Weirded Out

Today has been a, well, "different" day. A day off, and one actually worth it for a change. I got to visit Sea World and see my family who's off on a "real" Spring Break. That was cool. Jackie got to come, too. That sorta complicated things, since she was driven in by her mom, and out with us, in order to make it to a movie which, on the way back, apparently ceased to exist. That is, when I'd checked the listings last night, I was confident that the Lakeline theater would be showing "UltraViolet" at 7:40, and that, with a little luck and very good timing (a.k.a. taking Jackie and me straight from Sea World San Antonio to the Lakeline Regal), a full and enjoyable time could be have both at the park and movies. Of course, when the movie turned out to not be showing there, we scrambled to find a new evening plan, and not call the whole thing a total wash. We eventually decided on a 9:30 showing of "V for Vendetta" (much more on the actual movie later), but the change in plans ended up frustrating Jackie's mother.

I apologize for this. I doubt she will ever read this, but I feel it should be said. I was, unfortunately, a little afraid to call her myself, take the initiative at the time to call and inform her that the plans had changed. Maybe she would have reconsidered the options... I shouldn't discuss maybes. I made the plans based on information that I believed to be true. I felt they were very good plans, and am happy to say that had the movie actually existed we would have made it just about on time, maybe a little late, but nothing past missing a few previews. But I made the plan, and then diseminated it down to Jackie, her mother, as well as my family (and Matt, who was also a good sport through it all). I have to take responsibility for what happened. I hope I have the courage to say so to Mrs. Richards when (if) I see her next.

I can't help drawing analogies to Bush / Iraq / faulty intelligence. If Bush is reading this (the chances of that are lower still than of Jackie's mom reading it), let me say that I believe that that is how a responsible leader should act (and should have acted) after discovering that incorrect information lead to a bad plan. Admit to it up front, take responsiblity, and make sure that the way to proceed is clear (actually, you'll notice I had a little trouble with step three myself there). Also, despite what the Bush administration feels about how they would have acted if they'd known then what they know now (I'm not quite ready to get into that now), I wanna say that if I'd realized that the Lakeline time was incorrect, I would definitely have changed my plans accordingly. Admittedly, running a day trip is slightly easier than running a country.

So anyway, that fiasco can be put in the past, and filed as experience learned from. Next order of business, and what I feel was a great highlight of the day, "V for Vendetta". This was a great movie. Made me remember why I loved the Matrix,though not the whole trilogy; two and three still ring as "not as good". I saw the advertisements for the movie, and this phrase constantly bothered me: "From the Wachoski brothers, creators of 'The Matrix Trilogy'." Honestly, if they'd dropped the last word from that, and just left it as "creators of 'The Matrix'", I'd have been a little more excited to see it. As it stood, I saw it as another one of the quick to make a buck line of comic book movies.

I was so glad to be proven wrong. I'd rather not spoil the storyline for you, as it is really something... The basic premise is a Terrorist/Freedom Fighter (choose your own label; either works) opposing a future English government that has become totalitarian in all but name. The chain of events is near enough to be frightening, and seems to be a somewhat fantastic but still plausible extrapolation of current events. Ultimately, though, the message is one of hope. I like hope. I'm a positive thinker usually. An optimist. I was complimented for a friend because I can always make people smile. I do try. And really, this movie offers hope.

"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people."

So after seeing that, I came home to what I was planning on making an early night. It was about 1230 when I got home. I immediately got online to check on Jackie, and a few of my other web-site addictions. I was planning on dropping off around 1 to quickly watch the West Wing (OH CRAP I LEFT THE PROJECTOR ON BRB) (Ok, got it), then hit the hay and get enough sleep to be able to call Jackie in the morning. It's now 3:15, and I still have a little more to write about. For instance, this. It's a Google Video, a documentary I was linked to from /b/ (my constant source for all the useless data I keep occupied with - It's NSFW). It describes the chain of events surrounding the events on September 11th, 2001. The basic premise is that the story told by the government doesn't match up with a lot of the facts. Especially after watching "V", I've gotta kinda agree that it's probably not too far beyond some people's quest for power.

I dunno, maybe I've just got an overly paranoid mind after "V for Vendetta." I've seen videos like this one before. You can find them if you look around, and in fact the movie I link has a few suggestions near the end. I've seen enough to at least cast into question what is happening. I'm really somewhat scared about the future of this country. I commented on Emma's LJ that I'm all for moving to Australia. I'm not entirely joking. I think that I'll see what it would take to transfer to some college in Sydney or something for the next few years, maybe avoid some sort of scaryness. (A.K.A. "Australia's all 'Doubleyou Tee Eff Mate?'") Wish me luck.

For the meantime, I'm too creeped out to turn my lights off. I've been known to be paranoid of irrational things, like being attacked by chairs or bitten by water faucets (I wish I was joking), or recieving a sudden attack by something hidden in the dark. This isn't the same. Those are just childish fears that I simply haven't shaken, along with much of the rest of my childhood. What I'm feeling tonight is some overbearing sense of danger, and I'm not really sure what to do. I feel uneasy in my own home. I hope I can get a good night's sleep tonight. I'm gonna need it.