2003-08-31

I'm listening to Bosnian radio over the internet, and feeling weird. Technology brings pictures and sounds perfectly across thousands of miles, connecting suddenly with memories and feelings buried months and years deep. I can see the cobbled streets, smell the cevapi cooking, hear the trams rattling by, feel the snow and ice underfoot.

I had dinner at Chris and Andreja's the other night, with Dani. She's back after her first five-year stay in Sarajevo, which means it's been four years since I lived there on her first year. Visiting in January was wonderful, though. It's a bit of a discipline to focus on the goodness of those moments of feeling at home in different places all over the world, rather than to focus on the badness of those moments of feeling not-at-home in different places all over the world!

Updated words.

2003-08-17

We have a new sister! This weekend, Trent and Leah were married in Toronto. It was absolutely wonderful. I may write more later when I'm not wiped out, but here are some pictures for now.

Trent and Leah, in the Church
Trent and Leah, in the church

Trent and Leah, outside the Church
Trent and Leah, outside the church

Trent and Leah, with the wedding party
Trent and Leah, with the wedding party

Trent waiting for Leah
Trent, waiting for Leah

2003-08-02

Wow. What a long week at work. I thought I was through with the whole writing-design-documents-as-you-write-code thing when I left the consulting job. I guess it's just part of programming a lot of the time. Not so bad now, though — things are a little clearer now. Just a heck of a lot of stuff to get done rather soon

Tonight we watched Mansfield Park. I just about drove myself crazy trying to figure out where I'd seen the main actress before, until I could get to IMDB and realize that she was the mother in AI. As for the movie, I'm not entirely sure what I think about it. I definitely agree with the girls that it's a chick-flick. Some of the odd developments (like Fanny Price settling down happily to spend her days on the estate after being so obviously shocked by the horrors upon which its wealth was based) are apparently the result of placing themes into the story that were not there in the book (slavery), but which were evidently Jane Austen's viewpoints. Fanny's easy re-connection with her past and family seemed a bit too cute, and again, I believe that is not the case in the book. All in all, it looks like it might be a good read!

As a chick-flick, though, it seemed pretty standard fare. The plot (unrequited love with the perfect guy who doesn't get it until the end, when everything works out) was pretty predictable and, predictably, did a great job of having you thinking, "Come on Edmund!" — emotionally engaging if not particularly challenging. Overall, though, it was pretty decent. The characters were quite strong, and will stay with me for a while.

Now I just need to find some guy friends to hang out with!!