just give me a -scape ...

seascape, lakescape, anything with a large body of water and i'm suddenly a much happier version of myself.

the cutting, blustery wind coming off the lake today nearly blew me over on several occasions as i teetered down main street in my ridiculously uncomfortable books this morning. never fails that the one time i'm going to do serious walking is the time i wear the most uncomfortable footwear.

while the wind was threatening to level me, it was creating gorgeously savage waves on the lake, spread about before me at the bottom of the hill. a deep slate blue, the water was speckled with foamy waves cresting and breaking over and over again. from a distance, it looked as though the water was speckled with chunks of ice.

a few days before, the lake provided yet another dramatic setting for my random musings. while making the trip from burlington back home, the sky ahead of me was a pale pearl pink, the mountains providing jagged black contrast. to my left, the clouds were a smoldering purple, meeting the pink sky to create a misty lavender.

but the lake was what truly captured my attention. the exact same shade of pink, it was impossible to tell where sky ended and lake began. instead, it looked as if the sky had dripped down in front of the mountains, pooling at the base of trees and rock. with the slight haze coming off the water hiding any wave motion, it appeared still as can be, as if nothing in the landscape was moving, save my small car and the occasional pair of headlights that came in the opposite direction.

but with the light the way it was and the haze over everything, the color of everything else around me seemed to try to compete. the grass, trapped in that kind-of-green-kind-of-brown stage, practically glowed against the stark tree trunks. power lines traced the road i was on, the dark lines criscrossing the pink and purple. the occasional traffic light burst with neon light, the white headlights dazzling my eyes as they raced past.

life was coming at me, surrounding me, looking more as if it were on a television screen with off-kilter color levels.

anyhoo. i begin the great victoria apartment move-in after work this evening. i'm trying to take advantage of my parents' offers to help while they're still in the eastern time zone (they're going to utah for ten days come thursday), so the big things - things i can't drag upstairs on my own - are being loaded in today. some medium- to large-sized items follow tomorrow and then i'm on my own to pack and move everything else. moving will be more of a process than the one-time event style i prefer, but there's not much to be done about it. so instead, i'll just revel in the fact that i'm FINALLY MOVING.

hurrah!!!!

i've started reading reviews as much as possible lately. the way i look at it, i need to read to learn and improve my own work.

but i came across a piece i'm really not at all impressed with this afternoon. i was shocked to see that it was written by roger ebert, someone i associate with being a good critic (all things considered, that is - i don't know if i can ever really be crazy about someone who can pass judgment with a thumbs up or down - a bit too "gladiator" for my taste). now, i know everyone has an off day, but if you're writing about a movie you intend to give four stars to, the review should reflect that.

now take a look at this. he proves his point, i suppose, but what's up with that last, rambling graf? there's no reason for it to be there ... i figured he had beaten those tendencies out of him long ago ...