Movie Review: Chicken Little

I went into Chicken Little with low expectations. After all, 1) it was a free movie thanks to a free preview weekend of a variety of STARZ channels on my Dish satellite, 2) it was a Disney animated movie that looked to be aimed at kids, and 3) it was a retelling of a not very exciting fairy tale. I thought, we can always turn the channel if it sucks. In fact, I think I said those very words.

Imagine my surprise when I saw a movie that was incredibly clever, including all sorts of references (from the Spice Girls to Indiana Jones to Barbra Streisand to Gloria Gaynor to AOL, and many more) and entertaining and changed the basic story into a very different one that you'd never find in a fairy tale.

I don't want to give away the story but I definitely recommend this light fare for it's excellent animation, all-star cast with very strong performances from the leads and a small but delightful performance from the late Don Knotts, and many funny gags. It even has character development! Gasp! It certainly can be watched on a number of levels; little kids will love it for different reasons than adults.

I rate it 3 out of 4 jujubees.

Word of the Day: Interstitial

Somebody used the word "interstitial" in conversation yesterday and I thought "Wow, I gotta find out what that means because it sure sounds cool." So, thanks to Webster's Online...

"interstitial

One entry found for interstitial.

Main Entry: in·ter·sti·tial
Pronunciation: "in-t&r-'sti-sh&l
Function: adjective
1 : relating to or situated in the interstices
2 a : situated within but not restricted to or characteristic of a particular organ or tissue -- used especially of fibrous tissue b : affecting the interstitial tissues of an organ or part
3 : being or relating to a crystalline compound in which usually small atoms or ions of a nonmetal occupy holes between the larger metal atoms or ions in the crystal lattice
- in·ter·sti·tial·ly /-sh&-lE/ adverb"

Clicking on "interstices" gets me "a space that intervenes between things"

How cool is that? So it's all about the connections or lack there of. Huh. Doesn't Dave Matthews have a song about "the space between"? Maybe he just should have used "interstitial" instead.

Wonder if "We found our group's interstitial problems impossible to overcome" is an appropriate usage. Or maybe "The interstitial components of the drumstick make me gag." Or "Your mother is trying to be interstitial with us again." Hm. This is harder than it looks.

The Casual Footwear Trend

What is it with this "casual footwear in the office" trend? I am sick of hearing FLAPFLAPFLAPFLAP as someone in flipflops makes their way down the hall. There's a reason they call them that and it ain't complimentary! In yesterday's conference I noticed several people--men and women-- wearing gardening clogs. You know those big, heavy vented plasticky things that come in a range of strange colors that people wear to pull weeds? When did THIS become acceptable work attire? What's next, paper hospital slippers? Jeezlouise!

People Die/I Saw KN Today

People die.

Intellectually I know this. Emotionally I don't want to deal with it. But I do. I get angry. If they die suddenly and unexpectedly, like a colleague did this month at age 37, it pisses me off that I had no warning and no opportunity for closure and no explanation of why this person is suddenly gone. If they die slowly, like my boss' father who yesterday began hospice, it pisses me off that he's going to suffer and by extension my boss is going to suffer watching him suffer until he dies. As the minister said in The Big Chill "It makes me angry and I don't know what to do with my anger."

Meanwhile, I am attending a conference today and I saw someone standing with her back to me talking to someone else and I looked at the way she had her feet planted and I thought instantly that's KN. Who is KN? She's someone who used to work at my work site but hasn't been working on-site in years. I had no real connection to KN. She was high up in the hierarchy and me, I'm pretty low down in the hierarchy. We'd been introduced a couple times but I don't think we ever even worked on anything together, just found ourselves in the room at the same time and did the polite thing of introductions. I know very little about KN and don't spend any time thinking of her.

Sure enough, she turned around and it was her.

I say all this because I recognized her from the back by the way she placed her feet, and it wasn't like she was in a tree pose or anything. No one would say "Gee, look how she's standing; isn't that odd." It was just a very minor detail but it was distinguishing. And it occurred to me that if my brain stores how KN stands, such an inconsequential thing and person in my life, then how many millions of little things trigger us about the people we actually love? Is it any wonder that we can't bear the pain of separation?

I've lost a good friend this year and had some sobering news and close calls with other loved ones. I'm angry and I'm sad and it doesn't change anything.

But at least I have a place to express it. Thanks for reading. I promise to talk about something bright and chipper and completely trivial next.

The Eagles Release Studio Album in October

Not to be outdone by the Backstreet Boys... ;)

LONDON (Reuters) - The Eagles will release "Long Road Out of Eden", their first full studio album for 28 years, in October, Universal Music Group said on Wednesday.

I got the see the Eagles--17th row on the floor-- a few years ago and I gotta say it's one of the best experiences I've ever had in public. They played for hours and the whole audience sang along to 99% of the songs. Freaky! And great fun! They are incredible musicians and even better harmonizers, even after all these years. I got to see them at a benefit so I didn't wind up paying the usual (read "ridiculously high") ticket price and I'm so glad I got tickets. Well worth getting up in the wee hours to stand on line.