No Tom Bom, colour, stress, US/Oz

[Tabouli]

Did we ever come to a consensus about what's probably been cut out of the HP film?  I raise this OT because I thought I'd raise something about the LOTR film which has been a source of much muttering ever since I heard about it, namely that they have Cut Out Tom Bombadil!!

How dare they!

The scenes in the Old Forest are among my favorites in the entire saga, and I was looking forward to seeing Tom bouncing about in his jolly colourful outfits saving hobbits from willow trees.

Grumble grumble grumble.

Mary Ann:
> Personally I think the French should wear royal blue robes as pale blue isn't a colour 
which fits in with my vision; all the colours I see in HP are rich.  
The exact opposite is my vision of the Dursley residence, where all 
the walls and carpets have pastel flower patterns on them...BLECH!!

Yeeees, pastels do seem to have taken on a rather suburban and fussy image in the last decade or so.  I don't mind a touch of pastel myself, but in general a bit of saturation doesn't go astray.  Until recently, my flat was decorated solely in primary colours: primary coloured candles, pillows, cushions, fridge magnets, towels, fruit baskets, shower curtain rings, yogurt containers for storing things in (I suffered through two cartons of horrid yellow-lidded yogurt in the cause of colour), pictures on the wall, the lot (not walls, though - don't think my landlady would have taken that too well).  Wot, me, obsessive?  Since unwrapping my new life, however, I decided I needed some purifying silvery colours, so now all is silver, silvery-periwinkle and silvery-green (like Goldberry!).  All very pure, but it does rather evoke a craving for warmer colours in the clothing department, where I've taken to tangerine and red and pink and purple as a reaction... (rosy red velour top today).

Speaking of which, I looked at Rita's photo through the link she put on the main list, and my, what a glorious hair colour!  My love of colour is matched only by my love of hair.  Wonderful stuff, hair, there should be more of it.  I've long had this vision of taking three gleaming locks, one red, one blond and one dark, and plaiting them together...

I then mused that I have mental images of only two list members, who have the splendidly evocative names Catlady and Ebony.  Rita wasn't looking into the camera in the photo I saw, but from her self-descriptions, I have an impression of a warm, slightly mischievious sort of face with an underlying stratum of wariness.   As for Ebony, I have visions of this tall, elegant, immaculately groomed young black woman.  (I hope this doesn't trouble either of you...)

David's response to my lament:
>> Moreover, I am terrible at relationships and find them almost more 
>> stressful than they're worth (which sometimes saddens me when other 
>> people remind me that good ones are possible).
>
>That's not terrible, that's just normal.  Indeed if they're not 
>stressful there's probably something missing.  The better it is, the 
>more you value it, and the more little things become important, and 
>the more scope there is for stress.

Just to clarify a little more, I was referring to intimate/sexual relationships, rather than friendships (I'm not all that misanthropic - in fact, I'm generally pretty social).  As for stress, hey, I thrive on stress, to the extent that I've been accused of manufacturing drama if there isn't any in my life at the time.  I can't get any work done on something I'm not enthused about unless there's some catalytic stress there.  However, such are my complexes and hang-ups in the partner department that it cause me well over optimum stress even in small quantities.  A mere minor crush where I am crusher or crushee is enough to send me into a tailspin of fretting, and it only escalates from there.

As for Kristin's questions, I know this is technically off-limits (avoids moderators' eyes), but a thought that occurred to me which isn't exactly current politics is that this is one area where Australians and Americans would react very differently.  At risk of attack from other Australian listmembers, Australians tend to be much more cynical than Americans and inclined to be uncomfortable about taking anything too seriously (with the possible exception of sport!) for fear of looking foolish or pretentious.  They're also a lot less nationalistic, and many view American patriotism with a somewhat rolling eye (though they're apt to get very defensive indeed if someone has the temerity to actually *criticise* Australia!).

(Before anyone starts hitting me with the "but that's a generalisation!  I know an Australian who XYZ..." objections, let me add that I am talking about norms and averages, and am well aware that not all individuals in Australia uphold these norms - it depends a lot on their personal circumstances and demographic profile.  However, I think there is a substantial difference between US and Australian norms in this area).

I can't see large-scale accusations of treason and subversion and debates over civil rights and calls for his resignation happening here.  A couple of outraged students might try, and he might be reprimanded and forced to make an official apology, but I think most would be content to, at most, mutter disapprovingly among themselves (yeah, that was a pretty low thing to say, I mean, there was quite a bit of actual death and suffering there, it's not really a laughing matter) and then shrug it off or drop his course.

I could be wrong, of course (she says hastily, reaching for her bullet-proof vest again...)

Tabouli.


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