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ten years.

saturday was my 10 year high school reunion. it's hard for me not to think about grosse pointe blank when thinking about it.

Marcella: You know, when you started getting invited to your ten year high school reunion, time is catching up.
Martin Blank: Are you talking about a sense of my own mortality or a fear of death?
Marcella: Well, I never really thought about it quite like that.
Martin Blank: Did you go to yours?
Marcella: Yes, I did. It was just as if everyone had swelled.

a little true, but not quite. first about 40 or 50 people showed. considering that there were around 420 kids in my class, that's not a great percentage. then again, you'd have to have been looking online for the notice about the reunion.

I've probably put on about 50 pounds since high school... for the entire duration of highschool and part of college I didn't hit the weight requirement necessary to give blood... some people packed on the pounds whilst others maintained their weight from junior high - others, need to seek therapy for anorexia. really...

I saw a number of people I expected to see and with whom I was looking to re-connect, but sadly there were a number of people that didn't end up showing that I was looking forward to seeing. it was surprisingly a good time though, granted my sights were set way low...

on par for being at a bar with a dance floor, I drank enough (I was happily surprised with the amount on my tab - a fraction of what I am used to) or more than enough, I danced with old classmates, I re-discovered how much of a tool you look like when you bring glow sticks to the club (I didn't, but this other dude did) and

Martin Blank: They all have husbands and wives and children and houses and dogs, and, you know, they've all made themselves a part of something and they can talk about what they do. What am I gonna say? "I killed the president of Paraguay with a fork. How've you been?"

I like my job. I certainly don't love it. it sound much more glamourous that it really is, but by the nature of it's description, for those with less dynamic work it's sounds exciting. so I had to explain how much I liked and disliked my job. if you told me in college, that I had to get on a plane every week and possibly drink 3 or 4 times a week with the possibility that it would be picked up by someone that isn't you and get paid for it, I would have been sold... you ask me now, I would say that I don't get paid enough and that company politics bite. here's the thing - no matter where I go, that will be there... so do I stick with the devil I know or the devil that will pay me more... I told everyone that I was a professional killer... it seemed funny to me, because I know where it was from, but it probably seemed immature to those that I told. I still had trouble describing my actual job to those that actually cared. 30% is a good bit. but I will have to wait and see.

Martin Blank: Hi. I'm, uh, I'm a pet psychiatrist. I sell couch insurance. Mm-hmm, and I - and I test-market positive thinking. I lead a weekend men's group, we specialize in ritual killings. Yeah, you look great! God, yeah! Hi, how are you? Hi, how are you? Hi, I'm Martin Blank, you remember me? I'm not married, I don't have any kids, and I'd blow your head off if someone paid me enough.

whatever.

so my company likes to have these meetings every so often.

basically, they load you up with "strategy" and tell you about "opportunities" and how things should be a "challenge"...

they use these words because they know what kind of people they have hired... the kind that don't mind killing themselves for a few straight years because everyone they hired comes in with gigatic egos and they are used to getting things done and winning and by tapping into that portion of their brains they can get them to do anything...

pretty much.

so I am always weary when it comes to these meetings... always with a grain of salt...

I have this perspective because not only do I have a huge ego and the drive to always win and get things done, but I have the ability to be incredibly lazy. you see, my competitive nature is only so when it is most convenient for me... given the right amount of laziness I will probably just let something gloss over me (that or if I see that I am being manipulated)...

this wasn't the case before (as in when I was a youngin') - now, I'm just a jaded old man in my mid-late-twenties. you know, when you don't have kids, your late twenties really isn't that much different than your thirties... I would assume that it's a little different when you are in your forties, but I wouldn't know...

in any case, back to the brainwashing - it usually works, if only just as a c.y.a. for the management. I see these new little tykes with all these dreams and hopes and expectation of what the company has to offer, and I smile (or do I smirk?)...

give a few months... they won't be so green then, and then they'll see how much fun traveling really is...

because it's oh so much fun.

... ... ...

the stiffness in my neck has migrate a little to my shoulder now... I'm pretty sure it's just stress or something like.

now why would I be stressed?

you think about that one.

... ... ...

"That guy Jacob? He left school. He went on to become the leader of some cult in lowa. He tried organizing a mass suicide. Only problem is, he drank the Kool-Aid first and, well, everyone else just kind of changed their minds. Too bad." ~ Barry Manilow, Road Trip

... ... ...

you know how in hoodwinked - twitchy, the squirrel, is a spaz basically, and then when he drinks caffeine he goes super spaz...

yeah... I think that's me.

except for the whole spaz part...

... ... ...

so today, I deceide to add an extra shot to my cafe mocha with caramel (aka caramel mocha) extra hot with organic milk.

probably not a good idea.

last week I got a large turbo hazelnut latte and thery probably put 5 shots of espresso in the whole thing...

needless to say (and yet I find myself saying it anyway) I was beyond wired.

plus, I lost my appetite. you'd think I'd have learned my lesson.

but I still went and got the extra shot.

... ... ...

and I'm not a happy camper when the sashimi lunch combo isn't fresh.

yeech. say hello to mr. soy sauce and mr. wasabi yucky fish.

when it's good, it's gooood...
when it's not so good... boo.

... ... ...

Here's a story I hope you'll like,
it's the one about the girl riding on her bike
I know it's a tired old tale but it still rings true
she could never be rude or unkind
but a sad song played on the back of her mind ohh
can someone show me a different day?
to take me away
take me out of the woods great big world you know I'm wanting for you
you know I'm wanting for you

they tell me goodies make the woods go round
and every day they fix the tea to wash 'em down
you know if you spin your wheels everything's ok
there's a girl who's been on my mind
she was never one who ever cared to color in the lines ohh
did you know that this girl looks alot like me
ohh

take me out of the woods great big world
you know i'm wanting for you
you know i'm wanting for you
wanting for you
wanting for you.

so I think there is a rule or a guideline in hollywood that foreign languages and subtitles are a no-no. most american movie goers are too lazy to read during the movie...

dunno - I can see it being true, but it's sad.

on the occasions where there are actors portraying a character from another country which is not the US they all tend to have the same accent - english.

take enemy at the gates - all the russians have english accents... ever after - supposed to be taking place in france, but everyone has an english accent... conspiracy - takes place in germany, english-sounding germans (kenneth branagh, colin firth)... not to mention any connery movie - mr scottish accent man playing: english (bond), egyptian/spanish (tak ne/juan sanchez villa lobos ramirez), russian (marko ramius) - but that's another story all together, because connery is always connery no matter what movie he is in...

anyhow, that's it. I just thought it strange...

ok... so I've been listening to half blood prince, so if you haven't read it (weirdo) then you should probably stop reading because thar be spoilerrrs... arrrr...

::: ::: :::

first off, I noticed that mr. dale doesn't always read verbatim, switching/adding words for easier readability or flow... I just happened to be following some text whilst listening (yes I'm a dork) - but that has nothing to do with anything following...

so quick recap, because the book came out a while ago and I'm sure most people read it immediately and haven't really thought about it...

we find that fudge has been sacked as minister of magic, he is informing the prime minister of the situation of voldemort and introduces the new minister of magic scrimgeour. snape makes an unbreakable vow to help draco and to convince narcissa and bellatrix that he's a death eater. dumbledore picks up harry from the dursley's so that he can use harry to bring slughorn to hogwarts. harry notices dumbledore's hand is all jacked up blah blah blah. harry becomes captain of the quidditch team. they get their o.w.l's and harry thinks he can't take potions, dashing his dreams of becoming an auror. tonks is weird because of stuff on her mind. bill and fleur are engaged. blah blah blah. at hogwart's harry is getting special lessons from dumbledore to help him learn more about voldemort. you see the children, now teenagers, have a huge rise in hormones. malfoy is acting weird because of something he's got to do, harry find a potions book previously owned by the half blood prince because he didn't think he could take potions, but since slughorn is potions master and snape is d.a.d.a. teacher, harry can take potions so that he can try to become an auror but since he didn't buy books he had to borrow and old one. hermione is bitching about it because harry surpasses her in the class because of the hints and tips from the hbp's book. harry starts feeling something for ginny. ron and hermione almost hook up, but the ron gets dumb because he finds out about hermione and krum and find the first available girl with whom to make out with to piss off hermione. blah blah blah. harry learns about voldemort and horcruxes and must get a memory from slughorn. harry becomes obsessed with draco's goings-on. blah blah blah. harry and dumbledore find a horcrux, which turns out to be fake. and dumbldore dies. in between, harry and ginny hook up, luna gives a ridiculously funny commentary for quidditch, we see a softer side of draco, aragog dies, and we find out that snape is the hbp.

so first off... the question that probably sticks in my head the most is if dumbledore is really dead... I vote he's alive, but only because of the whole dialogue with draco, the fact that the draught of living death was brought up in the first book as well as this (the sixth) book several times, and because of the argument dumbledore had with snape about promising to do something - also, there are all of the allusions that dumbledore is akin to a phoenix, naming of the order of the phoenix, using fire when fending of the infiri in the cave and lighting up the voldemort's locker at the orphanage, the fact that fawkes didn't come to rescue dumbledore when snape tried to kill dumbledore (unlike when fawkes saved dumbledore from voldemort's avada kedavra), and dumbledore's patronus is a phoenix... also, when snape used avada kedavra, dumbledore was thrown back - but usually those struck with avada kedavra just drop dead (cedric, the groundskeeper at the riddle house, the riddles, the potters) and there is no sign of struggle or indication of any violence. so I'm thinking either dumbledore's body will rise from the ashes of the fire around his tomb, or he will arise from the effets of taking the draught of living death, since there was an awful lot of it in slughorn's classroom...

but think what you want. I'm just excited to read the last book...

also, I think that they might actually kill hagrid in the last book. not that I want hagrid dead, but I think he might go... also, I think that either ron or hermione will get offed - only because it would be shocking and being so close to the main character, one of them is likely to sacrifice themselves (like in the first book) to make sure that harry will be able to complete his mission... also, it doesn't make sense that with the number of weasley's fighting in the war, not one of them would be a casualty (although bill has been partially transformed by greyback)

do I think jkr will kill off harry? no. at least I hope not, because that will probably cause mass depression... at least I would be depressed.

signs that I could be completely wrong and dumbledore is quite dead. the appearance of dumbledore's portrait in the headmaster's office, the fact that dumbledore was already injured (his hand) and was previously unable to cure the injury, and because fawkes sang that song and promptly took off.

lest we forget, "I will only truly be gone from Hogwarts when none here are loyal to me" ~dumbledore

as far as the remainin horcruxes - I think that whoever r.a.b. was he/she probably got rid of the one... so that leaves three for harry to find and destroy before he can kill voldemort... for sure the hufflepuff cup and nagini, and probably something from ravenclaw as all of gryffindor's stuff is in the headmaster's office.

oh. and I think snape is really still part of the order of the phoenix because dumbledore probably made snape do an unbreakable vow - I'm thinking aberforth (dumbledore's brother and the bartender at the hog's head) is the witness, because aberforth was the one that caught snape listening in to dumbledore and trelawney during the prophecy, and if snape really was sorry then dumbledore could have made him make an unbreakable vow. the question is though does a previously made unbreakable vow which contradicts a vow made later render the latter vow untenable? also, I think that snape is capable of love, is a better occlumens than voldemort is a legilimens, and that ability to love (probably his mother or maybe a crush on lily potter) allowed snape to be beyond the grasp of voldemort, which is what dumbledore was able to leverage and is ultimately the reason for his trust in snape. not to mention that snape never turned in harry for the knowledge in the book. perhaps harry will be able to use other things in the book in the future, and because of snape's parting words to potter, harry will probably bone up on his occlumency and non-verbal spell casting...

so I got that off my chest... there is definitely more stewing in my head, but I'm done typing for now...