On the topic of many things.

Virgo:: Of all the times in your life when you have been in captivity, this has to be one of the least arduous and frustrating ever. I'll go so far as to say that I have rarely seen a more beautiful prisoner than you; for a drudge in bondage, you're ravishing. As hard as it may be to contemplate, however, it's almost time to escape. Your dark though sexy night of the soul will soon come to an end. Don't you dare linger any longer than you have to.

There are so many ways to take that. Not the least of which is okay, okay, I'll start looking for a new job, already.

On the topic of books:: Kushiel's Dart is not turning out to be a disappointment, as I had feared. It's a little overwritten at times, but it's one of those plot-oriented books that is not terribly overwrought nor simple brain candy. And, at almost 900 pages, you do certainly get your money's worth. I'm around page 350 right now, and despite a horrible chain of events that shook my resolve to keep reading (I need to learn to not have favorite characters, ever), I'm gonna finish it, and possibly read the entire series. I'm also reading a book about Mabon to review next week, for any of you Pagan-types who might be interested.

On the topic of movies:: I have really mixed feelings about Imagine Me & You, starring Piper Perabo and Lena Headey. I almost feel like a traitor-- I wasn't rooting for the Lesbian Love Of All Time. Okay, so the synopsis-- Rachel is walking down the aisle to marry her adorable husband, Heck, when she locks eyes with Luce, a florist. Luce is gay. They have several dates-but-not-dates as super-hetero Rachel struggles with her feelings for another woman.

First and foremost, the acting was really, really good. Anthony Stewart Head was in it (!), Piper Perabo made me almost forgive her for her shitty job in Lost and Delirious (though not quite for Coyote Ugly), and Lena Headey finally got a better job than in The Brothers Grimm, where her kick-ass-and-take-names-later huntress got character-murdered halfway through. Matthew Goode was perfect and amazing as Heck, the husband, and Darren Boyd was a great man-ho of a best man. No fault lies at all with the cast.

The fault lies in the crappy writing. Or rather, as Agnes pointed out, in the complete Hollywood ending. The scenario: Rachel finally kisses Luce. She then feels terrible about it, and Luce is like, "no, it's okay. I like you, but you have a husband, and he's a great guy, and I totally understand, so I'm going to take myself out of the equation." And Rachel admits that she had a thing for someone else to Heck, but that her love for him was still strong and that she wanted to stay with him. And then Heck is all, "I cannot bear to stand in the way of your happiness, go for the girlie-lovin'." Which is admirable and all, but dude. You just got married because you're still in love. There's no trouble in paradise besides Rachel's attraction to Luce, which is still, by the way, extraordinarily new. It's the chemical cocktail of attraction, not OMG TEH TRUE LUV. Not worth throwing a still-viable marriage away over. And yeah, sucks to be Luce, but she at least took at gracefully and tried to do The Right Thing.

So phooey on the complete Hollywood ending. Rachel & Luce are a cute couple and all, but I just felt so crappy for Heck, and because the situation was so Hollywood in general. Okay, okay, I'm taking a deep breath. Erm. Everyone in the movie was extraordinarily pretty, and were Lena Headey not engaged, I'd totally stalk her. In conclusion, the best conclusion to this flick would've been a threesome, and I mean that. The end.

On the topic of music:: OMG NEW LOREENA MCKENNITT THIS AUTUMN. I knew that there was an album coming out, but now it has a title-- An Ancient Muse. It's her first studio recording since 1997. Am I excited? Did you not note the capslock?

On the topic of weather:: It is gorgeous out today. The temperature has dipped into the first kiss of Autumn, and the air was inexplicably saturated with the scent of carmel corn and buttercream this morning. This is my own bliss.

On the topic of food:: I made lemon-pepper pesto pasta last night. It was good, especially when followed by Trader Joe's toffee walnut cake paired with homemade bourbon vanilla whipped cream.

On the topic of tonight:: Full moon tonight. I'm going to give myself a good soak in the tub and go out to the garden for some divination under the moonlight. It's time to break out the runes.