FOTR

Thanks to everyone who replied to my last post. I will start looking into how to set up RSS feeds. I plan to stick around here, because I've got paid time until Christmas, and I likes my 100+ icons, yes, I do. I'm so behind the times technologically that I don't think I'll manage to crosspost to Dreamwidth, but...maybe? Anyway, those of you who are making non-crossposted-to-LJ posts on DW, I'll try to make it so I can read y'all on my LJ flist.

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I watched The Fellowship of the Ring tonight for the first time in...perhaps five years? I feel like we may have watched it before going to see ROTK in sophomore year, but I don't really remember. Anyway, it's been a while.

I had forgotten how genuinely terrifying it is. Not the shock horror of slasher flicks--well, not entirely; there are a couple of things jumping from around corners I didn't remember--but a cold dread that settles in the pit of your stomach and won't go away, but rather sits there and sends chills down your limbs. I nearly curled up in the fetal position when Gandalf recited the inscription on the ring.

Last time I watched this movie, I was more interested in Legolas and his pretty hair Frodo and his quest than in Aragorn, but Aragorn riveted my attention this time. Maybe it was because I knew how important he would become later. (Although...I'm sure I watched this again after I'd read ROTK, so who knows what it was.) Last time I watched this movie, I also hadn't been in Klein's class or read Beowulf, so it was exciting finding the influences of Old English literature on the story. (Oh, and Silmarillion! I hadn't read that, either. Now the names Luthien, Beren, and Elendil have referents in my head.)

How did I not notice how stoned Frodo looked throughout the whole movie? I mean, really. I know he was under the influence of the ring and all, but man. (Celeborn looked less vacant this time, though. That made me happy.)

I, uh, also realized I can name several of the musical cues from the soundtrack upon hearing them in the film, I've listened to it so much. Er.

But anyway, the reason I was watching it, and will be watching TTT and ROTK later this week, was of course because of my continuing Bablyon 5 obsession. I've been pointing out with glee all the ways in which JMS, ah, borrowed from LOTR, and now I got to do it in reverse, which was fun. I've (mentally) updated my B5-LOTR correspondance list with two things:

JMS managed to combine Frodo, Aragorn, and Gandalf into Sheridan (with a little leftover Gandalf going to Kosh). Um, I think Sinclair might be Elrond in a way maybe?

And...I think there might be shades of Boromir in Londo? Maybe that's stretching. They both love their empires, though, enough to attempt either stealing the ring or allying with Shadows.

Someone should write a book about the usage B5 makes of Tolkien stuff. (I would offer if I were going to stay in academia, but...nah.)

Calling all techie types

I need a database program. Or something. See, I downloaded the university copy of EndNote I'm entitled to, and while I'm sure it's wonderful and all for, say, scientists or other people who don't use MLA, it is DRIVING ME CRAZY.

I am attempting to type up my notes on all the hundreds of poems I will be reading for my thesis, and what I DON'T want is a big, unwieldly Word file with all my notes scattered around in it as I get to each poem. What I WANT is all the functions of EndNote (searchability of all fields, organization by author, title, keyword, etc.), but with a way to not have all the extra fields I'm not using hanging around in each reference entry. ("Packaging Type"? Seriously? Who even needs this?) Since the program doesn't let you rearrange the fields (which, WTF? HOW HARD CAN THAT BE TO IMPLEMENT?), I've attempted to create my own custom entry, and while that works at getting me the relevant fields without having to scroll forever between the main bibliographic data and my notes, it messes up the ability to alphabetize in the library frame, because I'm not using the fields in the prescribed order. (Is it really so much to ask to have the poem title come first rather than the author? Really?) Also, the damned program has a tendency to not allow me to close windows unless I quit out of it and reopen it, which is perhaps the real reason I want an alternative.

So, suggestions? Are there even such things as freeware database programs that non-technically-inclined folks like myself can use? (I attempted to use the OpenOffice database. It laughed at me. Well, technically I managed to make myself...a table, I think? Anyway, I was able to enter things all right, but it failed when I got to entering notes. Besides, I want something that will give me an abbreviated entry in a library-type window, then when I double-click it will open into a new window with all my notes and stuff.)

Technology is your friend

By way of wintercreek, Zotero came to my indexing rescue! If it's possible to be in love with a piece of software, I think this is it for me. I can enter separate poems and books and articles and TAG THEM! I've got about thirty Boland poems in there right now, and fifteen or so tags. I can get it to show me each poem about "trapped women" or "mapping through history" or "exile in her own country"! HOW AWESOME IS THAT?! AND, when I start looking through JSTOR and the MLA database and other online goodies for articles, I can drag them into the extension, and it will automatically fill out all the bibliographic data and keep a link to a searchable version of the article right there!

How did I manage five years of higher education without this tool? How?