You know when you need to go to the dentist, and you dread it but tell yourself you're stupid for that? Well, maybe instinct is better to be followed. :P I went in yesterday for a regular cleaning. They found a couple of small cavities they want to fill, no biggie. I spent the whole appointment looking at the clock, hoping I'd be done in time to rush over the freeway to the movie theater to catch the 1:10 showing of Pirates. And just as they're finishing up? I feel a little pop, and the hygenist says, "...oh." o_O And suddenly there's a big gap on one of my teeth. Apparently, while she was flossing, she popped out one of my old fillings. They rushed to put a temporary filling in there, while I stared and the clock and crossed my fingers. Seriously, I have my priorities!

When they were done, I made an appointment to come back this morning to have a permanent one put back in, and rushed out the door. I had 10 minutes to get to the theater. I made it - in ten minutes I got through the Intersection of Doom (although, admittedly, that intersection isn't as bad as it was before the road widening a few years ago), got to the theater, bought my ticket, bought snacks, and got in to the theater just as the previews started. Woo! It was fun to see again, and be able to notice the little stuff that I was too worked up to notice the first time.

But no zoo today. :( I had to get up at the butt crack of dawn and go get my filling replaced instead (and get one new one done on top of that). It was quick and easy, though. Only took one Friends episode (I <3 technology) and they were done with both, and I was almost completely un-numb by the time I got home.

Not as many books this month, 'cause I started re-reading the "His Dark Materials" trilogy in anticipation of the movie! Didn't include those here, 'cause they're already on my all-time favorites list.

5/20/07
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister - Gregory Maguire
Another winner from Gregory Maguire! This one tells the story of Cinderella's sisters. It starts rather slowly, but gains momentum towards the end. It's very interesting to see how he paints the stepsisters, and of course "Cinderella's" crazy stepmother. If you like Gregory Maguire's other works, definitely give this one a try.

5/15/07
Stargate Atlantis: Entrapment - Martha Wells
The latest installment of the Fandemonium-published SGA novels finds Sheppard and his team stranded on a planet with a giant Quantum Mirror - and an unwanted companion. While the story itself isn't bad, some of the dialogue felt a bit off. Particularly in the beginning, Teyla's dialogue just didn't feel like Teyla. The team's relationship with the Eidolons is rather cliched (to say more would give it away). That being said, there's a fair amount of action that keeps the story engaging. While it doesn't rank up there as one of the best, I didn't hate it, either. Lump this one into the "decent, but not memorable" category.

5/08/07
The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
One of the most emotional books I've read in a long time. This one tells the story of a young girl who is brutally raped and murdered. From heaven, she watches her family and friends try to come to terms with what happened and find her killer. The author's style is extremely vivid. It's one of the few books I've read where the emotion comes through so clearly. Definitely worth a read! There is also a movie in the works based on this book. :)


And because I'm in a big Disney theme parks mood this week, here's a few nifty videos I've found:

"Dream Along With Mickey" clip from WDW
Can I just say how weirded out I am by these new "talking" character heads? I guess I'm just so used to the old way where they bobbed their heads and used their body language that actually seeing them move their mouths freaks me out. I'd be curious to see these in other shows, especially Fantasmic.

"Legend of Mythica" montage from Tokyo DisneySea
Colorful and cool, with great music! And jetskis FTW. This kinda show would be awesome to see in the lagoon at DCA, although I don't know how they could get floats in and out. Epcot, too, and at least they can get stuff in and out.

"Fantasmic" finale from Disneyland
You knew I had to add this one in. XD Great video - it's not often that I see steady camera work that encompasses all there is to see in this finale. The only annoyance is the subtitles. Grah. Ignore them. The first 4 minutes or so is the finale, then the big finale is shown again with more of a closeup on Mickey. Then it just says "Fantasmic" for the last minute. Erm. Yeah.

"Illuminations: Reflections of Earth" from WDW
This one includes a little over half the show, but IMHO they picked exactly the best parts (noticeably absent: the craptacular, boring globe video segment in the middle of the show). They also did a good job of showing as much as possible, as I've found that this one is notoriously difficult to shoot. The only drawback is they shot from Canada, so there's some trees in the way, but all in all, it's one of the best I've found. It also includes the holiday tag!