After little over a month of traveling, studying, and playing in Europe, I have at last returned home to the big ol’ Windy City. After being back for only a little over 24 hours, I have to say that I’m ready to turn around and go right back. I knew that I’d miss the European cities with their bakeries, doner kebaps, and ice cream shops on every corner. I knew I’d miss the old architecture, the pedestrian streets, the colorful clothes, the languages… I knew I’d miss all those things and that I would want to go back at some point. But what I wasn’t expecting was that my university would so quickly remind me why I wanted to get away in the first place. I wasn’t expecting the bureacracy, the pretentiousness, the conniving, and the bullshit to just smack in the face all at once as soon as I got back. Clearly, my school is a foe that I have vastly underestimated. More importantly, it is a foe that I grow weary of fighting. So if anyone in Germany is looking for a cheap, illegal immigrant, I’m your woman!

I was going to launch into a big old rant about the latest abomination in the Star Wars prequel-trilogy, but David already did a pretty good job covering that. And since I already ranted in the comments to his post, I shall keep my ranting here to a minimum.

However…
There’s one fairly central part that just doesn’t make any sense to me. Now, I guess this is something of a spoiler, so read with caution (although if you didn’t already know that Padme is going to have some babies, I don’t know why you’re even interested in seeing the movie).

Do they not have birth control or ObGyns in this super-advanced galaxy? I mean, Anakin and Padme are all having some super-secret relationship and she gets knocked-up? WTF? I guess Lucas thinks most women wouldn’t care one whit about their careers if they can be some man’s barefoot, pregnant wench. So anyway, she just gets pregnant (I’m sure it was probably because of Anakin’s powerful mitichlorians or something…) and then never goes and, like, checks with a doctor to make sure the pregnancy is going well! I mean, she obviously must have checked with a doctor at some point to establish that she was pregnant, but it’s not until she gives birth that she discovers she’s having twins. Come on, Lucas! What kind of b.s. is that? She wasn’t on some primitive Ewok planet living a hut. They can save a stump of Anakin and make him the forboding Darth Vader, but they can’t tell if a woman’s having twins or not. Please. And, how about that childbirth scene? Apparently in the future women lay perfectly still and just cry a little when they’re having babies. Meanwhile, some scary droid just catches the little buggers as they shoot right out.

The final insult, I think, is when Padme just gives up and dies. She’s so devasted by Anakin’s turn to the Dark Side that she has no reason to live anymore, even though she just gave birth to twins. But I guess Lucas rates maternal instincts inferior to the loss of a man’s love.

Okay, I’m done. I know this comes dangerously close to sounding like some “angry feminist rant,” but really, Lucas’s movie was just crap in so many different ways. So if you like mindless Hollywood action, with lots of special effects, and a few trite connections with the old trilogy, then definitely see this movie. But if you want Hollywood big shots to stop spoon feeding us crap, take a stand and don’t waste your time with this piece of junk.

Could be worse…

Just one of my personal favorites from the Louvre. I know, lots more about that little excursion needs to be posted. All in due time (or something…)

Alas, my friends, your poormaster is running on empty. The creative well is running dry. Motivation is at an all-time low. I’m just not sure what to do anymore for you folks. I keep trying to come up with new ideas, but most are promptly delivered to the scrap-bin of lame ideas. I keep thinking about ways to enhance your cannibalsall fun, but I never come up with any good answers. So my apologies while I keep trying to get this site (not to mention the rest of my life) back on track. Maybe I’m just trying to hard. Maybe I need a vacation. Oh, wait. I just had a vacation. :-P

It’s that time of year again (end of the school year) and people are moving out. Of course, in a month or two, I’ll be moving out myself (thanks to the exorbitant rent–I hope this whole damn building sits vacant for a year). But until then, I can enjoy some peace and quite now that the screamer is long gone. Woohoo!!!

I’m sure you’ve all heard by now how Oprah got snubbed by a Hermes store in Paris. Now, I’ve heard several different reports, some putting a racial spin on the thing, and maybe there is something to that, in which case the whole thing is really unfortunate. But as most reports indicate (and I think probably accurately), they employees knew who she was and still denied her admittance after the store was closed for the day. Maybe it is customary for high end stores to let celebrities in whenever, but it’s not like she had gone in the middle of the day and they randomly threw her out. And what’s wrong with the idea that no matter how big a hotshot celebrity you are, when the store’s closed, the store’s closed? Just because there are people finishing up their purchases, it doesn’t mean new people get to come in and start shopping. I mean, I’ve seen how the French department stores are at closing time. You damn well better get your ass out before they throw your ass out. Again, maybe the fancy stores don’t do that stuff, but I still have a hard time feeling sorry for Oprah because they didn’t make an exception for her so she could dash in and buy her $5,000 whatever. Maybe it truly was a snub, but there are so many spoiled, childish celebrities out there, I really don’t trust Oprah enough to not suspect her of trying to spin this whole thing in her favor. Sorry Oprah, take your billion dollar sob story somewhere else.