Airhead...

[rabidsamfan]

I forgot about "Lost" last night. Does anyone know when they're supposed to re-run it?

Had a day off, desperately needed, for working last Saturday and spent part of it at the LotR exhibit. If you can go, go on a weekday, when it's not as crowded and you can spend time looking at each of the videos. Some of them are similar to the stuff on the DVDs, but there are some new bits, and I especially enjoyed the clip about putting poor Lurtz into all his prosthetics.

But when you're alone, you can really linger over things. Like the rings... And not just the One Ring, either. I love the way that the rings of Men were changed for the Nazgul. The original rings had red inset stones, and the Nazgul rings turned those stones into the Eye symbol. (And the Witchking, who had an especially nice Ring as a Man, had the same ring as everyone else once he turned into a Nazgul.

I want to know what all the little bags attached to Sam's pack were supposed to hold. And what Gandalf kept in his "toffee bag" -- toffee, presumably, but who knew he had a sweet tooth and how long did it take Pippin to wheedle away the last piece?

The level of the detailing is just amazing, every time you see it. Theoden's armor is stunning, really. (They had a replica of his sword for you to hold with a glove on.) There were two tables opposite each other, one with a Kevlar helmet and a body protector and the other with actual museum artifacts of medieval armor -- a child's shirt of mail (and it was HEAVY!), a sleeve of armor, and a real Norman helmet. Which weighed a ton. No wonder men at arms had thick necks! You must have had to practice in the stuff on a daily basis just to keep the muscles you needed to walk around in it.

I want an exhibit book with a gazillion pictures. With a DVD of all the clips!

(They seem to have gotten a new shipment of stuff in to the shop, btw. Lots of halloween costume accessories for the kiddies and sweatshirts and knitted hats, etc...)

Comments

[shirebound]

The 2-hour pilot of "Lost" (last week's show and this week's show) is rerun this Saturday night on ABC.

Oooh, you got to see rings! *envy*

:)

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

I think it's going to one other museum, but I don't remember which one. Then back to New Zealand.

It is pretty amazing, actually.

And thanks! I hope I get home in time on Saturday!

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

I'm feeling envious about the extra video clips. I want to see everything there is to see!

I was at a small con last weekend, and there were several people there who made chainmail for costumes and it really is heavy! I almost bought a chainmail kit but practicality reared it's ugly head and reminded me that none of the costumes I'm planning actually involve chainmail, lol.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

Well you could do what they did and make the chain out of pvc. I've seen it done with wire rings too, the hard way (cutting each ring).

It's amazing how much better it looks than the spray painted knitting that movies usually use.

[pipspebble.livejournal.com]

Don't feel like the sole airhead, 'cause *I* was the one weeping over my lack of short term memory last night. Lucky for us, as Janet said, it will be repeated Saturday, and I'm setting all KINDS of reminders around the house so I don't forget again.

Oh, and if you really dig all accoutrements of warfare, you'll love the LOTR coffee table book "Weapons and Warfare" - it is absolutely impossible to put down once you start reading. I got it for the lads for Christmas last year and promptly took it over as an indispensible tool for writing Rings fic.

Okay, I made it throught the debates. I've done my duty to my country. I am going to bed now and will hopefully dream of Merry and Pippin in the basin by the arch at the Ent-house. Can you say bathfic? ;-)

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

I've got that book!

Skipped the debates. I've got to be able to sleep tonight or tomorrow will undo all the good I did myself by lazing around this morning. But I know too much about Bush and the people behind him to vote that direction, so it's no loss. I'll read the paper tomorrow and if I know the Globe it'll have most of the transcript. (And if not, I'll find it online.)

I sometimes wish that politicians were banned from ever going on television or on film so that we all had to deal with their ideas from the written word. We might not get very personable leaders that way, but that could be an improvement.

[pipspebble.livejournal.com]

*sigh* Sad, but true. I watched all of the debates, and both my lads watched every minute of it with me, and I'm so proud of them for being so plugged in to this election. They're 11 and 15 so I have an especially high stake in this election. My eldest will be 18 before this next term is out so I'm especially concerned for him. For the most part, I was impressed with the way they conducted themselves. I only threw my slippers at the tv once. Progress. ;-)

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

I'll cross my fingers for your eldest. I don't see any way that we're going to be able to avoid a draft.

[pipspebble.livejournal.com]

Which is exactly the kind of thing that keeps me awake at night. I pray for the soldiers every night, and their families, and especially for their mothers because I honestly don't know how they do it, knowing their babies are in harm's way and there is nothing they can do to bring them home. I never thought I'd have to be concerned about my sons being taken into the military because we were all past that, right? Now I can't help but worry. They are *everything* to me and I'll not be giving them up.

And I don't mean to sound selfish: I have friends and family in various branches of the service and I do so worry about them being sent into such a heinous situation. It scares me to death, and I thought I was past the age when I could be scared by something that only *might* happen. :-(

[elycia.livejournal.com]

You must have had to practice in the stuff on a daily basis just to keep the muscles you needed to walk around in it.

I once read that archeologists could easily identify soldiers among the skeletons at Pompeii (and similar sites) because the bones of their left arms were so much thicker from carrying a shield. Doesn't sound like much fun to me.

I am soooooo envious of your experience! I hope someday they do produce a book for those of us who are geographically disadvantaged. :-)

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

I love the stuff you can figure out from a skeleton. It's just fascinating. Did you know you can tell if the person was able to squat (with their heels still flat on the floor) from the shape of the leg bones?

I am reminded, probably because I'm in a fine state of exhaustion, of my archaelogy professor, who told us that academics had argued for years about why the Romans called professional divers "Urinators". Then underwater archaelogy became an academic subject and the effect of long term immersion on the body revealed the reason...

[ansostuff.livejournal.com]

I want to see a LOTR exhibition too! There hasn`t been one here. I doubt it ever will... :)

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately not. From here it's going to either the Gulf Coast or the West Coast I forget which, and then it's back to New Zealand. Cross your fingers for my lottery ticket tho and if it wins I'll fly you over.

[(Anonymous)]

I have it all on tape, darling....

It's what I watched instead of the debate while doing endless hand stitching.

Moonbeam

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

Oh, goody.

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

As ever, you wrote something I intended to write and wrote it better. :) I was so impressed by how real the costumes were. One really could have worn them as everyday clothes (and apparently some folks did). And the props! Oooh. But you already said it better. I just wish we'd seen more hobbit stuff. Ah well.

I do wish you could have joined us Lost Weekenders. I'd dearly love to have a cup of coffee with you one day, if you liked.

Ruby
PS You're into archaeology, too? I think I like you. :)

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

I'm a jackdaw librarian! I'm into all sorts of things.

This was my second visit, so I was better able to stare and absorb things.

Bag Contents

[(Anonymous)]

Official word on bag contents from Andy: Gandalf's "toffee bag" was used to carry pipe flints, and Sam's bags were for spices and salt.

<|:)

Re: Bag Contents

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you! *bounces with delight*

[mariole.livejournal.com]

Very cool description of the exhibit. I love the rings news -- I haven't seen that before.

On another subject, would you like to beta read "By Life or Death?" I'm finally going to submit this to archive, and have made some minor changes to it (I fixed the lever, I hope!). If you're too busy, be sure to feel free to decline. I've just been beaten up by RL myself. But if you're interested, I'd be delighted to send you the whole thing. It's about 45,000 words - yikes!

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

I'd love to! *bounce bounce* You still have the e-mail address, right?

[mariole.livejournal.com]

Oh, Samfan, you made my night. How wonderful!

I need to finish the proofread, which I should do tomorrow morning. Er, could you send me your email again? mariole@livejournal.com. THANK YOU, you wonderful librarian, you! *blows kisses*