My prideful prejudice

Milquetoast Darcy?

Eleanor Ringel Gillespie from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, who never really likes any movie, is lauding the new film version of Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightley as pretty decent, even going so far as to say it "does Jane Austen proud."

The Chicago Tribune says: "Memories of Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier (from the 1940 film) or Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth (from the 1995 miniseries) won't suffer by comparison."

So...erm...why am I having so much trouble believing this? The new version scares me; it seems that it takes a beautifully written, witty plot and twists it into a gothic romance flick with potentially cheesy dialog. Was there really, really a need for this new movie? It's hard for me to have an open mind about messing with something so purely perfect as P&P.

To quote my friend Lorraine, who also considers it blasphemy for the dialog to be tampered with: "I don't want to see some milquetoast Darcy simper 'you've bewitched me, body and soul.'"

I think that about sums it up. Bring back Colin Firth, o Milquetoast Darcy.

Making spirits bright

I just had the following e-mail exchange with my husband after I went to Target at lunchtime and bought four boxes of Christmas lights for our house:

Me: I went out and got 96 feet of ceramic white lights with the old-fashioned bulbs today. I don't know if it's enough, but it can get us started.

Ben: Thanks, but I think we'll need about six times that amount.

Me: Holy balls! Six times? What are you planning to do?

Ben: Clark, where's my stogie?

Me: *dies laughing, then becomes frightened*

Stay tuned...