And Now For Something Completely Different: A Man With A Tape-Recorder Up His Nose
Yesterday I attended a stage-fighting workshop with Dave and Shawn. Initially, we were supposed to learn broadsword techniques, but there weren't enough broadswords to go around, Dave, Shawn, Kevin, and myself ended up using rapiers/single-swords. I must say that my old fencing skills really payed off, as I had a distinctive flair. Not only did I know most of the basics, I also knew how to make it all look good. A further flair for profanity also helps, as my improvisational taunts were quite effective. I'm thinking about taking more of these workshops, because they are really quite fun. We can run around hacking at one another.
In other news, last night the school was showing Pirates of the Carribean out in front of the Camponile. I had already seen the movie in theaters, and enjoyed it immensely. The second time was even better. I noticed more stuff, and the humor was that much more funny. The only downside was that it got rather cold. Oh well. What are you gonna' do?
On Thursday night, Dave and Shawn and I went to see The Rundown. Regal cinemas was doing this deal where if you donate three cans of food, you can get in to see any movie free, plus a free small popcorn. Thus, we capitalized on this. Now, I must admit that I was initially skeptical about this flick. The presence of the Rock in a leading role tends to do that to me. Surprisingly, though, it was quite enjoyable. Plus, since three cans of veggies is significantly cheaper than the price of a movie, it wasn't like we had to spend outrageous sums of money to see it either. The Rock, despite his pro-wrestling background, actually manages to make the sensitive tough-guy act work surprisingly well. Throughout the whole of the movie, he manages to be the voice of conscience despite his supposedly amoral exterior. The end sequence is nothing short of stunning, and Christopher Walken is predictably awesome as the villain. I must say that Christopher Walken is one of those guys who can say anything and it comes out funny. He just sounds absolutely scatter-brained, and I love it. So much so, in fact, that after the movie, as we were ordering food at Wendy's, I was inspired to impersonate Mr. Walken as I ordered. Needless to say, the girl on the other side of the counter found this most amusing. She stole my tooth. If only she would have given me her number. Oh well. You can't win them all, and if I made her evening more enjoyable, I suppose I did a good thing.
In other news, it looks as if the Cubs and the Red Sox are both in the playoffs. Personally, I'm hoping for a Cubs-Sox World Series, as it means that one team with an incredibly long tradition of losing will finally win. Perhaps the Cubs will break their age-old awefulness. Perhaps the Sox will finally break the Curse of the Bambino. Either way, it would be a historical event for baseball. Sadly, though, they are both struggling with their current opponents, the Braves and the A's, respectively. If neither makes it, on the other hand, it may actually be a good thing. After all, I think it could be construed as yet another sign that the Apocalypse is upon us...