well, one good thing about work...

...It's usually so slow that I can pull out a book and get fifteen to twenty minutes of uninterrupted reading done at a time.

Today, I'd forgotten my usual reading material (the horror!), so I stopped by Waldenbooks to pick up a Jodi Picoult novel I've been itching to read. (It's "The Tenth Circle", if anyone's wondering.)

There are three majorly cool things about this book:
1. It's AWESOME, because Picoult is a great writer.
2. One of the characters is a graphic novel illustrator; Picoult had three and four page excerpts from his graphic novel (there were probably five or six sections of these in total) scattered throughout the book.
3. THERE IS A SECRET CODE HIDDEN IN THE GRAPHIC NOVEL PAGES.

You think I'm lying about #3. I swear, it's true! Within the illustrations, eighty-six letters are hidden; they spell out a quotation by Demosthenes; it's supposed to best represent the theme of the book.

Not that the theme of the book really mattered to me at that point, I was too busy squeeing about 'secret codes' and pretending acting six years old again. If only I'd had my trusty Carmen Sandiego decoder with me....I'm sure I would have discovered the quotation much sooner that way!

well, one good thing about work...

...It's usually so slow that I can pull out a book and get fifteen to twenty minutes of uninterrupted reading done at a time.

Today, I'd forgotten my usual reading material (the horror!), so I stopped by Waldenbooks to pick up a Jodi Picoult novel I've been itching to read. (It's "The Tenth Circle", if anyone's wondering.)

There are three majorly cool things about this book:
1. It's AWESOME, because Picoult is a great writer.
2. One of the characters is a graphic novel illustrator; Picoult had three and four page excerpts from his graphic novel (there were probably five or six sections of these in total) scattered throughout the book.
3. THERE IS A SECRET CODE HIDDEN IN THE GRAPHIC NOVEL PAGES.

You think I'm lying about #3. I swear, it's true! Within the illustrations, eighty-six letters are hidden; they spell out a quotation by Demosthenes; it's supposed to best represent the theme of the book.

Not that the theme of the book really mattered to me at that point, I was too busy squeeing about 'secret codes' and pretending acting six years old again. If only I'd had my trusty Carmen Sandiego decoder with me....I'm sure I would have discovered the quotation much sooner that way!

meme, swiped from honorh

Movie meme!

1. Name a movie that you have seen more than 10 times.
That applies to lots of movies, in my case. All Disney movies go here, as do the original 'Star Wars' films. Iron Jawed Angels.

2. Name a movie that you've seen multiple times in the theater.
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

3. Name an actor that would make you more inclined to see a movie.
Jennifer Garner. Because she's both ridiculously cute and ridiculously badass.

4. Name an actor that would make you less likely to see a movie.
Adam Sandler. His movies have just gotten worse and worse with time.

5. Name a movie that you can and do quote from.
Rush Hour 2 -- it's such a silly movie but I cannot stop quoting it. It's an addiction, truly.

6. Name a movie musical that you know all of the lyrics to all of the songs.
Phantom of the Opera. Aladdin. The Sound of Music.

7. Name a movie that you have been known to sing along with.
The Sound of Music -- because I can never resist Julie Andrews.

8. Name a movie that you would recommend everyone see.
Some Like it Hot, with Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Marilyn Monroe. Bit of a modern premise, but it's probably one of the funniest classic movies I've ever seen.

9. Name a movie that you own.
The Mummy Returns has been sitting next to my bed for ages. I've been watching the chase scenes through London over and over. Other movies that I've been loving.... Iron Jawed Angels, The Empire Strikes Back, The Holiday.

10. Name an actor that launched his/her entertainment career in another medium but who has surprised you with his/her acting skills.
Our very own Billie Piper. I won her debacle of a CD when I was six or seven years old and hated it. I mean, honestly, it  contained songs with titles such as "Honey to the B". Saw her on Who and absolutely couldn't believe that this was the same person.

11. Have you ever seen a movie in a drive-in? If so, what?
I haven't actually been to a drive-in! Which is sad because there's one just across the state line.

12. Ever made out in a movie?
THE HORROR. No, thanks.

13. Name a movie that you keep meaning to see but just haven't yet got around to it.
Captain Corelli's Mandolin.

14. Ever walked out of a movie?
Came *thisclose* to walking out of Jumanji when I was little, mostly because it scared me. Other than that, I haven't ever "walked out" of movies, but instead suffered through a few terrible ones.

15. Name a movie that made you cry in the theater.
The very first movie that made me cry was My Dog Skip. Really unmemorable overall, but I have vivid recollections of the scene where the young boy decides to hate his dog and starts beating him up. I was literally sobbing. It was terrible.

16. Popcorn?
Ew, no. I don't like popcorn much anyway (thanks to my old work days in concessions) but our theatre popcorn is truly disgusting.

17. How often do you go to the movies (as opposed to renting them or watching them at home)?
3-4 times a month -- it's how my mom and I hang out.

18. What's the last movie you saw in the theater?
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

19. What's your favorite/preferred genre of movie?
I'll go to practically any kind of movie. Love comedies or dramas especially. I draw the line at shock-value torture/horror films. Those are screwed up, and I refuse to watch them.

20. What's the first movie you remember seeing in the theater?
It was either Beauty and the Beast, or Aladdin. Something Disney.

21. What movie do you wish you had never seen?
The Girl Next Door -- you know, with Elisha Cuthbert? And nobody else? Dear God, that movie was terrible.

22. What is the weirdest movie you enjoyed?
Probably Garden State, though that's not so weird considering half of the world has seen it. To get weirder, Princess Mononoke, or the very old Face/Off.

23. What is the scariest movie you've seen?
Signs

24. What is the funniest movie you've seen?
I honestly don't know. I'll think about it for awhile....

meme, swiped from honorh

Movie meme!

1. Name a movie that you have seen more than 10 times.
That applies to lots of movies, in my case. All Disney movies go here, as do the original 'Star Wars' films. Iron Jawed Angels.

2. Name a movie that you've seen multiple times in the theater.
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

3. Name an actor that would make you more inclined to see a movie.
Jennifer Garner. Because she's both ridiculously cute and ridiculously badass.

4. Name an actor that would make you less likely to see a movie.
Adam Sandler. His movies have just gotten worse and worse with time.

5. Name a movie that you can and do quote from.
Rush Hour 2 -- it's such a silly movie but I cannot stop quoting it. It's an addiction, truly.

6. Name a movie musical that you know all of the lyrics to all of the songs.
Phantom of the Opera. Aladdin. The Sound of Music.

7. Name a movie that you have been known to sing along with.
The Sound of Music -- because I can never resist Julie Andrews.

8. Name a movie that you would recommend everyone see.
Some Like it Hot, with Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Marilyn Monroe. Bit of a modern premise, but it's probably one of the funniest classic movies I've ever seen.

9. Name a movie that you own.
The Mummy Returns has been sitting next to my bed for ages. I've been watching the chase scenes through London over and over. Other movies that I've been loving.... Iron Jawed Angels, The Empire Strikes Back, The Holiday.

10. Name an actor that launched his/her entertainment career in another medium but who has surprised you with his/her acting skills.
Our very own Billie Piper. I won her debacle of a CD when I was six or seven years old and hated it. I mean, honestly, it  contained songs with titles such as "Honey to the B". Saw her on Who and absolutely couldn't believe that this was the same person.

11. Have you ever seen a movie in a drive-in? If so, what?
I haven't actually been to a drive-in! Which is sad because there's one just across the state line.

12. Ever made out in a movie?
THE HORROR. No, thanks.

13. Name a movie that you keep meaning to see but just haven't yet got around to it.
Captain Corelli's Mandolin.

14. Ever walked out of a movie?
Came *thisclose* to walking out of Jumanji when I was little, mostly because it scared me. Other than that, I haven't ever "walked out" of movies, but instead suffered through a few terrible ones.

15. Name a movie that made you cry in the theater.
The very first movie that made me cry was My Dog Skip. Really unmemorable overall, but I have vivid recollections of the scene where the young boy decides to hate his dog and starts beating him up. I was literally sobbing. It was terrible.

16. Popcorn?
Ew, no. I don't like popcorn much anyway (thanks to my old work days in concessions) but our theatre popcorn is truly disgusting.

17. How often do you go to the movies (as opposed to renting them or watching them at home)?
3-4 times a month -- it's how my mom and I hang out.

18. What's the last movie you saw in the theater?
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

19. What's your favorite/preferred genre of movie?
I'll go to practically any kind of movie. Love comedies or dramas especially. I draw the line at shock-value torture/horror films. Those are screwed up, and I refuse to watch them.

20. What's the first movie you remember seeing in the theater?
It was either Beauty and the Beast, or Aladdin. Something Disney.

21. What movie do you wish you had never seen?
The Girl Next Door -- you know, with Elisha Cuthbert? And nobody else? Dear God, that movie was terrible.

22. What is the weirdest movie you enjoyed?
Probably Garden State, though that's not so weird considering half of the world has seen it. To get weirder, Princess Mononoke, or the very old Face/Off.

23. What is the scariest movie you've seen?
Signs

24. What is the funniest movie you've seen?
I honestly don't know. I'll think about it for awhile....