why i love ang lee

(note that i didn't see hulk, and that's probably for the best.)

there's a scene in sense and sensibility -- in london, i think, after the ball but before willoughby returns marianne's letters? -- where marianne is at the desk writing a note ("never make a movie in which anybody writes with a feather", sam goldwyn -- wasn't it? -- said) and elinor is behind her, sitting on the bed, out of focus. (also keep in mind that this was before the film had made kate winslet Kate Winslet.)

i believe it's the thompson/doran commentary that tells us mr. ang lee really wanted to use that scene as the oscar clip. they talk about how he loved the idea, just loved it -- give 'em an oscar clip with the big star in the background. ha!

ha, indeed. that's the kind of sensibility (hee!) that pleases me very, very much.

the grading is done!

mostly A's and A-'s, because i'm such a softie. nobody who couldn't accurately transcribe the j sound in genius, outrage, and usage got higher than an A-. nobody who didn't complete the assignment -- specifically, who didn't give two transcriptions (one of deliberate speech, one of rapid speech) for each of the two-word questions -- got higher than a B+. their grades also suffered if they Made Shit Up, specifically if they used symbols that weren't on The Chart, a simplified IPA we'd given them for use in transcribing american english. (there was nothing lower than a B, this time, because it's the first assignment and the professor asked me not to be like the previous grader too hard on them. so. i could certainly have had a wider range, but i do like i'm told.)

just have to record these damn things, and then i can go to bed.

[eta: recorded and alphabetized, and i can now report, out of 48 students, 24 A's, 10 A-'s, 6 B+'s, and 7 B's -- which on the one hand feels a little inflatey, but on the other hand not, because if you set a bar and half the kids clear it, you have to give half the kids credit for clearing it (and then set it higher next time). you'll note that this only adds up to 47, however. there was also one 0, for the kid who didn't turn it in -- and also didn't show up to my class on tuesday, didn't hand in the assignment there, and wasn't in lecture the one time (so far) we took attendance. hasn't withdrawn, either. shooting himself in the foot, that one.]

dream theatre

i dreamed that my mother, crossing the street against the light, stopped and turned and said "what?" when she didn't hear me when i called to her that a car was coming. and the car hit its brakes, but it couldn't swerve or stop in time, and its tires squealed as it hit her.

i, naturally, screamed. my vision, in my dream, went black, as though the dream had cut to commercial.

when the picture came back, it turned out she'd just been bumped and startled, but not struck by the car. someone had called 911 and i could hear sirens coming, and my mother had hopped up from the ground and come over to assure me she was okay, where i was sitting on the curb and still screaming.


at which point i woke up. so naturally my whole nap was for no purpose at all -- i don't feel even a little bit rested, but i'm sure not in any hurry to go back to sleep.