home. sick, too, but that's a recent development. something i ate yesterday disagreed w/ me so violently i was ill all nite so i've been sleeping on and off all day. yuck. up til then, though, being home's been all right. the drive went faster than usual even -- adam and i traded bits of insight we gained from the semester, first across the table at a dinner we stopped to have in Springfield Mall (where everyone thought we were dating as everyone generally does because we look nothing alike: the cashier made some cute winkwink comment to adam as we were both scrounging up cash to give him) and then in the car. snap decision when we arrived back in d.c. c.8:30 to see a 9 o'clock showing of lord of the rings; essentially we paused only long enough to throw judah in the trunk and we sped off.

so worth it. i'm sure everyone out there has read 50,000 reviews of this movie and i'm sure everyone says the same thing but it's worth repeating. the first five minutes had a battle scene more well-done than any i'd seen before and from then on i was riveted. i mean, yeah, the dialogue was stilted in parts, there wasn't much character development, the story's pretty rote, but i could not look away. [except when someone grabbed a sword out of a monster's stomach and cut the monster's head off with it.] the cinematography and direction were excellent -- jackson, director who years ago made the creative, visually stunning Heavenly Creatures, favored these sweeping shots that gave the viewer a number of perspectives all at once and full view of the gorgeous sets. ohh. ohohoh. coolest movie i'd seen in ages.

the next day, on a more chill note, i hung out first w/ lana and annie and then w/ lana and liz. each interaction had a different flavor, of course; both were fun. we hung out, shopped briefly so liz could replenish her supply of facial ornaments, worked on artsy stuff -- photo albums and journals -- and then watched some like it hot. campy -- intriguingly complex in terms of gender roles -- enjoyable. poor marilyn monroe though: i've seen three films with her recently and in each she's had to say, "i'm not very bright." liz and i discussed whether she actually wasn't, if she was just the well-intentioned ultra-feminine sexy-innocent performer she's forced to play, or if that was just the box every filmmaker put her in. hard to know except that i can't imagine any of the characters she plays committing suicide and she did. so.

tonite: my mother's making an elaborate dinner which i won't be able to eat; tomorrow we see royal tennenbaums and go out to chinese. i've never been to an actual christmas celebration. at least i never felt out of it or resentful growing up, although how that was pulled off i'm not sure. merry christmas to those of you who're inclined that way and happy alternative traditions to the rest.