Things done since the beginning of a few days ago

Not only did I see a bass clarinet quartet, who closed with an arrangement of some boogie-woogie piano, covered Black Sabbath, and played originals in a vaguely Cro Magnon–but–heavier/Arthur Jarvinen/urban chamber music mode, but the following day, finding myself Shanghaied into Santa Cruz in the company of my good friend, N---, by a lousy stoat of our acquaintance, C---, I participated along with the abovementioned in the construction of a mighty sand castle!  It had a moat and a keep and everything, man, it was so cool.  Even a seaweed flag that resembled a fleur de lis if you squinted just right while poking yourself in the eye with a sharp stick.  Afterwards, we amused ourselves by watching a gaggle of small children (one naked) attempt to engage in sand castle construction–like behavior, acting apparently in accord with neither goal nor plan, and generally making a mess of things.  Dumb kids!  They were attempting their construction on much too large a scale, and with so many people inolved they really ought to have engaged the services of a foreman, or at least tried to have had a little self-discipline.  Our structure, while more diminutive in scale, was at least complete, and nobler for its unprepossessing modesty.

Then, continuing the "I am pressganged" theme of recent days, I was pressganged into seeing the new Harry Potter movie, even though I am plug ignorant of the series.  I have posed the following question to a few persons who agree with my assessment, but want to state it for the record: was not the entire tri-wizard tournament a gigantic MacGuffin?  Couldn't the dude who was orchestrating the whole thing simply have enchanted any old object Harry was likely to touch to cause him to be transported to the graveyard, or otherwise compel him in a more straightforward way?  Granted: the tournament provided a means for Harry to show off his skillz, and get a little artificial conflict between him and wossname.  But it could have been so much simpler.

The events of today, in which I was dragooned by that manipulative little troll C--- into eating donuts and participating in a forced march in a circuit, I pass over in silence, except to mention that we were first mistaken for people not from America (because, in the previous night, we read in the hostel-cottage-structure's antechamber, instead of turning the lights on in the room where someone was already sleeping) and then drama students (because of our histrionic bickering).

Comments

[rone]

Also, on Thursday you enjoyed a substandard lunch with me. I shall post that picture anon.

[washerdreyer]

I believe the explanation for the non-McGuffin-ness of the TriWizard tourney involves various protection spells on both Harry and Hogwarts in general which make it harder to smuggle nefarious objects in than you'd imagine. I think this explanation is textual, though I can't quite remember, and have no idea if it is implicit in the film, as I have not yet seen it. Also.

[ben wolfson]

Uh huh. I got that line from others, too. But check it out: the dude was already in, and the explanation given (in the movie, at any rate) for the teleportitis of the goblet is that he had enchanted it. To me, this implies that he could have enchanted any old thing. If the goblet was a sub smuggled in, then he could have smuggled in something with a decidedly more ordinary appearance and less ritual significance.

Re: your link. I don't think I qualify as middle-aged quite yet.

[Matt Weiner]

Haven't you ever heard of spoiler warnings? I didn't know C---- was a manipulative little troll.

[ben wolfson]

But you knew he was a lousy stoat, right?

[C----]

As I remember it, the donuts were *your* idea--and tasty, too. Re manipulation/stoatiness...I offer no defense. All the same, I do point out that it wasn't me lying in wait over the trail, rock in hand. And I didn't claim to have delicate feet only to hike vigorously for 12 miles only to return with blisters on my hands of all places. Just saying.

[ben wolfson]

I didn't claim to have delicate feet, I claimed not to have sensible shoes for a hike. Which is true, and was proven by the fact that I already had a nascent blister the day before the hike. And I didn't have blisters on my hands, which are soft and supple as kid leather, as ever, as recently verified though I shan't say how and you'll never guess.

Furthermore, you lying mink, while I was lying in wait above the trail, I didn't have a rock in my hands.

You seem to have lengthened by a hyphen. S--- took you back, eh? Knew she would.

[eb]

This is beginning to read like a V-----ian novel.

[Standpipe Bridgeplate]

I don't think of hyphens as being particularly vegetarian.

[ben wolfson]

My initial reaction was "Vonnegutian", and I was confused.

[James]

Shanghaied into Santa Cruz

Odd. Not only do I now have an explanation for the enervating odor of whale meat so prevalent around town that day, but, by a fun coincidence, only one day prior, I, too, gave myself over the whims of friends and promptly found myself Santa Cruzed into Shanghai.

Overrated cuisine and far too many "God Bless Our Troops" magnets.