Some Commentary on The Lord of the Rings
or One More Reason To Love This Guy

Tom McRae's self-titled debut album was probably the best purchase I made with some of the money I received this past Christmas. (Interesting side note - Like last year's best discovery artist, this album only cost me $4 used.) But this journal entry from his website doubles my appreciation for the man's mind:

I have been watching “Lord of The Rings”, it sometimes helps to have a familiar film I can ignore playing in the background as I try to wring fresh chord progressions from the guitar, my mind momentarily distracted by hobbits and orcs. But something bothers me. The bit where Frodo visits Cate Blanchet who is Queen of something or other in some woody bit of Middle Earth ( you may have gathered by now that I’m not an expert) – anyway, she is momentarily tempted by the ring, and she goes all scary and her eyes look like mine in the morning, then she calms down, considers the little hobbit before her, frail and small - and it has to be said not best suited for to the daunting task at hand - she looks at Frodo, knowing full well that he’s off to do battle with Orcs and giant spiders etc … risking life and limb in the land of all-holy-fuck-evil (experts call it Moooooordddddddddoooor), she looks at him and what does she do? She sypmathises (sic) with his almost certain imminent death, wishes him well….and…and…wondering what she (a mighty powerful Queen of something)…wondering what she can do to help him, short of going along herself (and talking in that stupid voice, a voice so annoying Saruman would probably save Frodo the trouble and jump into the volcano with the ring just to escape her) …she wonders what she can possibly do to help…and finally she hits upon an idea, “I know…this little fella’s off to save the world, against the odds, what might he really find useful on his quest?” she ponders this… and… and ….. She gives him…. a fucking torch. Except it’s not so much a torch, more of a glo-stick. Seriously. A fragile glass vial containing fluid that “illuminates the darkest places”. Awesome. “I’m about to be stabbed in the balls by a giant spider, but at least now I can see the look in its eyes as it eats me. Thanks”. She couldn’t give him something useful like a fairy bazooka, or some magic high powered explosive orc killing device….no….a glo-stick. If I was Frodo I’d have thrown it in her fucking fairy face. He’s off to save the world from evil, he’s not going to a fucking rave off the M25. Jesus.

I told you it bothered me.

Two minor points. First, he probably meant Sauron when he mention Saruman. As he says, he's not an expert on the details of the plot. And second, Stateside readers probably don't know that the M25 is a highway in England. Now you know.

In other news, there isn't much news. The home-shopping continues; hopefully we'll be touring some houses in New Carlisle, South Bend, and possibly La Porte next weekend when we come home. My acceptance to PNC is official and I'm currently working with my adviser to get all of the relevant classes from Marian to transfer. The politics at my particular branch of Target are annoying the hell out of me, but I'm going to come out of it with a better house payment and some glowing references, so it's bearable. We're under 80 days away from our trip to Florida, where I will attempt some snorkeling without being chased by sharks this time.

Less than three weeks till the official release of Elbow's new album, which I've already heard from an undisclosed source. You're going to love it, people.

In the meantime, stay young.