Thoughts On Maleficent

Some spoilers (kinda), just some thoughts about the movie Maleficent (which we just saw).

- This is the closest to a Magic: The Gathering movie we are ever likely to get. It's a Green/Black deck versus a White/Artifact deck!

- If Faeries gift your child with Beauty, Charisma and a curse that she will die on her 16th Birthday, I don't think that's really a good reason to hide your child away right then. Wouldn't it be much more prudent to go ahead and raise your kid, then maybe hide her away for like a *week* before her 16th Birthday.

- In THIS telling of the tale, Princess Aurora was placed under a spell that put her to sleep for literally DOZENS of minutes before being awakened, hence the nick-name "Sleeping Beauty".

- Sixteen years ago The King gathered up all the spinning wheels in the entire kingdom and had them destroyed by being smashed and set on fire. Sixteen years later, Princess Aurora wanders in to a tower of the castle piled high with still-smouldering spinning wheel remains. WHat are those spinning wheels made of??? Even the most persistent of tire-fires burn themselves out after 2 or 3 years!

- We finally know what a proper Sorceress Faerie wears under her robes - a skin-tight leather cat suit.

Happy Fathers Day

Been avoiding this all day long, seeing as how this is my first Fatherless Day, but here it goes...

I owe my Dad everything of who I am. He taught me the art of "Dad Jokes" long before I was a Dad myself. He taught me morality for morality's sake rather than morality in order to impress anyone or follow rules. He taught me to always see and try to understand the opposite side of any argument before jumping in. He taught me *everything*.

I have no regrets, like some people do. He and I had many long talks over the years, and a trustful understanding between us. There was nothing left unsaid between us, and I try to maintain that level of honesty with everyone in my life because of him.

One of the very last times I saw him alive is a memory I cherish, about a week before he died. Middle of the night and it was my turn to try and keep him in bed and/or walk around with him, because at night he would just completely lose it and forget where/when/why he was. That night he sat on the edge of his bed and looked around - we weren't alone, but he would look me right in the eyes with the same intensity that he shared with the other ghosts in the room. From his chest pocket he pulled out the ghost of the soft-pack Merrit 100 cigarettes that were no longer there and put one in his mouth, offering the pack to the other ghosts in the room but not to me. He then noticed the ghost of a whiskey bottle in his hand, so he took a swig and then offered it to me. I took an imaginary drink and handed it back to him; he smiled. We spent the rest of the night smoking and drinking with all the ghosts in his room.

Happy Father's Day, Dad... I'm glad we got to have a drink together before you left :)