Divisions and Precisions

Nervous, so I ramble (new job, old books, Troy)

Well, I start my new job at Borders tomorrow morning. I feel like it's the night before the first day of school--I've spent a good part of today trying to figure out what I'm going to wear tomorrow, and what time I'm going to get up, and what I'm going to have for breakfast and... you get the idea. (For the record, I still haven't decided what I'm going to wear, I'm getting up at 5:30, and I'll probably have cereal for breakfast.)

I won't lie, I'm pretty nervous. I haven't had a permanent, full time job in two years. I'm sure it's like riding a bike, but still. My stomach's a little fluttery. However, I'm also feeling crazily optimistic and excited about the whole thing. The idea of an office job that doesn't involve me answering phones and does involve me poking around the book industry? How'd I manage to snag that? I'm still trying to figure it out. Anyway, send some good thoughts my way tomorrow.

I saw Troy this afternoon, and the biggest thing it accomplished was to make me come home and dig out my copy of The Iliad.

That in and of itself is interesting. I've never actually managed to read the whole thing, or much of it at all, although I've had my copy for probably 20 years. I used to be horrible about writing on the front and back covers of books, just random scribbles, usually. Inside this one, along with the scribbles (which in this case look to be random math problems and something about the House of Trivia), I wrote (in my horrible handwriting), "Lisa Bentley, Homeroom 107". If memory serves, Homeroom 107 was Mrs. Lawing's classroom, when I was in the 7th grade. Weirdly, I can even remember when I bought the book. I don't know why it sticks out in my memory, but I was going through a phase where I was determined to read as many of the classics as I could get my hands on. I already had a fair collection of Shakespeare going--and in fact, at the time I was waffling between another Shakespeare and the Homer. I went with Homer, and got bogged down before I got 50 pages into it. I've hardly picked it up since, yet here it still is with me, 20 years later. (And the good news is, the reading is easier going this time--much more interesting.)

Oh? The movie? I think I actually enjoyed Van Helsing more, but Troy is the better movie from a technical standpoint. I can also guarantee that if you're a straight female or a gay male, Troy probably has somebody you'll drool over, given the wide variety of pretty pretty boys. Although, I must be getting old, because I thought Sean Bean was more attractive and charismatic than the young hunks. (Well okay, except maybe Eric Bana.) And Orlando Bloom, god love him, really needs to take a role that doesn't involve him wielding a bow. I couldn't help snickering every time he took a shot. Gotta give him credit for taking a small chance though, playing a coward. He handled it well.