Well, it's not exactly "Star Wars: The Musical", but it's scary close. Please. Would someone stop George Lucas before he goes completely raving taun-taun mad? Oy. Did anyone else see the latest Star Wars installment, by the way? It's that digitally animated thing, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, with its accompanying tv show. Oy, again. And it's considered canon! Why Lucas would want to take the most advanced cinematic technology on earth and then use Thunderbirds Are Go as the inspiration is either an act of visionary artistic defiance or a blatant shock-and-awe attempt at insulting the last of his fans who refuse to let go of the wookie universe, move out of mom's basement, and get on with a life.



It was fake-looking when it came out, but today it has that timeworn, artsy hip look that only comes with the death of its makers! It's something I'm not sure Star Wars will ever be. I suspect that if Lucas had just retired in Maui (as he probably should have) that old trilogy would be as cool as ever now, and there would be a grand re-imagining of the stories, like they've done with Batman, Superman, James Bond, et al (and soon, Star Trek!). But instead we get Jar Jar Binks and now this goofball series, soon to be followed by the live-action tv show, also to be "official canon". Okay, me fessing up: I will watch it. But it's only getting a couple of viewings out of me. Fringe was "the show everyone was talking about" remember? I think everyone was talking about what a disappointing stench the show had left out on the broadcasting wasteland.

How about Star Wars with marionettes? I'd watch that! And I mean actual marionettes, not animated ones -which would be cheating. Anyway, the Little Ditchman has taken quite a liking to the whole Skywalker universe and we watched a bit of Phantom Menace the other night and guess what? She laughed at everything Jar Jar Binks did, so go figure. We can all sit there in the dark and throw insults at the screen, but Lucas will be at the bank cashing the checks. Good on him.

In other news, what mysterious different place was I in yesterday? My backyard. See? I told you it was no place interesting. Finally tore out those scraggly pygmy date palms that were bound to poke some child's eye out and bring on a lawsuit that would cause us to lose everything. Was it fun? No. I'm sore all over today, but I appreciate that bare spot back there now. A blank landscaper's canvas, empty holes in the ground waiting for some real planting.

Have a sweet weekend. Pray for rain.

P.S. And this year's winner of the first Christmas card arrival contest goes to Joyce Dakin of Lakeside, California! Congratulations, your fruitcake is in the mail. Note: World Vision sent us a nice one that arrived the day before but the distinguished 501C3 organization has been disqualified because of the card's accompanying request for a donation. If you want to win, you have to play by the rules and send an honest-to-goodness greeting without some hidden agenda. Well done, Joyce! (And thanks!)


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