Torill's room

Jul. 1st, 2008

08:37 pm - Note to anyone who may stop by...

This blog is only kept to enable me to keep track of the posting of my friends, plus keep a private journal. If anyone wants to read what I write for public view these days, go here: http://www.torill-underthemagnoliatree.blogspot.com/

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May. 20th, 2006

10:38 am

Been reading various reports from the Cannes film festival lately. The Da Vinci Code was bombed by all the critics as I am sure you have all heard by now, hehe. You can't film something like that with a serious approach, it has to be done with a certain tounge in cheek or just for fun attitude - something like "the return of the Mummy"! That could have been fun. Pompous and self-important as it sounds like this film is, has to be disastrous! As I never read the book I suppose I will never see the film either..

At the 18th of May, "Paris, je t'aime" opened the "Un certain regard" section of the festival. This is a film made by 18 different directors, each contributing a 5 minutes long story set in a different arrondissement of Paris, where the theme is love in one form or the other. The directors are not unknowns - you have the Cohen brothers, Gus Van Sant, Wes Craven - and yes, Alfonso Cuaron. I still keep track of his work, yes, thank you very much! ;-)

The film has been well received by critics, but of course, the different contributions differ in quality - those critics who mention names do say Alfonso's part is all fine, though, a "delight" as one of them put it - yes, could have told you that...hehe. Wonder if I will ever get to see this film?

In a report from the press conference, Elijah Wood, who plays a part in one of the pieces, is quoted to have said that he hopes this film about Paris and love might serve to "boost morale" for the French after all the recent riots in Paris....... :cringes:

HOW stupid can you get??????!!!! I mean, would even the most airheaded of Beauty Queens say something this silly? When seing this wonderful film, the French should all forget their differences and issues and turn to each other and say, oh, but Paris is so beautiful so why should we bother about all these depressing things in the news, people marching in the streets and yelling against the government...thank you so much for reminding us! :pukes:

I am sure there are many different takes on the protests and fights over the law de Villespin tried to pass, meant to weaken the protection yong employees have on the work market - difficult and depressing issues I am sure - but - if I was a Parisian and read that statement of Mr. Wood's, I think I would have felt like digging up a cobblestone from the streets of Paris and throw at him at the next press conference or something.. or, perhaps, rather point at him and laugh.

If this is something to be taken seriously at, all that is... sometimes I just love to rant about and laugh at stupid people... ;-)

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May. 19th, 2006

03:00 pm

Yes, very lazy with the updates.. I haven't quite got the routine of this... but here is one:

First: I forgot Lilly's birthday!!!!!!!!!! It was the 15th, and for some stupid reason, I had it fixed in my head as the 24th of May instead. How idiotic is that, and I know Lilly cares about birthdays and I care about her so - I really deserve to be hanged from the nearest tree!!!!!!!!!!!
But I will get her a birthday present, and send it, even if it takes looong to reach Australia, but now it will be too late anyway, so that's no argument anymore: I know what to buy but will not tell you here, since she might come here, and I still want it to be a surprise...

Nothing earthshaking has happened in my life since the last update. Everything is quiet on the Torill front. It seems we WILL be able to make some progress in our online project - hooray!!! I am not giving up on that yet! And I am getting inspired start some physical training - who knows, one of these days I might even start!!!! I have also got a few things off my mind - dealing with a couple of things I had postponed so long it was getting ridiculous, but now I have made those phonecalls, and sent those mails, and all that - feels a lot better!!! Breathing more easily already!!!

What do you know, maybe I will even get down to write that GoF review one of these days!! You never know.....

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May. 1st, 2006

09:39 pm

Was down at our nearest lake Nøklevann for a short walk. At one place I found a fallen beech tree looking like the beavers had been there eating off it - but I don't think it's them. No sign of them anywhere else, and they should be awake now, and then there would have been lots of fresh timberfalls. They have definitely moved, and their old huts are deserted. Must have been elk or something----

The ice is almost gone. Almost. What a strange view it was, the remains of what was the ice that covered the whole of the lake like a white floor to walk on. Now it looks like slush at places, and where the water is open, you have these strange islands of ice remains floating - looking like debris or something transparent and black, like plastic hair swimming about - but when you throw stones at it, the stones bounce before they break the ice - and then all these tiny but thicker than you think ice flakes tingle and chime like so many strange bells in the water. Eerie. Especially in the gray evening light, and to the sound of ducks and other spring birds on and around the lake. How I love my forest, in all kinds of wheather and at all times of the year. I am so glad the ice hadn't broken entirely without me, and it wasn't all open water now, when the last time I saw it, it was all walkable. Oh, I would have hated that.

Was at my sister's yesterday, brought back a whole bunch of her old cd's to download, listening to them now - we don't share music taste in every thing, but she has some of these really old ones, I am all nostalgic now - Leonard Cohen, Dire Straits, Simon and Garfunkel, Tracy Chapman, Eurythmics, and some Sinead O'Connor - among others. Nice.

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12:52 pm

It's been a loong time since last time I was here, yes! Yuck what I depressing last entry...

I have had a good rest though, so being offline for this while has done me good, I had a nice peaceful Easter Holiday, I cut my hair very short (scary, it has been very long for a very long time!), and now I feel more like "back on track" than I have done in a long time. The online project thing of ours is still floating around in the doldrum, but I have brought Dagfinn in there too, and he is full of enthusiasm, once he overcamehis anxieties about English and posting online, something he hasn't done before - and I have talked to Heinrich on YIM, mailed Therese, will mail the rest of the people, plus have some thoughts and some ideas I mean to post in there. One way or the other, I am going to get that project off the road!!!!! Hah! And it is going to be great too!!!

Other than that, not much to report - spring is coming, no more snow, no green leaves yet, but definitely no more skiing this year. Oh well, I did it right, even if I got a sore back for some weeks. It is raining and is cold outside, but the evenings are so light and it smells like spring. This is going to be good. No matter how cold, later I am going to go down and see if the ice has broken on the lake. Yes, the year is very late because there was so much snow and cold in February. But now it is good... Yohoo!!!