1. I am not taking Summer classes at Sierra. (Won't be around to take them.)
2. I am not actively job hunting. (I've secured my position w/Parham again.)
3. I leave for Europe on July 24th. (And I return on August 15th.)
4. I will be attending classes at Sierra College in August 29th (as Undecided/Exploring)
5. I am less stressed now then I can ever remember being. :)

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Oh, and I guess for the record, I'll mention this;
I saw Star Wars again (my sister really wanted to see it again) and I stand by my previous assertation; Revenge of the Sith is better than most Star Wars movies. The visual effects are simply stunning and really show a marked improvement even from Attack of the Clones in terms of fluidity and seamless integration. The storyline was approriate, provided the constraints put upon it by preceeding and following episodes. Hayden Christensen was far more tolerable in this movie then he was in it's immediate predecessor.

What's wrong with it is the same thing that's wrong with every Star Wars movie; the dialogue was weak, and the acting performances were mixed. Surprise surprise. The lightsaber battles were also anti-climatic for some, but think about it; how long can you choreograph a sophisticated sword battle between a person with one blade and single opponent with four? Now, try taking out said opponent so that your actor is fighting quite amiably against a skilled, and invisible opponent with four blades. How long do you think such a fight could last? How long could you film it without making it look absurdly one-sided? If Grevious was skilled, it would have been a rather short movie would it not?

Animation is one thing. Actual execution is a whole 'nother story.

The final, climatic battle between Anakin and Obi-Wan was perhaps not as well coreographed as battles in Episodes 1 and 2, but it's pretty clear that the swordplay itself was not the intended focus, for better or for worse. They had to keep moving so as to showcase the digital scenery, which Lucas evidently had hoped would highlight the intensity of the situation. Did it work? I thought so; the battle was not 'spectacular', but it kept things interesting, and the prolonged intricate dances with light have already been done - nearly to ad-nauseum. (Yes, this is blasphemy to every Star Wars freak out there, I'm sure...)

That said, I maintain that the high points outweigh the negative aspects, and once again, stand by my original remarks.

This week, I also caught Batman Begins (an excellent film, although I though the Batman voice was... overkill..), and Howl's Moving Castle (which was also good and quite enjoyable... if only it made a little more sense...)

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...God, whispered to me to drop the panga (machete) and thrust my hand in its wide-open mouth...