our hand through it all, and dealt with my neuroses in good humor. You rock, Robbie!
We moved into the new place about a month ago. Believe it or not I’m still mentally unprepared to talk about the agony that was moving. Suffice to say we sold our old place to a nut job who had me contemplating death (mine and hers!) until the last nail-biting second when she DIDN’T SHOW UP FOR THE CLOSING. Shoot me now! Obviously it all worked out, but that chick did nothing for my mental health over the course of two months.