The Royal Excitement

Well, let's check... magazine articles read, books reviewed, a ton of TV programs watched and the Internet scoured for information - finally, today is the day! Call it guilty pleasure or just being swept up in the typical mass hysteria reaction of the modern world as far as all things British and Royal are concerned, but it cannot be denied that an event of this kind has not been seen in 30 years.

So! The alarm clock is set for 4:50am. Let the royal madness begin.

Update: Absolutely magnificent! The true royal pageantry with all accompanying pomp and circumstance, yet it did not feel overdone or too "fairy-tale-ish". Traditional, but also modern. And kudos to Metropolitan Police - that was one security operation too organize! Fantastic experience and a wonderful day to remember down the line. Hopefully, the marriage works and lasts.

The Official Website of The British Monarchy
Yahoo's Royal Wedding Page

Definition of Science Fiction

This is probably the best definition of science fiction I have ever encountered:

"Science fiction deals with improbable possibilities, fantasy deals with plausible impossibilities.” - Miriam Allen de Ford.

Super Perigee Moon

How cool is that, and I quote: "Saturday's full moon will be a super "perigee moon" -- the biggest in almost 20 years."

Update: Yes, it was a sight to behold - the Moon felt almost unnatural, a giant bright disk floating above dark trees!

Oscars

Yes!!! The King's Speech won!!! It is honestly the only reason why I have watched the ceremony yesterday. The Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay - all arguably well-deserved! The Best Supporting Actress, in my opinion, had the most competition, and I knew from the get go that, unfortunately, Helena Bonham-Carter did not have much chance of winning (wouldn't it be just fantastic if she did, though?). But why, oh, why was Geoffrey Rush snubbed?!!!

Lunar Eclipse in December 2010

When I have just started this blog, the very first post I wanted to be in it was going to be a post about the December 2010 Total Lunar Eclipse. But somehow the holidays have intevened :).

Anyway, it was quite a sight! A very special event - a total lunar eclipse falling on a winter solstice (and my birthday!). Last time an eclipse like this occured when Galileo was still alive! And, counting this one, there have been only two winter solstice total eclipses in the modern era so far!

Below is the best result out of all my pitiful attempts at lunar photography:

Жорик Update

Вот ещё пару фотографий courtesy моей сестры.

Вид называется Джунгарский хомячок.

Прелесть!

Жорик

Ура! Нашего полку прибыло! Моя сестра вчера купила карликового хомяка. Первая фотосессия внизу: судя по всему животное металось по клетке, поэтому фокус так себе, но бабушка уверенно сказала, что лицо хорошее.

Так вот. Сестра! Родственники требуют хлеба и зрелищ....продолжения банкета....ещё фоток или, хотя бы, небольшое видео-эссе из жизни хомяков!

Ну, ведь просто лапочка (не сестра, хомяк)!

P.S. On related topic - there is an excellent site for lovers of squeal-inducing cuteness.

The King's Speech

Saw The King's Speech yesterday - what a brilliant movie! Every scene with Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush deserves an Oscar! I am so glad that they seem to have put the movie into a much wider release; it has certainly appeared in many more theaters than a month ago. I think I will go and see it again this weekend.

Update: Yep, I went to see it for the second time with Grandma. Excellent!

Update #2: O.K. So I saw it for the third time! :D Certainly will keeping my fingers crossed when watching the Oscars.

Шатания в Интернете

К чему приводят шатания в Интернете: пару дней назад путём необъяснимых перемещений по виртуальным просторам, я случайно набрела на веб-сайт, где уже на более чем 140 страницах идёт очень серьёзное обсуждение саундтрека "Ну, Погоди" (что за произведения, кто композиторы, какие аранжировки и кто исполнители). В конце-концов, копирайта как такового в Союзе не наблюдалось, и факт, что западную музыку (собственно, и не только западную) использовали постоянно без указания источника, сомнению никак не подлежит. Не знаю, чем меня это всё так зацепило... ностальгия, что ли? Ведь мультик гениальный, и музыка действительно замечательная.

Результат - три дня подряд до половины второго ночи читала и перечитывала этот сайт, сидела на Youtube, пытаясь разыскать полные версии тех произведений, которых муз-знатокам удалось определить. Естественно, села и пересмотрела все 16 классических серий "Ну, Погоди". Огромнейшее удовольствие! И немного грусти... всё-таки, ушедшая эпоха, как это ни странно говорить о собственном детстве...

Вот несколько произведений на память:

Little Man (performed by Franck Pourcel) - "Мушкетёрский" момент из 9-ого выпуска

Качается Вагон (ВИА Лейся, Песня) - Конец 14-ого выпуска

Caravana (performed by Bill Haley and the Comets) - Тоже 9-ый выпуск, кот-маг

And Another...

Well, well, well....the groundhogs have spoken - we can expect an early spring. At this point, I sincerely doubt any one of them would predict six more weeks of winter, the smiling mob would probably just lynch them and wear them as hats.

I must say, especially after valiantly trying to reach NYC this morning, I am really getting tired of this weather. Who knows, perhaps, it would not be so bad had the infrastructure been in better shape - raise your hand if you have ever been screwed by NJ "Sorry-for-Inconvenience" Transit. Anyway, I hear some of the Midwestern states are in the state of emergency, no pun intended, and our neighborhood is simply iced. Cleaning and warming my car this morning was almost as if I was trying to get a turtle out of its shell.

According to the current weather forecast, we can expect the temperature to go up to upper 30's / lower 40's. There is still over a foot of snow on the ground plus this ice; I am terrified to think where all this water is going to go.