Pirates 3

Having now seen all three movies within a fairly reasonable time period, I take back part of my rant about character development. I don't necessarily like Elizabeth any better than after the second movie, and Jack Sparrow still isn't nearly as funny.. the entire third movie keeps the tone of the second rather than the comedy of the first. I wouldn't rate it with the first, but it's hard to compare, since they aren't entirely the same type of movie.. I do like it better than the second.

(Highlight to read more, because I guarantee, there will be spoilers).

Every character in this movie seems to have problems with constancy, not only with the people they love, but with everyone they happen to have any sort of relationship with. As constancy/loyalty/call it what you will is something I very strongly value, I found it hard to like any of the characters in the movie. I wouldn't have been interested in the outcome if it weren't for the fact that I'd followed them through two previous movies. I am, however, happy with the resolution at the end; it may be only once every ten years, but if Will and Elizabeth keep returning to see each other (and stay loyal to each other) I will be happy. Of course, it also means they can easily mess up this resolution by including Will and Elizabeth together in a sequel. One or the other could fit into a movie sometime in an intervening ten years, but their story is concluded. I'm surprised but not upset that it wasn't a generic, happy every after conclusion, either. Instead, they found a way for Will to honor both his commitment to Elizabeth and his (rash.. but I'll make allowances for family) oath to his father. I think the general conclusion the movie makes is that all the stabbing everyone in the back, changing sides back and forth, watching out for only oneself, etc etc etc, is wrong, but at times it's hard to tell except that it ends well. Since our culture doesn't seem sure either, the way everything from love to strong friendships to business relations mean absolutely nothing as soon as one person changes a bit or changes their mind, at least it's a good reflection.

Even Jack gives up his chance at eternity to help out Will and Elizabeth, for once not acting only for his own benefit. I'm not sure what to think about the scenes with Jack while he's dead; it should, in theory, especially with my studies and fields of interest, have been obvious that it was simply showing Jack having to live with himself in the afterlife or something along those lines, yet I remained completely confused throughout those scenes and my nearest guess was that he'd simply gone crazy(ier) upon dying. That, or the afterlife was not following regular rules and somehow strange, which would fit the movie's world well enough anyway. Something was missing either in my thinking or in the movie itself because it took someone else to point out the "obvious" to me. It's likely that the movie asks you to accept so much in the way of changing the way the world works that it becomes easier to accept a strange afterlife as well, even in place of a more real-world normal interpretation. And I've had a lot of experience placing myself into the workings of various worlds.

For little details, I missed the ruins from the second.. but I really like the riddle maps! Wouldn't that be fun?

MI Time Machine

Finally, a (brief) summary to go with my far too long list of pictures. And no, I still haven't flipped them all right side up. I'll get to that.

While home in Michigan, I spent something resembling two days at Mackinac Island with a very assorted group of people.. that being my family. That being, myself, my brother, his fiance, my mom, a friend of my mom, my father's mother, three dogs, and a fish that traveled in a water bottle. For the record, though I do want a dog or two once I finally settle down somewhere, I think I will almost certainly never travel with one. It's a bit limiting on what you can accomplish, in every way from making sure the hotels, restaurants, and any indoor or ticket-taking sites you want to visit allow dogs, to just stopping every so often to let them rest. I'm much more willing to make such accomodations for other people than for the pets. The fish was much easier to deal with; we only had to find him ice cubes once in a while. But putting the aside aside...

We used the Star Line ferry to get onto the island, which offers a ten dollar discount for every three adult tickets purchased at one time. Nice ferry, short ride, many views of water and shore lines and the Mackinac Bridge. In fact, they even use the cool hydrojets that shoot water up in the air behind you so it looks like you're going really, really fast.

We stayed at the Mission Point Resort, which proved to be an interesting experience. If I have any complaint about the hotel, it's my luck in finding two employees to deal with who were both extrememly nice, did everything they possibly could to try and accomodate us when we needed to make changes or had problems, and had a horrible aversion to writing anything down that kept causing said problems. Aside from that, the resort is huge, the rooms were a bit on the small side but very nice, one of our rooms was an amazing two room suite (free, as an appology for previously mentioned problems), and for people looking for a resort experience (we weren't, and only spent the night there), offers quite a few different options such as massages, wine tasting, various events, a pool and hot tub, and a list of other things that I don't remember as I personally didn't care about them. Oh, and free wireless, in case you're taking an online class and happen to decide to take a test while on the island. Word has it the connection can be a bit slow though. No air conditioning, but that's common across the island and comes only as a special amenity in some of the hotels, and they do provide fans that worked well enough for everyone in my group.

The island itself was interesting but very touristy, at least the main strip which due to time constraints we were unable to wander away from. We saw one of the four historic parks (Fort Mackinac), which is sufficiently large to occupy an afternoon by itself and contains many different buildings with historic displays throughout. There are also frequent re-enactments of things; troops with rifles at intervals throughout the day, and we also saw part of a court marshall, heard period music, and my brother and I participated in a quick dance demonstration. There are some excellent views of the harbor and the bridge, and one place we stopped for cold drinks and dessert later - the Tea Room - contains a long row of tables stretching across the top of the hill so that you look out over the main strip, the harbor, and the lake while you eat. Of the fifth park, this one natural, I personally saw only a small portion when the younger of the group wandered off and visited Arch Rock around midnight. Judging by the pictures my mom took when the saner members of the group wandered off that way in the morning instead, the view of the land is more impressive in daylight, but the view of the stars was one of the best I've seen at night and worth the interesting trip there (okay, so one of us had seen a horror movie a couple days earlier, one of us has an entire Stephen King collection and an extremely active vivid imagination, and the third of us elected to make animal noises in the background.. I'll let you sort out who is who).

Enough general review. We spent little time walking around, lots of time eating meals and snacks and ice cream, bought fudge (of course!), and overall enjoyed the ability to walk on roads with only bikes and a few carriages to worry about and the lack of motor-type sounds. Were it not for the extremely touristy aspect, I think I would have liked it enough to wish to live somewhere similar; I've always been happier when able to get along without cars, you could walk to any store on the island you needed to get to if you didn't want to take a carriage, and there are plenty of forest-y areas to explore if you have time. Oh, and the Catholic church there (St. Anne's) has a very nice appearance.. though I do decline to make further judgement without having been to a service there.

I think that covers necessary reviews and any highlights. Other highlights are still being eaten, having thankfully survived the trip to TX, and also hiding in my freezer until I'm ready to hand out/eat the second round. Fudge, people. Lots and lots of fudge, in 13 different flavors (there are more, but I resigned myself to only 13 - I have lots of self control like that).

Mackinac Island, Michigan

You wouldn't believe how many pictures I already deleted from this list. Bear with me until I get the appropriate ones straightened out...

What MI Does Big

A couple days ago, I was driving from my dad's place back to my mom's when I suddenly knew I was experiencing a real Michigan summer.

The revelation came as I spotted a certain sign.

"Construction: next 125 miles."

Checklist

To do:

• job interview
• pack clothes etc for two week trip
• make car smoke and coolant boil
• pick up Rudy's bbq sauce
• make Mackinac Island hotel reservations
• get brown gunk on new white shirt while examining car
• clean room
• learn new things about TX heat, ex. long sleeves = bad
• change into short sleeve, dark colored shirt
• experience life as shirt. change back into person
• pick out music and movies for trip
• go outside, make sure car hasn't exploded
• clean car
• find lots of cold water
• double check list, get ready to leave, prepare to shut down computer

All successfully completed. MI, here I come!

Wasn't It About This Time Last Year...?

I suppose not; I suppose I left my last job, the last time I officially left one, later in the summer. I'm not certain whether it's a habit better kept as tradition or left to eternal sleep by the wayside of (once this year is over) years past, this frequent coming and going. It provides some interesting changes, some more than interesting experiences, and a whole new perspective on numerous points of life each time a particular job is joined and, finally, left, and during all the moments in between. There's something to be said for that - for the people you meet, the things you learn, the new or deeper understanding of the world, humanity, and God, if only you pay attention each time.

This is beginning to sound like far too fond a farewell, isn't it? I wouldn't plan on working there again, but I suppose I did, after all, come to like some of the people I was working with, and for that, if not the store's sake, I'll let it go at a fond farewell and not edit it for the worse.

(Besides, it doesn't hurt that my final Friday was another steak and shrimp dinner, does it? Or that on my very last night - though the reason had nothing to do with me - they served Gatorade, fresh cookies, and all sorts of candy?)

All of that aside, or not aside, as the case may be, as it directly pertains to the fact of my leaving and the point of this post, I HAVE COMPLETED MY FINAL NIGHT at the BigMajorSuperEvilStore.

Somewhere in heaven, the angels rejoice, and sing praises in unending hymns; somewhere on Earth, I fall asleep, vaguely wondering whether they'll mail my last check or make me go pick it up.