Revenge of the Lucas

I absolutely love the original Star Wars trilogy, with my favorite being Empire followed closely by the original. Even though I think that Return of the Jedi is actually a bit mediocre, I still love it - maybe because it's the first one I remember watching.

I saw Revenge of the Sith last night, and I really liked it. And I can't stop thinking about it this morning. But first, here are my brief thoughts on the first two prequels.

Episode One was horrible. Little Anakin is an annoying little fucker, and if I was Obi-Wan or Qui-Gon Jinn, I would've left his ass in Tatooine. I admit to liking Episode II, even though I can't disagree with the majority giving it two thumbs down.

I didn't know what to expect for Revenge of the Sith. My sister, who's a much bigger Star Wars nerd than I am, absolutely loved it and has seen it twice already. Two friends of mine saw it opening night and gave it a 3.5 and 4 out of 10, respectively. They are jaded when it comes to movies, however. And I suspected that my feelings might lean more towards my sister's view.

Like I said in the second paragraph, I really liked Revenge. I agree with my friend and movie critic, Jesse, in his review, "that one day, Episodes III, IV and V will be regarded as the definitive Star Wars trilogy."

Based on my sister's reaction to Revenge, I would estimate that she would give it a 9 out of 10. Upon initial viewing, I give it a 7.5 - not as good as my sister makes it seem but not nearly as horrific as my two friends say it is. I guess if there's anything I didn't like about it, it's that I feel that Anakin turning to the Dark Side was not as developed as well - it seemed a little rushed and not as convincing. However, that's just a minor thing since the movie was already over two hours long, and besides, it's not as if it's the acting and the lines of the original trilogy that make me love them. I'm debating on whether I'd like to see this again in the theater - do I really want to spend another $9.50? Probably not. But I am really looking forward to buying this on DVD.

Here is an interesting political analysis of Revenge (and the entire Star Wars series).

Also, one last thing I personally liked about Revenge was that Obi-Wan redeemed himself at the end by defeating Anakin. Before that, I was disappointed in how much of a pussy Jedi he seemed to be - getting his ass so easily kicked by Dooku twice. At the end, he restored my faith in him as a great Jedi.

I can't wait 'til July

I've been looking for a new psychologist position recently because I hate my job so much. I may even be willing to take a pay cut in order to work in a better environment. I interviewed a couple of weeks ago, and the interview went really well...but I think the competition is stiff for this position. I haven't heard back from them, but I'm thinking I'm one of the backup choices, and they're waiting to hear from their top choice(s) to see if they'll take the job. The new district is in the NW suburbs, which means that even though the distance is shorter, the drive is gonna take at least twice as long both ways because of the Kennedy Expressway traffic. But I think I'd be willing to do that...for less money.

I would also like a job that has two months off during the summer, which is the case with most jobs. So if this position were offered to me, I'd start work in late August. With my present job, I get July off...which sounds good to most people. But I've been spoiled, I guess, in the past few years getting two months off. This is especially hard for me now partly because I hate my job, and also because I think I'll be out of town most of July. I plan on going home to St. Louis for a week in early July, then go back to Chicago for a couple of days before embarking on a week-and-a-half-to-two-week roadtrip to the Southeast (including Chapel Hill) with the ladyfriend. Then it's back to Chicago for a couple of days and then the ladyfriend and I are headed to Michigan for her family reunion/drunkfest.

Judging from how awesome last summer was, and judging from how the city is really starting to come alive because it's no longer consistently cold, I expect this summer in Chicago to be no different. And I'd like to spend some time just hanging out here in the city, drinking lots of alcohol, being carefree. If I got a new job, then I could spend August like that. However, right now, it doesn't look like that's going to happen. But I'm still crossing my fingers.

I smell shit

Today, in Harvey, IL, the air smells like shit. Yes, this is the city where I work. I need a fucking raise.