I didn’t make it to Tae Kwon Do today because I had to go back to Target for another installment of “How Target Photo Centers Blow.” (Coming soon to daytime CBS.) I took the film back to the photo center manager, Addam, and he said he could fix them. Four hours later when I return, he was only able to reprint one of them and it was coated in scratches. He said that for some reason the digital machine wouldn’t read the film, even though it read it well enough to print them out on the first index print. Something about that just doesn’t match up, and it really bugs me. But what bugs me even more is that he didn’t make any effort to make up for all this hassle. Not a single free film developing coupon, no cheap little Target gift card. *Nothing*! I’m really mad about it. Target isn’t supposed to behave that way, they’re supposedly different. Even if the photo center is run through a different company that shouldn’t make any difference. They’re dressed as Target employees, they have Target name tags, they should follow the same rules or Target’s going to take the crap for their bad behavior. Or, they should dress differently and have a big sign that says, “We have nothing to do with Target, therefore we’re evil.”
Why, then, does it even say “Target Photo” in such big letters, with that big red target symbol? They aren’t connected except that they share space. Does that mean that if I walk into Target with a red shirt on that Target should be liable for my behavior? No. Same goes for the photo center people. So there.
This evening I went to a party with some friends, but there were just so many teenagers… We all ate pizza then went to the movies to see Harry Potter numero dos. I was sitting with Mike – my old movie buddy who had gone off to basic training. He’s back now. He, my brother Steve, and I were sitting together. When the movie started we all kind of sighed. Thankfully Mike leaned over and suggested we sneak into another movie instead of this one. We ran out of the theatre and the only other option was ‘Die Another Day.’ Apart from the joy of not having to watch Harry Potter again, I was also pretty happy as this was the first time I’ve ever skipped out on one movie and snuck into another one. It was very exciting, even though it wasn’t necessarily bad. I did pay for my ticket, after all, and only saw one movie.
So. ‘Die Another Day’ gets my vote for one of the worst Bond songs ever. I had forgotten at first that it was Madonna and couldn’t help imagining that it was Christina Aguilera. It was laughable.
I don’t particularly like the womanizing part of the Bond movies, but I like action movies. I like English accents. I like ‘splosions. I like fast cars. So I went for it happily. We sat in front of some really idiotic boys – when I was giggling at some of the ridiculously stupid sexual inneundos, they were back there going, “What?” That only made it all the more entertaining. But the movie itself. Gag. It was better than Harry Potter, but the plot line was so hideous. So incredibly bad. Even for a Bond movie. At least there were nice explosions.
At one point, though, Bond pulls a stunt that I just had to laugh at. It was so close to being as bad as Roger Moore being chased as he skis down a mountain in ‘A View to Kill’. I know the scene’s a classic and all that, but come on! It’s so obvious when you see the guy skiiing that it’s a stunt double, and then, when they zoom in on Roger Moore he’s in front of this dorky green screen. He looks ridiculous! Right, left, right again, go, Roger, go! Ski down that mountain like you’re driving a car!
Anyway, this scene in the new Bond film has Pierce Brosnan surfing on a sheet of metal, using a dropschute as a sail/glide/thing while an iceberg crashes behind him. It looked so bad and was so entirely unrealistic. Yes, he’s Bond. Yes, he’s supposed to do amazing stunts. But he is not Superman.
Beyond that, there were tons of inaccuracies, but oh well. It’s Bond. But that one scene just had me laughing – complete flashback to Roger Moore. (Who, if you haven’t already guessed, was my least favorite Bond. Close tie for second between Timothy Dalton and George Lazenby. Still debating between Sean Connery or Pierce Brosnan for first. I know Connery’s a classic, but I think Pierce is lovely too.)
In my dream world, though, they’d drop all the senseless womanizing. A little of it is funny, but it’s so ridiculous how women are so incredibly easy around him. As the idiots behind me so aptly put it, “I wonder just how many diseases that man has.” If they’d just drop some of that ridiculous crap I think I’d have way more fun watching them. (Don’t stone me, I know that’s a girly opinion in the Bond world.)
After Bond was over we went back to the Harry Potter theatre to find the rest of our group. That movie had just ended, so our luck was grand. Once everyone was collected we all came back to my house for ice cream. I didn’t mean to, but I ended up staying upstairs and talking to the adults while all the kids played pool downstairs. I just meant to finish my drink and then go downstairs, but I got wrapped up in the conversation. Plus, they were being *extremely* loud down there, I didn’t feel quite up to dealing with that.
Now I feel old… hehe.
Before I go, I want to apologize for being backlogged on email. Thanks to my lovely Target escapades and various other commitments, it’s been really hard to keep up with all of it. I’ll work on it tomorrow, I promise!