X-3 spoilers below, you have been warned

Wow, this is hard for me to put down as my thoughts are all running a mile a minute!

Okay, this movie was all right, but not great. i had not expected so many deaths and lost powers at all. i also expected (from what previews and promo photos i saw) for the Brotherhood to be working against the X-Men (but of course this was too much to hope). In the final battle Angel's rescue of his father was awesome, Iceman vs. Pyro excellent, and Wolverine was strangely self-sacrificial. i did not expect him to take such a leadership role at all, it's very different for him (the loner).

Of Jean / Phoenix... Scott / Cyclop's death was pointless. It was really awesome how they made her powers look and what they made her do but overall the scene in her house was just dumb. Also, the younger computer generated versions of Xavier and Magneto were terribly fake.

i was pretty upset about Rogue's decision to give up her powers; i understand where she was coming from but she took the easy out imho. When Wolverine was fighting to get to Phoenix / Jean to kill her i fully expected Rogue to show up and absorb her powers because i thought i had read on the internet something to this effect was in the comic books but must have confused it with someone else. This is probably what bothers me the most in that, Wolverine's sacrifice was noble, but Rogue's was selfish. i was never a Jean / Wolverine shipper so this was strange for me to watch.

i felt really bad for Leech and was hoping someone would get him out!

Angel trying to cut off his wings was heartbreaking.

i was shocked by Mystique and Magneto's loss of power but don't think it's permanent. When the Beast's hand was changed it returned to normal after a while. i'm also relieved that Xavier lives on in some way (and if you didn't stay until the end of the credits, shame on you!).

tackling immigration

Heard on Rush Limbaugh: Call It What It Is

i've avoided writing about immigration reform because i really don't know what to think about it. i mean, there are certain aspects that i feel strongly about because my father was in the Border Patrol since i was little and is now in Immigration, but overall i do not know how to fix the problem. The trouble is, the laws that are currently in effect are not being enforced. i definitely to not support amnesty for those who have come here illegally and certainly if it will cost the illegal immigrant a fraction of what it costs a legal immigrant to become a citizen. There is no logical reason to reward anyone for breaking the law! It's also insane how long it takes for someone to become a citizen because the system is flooded. If someone wants to become a citizen and legally fulfills all requirements then they should not be turned away or have to wait a decade. That's about all i can think to say right now, but i hope the new bill doesn't pass.

for those of you who are wondering (and i know you're out there)

My final grades were finally posted and are as follows:
Art Appreciation - A
Mythology - B
First-Year Spanish II - C
Archery - A
Weight Training - A
World's Greatest Films - C
GPA - 3.18

Art i knew about (i didn't have to take the final because i had an A), Weight Training and Archery i was pretty sure would be an A, Mythology could have gone A- or B+ but i probably got marked down for the paper being late, WGF i was hoping for a B but the tests kept dragging my grades down (the papers were mostly A's), Spanish--i must confess--it is enough of a relief to discover that i passed.

Why I recommend "The Surrogate : A Novel"

The Surrogate : A Novel

by Judith Henry Wall

While this book’s villians are a televangelist and her brother, this book does not have a negative outlook on Christianity, rather it praises genuine love and caring and charity. The book starts with a chapter in the middle of the action and then goes back to the very beginning. Meanwhile it looks at the unfolding events from the perspective of multiple characters, those both integral to the plot and those who are only supporting members of the drama. While it is the most articulate or well written book i’ve ever read it is a good read, a good diversion, and would probably make a really good film. Definitely worth reading though it’s not for children: there are a couple of sexual situations and its entirety is focused on moral issues.

See more about The Surrogate : A Novel

stuck in my head

i'm so tired of being here ~ suppressed by all my childish fears ~ and if you have to leave ~ i wish that you would just leave ~ cause your memory still lingers here ~ and it won't leave me alone

these wounds won't seem to heal ~ this pain is just too real ~ there's just too much that time cannot erase

when i cried You'd wipe away all of my tears ~ when i'd scream You'd fight away all of my fears ~ You've held my hand through all of these years ~ so You still have all of me

You used to captivate me by your resonating light ~ now I'm bound by the life you left behind ~ Your touch it haunts my once pleasant dreams ~ Your voice it chased away all the sanity in me

these wounds won't seem to heal ~ this pain is just too real ~ there's just too much that time cannot erase

when i cry will You wipe away all of my tears ~ when i scream please chase away all of my fears ~ will You hold my hand through all of these years ~ because You still have all of me

i've tried so hard to tell myself You're not gone ~ but though You're still with me ~ i've felt alone oh so long

when i cry You wipe away all of my tears ~ when i scream You fight away all of my fears ~ You've held my hand through all of these years ~ and You still have ~ all of
me
~ adapted from "my Immortal" as sung by Evanescence

goal 9

Lose 30 pounds… completed! i can’t believe it, i don’t feel any different. i think i owe this to my new job because i stand for ten hours (well, i get to sit when there are no customers, but on a crate without a back). i’m taking out heavy garbage (which i just started to notice didn’t seem as heavy to me anymore), sweeping and mopping, and carrying buckets of windshield washer fluid mix. So i’ve finally got past the twenty-five pound hump, which is amazing to me! Praise God.

See more progress on: make 10 reachable goals

just back from Mission Impossible 3

Great film, better than the second, though not as good as the first of course. Abrams really did great work. i just got back, hopped on the internet to drop everyone a note, and discovered that Abrams is slated to write, produce, and possibly direct Star Trek XI with Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (as yet untitled or announced which series it will be based on, mum is the word on such developments). All i can see is wow, i can hardly wait until 2008.

Yeah, i wrote that last post last night at work. My sis is sick so we're staying home from church. i still hope to see MI3 tonight. i'm currently updating my list of songs that i want to download once i get a new computer and/or mp3 player. Gotta leave pretty soon for a Mother's Day picnic.

people can be stupid

So today the gas station i work at ran out of Unleaded because the truck didn't come. Everyone (75% of our customers) is just driving through the parking lot instead of getting Unleaded Plus. The thing is, our Unleaded is $2.71 and our Plus s $2.81. i'm looking a block away at Unleaded for $2.84. So everyone is paying more for Unleaded instead of getting our Unleaded Plus with a savings of 3 cents. Like i said, some people are stupid.

p.s. Regular Unleaded in Colorado is 85 as opposed to 87 in Arizona and most other states, but we're still the ampm of the Rockies.

~ 06051.3 1975

regarding last week's silence

It had been really nice to write after i get off work (helps me unwind) but last week it wasn't possible because relatives were staying with us. Finals will be sprinkled throughout the next two weeks and then i'll have more time to post here (for a while at least). Hopefully i'll also be able to buy my own camera and computer now that i'm working. Guess that's about it.

Cyrano De Bergerac = Gérard Depardieu at his best!

i’ve always thought of this actor as being typecast as the bumbling idiot, but Cyrano truly does have panache. This movie is funny, the translations of the poetry rhyme, and the the viewer can’t help but love and empathize with the hero. i would definitely recommend this movie even with the sad ending. Wonderful locations and costumes make the film complete.