I feel the weight of events - domestic, world, personal - in a false stagnation, moving imperceptibly but decisively and grandly as if tectonic. No startling news: Trent Lott waxes Clintonian and hangs onto power, the Republicans are remaining silent as to his inevitable replacement, Rush Limbaugh shows civility even to Hillary Clinton, Saddam Hussein continues his defiance, the Bush administration slowly completes its military structure outside of Iraq, the United Nations is full of countries with disturbing ulterior motives. Even Pepsi remains true to form in its discarding of one celebrity spokeswoman for another.
I can feel the tension and the friction. God only knows if everything will break at once. Stagger it a bit, please?
In the meantime, we can find solace in a decidedly unescapist fantasy world created by a skeptic and a Christian, who understood all too well the universality of goodness and its struggle with evil. National Review is devoting two articles to J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings masterpiece; good reads to be had.
I'm occupied this evening and would have loved to have seen it with my pal, Paul. No matter: we'll catch up to see it a second time, as I plan my first viewing to be with my parents. Subjecting them to the extended DVD release, I won two quick converts (one substantially more frightened by monsters, of course, but faithful nonetheless) and am confident that a moviegoing will be a fantastic three-quarters' family outing.
Universal, I say.