#14

The time before Christmas definitely is busy.

I was so relieved when we finished the seminar on Wednesday. We got relatively good feedback and some constructive criticism on our work, and decided that we'd improve the general sections a little and then each person would improve their own chapters how and if they saw fit. I did most of the general parts, seeing as I had had to leave early on the day the others had just started writing the end chapter of the work, and I also happened to apparently be the only one who remembered the whole thing. Another girl also corrected her chapter and then we handed it in on Friday.

THE HOBBIT THOUGH. I spent most of Tuesday, Wednesday - and, let's be real, Thursday as well - sewing my Elven costume. I was obviously in a bit of a hurry, and hadn't sewn for years, but it turned out really nice! The fleece material I used for the cloak was very stretchy and irritating, though, and I didn't know how to change the needle on our extra-smart-super-automatic sewing machine, but at least it held together! I'm probably going to make another cloak to a similar pattern but with thinner sack-like fabric at some point. I'll add some pictures of the costume on here later. I also grew very fond of the latex ears! Putting them on turned out to be a more hurried affair that I'd have liked, but they attached okay and I even got them off in one piece. Many people use latex prosthetics just the one time, but 24 euros is a bit steep for a few hours in elf ears, in my honest opinion. I'm sure I can get 2 or 3 more uses out of them, so long as I'm careful and also pay more attention to using the liquid latex on the edges as to make it less messy than this time. It was maybe the strangest feeling I've ever had to stand outside a cinema, dressed like an elf, smoking a cigarette.

The movie, too! I was very excited. Thank God I'm no kind of lore purist so the various and many plot deviations and extra features / characters didn't squick me. I adored it! Although, I do kind of wish that the Mikael Persbrandt/Beorn scene hadn't been so hurried ( seeing as I love both the character and the actor ) but still. And Thranduil, I cannot even function. I nearly toppled over laughing when he appeared in his first scene: I've spent the past year and a half praising Lee Pace's eyebrows to the high heavens, and then the camera pans in on Thranduil. First it shows the hem of an ornate cloth, then his hand, and. Then. A. Full. Screen-sized. Shot. Of. His. Eyes. And. Eyebrows. It was glorious! I also have all of the bitter feelings towards Peter Jackson for making all of the dwarves so loveable - it's going to kill me to see them die in The Hobbit part III. What happens to Kili (and, I assume, subsequently to Tauriel) is going to be torture to see, I already know.

On Friday I mostly laid about and corrected the school text. Then nearly all of Saturday I spent clearing out and dusting my bookshelves. I found so many old treasures - and some old crap, as well. It was nice to go through everything. I also laid out some 2 huge bags of manga I want to sell - almost all of my comics now fit into one small shelf. The wobbling piles of unread books also could be shoved into my shelves for the most part. My room looks a lot more put together now. And smells less dusty.

Speaking of books, I started reading the Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare last night. So far, mostly because of the age setting of the books, it seems a lot more interesting than the Mortal Instruments - and I've loved that series as well! I think the 1800's feel just brings a bit of extra oomph - TMI is essentially the basic modern-day-heroine-finds-out-about-the-supernatural-and-falls-in-love-blah-blah-plotline, after all. The conservatism and misogyny etcetera seem a little too sharply exaggerated (descriptions of the horror of women wearing trousers don't really go with the flow of the rest of the characters' internal dialogue at all times) but still, it's a nice addition, and nowhere near so disturbing as to make me want to stop reading. Since the general character premises are very similar to TMI (non-Shadowhunter girl who is unaware of the Underworld has their only remaining family member lost/kidnapped, is saved and moved to an Institute by a haughty, attractive rascal-type Shadowhunter boy, there's the boy's parabatai, another girl who is rather unpleasant towards the protagonist, and the young Shadowhunters' pseudo-parents.... rather a lot of similarities, really) it's difficult not to compare the two. But I do really like the plotline so far, it definitely doesn't seem boring or too similar to Clary's at least on more detailed levels.

But my aunt and uncle have now arrived, bye! I'll get back to TID and reviewing the series later.

(Advent calendar chocolate still sucky. Thank god there are only 3 more pieces.)