Warning... melancholy...

Watched Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers last night.  Was up until two.  Worth it.  In my opinion it is the best one of the series.  Love the Helm's Deep battle.  My only criticism is Aragorn's hair.  Why is it always wet and stringy?  It became a little distracting.  Elf flashback - dry hair.  Conferring with Rohan King - wet and stringy.  Did he bathe frequently?  Was it always raining?  Had it been so long since he washed it that the layer of grease and debris had set upon the hair in extreme ways?  On the flip side, Legolas was only seen with perfectly groomed, never out of place, silky sheens of perfection.  (And yes, I know that "sheens" isn't a word.  I'm taking liberties.)  I'm not saying that I was solely obsessed with hair follicles.  The movie is amazing, the music fantastic...I cry every time Samwise gives the speech about there being good in the world worth fighting for.  Was a little confused when the King of Rohan seemed to be reading lines from Henry V, but I let it pass.

Here's where the warning comes in - Had sudden realization today that this Christmas would be my first without my father.  I've spent Thanksgivings, Easters, birthdays, New Years and various other and sundry holidays away from him, but never a Christmas.  Even the Christmas when my parents had a huge fight.  I don't remember how old I was, but I was old enough to drive.  I took my sisters and drove to my grandmother's house without them.  It took an hour to get there.  When we arrived, my grandmother hugged me and whispered that they were on their way.  Even that Christmas we were all together.

All other holidays were flexible, but this one wasn't.   And now it is.  I find that unacceptable.