All Shall Love Me and Despair

HOBBIT week on The Colbert Report

More sightings of new TV spots!

Peter Jackson talks Smaug

TheOneRing.net’s ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ Giveaway!

Imagining Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: Part Three

Video: TORn on the red carpet

Thanks to primula_baggins for the following: The Hobbit Cast Promotions, Performances and Events

Hobbit TV spot #9; hello hint of Smaug! - Of course you just see his silhouette, more or less!

Follow Tolkien’s footsteps through the Swiss Alps - Neat! It seems he made it to Chur, the capitol of the Swiss canton I grew up in. :) And I guess on one of my future visits home I'll have to take a trip to the village of Jenins to visit the Tolkien museum there, which will open next year (September 2013, I read somewhere)!

New Zealand peak could be dubbed: Mount Tolkien

An Interview with the Elusive Fran Walsh!

for a brief visit with serenitysangel and the Queen of Evil (who isn't so evil at all in reality *g*), and on Sunday it's London and The Children's Monologues featuring (among many others) Benedict Cumberbatch! *flails*

Have a good weekend!

but I only wish! :/

Work is mostly of the routine/boring kind, and not busy enough to help me overcome my inertia caused by bad sleep and neck/back related problems. Hopefully my new mattress really will arrive this week, because the old one is just plain and simple f-ing with my back/neck, as was very obvious from the first night I spent on it after my holidays. Also have a Wednesday appointment with my sister for a BowTech treatment, which of course I haven't had since mid July. Oh and PMSing doesn't help with all this, obviously, but it seems we're almost past the "Pre" phase now, at least.

Of course I still haven't done any Aotearoa '09 image sorting, apart from what I did on the trip. I also still need to figure out how I can better fit the clips from my video camera on only one or two DVDs - when I try to do it with the software that came with the camera, I can hardly fit a handful of clips on one DVD-R/+R even though there aren't that many long ones, so that's not practical at all!

The sliver of light on the horizon is my weekend trip to NYC - leaving directly from work on Friday 25th mid morning, and coming back again directly to work on Monday 28th. No big plans except visiting a friend and his daughter, and letting them show me around Queens. *counts the days*


Watched three films made in/about NZ and particularly the Maori over the weekend: River Queen, Whale Rider (again), and Once Were Warriors. All three are good in their own ways, and funny enough, all three feature yummy Maori actor Cliff Curtis in an important role. :) Of course a not so likeable one in the latter (OWW) - it's one of those films that is difficult to watch in places, but the performances were fantastic all around. It really deserves its good reputation! As does Whale Rider, of course, and I also liked River Queen a lot.

Oh well. Time to go back to work... until sometime later!

On the one hand: Goodness, it's only Tuesday, and only in the early afternoon?!

On the other hand: Holy crap, only one week and one day of work left before NZ!!!! o_O
I'm really glad I have my packing list ready - now I only need to finalise just which and how many clothes I exactly will take... and make sure that they're not still in the washing next Wednesday. :)

Just did my web checkin for tomorrow's flight home. In a way I'd really have liked to stay longer, we had a good time for sure! The course banquet was fun and the party afterwards too. I danced a LOT - and in fact this was the first time I truly enjoyed dancing with a partner! Also managed to visit "Dracula's" castle today with almost all of the organising team who are still here. Ah, but it will be good to have the weekend at home.

Well anyway, better go to bed - in theory I can sleep in tomorrow as our transfer bus to the airport leaves at 11AM, but you never know what my organism will do (like today, when it woke me up at 5:45 AM a.k.a. 1 1/2 hours before I had to get up - WTF?!).

TTY when I'm back!

but I REALLY don't want to, and I REALLY don't want to get up at 4:45 AM tomorrow! *pouts* On the one hand I am looking forward to going to Romania for a week (for work again), but on the other hand I just want to sleep in tomorrow and have a quiet weekend at home! I'm seriously considering going to bed now and get up an hour early tomorrow and finish packing then - I do have everything ready, really, just need to chuck out some of the clothes I've piled up and put everything in the suitcase.

Hmm yes, probably the best approach. Not sure if I'll have internet connection there, but I'll be back next Friday night - and then I'll have 3 1/2 weeks of - well not quite peace and quiet, because I'll be packing and preparing for NZ omgomgomg! :D

Right, off with me now - have a great weekend and week everyone!

I'm in a real in-between state - I've barely unpacked from Vienna, and only started putting together the clothes for London, though at least I have my outfits for the two times I'm going to see The King and I. I hope the Tube strike's aftermath will be over by the time I arrive in town tomorrow afternoon - thank goodness they didn't include Friday! Got my train tickets booked for the trip to/from the airport here, and also for my lunch appointment on Saturday with serenitysangel and F., a.k.a. the Queen of Evil. Can't wait! *bounce* :D

Also can't wait to see Daniel on stage!!! And pleasepleasepPLEASE let him come to the stage door!!! omg just thinking about the possibility of actually briefly meeting/talking to Daniel makes me all jalkjfalösdfjaösljd!!!


I started reading A Day in the Life, which at this point is still dealing with the families of Jake's parents, which - wow. I had no idea that they were *that* high in British high society, particularly on his mother's side. The opening was actually difficult to read, as it starts with a crucial and emotionally harrowing moment in the life of young Jake and his brother. I did read some tidbits from later in the book - definitely an interesting and at some times omg-this-can't-be-real read ahead! And the photos are interesting - Jake looks so much like his father. Yup, I know what travel lecture I'm taking.

But enough babbling - work to do... I'll TTY again at the latest next week!

Just quickly before I have to head to the congress centre:

Variety report

Kristin Thompson's commentary



I've not seen a lot of the Vienna yet, but it seems a city well worth spending time here with lots to see and do. Some more sightseeing this afternoon, after a half day's standing at our booth, so there will be pics eventually. Have a good day!

In exactly six months this very minute(-ish), my plane will leave Zurich airport in direction of London Heathrow, where I'll join trianne and hopefully ladysunrope and yukiball on Air New Zealand flight NZ1 headed towards Auckland via LA! \o/

OMGISITJULYYET???!!!