More movies

Other Kenjari and I also rented a couple of movies this weekend.

V for Vendetta
Admittedly, it's been quite a while since I read the comic, but I thought the movie did a decent job of staying faithful to the themes and feel of the book, even if there were some departures in the story and such. Hugo Weaving is terrific - he does more with gesture, body language, and his voice than some actors do with their entire faces. And Natalie Portman is pretty good, too. She can actually act when given a decent script and good lines.

The Transporter
Fluffy as all hell, but not bad for brainless action. Jason Statham certainly has the charisma and screen presence to be a compelling action hero. Plus, he removes his shirt several times during the movie (what, you thought I was watching this for the plot or the acting?).

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I've got lots of good things going on, but I'm still feeling edgy and a little down. I think it's the change towards winter. Colder temperatures and lack of light tend to have a negative effect on my mood. Plus, there's the stress and tension of putting together another round of grad school applications. On the one hand, I've had so much practice at this that it's really not that hard to do anymore. On the other hand, I've done this so many times to no avail that it's hard to be enthusiastic or motivated about the process. At least I've got lots of stuff going on musically.
Last night I finally took Bryan and Susie out to dinner as a thank you for all their work on getting my trio recorded last year. We had a delicious meal at The Blue Room in Kendall Square - fabulous food and very good service. It was a very relaxing and fun evening; not only are Bryan and Susie great musicians to work with, I also really enjoy their company in the purely social sense. In fact, Bryan is interested in working with me some more. I gave him a copy of my string quartet "Burning the Harvest" today, and he wants to get a group together to record it. Plus, he's currently working with a ch'in player and suggested that I write something for them. I love the ch'in and this would be the first time I've ever composed for a non-Western instrument, so it's a very exciting idea.
And of course, there's my work with pantsie. The songs I'm writing for her are coming along nicely, if not as quickly as I would like. For some reaon, I find it so much easier to write the vocal part than to write the piano accompaniment when I compose songs. And I'm feeling a lot of pressure, because we will need time to learn the songs. But I can't force the process too much, or the results won't be good. And I still have to work on the Duke application. And go to work, and attend to several other things.
So yeah, I've got some stress. So I scheduled a massage for next Tuesday. Which I clearly desperately need, because I'm looking forward to it more than my own birthday right now.